Wednesday, May 4, 2016

A Bit of a "Chair Thing"

Greetings dear friends & readers & Happy Wednesday to you all,
(where on earth did April slip away to I might ask ??!!)

I think it would be fair to say I have a "bit of a chair thing" going on 
However I am unsure whether it is the chairs themselves I love .... or the rescuing of them ??

Regular readers of my blog may remember these chairs I have rescued in the past
Blog post about this chair *here*

Read blog post about this chair *here*

Read blog post about this chair *here*

 The elderly lady Owner of the dairy farm that The Mr & I milk on has gone into resthome care,  so we are slowly clearing out some of the many sheds & barns on the farm full of junk treasures.
Due to The Mr being ever-so-slightly incapacitated at present (broken leg) I have been assisting him with this task.
However my main reason is to be there in my capacity as "Steptoe"  & ensure nothing of any value (to me) gets thrown in the hole !!!! (it should be noted The Mr & I share very different views on the definition of things of value)

This chair above was one such item that I "rescued".

I scrubbed it & painted it just after my trip to Mums
This is how it looked before I lightly sanded/distressed the edges.
(Yes dear readers - that IS our lounge in the background - still incomplete!!)
This chair above was yet another "rescue" ... although I forgot to take a "before photo", this chair had been hidden under some sacks in the barn, so once it was scrubbed up, it was in remarkably good condition.
This one I chalk painted - first cream, then pale duck egg.
As both chairs had no seat padding I decided to take them to my local upholsterer - a lovely man named Shane. 
 I purchased 70 cms of heavy duty cotton fabric from MyStyle to cover each one.


This is the brown chair upon collecting it from Shane ... 
He voiced his concerns about the strength of it, should anyone sit on it roughly, or rock on it perhaps ?
I laughed loudly & told him Not to worry, the chair was for a dolly & no-one would be sitting on it !!!
He looked at me mystified . . . surely I was joking??
No, I surely was not !!!

I especially loved the carved detailing in the back of the chair.

This is the duck egg painted chair below, once it was upholstered . . .
This one MAY be sat upon - though preferably NOT by muddy farmers pants or 4-legged critters with dirty paws !!!!
I LOVE the cane backing & the cabriole legs on the front of the chair.
I chose this fabric because it reminded me of a Regency Stripe.


I did lots of cleaning & sorting out for Mum while I was down there - once again in my capacity as Steptoe.
The 2 items above were pulled out of her rubbish bag ... yes, much to Mums horror & disgust ... & the serviette tray was in the $1 bin by the doorway at Hospice.

I gave them all a wax & a lick of paint
the black letter rack turned out especially pretty
The wooden serviette holder looked nice with a fresh new packet of paper serviettes in it

After painting I lined the little cane basket with some pretty fabric & lace trim
I thought it would make a cute tabletop work basket but I realised not everyone would think of this .  .  .  
so I made up a small chubby pincushion & needlecase in matching fabrics to add to it .  .  .



.  .  .  I often find that sometimes you have to give them (customers) the ideas .  .  .


Our Waikato mornings are thick with fog now as autumn wraps her cloak around us here in my part of the world
I took these photos on my return home from the farm this very morning



 Poor Old Isabella stands out in the fog waiting patiently for it to clear

Very often these fogs do not lift until nearly lunchtime. 
Surely on days like this, you just want to pull the covers up over your head & stay in bed a little longer .  .  .
.  .  .  like a certain little fairy I know !!

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit me this foggy day dear friends & readers,
I hope you found your way clearly enough ?
May the rest of the week be good & kind to you all.
with much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones
x0x0x0x

27 comments:

  1. Love the chairs all of them! You really are Steptoe's daughter? Pretty work basket for the folks that like some hand stitching. We have had some fog here too but not hanging around until midday, it is still warm :-(

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  2. The chairs are absolutely lovely...
    Love the one with the 'pink' roses
    on...What a lot of work....They look
    great, shame to sit in them, and cover
    the colours! :).
    You'll have to tell us, Julie, what the
    furry ones think of them, in your next
    post...HeHe! :0).

    The foggy photos look lovely to...Love a
    bit of fog, first thing....Isabella...?
    "Knock! Knock"! "Who's there"? "Isabella".
    "Isabella who"?
    "Isabella...necessary on a bike". :).
    HeHe sorry about that....!!!

    And...Pippi, the basket case...Lovely as
    ever...bless!x

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  3. Oh Julie the chairs are beautiful, you have done a beautiful job of rescuing them!!!! Love the other little items too, had a giggle at your Mums reaction. That is thick looking fog..are you still milking? Those foggy days are good for staying in like Pippi is!!

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  4. Oh, I love what you've done to the chairs, Julie. They are gorgeous. It's always nice to see a comfy cat on your post. :) Deb

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  5. Hi Julie ,wow you are amazing my friend those chairs have been restored beautifully,you are so clever,I love seeing what you are working on.
    Boy that fog sure is thick,your fur child has the right idea,lol xx

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  6. I'm sure I've said it before but you are the Queen of makeovers...keep up the good work. xx

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    1. Thanks so much E.E. I do enjoy the makeovers & giving new life to old things that would once be tossed out. Think I might be living in the wrong era sometimes ??

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  7. As usual I love love love everything you've made 😀 And I wanted to tell you that totally 100% inspired by you I am going to look at a little shed in a new craft village with a view to renting it out to sell my stuff from. 😀 Super exciting.! Hope it all happens!!

