Trash to Treasure: Stenciled Chair Makeover
It’s Fridaaaay! Today marks an exciting day on the blog– not only do I get to share a fun trash-to-treasure project, but today also marks my first project done using my Silhouette machine! Woohoo!
It was almost a big fat fail at first, but thankfully I was able to save it and came out with what I think is a pretty cute chair, especially compared to what I started with:
{Pardon my messy craft room. This was taken in the middle of my dresser-to-TV stand makeover, and I was running out of space!}
My parents run a youth ministry, and a few years ago someone donated an old building to them. This chair came with the building and they weren’t using it, so I offered to take it off their hands. {I’m such a good Samaritan, right? 😉 } I loved the shape, but clearly it needed a little help in terms of color!
I started off by giving it a few light coats of spray primer and painting the seat completely white since I knew I wanted to do a stencil on that part.
Next it was time to add my stencil. Now the first thing they tell you when you go to do your first Silhouette project is to pick a simple shape without too many details or tiny pieces. But really, would a square or an oval have looked awesome as a stencil on the seat of the chair? I think not. So of course I went out and picked the most complicated shape I could find, used my Silhouette to cut it out of contact paper, and slapped it onto my chair. 😀
Now here is where I got myself into trouble. I wanted to make sure the lines were nice and crisp, so I did what I always do when I’m painting stripes and want a clean edge: I painted a coat of the base color (white in this case) over the stencil to seal in the edges. Then I added two coats of my aqua color (Swan Sea by Behr). The problem was that when I went to pull up the stencil, a lot of my paint came up as well, leaving me with a not-so-pretty picture.
It wasn’t completely ruined, but you can see places where extra paint pulled up, the edges weren’t clean, and it was kind of a mess. I ended up using a painting tool to scrape out the aqua paint in the middle of the flower, printed another stencil, and did one coat of the aqua paint over it. I pulled up the stencil while the paint was still wet, and while it leaked a little bit, I was able to go back in with a small paint brush and do the necessary touch-ups. A couple coats of poly acrylic went over top, and I was done!
I think this stenciled chair will bring a nice pop of color to my craft room. Now I just have to get the rest of the room looking pretty… 😉
Have you turned any trash into treasure lately?
I love the stencil you used. You know what they say–go big or go home! I’m glad you were able to save the project because it’s so pretty! Makes me wanna go find an ugly chair to make over 🙂
Lol! Truth! Thanks so much for your sweet comments, Brittany! Hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Love the transformation! Looks great!
Thank you so much, Julie! I almost thought I was going to have to scrap the whole thing, but it worked out in the end! Phew! Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
What a transformation!!! It is so beautiful
Thank you, Christina! I thought it was going to be a big fail there for a while, but I was glad I could save it! 😀 Hope you have a great week!
~Abby =)
So cute! I love an off-centered stencil on a chair! 🙂
Thanks so much, Kammy! Hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Could not love it more! Great color and wonderful stencil!
Thank you so much, Ashley! And congrats on your interview at Blogging on the Side! That’s so exciting! Have a great week!
~Abby =)
It turned out fab, Abby! I love that color!!
Thank you so much, Chelsea! I’m on an aqua rampage these days, lol! Hope you’re having a wonderful week! Talk to you soon!
~Abby =)
This turned out so pretty, Abby! I have yet to justify the cost of a silhouette, but cute projects like this make me wonder…hmm…maybe next Christmas. Hope you had a fabulous week in Puerto Rico! XO
Thank you so much, Christy! I know– I put off buying one forever too and finally bit the bullet. Now I just have to figure out how to REALLY use it, lol! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
So beautiful!!!
Thank you so much, Arlena! I hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Very very pretty! Well done – I love that you made it so understated!
Thank you so much, Eliza! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Great makeover. You’ve made a cute chair from something that wouldn’t get a second look. Love it.
Thank you so much, Heather! Trash-to-treasure is always fun! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Abby- it is absolutely beautiful. I love the color you chose and the stencil is so pretty and graphic. Fab job, friend!!
Thank you so much, my friend! It was fun to put the Silhouette to work! 😀 Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Great transformation, Abby! Love the color you chose!Featuring you on WIW today!Xo~
Thank you so much, Aniko!! I’m honored! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
LOVE the color and stencil on this abby! Thanks for linking up at Creativity Unleashed last week. Featuring you on the blog tomorrow and hope to see you back!
Thank you so much, Jocie!! I’m honored! “See” you at the party tomorrow!
~Abby =)
Your chair is absolutely adorable, Abby! What a transformation! I love the flower detail, too!
Thank you so much! This one was a little touch and go there for a while, but it worked itself out eventually! 🙂 Have a great weekend, Allison!
~Abby =)
Love this!!!
Thanks so much, Linda! <3 Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Great tutorial! Thank you for sharing your ideas and skill. It turned out beautiful 🙂