From Clearissa Coward’s Command Center/c4 Creations
What To Do When An Old Furniture Piece Calls Your Name
Wake up everybody (do you remember Teddy P? Okay never mind :)), it is yard sale, flea market and thrifting season. WhooHoo! I am so excited! I made a great purchase at my first yard sale visit of the season last weekend. It was so convenient and I think, meant to be. So let’s see what can happen when you know What To Do When An Old Furniture Piece Calls Your Name.
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My neighbor was hosting a yard sale last Saturday and when I opened my blinds, the first thing I saw was this little bench.
While hubs and I got dressed, I just couldn’t take my eyes off this little fellow. Once we were dressed and headed to the farmer’s market, I by-passed the car and made a bee-line for this bench. I had watched the action at the yard sale from a window for over 2 hours. And I kept thinking, maybe someone else will buy him. As I made my way across the street, I convinced myself that I would not pay more than $10.00 for it. When I got there, another nice lady, with great taste, was eyeing the piece as well. Once the lady walked away, I asked the price and it was $8.00. Okay, the heavens have spoken. I gave my neighbor the $8.00 and took the bench home.
You may wonder why I was so attracted to the little bench. It is because my entryway is a compact one. I always wanted a bench for my foyer but most are too large so when I saw this, I just knew it was perfect for my little spot. And it is.
My decision to paint the piece instead of refinishing it was also dictated by my space. It is dark and I thought a pop of color would help to brighten it up a bit.
Products Used
To upcycle the bench, I used Dixie Belle Products except for the stencil. I had it in-house.
Buttercream Paint
Stormy Seas
Grey Grunge
Clear Coat Satin
Paint Brush
Regular Rubbing Alcohol (not shown but used)
Old Rag (Not shown but used)
Painters Tape (had it in-house)
Steps
Clean the piece with regular rubbing alcohol using an old rag. The alcohol will remove any oils, dirt and/or grime and it dries really quickly (I am impatient so quick drying is great)
Paint the piece with first/base coat of paint
Allow to dry
Note: Because the bench was a bit too heavy to sit on my glass top table, I turned it upside down and painted the underside first to make sure I got the bottom of the legs painted all the way down.
Add second coat of paint and allow to dry. (ignore my little friend, I could not get rid of him that day for some reason. :))
Once dry, I dry brushed with grey grunge to give it an old/weathered look and to knock back some of the stark whiteness of the paint. I love the color (Buttercream) but I wanted a different look this time. Once the grunge dried, I added the stencil in Stormy Seas. There’s my little friend again.
Can you tell how lightly brushing on the grey grunge just adds something to the bench? I hope the pictures are doing it justice because it is simply gorgeous.
Once the stencil was dry, I sealed it using Satin Clear Coat and placed the bench in it’s new home.
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Until next time…I remain in my Element – God Bless!
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XOXO,
That looks beautiful in that space! What a great idea.
Thank you Dorothy. I love it there. 🙂
Looks great! Thanks for sharing on To Grandma’s House We Go!
Thank you Chas. I appreciate the feedback. 🙂
Clearissa this is a great upcycle. It now has character to spare. I love the dry brush technique you used and also the cute lettering on the bench top. It looks really great in your entryway.
Hi Mary,
Thank you for your kind words. I love having this bench great me when I enter the house. It is exactly what that space needed. 🙂
You definitely have an eye for this, the results are great #fridayfeature@_karendennis
I love it Clearisa! And it does fit the space perfectly. Your friend is cute too.
🙂 gwingal
Hi Nikki,
Thank you from me and my little friend. 🙂
Thank you so much for the kind words Karen. I really enjoyed this project.
Nice find on the bench and it turned out great. Love the pillow on the bench too.
Hi Vicky, thank you. I was thinking of changing the pillow, but since you mentioned it, I think I will let it stay for the season and change out when I switch to fall. Thank you for stopping by. xxxx
Looks nice, good job on it! Love the bright, sunny pillow too! Shared x 4 ♥
Hi Dee. Thank you so much. I love this little bench. I’m glad you do too. 🙂