Susan's Toile Bench

Today I'm excited to share a really sweet bench project from Susan, one of the girl's here at Elizabeth & Co. Susan loves benches. Her long chippy bench was the very first item to sell at our fall vintage tag sale. We weren't even open or ready yet, but a woman reached throught the door with a handful of cash and begged to buy Susan's bench right off the front porch. Next thing I knew, Susan was helping her load it up and we'd made our first sale. The funniest part of the story is that my husband thought that bench was so chippy (and he's pretty much used to having chippy stuff in our house), that it would never sell. We're still laughing about that one!





But today's bench is not particularly chippy. It just started out a little sad and brown. Susan thought it would be really cute with just a little love. She picked it up "in her travels". She just always finds the best sales!

She went for a classic look and painted the bench with two coats of Deco Art Americana satin enamel in black, then found the perfect black and white toile fabric in her stash.

She covered the bench with a piece of one inch foam before adding the fabric. And her mother-in-law was nice enough to help pull the toile tight while Susan stapled it all the way around. This is a project that really comes together nicely with an extra pair of hands.

I have this same toile pattern in green and white in my laundry room.

Pretty, don't you think?

It doesn't even look like the same bench!

Thanks so much for sharing Susan. Your bench is beautiful!

And yes, our next vintage tag sale countdown has begun. Only four weeks to go. I sure hope Mother Nature cooperates because we all have a good bit of painting to do!

I'm linking to...

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap-Up Party

Mariner Blue Nightstand

Last week I asked the question that everyone is asking about now. Is it spring yet? I couldn't wait another minute to get busy painting, so I carried some furniture inside and went to work. Well, I just loved your comments. Painting inside was a big deal for me. But many of you paint inside all the time! Hearing from you is the best part of blogging. I love knowing that you're out there and that we'll all going through the same thing!






And yes, I was thrilled to be painting again and now I have a few finished pieces to share. First up is this cute little nightstand/end table. It was a Goodwill find. I love the clean modern lines and it is unbelieveably heavy - always a good sign of a quality piece. Hope your eyes are not blinded by the snow in the background of the before shot!

In keeping with the clean lines, I kept the finish really simple. After the usual prep, I applied two coats of Martha Stewart's Mariner Blue. I distressed the edges just a bit and applied two coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly. I applied the poly in the garage and it refused to dry. It just felt sticky. That's what really prompted me to bring furniture in the house. As soon as I brought this piece inside, it dried beautifully. After that, I just decided I was fighting a losing battle in my cold garage.

I love this shade of blue. I actually love all shades of blue! Later this week I'll be doing a guest post over at Primitive & Proper on the color blue. Cassie is doing a series called A Colorful World with guest bloggers writing about their favorite colors. The series kicks off today with the color pink. Be sure to check it out!

I'm linking to...


All Things Heart and Home

Is it spring yet?

I love winter. Really, I do! I love crisp clean air, icicles and lots of pure white snow. I love the peacefulness that snow brings. It's magical! I love curling up with a good book on a cold winter night. I love sweaters and scarves and Uggs. ... But guess what? I've just had enough!!! And seriously, I need to have a paint brush in my hand! I started a few new pieces last week when the temperatures snuck into the 60's. But of course that was just a tease. In spite of the brilliant sunshine outside, it's still cold out there. If you've been here before, you know I paint outside. But I can't wait another minute for spring. I really had no choice. I brought a few pieces inside today and I'm going to finish them!

Yes, that's a coffee table in my foyer.

It just needs a coat of wax. How messy can that be?

And by the way, I found a new shade of gray that I'm just crazy about!

And a yellow coffee table in my sunroom.

This one's a keeper.

And a fun blue end table.

Ahhh, I'm painting and it's warm and sunny in here!

Shhh, don't tell my husband I'm painting in the house.

Let's just hope I don't spill anything!