Down and dirty, time to distress!

After waiting 12 hours or so for the glue on the armrest to dry I finally found one of my DH's chains so I could beat the chair....seriously!

It really gives the chair an aged used look, and is fun!  But it is also dirty because the chain I grabbed had a bit of rust on it.

Don't worry, I didn't smash my shin, or fingers and the rust washed off!  I still have to go get a dowel to replace the funky buttons that used to be on the chair.

One man's trash is this woman's new project!

Yes the title is true.  Memorial weekend we were headed out to go camping, as we were leaving the neighborhood I spotted a wood frame chair sitting on the side of the road.  In just a glimpse I knew that if I could get my hands on it, what a project it would be!  So I called my neighbor and partner in crime.  She and her husband wrestled it into their car, and down to my house and into my garage so it wouldn't get taken by someone else, or soaked by the storms that descended upon KC before we got home from camping.  My poor DH, he's none too happy.  But I can understand why, we are trying to paint the garage and clean the house out so we can sell it and move...tee hee...

He must love me because instead of insisting that I get rid of the chair, he's letting me keep it, and refinish it!  It's pretty rough right now, and will need a lot of work before it takes it's place in our home.  But this chair has great bones, and with a little elbow grease and some TLC this is going to be an awesome addition to our living room!

I had to rip out the bottom, and take out the springs, it's pretty much wasted.  Someone must have used this chair as a trampoline.

Once that is out I need to go get some jute, or other suitable fabric to create a woven base instead of a metal and spring base.

After I finally manhandled the old spring system out I popped the few wood button covers off and put them to the side.  I have decided to simply plug the holes with a wood dowel and sand it smooth, I like that look better.  I did start sanding the arms and discovered that the bottom of one of the arms was loose, so I glued and clamped which ended my work on the chair for tonight.

Tomorrow is a new day!  I did notice that this poor chair has been used and abused, so it will take a lot of sanding and shaping to get the arms to look like new again...but it was a free chair...so I'm game!

Multipurpose

I've been working on a new project.  I have the opportunity to do a pro bono project, turning an old church, into a useful multipurpose building for youth group, a contemporary service, and a coffee and snack area.  The church has owned this building for a number of years, and it is currently largely unused.

The decor needed to be geared towards young adults, in the 20-30 year range.  The color pallet I chose is elegant and modern.

I gave the church two options for the coffee and snack area.

The first option kept the small two piece bath that is currently there.  Flipping the sink from the main room into the office and adding cabinets on the back wall for more storage.  Opening up the window, and adding a small 10" counter for setting coffee pots and other items on.

The second option would be a bit more expensive as it would mean taking down the walls to the bathroom, capping the toilet and using the plumbing for the sink for the plumbing for the new kitchen sink.  The cabinetry would extend on two sides of the room giving more storage space and more prep space.

The main space would be visually divided by the furniture in the room.  The church requested pub height tables and chairs.

At the opposite end of the space is the baptismal.  It is currently blocked off and not working, but the plans are to fix it, and revamp it so it can be part of the decor.  My plans are to remove the current orange painted paneling and to drywall the entire wall, painting it off white so it can be used with projectors.  The paneling in the baptismal area is to be replaced with faux barn wood. And finished with a Styrofoam cross created by the youth group.

The current ceiling fans need to be replaced, and new carpeting throughout!  I am excited to hear back from the presenter to hear which option the church chooses, and to hopefully be involved in the remodel process!