Saturday, May 18, 2013

Before & After Furniture Part I

In 2004, I picked up the knitting needles again, something I haven't done since 1977. Just like riding a bike, knitting and purling came back and I was addicted. For the next five years, I must have knit 50 sweaters and countless scarves, mittens, socks; I even made a knitted, felted suitcase! But, my favorite things to knit were baby sweaters. My own grandchildren grew too fast for the tiny sweaters I was knitting, so I rented a booth at the Wilcox Emporium in Boone, North Carolina, and proceeded to sell them to the tourists and visiting parents of the college kids at Appalachian State.

So what does this have to do with painted furniture?  To help fill up the booth, I began painting little tables and chairs in whimsical patterns and fun colors. Soon I was addicted to that too! Both knitting and painting furniture has outlasted my booth at the Wilcox Emporium (I lost my lease when the owner decided to turn it into apartments).

Now, my favorite pastime is going to yard sales and flea markets to find "sad" furniture that needs to be lifted up by a new look. I love using different techniques, letting each piece "speak" to me about what it wants.



This metal bench was very sad. I found it in an antique shop that was going out of business. The beige, vinyl seat looked like something that should've been in a boat. A fresh coat of Valspar spray primer & paint and happy floral fabric re-do and suddenly I have a happy bench, or a bench that makes me happy!

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