Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Vintage Rocking Chair

One of the things I love most about being a partner of Sweet Peas Charm is the opportunity to turn a piece of furniture that is old and battered and return beauty to it.  I generally prefer to create "new" beauty, rather than refurbishing furniture to look as it once did.  That is exactly what I did with this vintage rocking chair!


I found this little treasure at one of my favorite "junk" shops.  What attracted me to it at first was the deep, rich color of the wood, as well as the size.  It's most likely considered a child's rocking chair, but it's soooo comfortable for a small adult like myself (I'm 5' 2").  My feet can actually sit flat on the floor in this chair! :-)

This is what she looked like before we started her make over:


As you can see, she really needed some help! I sanded her down and painted her with standard latex paint, Behr "Gold Coast White."  After 3 coats, rather than becoming more ivory in tone, there was quite a bit of pink bleeding through.  Note to self: When applying latex paint over vintage dark wood, ALWAYS use a primer coat or two first!  After the third coat, I used 2 coats of primer, then two more coats of "Gold Coast White."  The result was the beautiful ivory shade I had originally envisioned.  Learning the hard way generally prevents me from making the same mistake twice...learn from me rather than subjecting yourself to applying 7 coats of paint!  

After she was completely dry, the real fun began!  I wanted her finish to be heavily antiqued so I sanded, sanded and sanded.  Once I was satisfied with the look, I went over the entire chair with a heavy dose of "Provincial" stain by Minwax.  By using these techniques, I was able to achieve the old, vintage, much-loved look that I was going for..I think she's quite lovely!







This fabulous, one of a kind rocking chair can be used as home decor, as a chair for a child (or a small adult!), or for dolls or stuffed animals in so many wonderful ways...the possibilities are endless!  

She is available for sale in Sweet Peas Charm's Boutique, as well as in our Etsy Boutique.

Thank you so much for hanging out with me! Please leave a comment and tell me what you like and what you don't like about the rocking chair.  We would also love to have you subscribe to our blog!

Live your life smiling with the joy you bring others and may you be blessed always!


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