Mini Shabby Chic Rocking Chair

Hello everyone.  We’re back in the dark, winter land of Alaska.  (Do you sense my displeasure?)  We had an AMAZING trip in our favorite vacation place, sunny San Diego.  I figured out why it is so populated there (and not here), it is gorgeous and warm everyday, there’s beaches to play at, waves to surf in (well our boys just played in the waves), places to visit, incredible shopping (oh my goodness!!!), and the produce and flowers are fresh.  And did I mention it was warm, actually it was hot for these Alaskan bodies.  It was in the upper 70s and low 80s most of the time we were there.  Pretty much, heaven on earth.  I got to use my Anthropologie gift card I won from a drawing from The Inspired Room in this post.  And let me just say, Anthro did not let me down.  I got a couple of beautiful pieces of clothing that I would consider signature Anthropologie.  So a huge thank you again to Melissa at The Inspired Room and her publisher Harvest House!

Besides the summer weather in the middle of the winter, I was also once again astounded by the variety of stores.  All I have to say, is if you live outside of Alaska, consider yourself blessed in your shopping repertoire.  Do you know how easy it would be to make a beautiful and reasonably priced home if I had Marshall’s, World Market, IKEA, Pottery Barn, and Restoration Hardware (for splurges of course) available on a regular basis?  I wanted to buy so many things as I meandered around the home décor aisles, but alas, I could not figure out how to ship them home for a reasonable cost.  My one home décor purchase was a snowflake tree ornament I got for $2.13 at Pottery Barn.  I knew I could fit that in my suitcase.  So once again, I am limited to second hand, Target and the bounds of my creativity.  Which truly the challenge in that is fun, but sometimes, it would just be nice to have great stores nearby.

So, I’m not so elegantly adjusting back to real life, trying to get the house in order before I dive into the list of projects I want to tackle.  In the mean time, I have this little furniture project to share with you that I did last fall.

Ever since I upholstered my niece’s vintage rocking chair nearly a year ago (see here for the Vintage Miniature Rocking Chair), I have been thinking about wanting to do a rocker for my littlest guy.  Little people love having furniture their own size, and I don’t blame them.  After all, a person’s a person, no matter how small.

Well, I went to our junk storage facility (aka, the garage) earlier this fall and discovered the little rocking chair we had bought for Christmas for our first boy nine years ago.  While it’s not antique, I figured if I did something with what I had, it could save a little money in the long run.  The little rocker had become quite the frustration, the slats on the seat were constantly coming up, no matter how many times my hubby would glue and nail them down.

So, I had the ingenious idea to have him cut a piece of plywood, and I could upholster it, and then paint the chair to update it a bit.  While I prefer the wood grain look on most furniture, I am not partial to light or orange colored stain.  So, I took to it with my paint brush.  My vision for this chair was not a chippy look, I wanted a solid paint job, smooth and clean.

I started off with Miss Mustard Seed’s Shutter Grey mixed with a little Cream from the Real Milk Paint Company to make a bit of a light teal, to create a cohesive look with the little teal flowered upholstery fabric I used on my niece’s chair. (See the pictures below).

It looked good, but in the end, I came to the conclusion that I don’t like colored sitting furniture (I know, weird).  I like wood, whites, or a French layered, weathered look.

I also wasn’t satisfied with the milk paint coverage in this instance.  This is when I decided to take my first adventure with Annie Sloan Milk Paint, in Old White. I was pleased with the thick coverage in this case.  It was the clean look I wanted.

But then, as life goes, the best laid plans Of Ruffles and Rifles often go awry.  The innocent little chair was involved in an accident, well, I saw it out of the corner of my eye.  I can testify that it wasn’t an accident, however being as the chair was a victim in this mishap, we’ll just leave it at that.  But as the chair was hurled through the air by a boy that shall remain nameless, and landed on the hard floor, flakes of paint chipped off around the joints of the chair.

I had already used up all my Old White AMCP on the Vintage French Mirror and really didn’t want to invest any more money into this little chair.  So, I decided to go with the chippy look after all, and did a little more distressing to reveal the blue underneath.

I sealed it with Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Wax and added antiquing wax just to the corners and edges for some dimension.

But then my dilemma became the upholstery.  I didn’t like the little teal roses anymore with the look I had going.  I searched and search for fabrics, curtains, or anything that would not be too light in color (for this is a child’s chair after all).  Finally, I found an outdoor throw pillow last fall at Lowe’s on clearance that would fit the look.  And it’s wipeable!

I can say, the Shabby Chic look although adorable, feels more trendy to me, and not as classic French Country as my style.  But it turned out cute, and for as long as my little guy will use it, it will be fine.  And most of all, the colors are neutral and cohesive with any room in the house, so all is well.

The props in the photo are authentically vintage and sentimental to me.  The bear with sawdust coming out of his nose was my dad’s teddy as a boy, and the afghan was his as a baby as well.  They sit on display out of reach normally, but they add such a lovely touch to a vintage-inspired chair.

Have a great day, thank you for stopping by!

Blessings,

Cheryl

Sharing with:

The Curator’s Collection

Seeking Lavender Lane

French Country Cottage

The Reinvented Collection

The Painted Drawer