Refinished Morris Chair: Reveal!

In my last post, I talked about the chair I was refinishing.

Well, here it is...

To get this distressed look, I first painted the chair in a fresh blue paint (the colour was Pure Water by SICO), and then I rolled on one very light coat of antique white.

Next I sanded it down until the blue began to peek through.  I sanded the edges more heavily in places where it would naturally wear on its own over time, until the original wood began to show.

Finally, I dabbed a sponge brush in some of Folk Art's Sky Blue craft paint and dry sponged it on very lightly in the areas that were most heavily distressed.

As this chair was originally in my maternal Grandmother's home (and was built by my great-Grandfather almost 65 years ago), I really wanted to have a special touch that reminded me where it came from. The "B" monogram is an ode to my mom's family name.

I used a stencil and some Sky Blue paint for the monogram, and the flourishes were created with a few of my stamps and an "Old Olive" Craft stamp pad from Stampin' Up.  I used a sanding block to sand it down a bit so it looks more authentically aged. I like the way it turned out.

I know my limitations, so I bought the cream cushions rather than making them myself.  I found them at Pier One. But I did make the little skirt myself.

The awesome down-filled bird pillow was a fab find at Homesense.  In keeping with the bird theme, I originally thought about painting the word "Perch" on the chair instead of the monogram.  This chair was always a favorite 'perch' in my Grandmother's kitchen.  But there wasn't much room on the chair frame for words, so I kept it simple.

The chair fits great in this little corner of the kitchen, overlooking the backyard.  It's actually a REALLY comfy chair. It'll be a sweet spot to sit and read my favorite magazines.

Until next time, happy decorating!

Psssst! I'm sharing this project at: