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Four Legs, Two Tones

BUILD

I’ve totally been slacking lately on posting.  Sorry.  About twice a year I go through a slump where I just don’t feel like blogging and so I don’t.  I’m a rebel like that.  Plus I’m sick.  But just know that I am thinking fondly of you guys.  You’re my framily.  Except there are no bills involved.  And I totally have stuff I need to share.

In fact, while slumping like slumpers do….I found an old photo folder from February.  It had a fun chair makeover in it.  And the best part about this makeover is that it didn’t cost me anything.  Seriously.  I went to the stash and pulled this project out from all the things I already owned.  Even the chairs were free because I got them from my mom who was throwing them into our ever expanding yard sale pile.

Confession…we told everyone that we were gonna have a yard sale last year and still haven’t had it.  The good news is, I did contribute to the pile  and one day when things get slower (does that ever happen?!) we will sell all the clutter that is taking over our basement and buy something awesome…like an iRobot vacuum or go on a cruise or maybe I should take that money and hire Jen from iheartorganizing to help me with the purge of every closet.  That would be a dream come true.

So I thought that since I always narrate the makeovers that this time the photos should do the talking.  #blogslacker  They are really quite informative what with the thousands of words they speak so I don’t foresee you having any questions.  Good luck figuring it out.  I believe in you 🙂

 

 

Catch all that?  Questions?

 

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Comments

  1. Love it. And the post too. A picture is worth 1000 words so this one is well over 26000. Well done.

  3. Love! I also enjoyed pretending to be you in my head as I narrated the steps! I think faster than I read.

  5. Cute…I love to see some things happening in your basement!

    My question is…did you change your mind about the whole chair being stained, or did you always plan the dipped leg look? Cause I think it would have looked great either way 🙂

  6. Nope – always planned it. As you can see, I didn’t actually stain the whole chair because I wanted it to look more modern.
    xo – kb

  9. Ha, I had to look twice (well, thrice) too, wondering why and how you changed it back to stain – but then I realized it’s frog tape 😉

  11. So creative! I love that you saw past the original webbed caning?? (it that what is was?) to see a totally different and updated chair. Really great makeover.

  12. Love the chair!

    I haven’t hit a blogging slump yet, but I know it will happen eventually (I’ve been blogging for just over two years.) I can tell when my favorite bloggers take some time off they always come back refreshed and with more energy so I think it’s a great thing to do!

  13. I think the green was Duck painters tape. Katie, I love the vision you have for old pieces! Great job! I’m a new fan and user of Minwax polyshades (I love it in Tudor). I usually use a bristle brush to apply it. Do you have tips on using foam brushes for the polyshades? I would rather use foam brushes as they are cheap and I wouldn’t have to clean them with mineral spirits. But when I try to use foam brushes, I get these tiny bubbles.

  15. Did you mean the green on the legs? I think it was the tape that protected the stained legs from the spray paint.

  18. Love them! They are so cute! I’d love to do up some furniture, I wish here in Ireland we had yard sales and thrift stores but no luck!

  23. They look great! Did you have to sand the chairs much before using the stain? I love that colour, great choice.

  24. On the legs? I’m guessing frog tape to stop the spray paint getting on the stained legs. At first I thought they were painted green too!

  27. I think the green on the legs is frog tape, to protect the wood stained legs while she sprayed it all white.

  28. Patti – Are you asking about the bottom of the chairs? I think Katie used frog tape to protect them from overspray.

  29. Okay, my question isn’t about the chairs though….I’m wondering why you have a American Red Cross sign in your basement? 😉

  32. I think you mean the green Frog Tape (painters tape) to cover the stained legs while spray painting the rest of the chairs white.

  33. They look great! And you didn’t even need to write out directions, the pictures spoke for themselves. And honestly, half the time when looking at tutorials I only look at the pictures anyway (yes, like a 3 year old).

  34. The chairs are fun! And I like this blogging approach. Good for the lazy blogger and good for the lazy reader!

  35. I think you’re thinking of the green from the 5th and 6th picture from the bottom? That’s Frog Tape 🙂

    The chairs look great, by the way! 🙂

  37. Patti — I think the green was Frog Tape after she stained the legs, and was going to paint the top of the chair!

    So cute Katie! I think you are pretty funny, and I totally caught it ALL!!! Those pictures were talking like 2000 words!

    And….the last 2 times that you weren’t in the blogging mood, you were preggo!! 🙂 Just sayin!!

  38. Thats the frog tape so she gets the dipped look. Thought it was paint at first too.

    I love the vision you had for this chair!

  42. FrogTape for taping off the stained chair legs during painting! Right, Katie? Love the stuff! 🙂

  43. I think she’s asking about the green on the legs? It took me a minute but I think it’s tape to protect them from the spray paint, right? They are beautiful Katie! I have the perfect chairs to try this on…and they are from my mom as well:)

  45. I think it was painters tape to protect the already stained legs. I’m not sure though.

  46. Those chairs turned out amazing! It’s transformations like this that make me NEVER throw any chair away, and buy too many at garage sales 🙂 And for a PP, it was frog tape so the stained legs wouldn’t be painted. A job well done and I loved just the pictures.

