Tricked Out Chair

Looking back the chair was a lot like a dog.  An old dog spending its last few days at a pound hoping someone would just take a chance. Waiting for someone to look past its battered edges and worn hide and take it home to start a new life. Enter me 😊 (Come to think of it the similarities are uncanny. The upholstery smelled like a wet dog and there actually may have been fleas involved as well). 

I was excited beyond measure with my "new" $20 addition to the family. After all, I had pinned and tried every homemade chalk paint recipe I could find on Pinterest, but I had finally splurged and bought the real thing .... Annie Sloan chalk paint and soft wax. My "old dog" would soon be all tricked out. First thing to tackle was that pungent upholstery. I wanted the perfect new covering to bring this old baby back to life. 

I had also found an old tobacco fertilizer sack at my favorite antique store in Selma, the Country Peddler, for $6.50. I had to have it because it had NC State stamped on the sack!!!  Perfect for this Wolfpack alumni and her new chair 😀. 

So ... After cleaning years worth of dust and grime off of said chair I began painting. I must say I was not impressed after the first coat of paint.  I started liking it more after two coats. However, after waxing and then sanding I became a true believer. It was magical. The finish was so smooth and really made it look like a chair that had been lovingly sat in beside a sunny window at grandma's house. A big improvement over the chair that looked and smelled like a dog had slept (and peed) on it on the forgotten side porch at Uncle Ferney's house. 

I used the old upholstery material for templates to cut my fertilizer sack to the correct sizes. (I used plenty of ventilation ... probably should have worn a mask 😷). I saved the old upholstery tacks to reuse and bought some new trim at Joanne's Fabric and Crafts with a 50% off coupon so I had $12 in the trim. 

I'm thrilled with the end product. I have a true one of a kind chair that I love for so many reasons. One, I love giving old things new life. Two, it has a connection to my alma mater. Three, it provided me with a Sunday afternoon project. Four, it cost me less than $40. And five, it's beautiful. 

Sure glad everyone kept walking by when they saw (and smelled) that little chair at the thrift shop. Cause .... now she's mine. 😍