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Saturday, August 17, 2013

My Crazy UK Flag Chair And Other Things...



 I know the first day of Fall isn't until September 22nd, but as we all know in retail it starts much, much earlier. In my mind August is when I like to start transitioning over to Fall...at the booth, mind you, not here at home...so I've been working on several projects for just that reason. I'll take pictures at the booth too, once everything gets in place.
 With Fall being my favorite time of year, it bothers me none to play with brown hydrangeas, rusty metals, dark stained doors and ummm...my weird British Flag chair.
 Yep, it's a deconstructed chair of sorts that I picked up at a yard sale this Spring and painstakingly painted the British flag on the seat. I put it in the back yard for a few days to get some weather and break up the freshly painted look of the flag....well, I forgot about my chair in the weather and discovered it just the other day once again. Whoops. 

 It had certainly aged, don't you think? I actually love what the weather did to it and I sealed it with some polyurethane to stop the paint from chipping any further. The chair didn't have a back and I thought it would be easy to cut a primitive back of sorts fairly easy when the time came.

 But then I had another idea. Wouldn't it be sorta cool if there was a basket in place of the back? I know that's rendering it completely useless to sit on (although, not completely), but it would render it into a really interesting display for a deck or porch. I imagine geraniums or potted ferns in the basket-wouldn't that look cool?
Just for the record: Justin does NOT think it's cool. He doesn't like the chippy paint or the basket idea....but I just reminded myself of what Eleanor Roosevelt said. Do what you feel in your heart to be right-for you'll be criticized anyway.  That can apply to painted chairs right? ;)
 I went to Hobby Lobby and found a basket about the same size as the backing space and tied it on with some jute twine-completely temporary. I might cut a back for it, but for now, it's a cooky flower-basket-UK-flag-chair-thing. The Queen can thank me later.
 Also going to the booth, a beautifully aged Texaco bucket. Nice and rusted to perfection, with no help from me.

I thought to myself, what else does my booth need for Fall 2013? A ginormous painted sign is what myself came up with.
 Actually, it's a scrap piece of backer board that I had from another project (more on that later). I framed it out using tomato stakes of all things and went to town painting.
 You guys have seen all my small versions of hand-painted signs, so I'm not going into the logistics and how-to's now, but this puppy is BIG and I'm hoping it will draw people in my booth.
 Surprisingly, it didn't even take me that long to paint, the hand lettering part is the most time consuming. Not that I'm anti-stencil or con Silhouette machine, I just prefer hand lettering...just me a pencil, ruler and an eraser. If you'd like to see the tutorials click HERE and HERE.
 I can't wait to get everything in place at the booth and of course can't wait to show you. I've got some smalls going in too and of course Flowers!!

I'll talk to you soon!
2011-12-013

17 comments:

  1. I love it! Love it all...and that sign is amazing. Fall is also my favorite. I just love the warm colors. I will be putting up my fall things as so as Labor day is over. Do what makes you happy. Sending love your way.

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    1. Thank you Jeanette. Yes, Labor Day is a good starting/turning point for at home.

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  2. First off I'm new to your blog and I love it. I'm sending you warm thoughts and thanking you for remaining connected to inspire us both creatively and more importantly spiritually. If I could ask a question (which in a prior post you said itok to ask questions) where do you store all of your wonderful items used in your home decorating and tablescapes. How do you keep it organized? Just questions that I thought a pro could advise me on. Thank you again for ALL your inspiration. Looking forward to seeing more pictures! Colleen

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    1. Hi Colleen and thank you. The only real trick to storing the dishes that I can share is I actually have only ONE full set of dishes (not including those passed down from family members). The rest are usually salad/dessert plates-if you look super close, it's the same white dishes over and over with just different salad plates. Those are stacked in two dedicated cabinets and I keep seasonal dishes (Fall and Christmas) in the small cabinet above the fridge. I keep cardboard in between so there is no damage-although Martha has beautiful zippered dish keepers that I've always wanted. ;) A lot of things are in the general population too and are used everyday. Linens and things, I have a dresser dedicated to in the living room that's used as a side table at the end of the sofa. As far as accessories, I have clear labeled tubs that I keep in the corner of the garage. They stack up neatly and I can see what I'm looking for easily. Also, a lot of my accessories I rotate. The same things that look good in the living room, look good in my bedroom for example. Those types of things do not get packed. Also, I edit a lot. If I'm not using things for quite some time it will get sold. I recently adopted a semi-rule that I don't buy unless it's 6 or more(6 plates, 6 glasses, etc. )...keep in mind I usually buy vintage. That narrows the margins quite a bit.
      Hope this helps and it all makes sense!! Let me know if I've hit all the things you were thinking of.

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    2. Michelle,
      thank you so much for the tips! I'm leaving for out of town Monday, but when I get back I will be getting those clear bins! I will keep you updated on the results!

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  3. Oh, man, I LOVE the sign Michelle! Great job!

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  4. I think the chair is perfectly aged--I bet it sells quickly!

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  5. Love the combination of these looks, the basket and the Union Jack design. Inspired! This is a piece I would love by our back door.
    pam @ BeColorful.

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  6. Love the chair and the basket (reminds me of a bicycle basket and I could see it full of long loaves of bread with jam/butter on the seat for serving...) Love hand lettering. I dislike all of the machine made knock-off's of handmade items. I am glad you don't stencil.

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  7. Fab job on the chair! I love the seat the best and might have to copy this project with some old kitchen chairs I have in the basement. The basket was a clever solution, too.

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  8. Fab job on the chair! I love the seat the best and might have to copy this project with some old kitchen chairs I have in the basement. The basket was a clever solution, too.

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  9. you are so talented! Love it all!

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  10. Well, I guess you did get the weathered look you wanted! I don't use primitives, but I sure do love your sign. It is beautiful!

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  11. I love your chair it is great

    Jo
    x

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Thank You for taking the time to comment! Because of the insane amount of spam comments, I had to stop anonymous comments-sorry for the inconvenience.
Michelle