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  8. Oh and I think I am a noreply blogger which I keep meaning to fix, anyway my email is jill at emeraldcottage dot co dot uk - hope that makes sense!! xxx

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  9. Oh I do miss those Waikato foggy days,(sigh) love what you did with all the bits you saved from the rubbish Julie.
    Wish I could curl up in that basket with Pippi, she looks so cosy. Chris :-)

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    1. Thanks so much Chris .... I agree about Miss Pippi ...I often wish I could just pull the covers up & stay put for awhile til the sun comes out :-) Thanks for stopping by.

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  10. Those chairs are so lucky they had you to save them, they look stunning by the way!!! We must be
    twins.....I have been eyeing an old wooden chair I have outside that needs loving care. I was wondering
    what I could do with it, now I have some ideas. Thanks for the inspiration. You truly do need a blanket over you, especially if you're in a basket on the table. lol Love the pics of the fog, we're having the
    same look around my parts. My next post will have a shot of fog as well. Thanks for sharing,
    Cheers, Anita.

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  11. i love your chairs! you make them into such beautiful memorable pieces. wish i could do that, i look at many old wooden chairs but i don't know how to fix them. they add that lovely cottage-y look i love so much
    also caught up with the last few posts too, Pippi, one year old already! HAPPY BIRTHDAY sorry it's late & wow, a year has gone by already too, man that was fast! loved the collage you did for Pippi.
    love what you do to the love little treasures you find too, so cute!
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Thanks Selina for the lovely comments you always leave me. I really enjoy the chairs - they are small, manageable projects which dont require too much work & energy. Also they are quickly transformed with just a bit of paint & fabric. Yes one year old for Miss Pippi. She sure has changed this household in that year & has us all wrapped around her little paw. Have a great week Selina x x

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  12. Hi Julie, a wonderful post, your chairs are wonderful------ of course.I actually have the same fabric that's on your blue chair as an ironing board cover. Love doing my ironing now with that gorgeous fabric on the board;-The fog we get has never really bothered me. I feel snug when at home and such a great excuse to sit and do lovely crafty things. Dear Miss Pippi, contentment is----:-)

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  13. The chairs have come up really well (I suspect they will need much testing out by felines!) I am looking forward to the post where you say 'the living room is complete' and that you are enjoying your new space! I do hope you have lots of customers snapping up those pretty creations, the sewing basket set is such a lovely gift idea for a mum. Betty x

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    1. Hi Betty, thank you . For some reason your comments are no longer showing up in my email inbox. I am not sure why this is ... so I thought I would reply to you here. I too, look forward to the finish of the living room - especially as winter is not too far away. The plasterer will finish tomorrow & then we can look to paint. The only trouble is my ceiling painter is on crutches for another 3 weeks!!! Have a great week Betty x x

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  14. Hello dear chair lady (just for a change from cat lady) I must say that you play the role of Steptoe very admirably. It's a little like being an edible forager, after a while, you have almost no shame; much to the chagrin of those around us, at times. But what fun! The chairs look fabulous. The Mystyle fabric has just the right colours & pattern to it. I found a lovely bentwood chair in the Salys in Tradable last week & dear Rob has made it sturdy for me. It has made in Eastonia stamped on the bottom which makes me feel a bit bad about intending to paint it but I know it will look so lovely once done. What a difference it makes to all those old wooden & dowdy cane items when we paint them in pastels. I am especially amazed at how attractive the ugly little letter rack miraculously became...who would have thought. Thank you once again for showing us your make-overs & for the inspiration that this process continually provides.....me. Much love from the other side of the island with no fog, Catherine x0x0x

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  15. Wow, Julie! You are a chair wizard! I am always drawn to chairs, china hutches, and rockers when I browse the antique malls. I do not need any more furniture though.
    Could that kitty be any cuter?

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  16. Your creativity is a wonder! LOVE your upcycling of those chairs....they look gorgeous! Sweet little saves from your Mums as well. It does look like snuggle down weather at your place....still shorts and tees here! I wish hubby a speedy recovery x

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  17. Hi Julie! Great transformations... I have been hanging out for a Julie blog post, they are always inspiring!
    I hope you aren't working too hard on the farm... how many do you have left to calve?
    I am sure you must be getting anxious to have your new lounge finished, are you still waiting for the builders to finish?
    Take Care
    Michelle

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  18. Both your upcycled chairs are stunning, but you are the expert now in chair restoration. Your Mr sounds like TOF on what has value, they would just biff everything, MEN!!! Hows the extension going? Nearly there? Those foggy mornings are the pits, and I'm with Miss Pippi, pull those covers up Julie.

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  19. Well, three cheers for the chairs! Fabulous material and with painting a whole new life to live!

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  20. Sooooo in love with your chairs, especially the pretty duck egg blue one. I have been on the lookout for one similar with the cane for ages.......I want to cross stitch the back. =) A very, very good idea to go with the husband when clearing out the dear lady's house, we can't have any treasures disappearing. Enjoy those gorgeous chairs of yours!

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  21. Restored chairs make me believe that everything have a chance for another life :) You touched me by your morning photos. they are so sensitive.

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    1. Thank you so much Maya for your lovely comment .... it is wonderful to give things a 2nd chance at life I agree.

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  22. Articles and content in this section of the website are really amazing. Great ideas indeed! I will surely keep this in my mind!

    Masterpiece & Handicrafts products in India

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