~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING...Painting Our Upholstered Chairs~

CHAIR TO BE PAINTED

Our trusty A/C Unit bit the dust this weekend and even though it's never a good time to shuck out hard-earned money on something so expensive...we knew this day was coming.  My Mr. AGP Man was in the Air/Heat biz many years ago and knows the business very well...  He has babied the A/C along for a long, long time.  Yesterday we bid her good-bye and a brand new (hopefully more efficient!) until will soon take her place.  We've opted to have our very, very old furnace replaced as well (in 2020 it would have been 50 years old!).  While we wait for installation it's going to be insufferable around here.  We'll be sleeping at our daughter's because last night we were absolutely miserable...

AFTER ABOUT ONE COAT

Anyway...before all this happened with the A/C I had long before decided to take the plunge and CHALK PAINT my living room chairs (upholstered).  Yeah...I know!  SCARY!  I've had the chairs for 13 years and they were still in beautiful condition.  No rips, tears, sags, etc.  But...I had grown tired (very tired!) of the Savoy-style black and white print and had tossed about having them reupholstered for at least a couple of years.  The chairs are fabulous and except for the flounce (skirt) I still really love them.  So...after a ton of research and gobs of reading, I jumped right in!

I have two matching chairs and opted to do one at a time.  I had my guy haul them inside and put paint cloths down (I used old, but clean, moving blankets) to protect my floors.  Doing one at a time will better help me determine the final cost and just how much paint each chair needed to be completely done.

AFTER ABOUT THREE COATS

Here are some photos of where I am after three coats.  I'm certain they will need FIVE COATS of watered down chalk paint before they are ready to be lightly sanded and waxed.  My plan is to add a vintage French image to the top-back area.  Nothing big or floral...maybe an old ad or something like that.  We'll see.

 ORIGINAL SKIRT REMOVED

This is what the one chair I'm working on looks like after three coats.  Some places are still showing the Savoy print (flip side of cushion has yet to be done) and I suspect the chair will take at least another full day to dry before I can apply coat #4.

Opting to have the chair recovered ($400 quote on each one PLUS the fabric cost of $200 for each one!) made me sick.  I'd rather purchase new chairs.  So, opting to try the chalk paint was sort of a no-brainer for me!  I'll be out the cost of the paint if I absolutely hate the outcome...I figure it will take 1 1/2 quarts to do one chair.  About $50-$60.  

I'll also be out lots of labor.

LOTS OF LABOR.

The process is slow and slower.  But, I'd rather be out TIME vs. $$$$.

I'll share more pics later this week of how the chair came out!  OK?

Here's what I did!

I first cleaned the chair by giving it a thorough vacuum and then sprayed the entire thing with a good mist of water

Next I started with the paint.  I did NOT water it down.  I opted instead to dip my chalk brush (a must have!) into the paint and then the BRUSH TIP into a bowl of water.  The paint went on great and the first coat soaked right in.  That's what you want it to do.  You want the paint to penetrate the fabric vs. sitting on top of it. Lots of thin coats vs. thick ones!

I waited 24 hours between coats to give the paint a chance to dry.  The second coat covered a lot more of the Savoy print and the third even more.  Not all the coats are even so by the time I apply the fifth one I'm hoping I'll be done and the chair will be reading for a light sanding, wax and image transfer.

I used LOWE'S Valspar Chalky Paint in the colorway of Kid Glove only because I was too lazy to drive 15 miles away to buy Annie Sloan.  Kid Glove is a white color and I like it.  I've used it once before on a project and had good results (not a chair, but a dresser). It is $29, but it is three ounces short of a full quart.  So far I've used one container for the three coats!  I did a test run on a scrap of the Savoy fabric and I knew ahead of time it was going to take at least five coats.  Keep in my mind my chairs are good sized chairs.  Yours might take more or less.

I can't wait to show you the final reveal.  Hoping to have the one chair finished later this week.

~*~

Today I'm thanking God for two good hands, a good strong back, healing neck AND a house that right now feels super hot on the inside.  I'm trying my best to live my best life and be positive and grateful in all things.  I'm very aware some people do not have houses or even chairs to paint.

God is good.  

ALL THE TIME.

Blessings...

Rebecca

THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING....Life is Good. God is Great!

WHAT?  Almost two weeks since I last posted?  I can't believe it...  I've been crazy-busy as usual, but everything is good.

Very good.

My thoughts today are simple.

I'm completely overwhelmed with gratefulness for all that has been given to me and for the gift of wellness I have received.  I really have no words to share, except to say I believe in healing and I believe in prayer. 

God is great and greatly to be praised.

Blessings...

Rebecca

~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING...More Thankful Than Ever

My Mr. AGP Man and I had a wonderful day on Saturday.  Once a month we plan on a major garage sale, thrift store or estate sale jaunt around the Oklahoma City area and Saturday was such a day.  We got up early, forced down a bowl of shredded wheat (or a scrambled egg or two), made sure our Little-Miss-Mollie is safe and sound for a few hours and then we headed out the door.  We don't really have any specific route in which we travel.  Most times we wing it.  Just chase the TAG SALE SIGNS scattered along the way.  During the hot summer months they seem to be everywhere and I love that.

On this particular day our four-hour excursion away from our La Chaumière de Briarwood felt like a mini retreat in a way. We visited some sweet tag sales and lunched at a small diner before running into two longtime friends.  We chatted for a little bit, laughing how the years had flown by since we'd last seen one another.  I love old friends...the kind where you can just pick up a conversation that was left idle years before and continue on...

We wandered around one of the largest antique shoppes, but we each left with only a free donut in our hands.  Still fun.  Before heading home we stopped over at one of our gazillion thrift stores (Good Will) and found an amazing antique (Victorian Era) linen and lace skirt (petticoat) at for only $2.00.  It had originally been priced at $3.99, but all red tag items were half off making the already incredible find full of even more awesomeness!

I know my Mr. AGP Man must grow tired of hearing me squeal with delight when I discover a new, wonderful something-or-other.   But he never lets on.  I love that about him.  He's gentle, always kind and my biggest fan follower devotee.

We returned a few hours later with our SUV full of potential treasures.  I say POTENTIAL because I'm really never sure how something is going to turn out.  But I have faith in the process and learned a long time ago that in order to fill my creative heart to the brim and overflowing I must allow my finds to speak to me.  Sometimes the visions inside my head take longer to bloom than I would like for them to...but again...it's the practice I've grown accustomed to.

On Sunday afternoon I found myself leaning on the French-style door jamb my Mr. AGP Man installed several years ago, gazing out into his workshop (like I've done for man moons now), watching my guy move with ease inside the walls of his own personal work-haven. My heartstrings are tugged, I shake my head and only the single word, thankfulness, comes to mind.

And love.

I'm blessed to have a committed partner who has never left my side.  He's also my dearest friend.  The bonus is he loves to go junkin' with his wifey and that makes my heart sing.

Blessings~

Rebecca