A Chair For A Special Little Girl

I'm a girlie girl.  When I was growing up I always envisioned myself having a daughter and playing dress up, Barbies and having tea parties.  However, that was not in the plans for me.  Instead I was blessed with an amazing little boy who I love and adore.  There aren't any Barbies here and the kind of dress up that goes on in our home is Hunter dressing up like a superhero, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!  

Although I don't have a daughter I do have lots of friends with little girls.  It's fun to go to their houses and play Barbies or go get pedicures at the salon with them.  It's nice to have that girlie time!  One of my good friends has an adorable little girl named Elle.  She makes me smile.  I love her confidence, vivid imagination and playfulness.  When I come over for a visit I always know it will be fun.  I've done a few pieces of furniture for her in the past that you might remember Pretty In Pink Dresser and Something Pretty And Turquoise.

A couple of weeks ago I found a cute little chair at Goodwill for $6.  I had to buy it even though at the time I had no idea what I'd do with it.  Then it dawned on me that I had promised to do a chair for Elle after I'd refinished one for her younger Brother.  This chair was a perfect size for her!

Here is the chair before (yes, I got started before I took a picture....when will I learn?)

The chair is a very sturdy and well made chair from Land of Nod (one of my favorite stores).  It was originally a mint green, but someone had half painted it a different shade of green.  It wasn't in bad shape.  The paint job wasn't the best and it wasn't the look I was going for.

In this picture you can see I started painting the seat in Annie Sloan French Linen.  I knew I wanted to use Duck Egg Blue on part of the chair, but when I put the two colors together I didn't think there was enough contrast so I switched gears.  I decided to go with Old White and Duck Egg Blue instead.

I have to be honest....I don't like Duck Egg Blue.  I've had the same can of paint for a year and haven't really used it.  I've used it to make custom colors, but I've never used it without mixing it with another color.  When I look at the greenish color in the can it reminds me of my 1990's sea foam green phase.  I've seen a few projects done in Duck Egg and figured it was time to give it a shot.  I'm very happy with how it looks on the chair with the Old White.  Am I a convert?  I don't know, but I will definitely use it again on another project.

Here's the chair after

I used Old White on the seat, two of the spindles and the bottom of the chair.  I painted the rest of the chair Duck Egg Blue.  I decided to go with a 'dipped' leg look so I taped off the bottom half of the legs and used the Duck Egg Blue there as well.  

For the seat I used a stencil I had bought for a fall project.  I cut the words out and used them randomly on the seat.  Some of the words I painted in Duck Egg Blue and for the others I used French Linen.   When I was done with the stenciling I had one spot that needed something.  I thought the chair needed a little heart so I put some Frog Tape on a piece of paper, then I cut out a heart and made my own stencil.   

   

I think the words are perfect for Elle.

After I finished painting the chair, I used some 220 grit sandpaper on the seat and a few other spots on the chair to give it some character.  Then I finished it off with a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax.

 I had a lot of fun doing this little chair for Elle.  I always enjoy a girlie project!  I hope this chair inspires her and reminds her that she's loved.  

I'm working on a few smaller projects right now until the weather gets warmer.  I can't wait to open the garage doors and get back to work on the big pieces that are patiently waiting for some love.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  I'd love to hear what you think!

Melody

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