She Has Risen…

Yep, I’m alive. Well, even. I’ve just been neglecting the blog again.

When I talked to my oldest daughter last week she said, “Wow, you’ve been busy.”

Confused, I responded with, “Um, I have?”

She went on to say she guessed that’s why I haven’t posted here lately. Truth is, I have been kind of busy, but that’s not why I haven’t posted. I just haven’t felt moved to post, I guess.

Anyway… I’m back. I’ll pick up with the vacation re-cap next time. For now, I have to share my latest chalk paint re-do.

A while ago, I bought this old, worn-out-looking stool. Its base is made of very heavy iron. The seat is real hardwood. And the back is wicker. The iron was dirty and pitted. The polyurethane coating had almost completely cracked and peeled off the seat (a good thing!), the wicker was coming unraveled, and it was missing its feet. Think of a high-heeled shoe that has lost the little rubber thingy from the heel, leaving metal exposed, and you’ll get a good picture of what the feet were like.

But it was quite comfy. And, the best part, it cost me around $30.

Hubby thought I was nuts, as usual. But I had a vision.

I needed a “visitor’s seat” for our kitchen. So no one ever again feels compelled to sit on my counter. Yes, as in on top of the counter (like this).

Call me old-fashioned, but I hate seeing people do that. It’s not even a hygiene thing for me, I just think it’s something that shouldn’t be done. Period.

The stool sat in the basement (in my LONG project queue) for months. Hubby was kind enough to buy and attach some new little rubber feet for me. I reattached the loose wicker with good old Elmer’s Glue (30-second fix).

Then, this past weekend, I FINALLY got around to painting the thing.

And here it is…

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP), of course. There’s Graphite on the metal surfaces, some of the wood, and the little rubber feet, plus Olive on the wicker and some of the wood. Then it’s all sealed with a thin coat of ASCP Dark Wax.

The only prep work required, besides adding new feet and re-gluing a bit of wicker, was to dust the thing off. Really.

I just love how the Dark Wax gets into all the nooks and crannies.

Of course, I only bought one stool. So if more than one person wants to hang out, seated, in my kitchen while I prepare food and/or beverages, we’ll just have to drag some chairs in.

To fully appreciate the difference, you need to see them side-by-side…

Not bad for an old, worn-out stool, eh?