  47. Katie, part of the reason we love you (besides your lovely blue sense of humor where boyfriend is concerned) is that you are real. You have three small / two children under the age of 3 and one of them a new infant. BOYS (i have 3 boys so I can assure you that I understand explicitly). It is real to get worn out now. No one real DOESN’T get worn out. In fact, we love you more because you share that you would like to blog but get tired.

    Glad that we are the thing that suffers (and I really mean that). As a working mom myself, there were years where my bestie and I only spoke during drive time because that was where we got to be alone.

    So, take your time being swamped this year .. you only get so many sunrises and sunsets while they are littles. And be assured that we love you most when you do.

    ps i still call mine “love boy” after 25 years . . . .so keep the boyfriend moniker flying!

  48. Similar to Laura M’s comment….I found myself making up my own narrative in my head but then would get off track and make up some ‘funny’ (in my own head they were funny) captions for some of the pics then that would lead to some other thought in my head then another….until I was thinking about something TOTALLY unrelated to your picture….my version of ‘stream of consciousness’ Anywho…..fun project and post! Thanks

  59. Haha! I got that giant sign at a local thrift shop. So the house right next door to the house in Monroe was converted to a Red Cross way back in the day and I got the sign because it came out of that house! I plan on using it in the Monroe house once it gets decent.
    xo – kb

  63. It’s kind of a weird story. The house next door to the Monroe house was a Red Cross back in the day! I got it because I want to use it in the Monroe House one day just to celebrate that!
    xo – kb

  68. I think it’s the green painters tape you used to cover the stained legs, so the spray paint didn’t get on them.

  70. Is that a pallet wall in the basement? I think I missed that update!

    Great chair makeover!

  71. Hi Katie,
    Just wondering how you chose the barn door hardware on Ebay. They pretty much all look the same. Are you pleased with your choice and would you share the dealer?
    Thanks,
    Donna

  72. My word that’s a lot of frog tape. Totally expected this to be a sponsored post. Wouldn’t butcher paper, newspaper, rosin paper, or even old target bags have been faster? And just one row of tape at the top?
    I think this was in preparation for a sponsored post that didn’t happen. 🙂
    Blog for yourself, not us. Take as many breaks as you want. Enjoy summer. Love on those boys! We love you, Katie.

  73. Just curious – why the flat finish instead of semi-gloss or glossy? To help with the modern look or is there a practical reason?

    Love the wordless posts, by the way – I get to narrate them in my head! “There’s Jeremy cutting plywood, and there’s Will helping him…it’s so cool how the Bowers let their kids help out with projects..”

    You know, fun stuff like that.

  74. you rock. like bacon.
    and now I have the ending to the broken cane chairs I’ve been hoarding.
    oh … and how sick are you? like just a little sick or just a little baby-in-your-tummy sick?
    just wonderin’. cuz y’all make the BEST looking babies! 😉

  75. I actually just bought that exact fabric from Fabric.com to use on a quilt!
    Modern Meadow Herringbone Pond
    $9.48 per yard!

  77. It looks like Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry. I bought some just like it a while back online.

  78. Love it! I just passed up about six of these chairs that a neighbor left on the curb…kicking myself!!

  79. Gorgeous chair transformation! I need new dining room chairs, and this totally inspired me to hunt down some ratty old chairs for a makeover. Especially love the fabric.

  81. Not sponsored. And yeah it probably would have been faster but I have a butt ton of Frog Tape. (sorry for using the butt ton but that is literally the best explanation!)
    xo – kb

  82. It’s actually a pallet wall that is free standing and we just moved it to block that other room that is holding the yard sale pile.
    xo – kb

  83. I am pleased and the only info I know is in the photo. You can probably look up that exact wording and get the same dealer.
    xo – kb

  84. I picked flat because that color didn’t come in any other finish (at least not at my local home improvement store!)
    xo – kb

  85. Oh just a cold. I don’t really get morning sickness so that couldn’t be it even if I were preggo (which to be clear…I am not!)
    xo – kb

  86. Love love love the chairs! Hey- where is the round rug from, and what size is it??
    Thanks!

  87. What did you think about that flat spray paint? I have an old 4 poster twin bed that I am looking at sanding and spray painting and saw that particular brand at Lowe’s. I liked the pink color but only came in flat. Do you think it would be a little too flat for a project like that?

    Also, regarding fabric, have you ever made it out to Gail K. Fabrics on Cheshire Blvd. in Atlanta? We found tons of great old fabrics there for awesome prices. Its a crazy store but wonderful!

  89. I haven’t been there! I like the discount place because all the fabric is $3 a yard! I’ll have to check it out though 🙂 And I’m not sure if it would be too flat….worst thing that could happen is you repaint!
    xo – kb

  92. My only tip is that you do long full strokes whenever possible and if there are little bubbles, generally they even out before it becomes solid.
    xo – kb

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