Gaga for My Telephone Chair

One day while I was strolling through the Salvation Army I came across something very special...a telephone chair.  In all my excitement, I knew that I had to have it.  The price was right, only $40 and it was in really good shape.  SCORE!  So I snatched that bad boy up and loaded it in my car.

So darn cute, don't you think?  Obviously this piece needs to be revamped, starting with changing that nasty fabric on the seat.  Now a plan needs to be set in motion.  I wanted this piece to be dramatic so I decided to go bold.  My inspiration came from leftover fabric from a curtain project.

Not only is it bold and beautiful, but it's not gonna cost me a dime!  So the only costs to me will be the primer and paint for this project.  Time to make another trip to Lowes.  As you know by now, I spend a lot of time there.  So I grabbed a swatch of my fabric and took it with me to match it to a paint color.  I found the perfect match, Valspar's spray paint in Gold Abundance.  Yes, you heard me...spray paint.  This is the method I am going with, my first time spray painting an entire piece of furniture.  

First things first, clean and sand the chair.  You don't have to go crazy with the sanding since you only want to scratch it up enough to remove the finish and so that the paint has something to adhere to.  

Next step, priming the piece.  I used Zinsser Bulls Eye spray primer, applying enough coats to evenly cover the chair.  Since the primer left a sandpapery texture on the chair, I then had to sand it with 220 grit sandpaper.  I then cleaned off the dust and it was ready to be painted.

I then spray painted the chair with the Valspar paint.  It took me a total of 4 cans to get an even coverage.  My trigger finger hurts!  Now I just need to wait for the paint to dry.  This paint also left a rough finish...not sure if it's the specific brand of paint or if some sort of error on my part.  No worries...I used 00 steel wool and lightly rubbed the surfaces until they were smooth.  Again cleaning the chair so that it was free of any dust and steel wool debris.

Woo hoo...my spraying is complete!  Thank heavens, cuz my finger feels like it's gonna fall off.  Time to get my glaze on!  Another first for me and I'm so anxious to see how this turns out.  I used Valspar's Antiquing Glaze, for no particular reason other than I happened to walk past it in the paint section of the store.  I applied it with a brush, making sure to get in the nooks and crannies, then wiping off with a clean, damp rag.  Please accept my apologies for not having any photos of the glazing technique.  I often get ahead of myself and forget to break out the camera for all the steps I use.  

Oh yeah baby...looking good!  Now I just need to install the chair cushion and it's finito!    

I absolutely love it!  Now I just need a cute vintage telephone, oh and trim and new carpeting...ha ha!  Don't worry...little by little.

This week I will be linking up with...

World's Ugliest Light Fixture EVER!

Our dining room was the home for the ugliest light fixture known to man.  I knew it needed to be replaced but it just wasn't high on my priority list.  Grrr....I really hated looking at this light and tried ever so hard to come up with some magical way to turn it into something pretty.  Ha ha....what a joke, that was impossible.  Seriously, there was no way this ugly thing could ever be transformed.

I know, I know...it's freakin hideous.  But did you happen to notice that it's not hanging from my ceiling any longer.  Oh yeah...I replaced it!  During one of my many trips to Lowes, I happened to stumble upon a new fixture which I could not pass up.  So wasn't even shopping for lighting, but there it was in all it's glory.  Sometimes we find things when we least expect it.  Oh and best of all....it was on clearance...SCORE!  Marked down from $100 to a mere $25...I kid you not!  Of course I bought it, I'm not an idiot.  Oh yes, and the best part of it all...I installed it myself...yes you heard me, myself...without the help of my Beloved, and it works!  Sometimes I simply amaze myself!  I have to admit, he was very concerned when he came home from work to see this new fixture hanging from our ceiling.  I believe his exact words were, "Who installed it?" and when I told him that I had done it he stated, "That scares me!"  After all, he is very old fashioned and forgets that women can do things other than cooking and cleaning.  I think I just might have proven to him that I'm a hands on kinda gal.  We are both very happy with our new pretty light and I think he loves it more than I do.