Thursday, October 11, 2012

Sweet Dining Set

Today's project is a sweet little dining set that I procrastinated on all summer long.


I knew she had potential and that I should have had her ready for our summer sale in July, but I just kept skipping over her.



She came from a barn sale and she looked pretty sad. She was structurally sound, but covered with thick layers of paint, splatters and a hefty dose of rust (and I don't mean the cool kind).



The seat bases were moldy and crumbling.
And the blue vinyl covers were just gross.


But one look at her curves and you knew she was worth saving.


I started by sanding and scraping away the rust. Then I primed her with Rust-oleum High Performance Rusty Metal Primer and followed up with two coats of Rust-Oleum High Performance Protective Enamel in Safety Red. This stuff is oil-based and messy (or maybe that's just me), but it sure gets the job done!


I made cardboard templates and cut new seat bottoms with the help of my handy hubby. Sorry if that sounds a little wimpy, but power saws still scare me! Then I added a few layers of batting for comfort and finished up with this adorable fresh fabric. I actually put some paint on an index card and took it with me the fabric store. I was so excited with this fabric find. It's a durable outdoor fabric with the perfect shade of red and I just loved the mix of colors and the lively pattern.


When the girl at the fabric store was cutting my fabric, I showed her how perfect it looked with my paint swatch. She seemed unimpressed. You think it's super cute, right?


Well I was just thrilled with the results and just a little mad at myself for not getting it done for the summer sale. We actually had people asking us for porch and patio furniture in July.


But this story has the best of all possible endings. A very sweet, young elementary school teacher named Sarah saw this set in the blog preview post. She lives about an hour away and couldn't make it to the sale until after school on Friday. She had a mutual friend call me on Friday afternoon and ask if it was still available. It was. And when Sarah arrived, she totally fell in love with it. Sarah is moving into her very first apartment and was looking for a narrow little dining set to fit in her kitchen. Sarah was just so sweet and adorable. Her enthusiam totally made up for the unimpressed sales girl at the fabric store. I also got to meet Sarah's parents - what a lovely family! Thank you Sarah. It was a pleasure meeting you and I know that this set was definitely meant to go home with you! And this my friends, is the absolute, very best part of my job!
 
 
And I just have to share the funny/messy part of this story. I have this great little stool in my garage (we love it so much that we have two) that I whiz around on while painting. It has an adjustable padded seat and nifty little wheels. It's the very best and hardest-working tool in my garage!
 
 
Well while I was painting this set, I went over that little ridge between my garage and driveway a little too fast and my little seat went right out from under me. I had a can of paint in one hand and a brush in the other. I ended up with just a few black and blue spots, but red (like I said, oil-based) paint went flying. I had paint all over me, the garage, the driveway, the doorknob into the house, the laundry room cabinets, the sink, the rug, well ... you get the idea. When my husband pulled in the driveway, he said it looked like a crime scene. I really wish there were pictures to share. I momentarily thought about it, but I really didn't want red handprints all over my camera. I did learn that nail polish remover takes paint right out of carpet - yay! As for the rest of the red that still remains, I'll just consider them little momentos to remember Sarah and her sweet little dining set!
 
I'm linking to...
Cherry World 1"/> Days of Chalk and Chocolate Photobucket http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/ The Shabby Nest
Blissful & Domestic


Chic On A Shoestring

Jennifer Rizzo

Cranberry Bush
 
 
 






19 comments:

Laurel Leaf Cottage said...

Oh...it's so cute!! I love the red with the sweet fabric!! You did a great job! I know what you mean about power saws...I'm terribly frightened of them ever since I had a really mean shop teacher in 6th grade...he keep telling us about all the students who had their fingers chopped off!! So, I don't go near them! I also have mild panic attacks sometimes when I'm washing knives, but that's another story!! ;) Have a wonderful day!! ~Deanna

regan said...

This patio set is gorgeous! You picked out just the right fabric, too! (I hate it when the clerk is a dud.....I want someone to be just as enthused as I am with my purchase! Sheesh! Ok, they don't have to actually jump up and down with me, but....come on! Say a little Yay, or something! lol)

So glad the set has found a good home. And I think a 'crime scene' photo would have been a hoot! Glad it was just a bruising and not a break! Lucky!

Korrie@RedHenHome said...

The set is adorable, and I'm glad it went to someone who appreciates it! Sorry about your paint disaster, and hope your bruises are all better now!

Cassie Bustamante said...

SOOOOO cute!!! and the fabric is PERFECT. so fun!!! i went to the fabric store a couple weeks ago and the lady cutting my fabric was not impressed with all the things i was spewing either.... sometimes i think they hire really boring people on purpose.

Ali Richardson said...

THis set is adorable - and yes, perfect fabric!! Sounds like it went to a happy new home :)
Haha - Glad you're ok after the stool incident! Lol.

Twice Nice said...

What a darling little set, and I love that fabric! It's fabulous! I can totally relate to your "work incident". I sit on a 5 gal. bucket turned upside down with an old bath rug on top for a cushion. My "chair" doesn't always scoot as fast as I do sometimes. I'm asking Santa for one of those craftsman chairs!

Our Pinteresting Family said...

That looks absolutely adorable! That is so sweet that a local teacher bought it. I think the fabric looks perfect with it. I am glad you are feeling okay after your spill. Megan

Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made said...

Oh this is so YUMMY!! Love red anything and the fabric you chose for the seats is adorable!

Lisa said...

I am DROOLING! This is beautiful and I *love* it :)

Good Time Charlie said...

Sharon! This little table is so adorable, I loved reading all the details about it, and especially that you met the new owner, and her family! It was meant to be that you kept passing it over. Now for the bad part, I can't believe you fell off the stool with the paint in your hand! That is just awful. What a terrible mess, and I am glad you didn't get more seriously injured! I have to say though, I am looking at getting a little stool like this. I don't have one and either my knees get tired, or my back does. I hope all the bruises are gone now!

Taryn @ Design, Dining + Diapers said...

What a great makeover! The red and blue is such a great combo and it looks really really fabulous. Thank you so much for sharing!

Glenda @ Magnolia Bend Drive said...

I love those sets too and yours turned out just perfect with a nice story. And, btw, thoses sales ladies at fabric stores are never impressed with me either! In fact, they scare me sometimes. Keep up the good work -- you have inspired me to post something on my bloggy.

Schulz Family said...

I am visiting from My repurposed life. This is fantastic. The shop lady was in the wrong job!!

Megan Gunyan said...

We have that stool, too! Love it. I love the fabric you chose, so cute. And the red! Oh, the red!!

Susan Freeman said...

That set is now too cute! Love the fabric you chose ~ it's the perfect compliment to the red.

Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

Jeannie Marie said...

A great How To on turning almost junk into beautiful and useful! Happy Rednesday!

LV said...

You must have wanted this set really bad to go through all this. You are amazing. A remarkable makeover.

★Carol★ said...

After how that makeover turned out, I don't know how you could possibly let it go.....it's gorgeous! But it sounds like it went home with the right person. What a lucky gal!
Happy REDnesday,
Carol

SueLovesCherries said...

I'm glad that all your hard work (and bad luck) was worth it for Sarah, and they'll live happily ever after!