The Armoire Monster

I'm a sucker for country French furniture.  It's got great lines without being to "stuffy."  So when a friend offered this piece to me at a bargain price, I couldn't say no!

Fabulous, huh?

And BIG!  This huge 5-door armoire is 8 feet long!

How was I going to get it home?

Well those ingenious Europeans figured out a way to break it down into parts so it could easily be transported.

So we took it apart and took it home.  

That certainly made it easier to paint!

I pulled the parts out and gave them two coats of ASCP Old White.

Then I distressed them lightly, gave them a coat of clear wax, and a light gray glaze.

It's kinda strange painting when you don't know how it will all come together!

We loaded all the parts up and took them to my new booth and got a tutorial on how to put it all together.

I love it when a plan comes together!

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Grain Sack Upholstery

I still remember the first time I saw a chair that had been reupholstered using vintage grain sacks.  It took my breath away.  It embodied everything I love about casual living and repurposing vintage goods.  And the stripes were blue!  You know I love blue!!

Last summer I was at a flea market and ran across this bench.

You may be surprised to know that it was not the stained, country rose upholstery that attracted me!  

It was those legs, and the wide bench pleading for stripes!

So I started by painting the base in ASCP Old White.

I distressed and added a coat of clear wax and dark wax.

At the same flea market where I found the bench, I also found a stash of grain sacks.  Yes, the heavens opened, light shown through the clouds, and the angels sang "Eureka!"

It only took a few inches more than half of a sack to cover this so I've still got a large piece that can be used on a smaller bench or chair seat.

Yep, it still takes my breath away!