Trash to Treasure

In January, I drove past a not so lovely dining room table and four chairs on the curb - for three days - in a row.  Each day I thought, "I should take those chairs home and paint them . . . nah." Well, on day four, I caved and decided to pick them up, but when I got there, only one chair was left.  Ugh! (Why would someone take three chairs?  Or maybe they disappeared one at a time.) Anyway, I brought it home and stuck it in the garage.

Sometime in May, I pulled the chair out and decided to have some fun.  No more beige for me - I was going bold!  A little sanding, a can of spray paint (my new favorite decorating tool) and a cute fabric remnant later, I have a non-neutral fun chair that I LOVE!  Sigh.  I just wish I had picked up all four chairs the first day I passed them.

I then turned to a garage sale dresser that has been sitting in our playroom basically taking up space.  With the kids' help I primed and painted it and spray painted the hardware.  Again, no neutral - a bright orangey red.  I LOVE it!  I am going to get my fabrics out of the ugly boxes they've been sitting in for years and put them in the dresser drawers.  I may even start sewing more regularly again with them in their new pretty "container".  Both the dresser and the chair are going in the playroom/my craft room which my amazing friend, Sarah, and I recently painted a pale aqua blue.  I love the bright color combinations.  It is a fun room to be in.  (I also turned my brass piano lamp and mailbox a lovely hammered black with the aforementioned beloved spray paint.)  Watch out neutral hand-me-down wicker chairs sitting in the living room.  I think a can of brightly hued spray paint is in your future!

*Thanks to my sweet Sarah,  a budding photographer, for all of her lovely photos for this post (and the others).  And, don't you love those big green ball things? Just laying on the side of the road begging to be picked up and stuck in a basket for a bright shot of color.  They smell good, too - a little citrusy.