A Distressing Story!

I've been really sick for several weeks.  I still sound like I have emphysema when I cough and my sinuses-es-es are packed, painful and putrid.

But that's not what's distressing.

The following is my maiden venture into the world of furniture refinishing and I must first tell you that I improvised because like I always do, I didn't gather all the appropriate tools  (paintbrushes for one thing).

Yesterday I bought this stinky little footstool at a thrift store for $4.  That pad was disgusting!  Smelled like it had been used for target practice in a mens restroom.  But I digress.

Here is the little beastalo that prompted today's adventure.

The pad has been burned.  You can see that it is cute and I think it would be nice next to my side of the bed.  So I decided I would paint it.
Then I got sidetracked by this little piano chair given to me by my lovely daughter-in-law Cammy for Christmas a couple years ago.  No time like the present!

So I took everything out on my front porch.  It has been a gorgeous warm day and what better vantage point than this!  Now I had to find some paint.  I found some white paint in the laundry room.  After 2 trips to the garage and 2 upstairs where project stuff seems to get stuffed, I found 2 little containers of a taupe and a cocoa powder beige, a 3" foam roller and a handle as well as a narrow paint tray!  Yay for me!  Alas no actual brush.  But that's not going to stop me!  (I should explain that while searching for brushes I did come upon some drywall mud in a box.  Next to it was a thingie for smoothing stuff out. (trowel?).  AND I just got some old stencils from a yard sale so I searched for the hiding place I'd shoved placed them.  I had a wicked idea to enhance my plain little chair.

                                               Choose the stencil

Tape it in place

Get some drywall mud on the trowel thingie and wipe it over the stencil.

This is what it looked like when I removed the stencil.  You can also see the first attempt on the back of the chair.  I also added another rose the the back side.

Isn't it fabulous?  I hope it works!

Then it was time to paint.  I had read that if you add baking soda to the paint it comes out sorta like chalk paint or milk paint.  I've never worked with either so I don't know why it would be done.  However, I did it.

The first coat was the light taupe.  There were lots of sides to this chair.  A foam roller does not leave very smooth paint.   But it dried super fast and I put on another coat.  Then I decided to put white over the top.  Yes a 3rd coat of paint.  Well I had a time I'll tell you.  I can see why people invest in a paint sprayer!  It basically looked like a four year old had slopped paint on the thing,

So I started sanding.  And sanding and sanding and sanding.  Did I tell  you it was very sunny today?  See my farmer tan?

I also got distracted by these to fellas -

They wanted paint, too.

Well I wish I could post a finished product.  I have to figure out a sealer coat and a fabric for the seat.  But here she is so far...

That represents a WHOLE LOTTA elbow grease.  I think I have carpal tunnel.  You can see my attempt at distressing the finish.  I hope the flowers stay intact.  That was a happy little experiment!    I guess most of my projects begin and end with a wing and a prayer.  Who has time for plans?

Now tell me which of these fabrics do you like best for the seat cover?

And that's my story.