Vintage office chair makeover...

Remember this vintage office chair I found at the flea market? Yeah, it was ages ago...

The only thing it had going for it was its shape. I hated the blue metallic hammerite paint and the choice of upholstery. And I do not know whose idea it was to pair those two elements together!

I fancied stripping the metal back to the bare bones and hoped I'd find some rusty metal under that paint. I read a lot of hoo haa on the web about people having trouble stripping hammerite. Since EU regulations on paint stripper changed, several people complained it wasn't up to the job. I tried my usual Wilkos multi purpose paint stripper and it was fine. In the olden days, paint would bubble up instantly and so would your skin if you weren't careful. Well, the newer stuff does the job but it's much slower.

I had to apply it and set the kitchen timer for 30 mins, reapply and wait another 30 mins. I used wire wool to remove the paint but I didn't want to scrub too hard and lose the tarnish on the metal so I let the stripper do the work. It was a very slow process to get all the metal work stripped as I worked in small sections at a time.

But eventually it went from this...

To this...

A coat of dark wax turned it from this...

To this...

Once the metal was finished I set about dismantling the upholstered parts. I hadn't wanted to do that before I stripped the chair as I have memory problems and didn't want a big gap between dismantling and reassembly.

I took photos so I'd know how to put it back together. Then I forgot I'd done that, muddled through and found the pictures just now. Doh.

Under that red was the original green...

And lots of dust. Eew.

I realised the foam was not only a health hazard but also pretty shot so I replaced it with some 1'' foam from Dunelm. I drew round the old foam and cut it out with my electric carving knife. I stuck it onto the wooden seat and back with spray adhesive and covered it with my fabric.

My favourite vintage cabbage rose barkcloth. I stapled it on.

I decided to cover the green plastic back you can see here...

I just used a bit of spray mount and glued the fabric around the edges on the other side, holding it with clothes pegs.

I'm really glad I did that...

I think it looks so much nicer than the green plastic did.

So here's the finished chair...

I love it! The new foam makes a huge difference to the chairs comfort. I like that it's not too pretty as it lives with my desk in the living room.

I did like this version that I found on Pinterest but it's a little too girly for me and my living room...

Of course if you paint the legs there's no need to strip at all. Just re-spray...

And I loved the idea of using old tapestry pieces...

 but I had nothing the right size in my stash.

I thought about hessian grain sacks but I thought it'd be too trendy.
 
I'm happy with my choice and I think it's going to look good with my new sofa that I forgot to order today. Told you I have memory problems.

Another job is ticked off the list. I'm feeling so much guilt and anxiety at not getting on with the kitchen. I keep thinking that if I get hit by a bus, no one else will know how to finish the cupboards and my poor family will be left with half a nice kitchen, half a crap one. So no more fannying about. I need to get on with it. I can't believe it's April this week and I was planning on finishing the kitchen in the new year! Hopeless...

Back soon with more procrastination no doubt...

Everything stops for tea...

I wanted to make something for the lady who works on the designs for the shop and decided to use this vintage tea caddie...

 

 It's got this nice wired up corner thing going on and is lined with metal.

  I know she's from Stafford so I googled old advertising images from Stafford. Not much I could use. Until I found this image...

Nice fonts eh?
So I tracked down the fonts and printed them out. I positioned them on the box with tape and traced round the letters. It's like graphic design for simpletons.

Instead of painting the letters, I used a Sharpie. Colouring in is very therapeutic you know. Not that I'm suggesting you need therapy.
Honest!
If you're going to try this, it's worth testing an inconspicuous area as with old dry wood, the ink can bleed over the lines.

I sanded it very lightly with fine sandpaper for a worn appearance...

I stuck a plant in it. I think white hydrangeas are my absolute favourite flowers.

Ta daa!

Now here's the freaky part.

This was her milkman growing up!

 I hope the mothers amongst you are being spoilt today and my thoughts are with those who have lost their mothers.

Connie was clearly very excited and came into bed with me at 6am with the best card ever.

The resemblance is astounding.

One to treasure. She gave me daffodils as is the Mothers Day rule in this house and a delightful butterfly necklace from Poundland. She always does her present shopping in Poundland. She's no fool.

Sorry I've had to turn on the comment verification thingy. I haven't got the time to be deleting 90 odd spam comments of a weekend. I'll try and turn it off again when the spammers have forgotten all about me. 

Back soon with a really fun secondhand score. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. 


Linking with....

Patchwork mirror...

Do you remember this exquisite piece of patchwork that VIX sent me?

So what to make with it? It's a very fragile piece so cushions or a bed throw are ruled out. It just won't withstand being sat on. What is a girl to do when she's mad about vintage textiles but only has three beds to dress and a cushion hating husband?

Why a patchwork mirror of course!
Er, yeah. A clue was in the title.

We loved this car boot mirror I found for my daughters room...

But some mirrors are just not flattering and this was one of them. What's all that about? Is it the bevelled edge that makes that happen?

Anyhow, I spied one in my charity shop that was REALLY flattering. It had a plainer frame that was covered in a faux brown leather which was peeling off. I bought it and gave myself blisters peeling the rest of the vinyl off. Underneath it was MDF which was now very rough and damaged.

I primed and painted it white so that the darker MDF wouldn't show through the pale fabrics.

I very carefully washed and dried the patchwork then I positioned it over the frame, mindful to avoid the holey bits and trying to keep the patchwork shapes square to the frame.

I stapled round the outside edge then cut the hole in the centre so I could pull it smooth and staple in the recess where the glass sits.

Ta daa!

Connie really likes it! Now, if I'd have told her what I planned on doing she'd have said it sounded disgusting. A bit like a husband might. So in future I'll just do what I like and trust in her good taste to like it.

I love that you can see all the little hand stitches. And I LOVE that we've all lost half a stone in this mirror!

There's plenty of material left for future projects, but in the meantime, I couldn't resist making a patchwork lavender bag or five...

filled with lavender from my garden. I'll have to harvest more this year. It's so expensive to buy!

I backed them with another fabric to make the patchwork go further.

I also sneaked in another quick project. All whilst I should be finishing the kitchen...More of that next time...

Finishing off little jobs and launching MY SHOP!

I've been a busy bunny since I saw you last. I've put my trim on the dresser to stop the plates falling down and smashing everything in sight...

I went for a very plain square profile as the dresser is very plain and square...

So that's now 100% completed. Unless I make some doors for the top section later on...

I also finally put up a door frame on the pantry door...

I can't even remember why the old frame had to go.
Oh well, it wasn't as nice as this one...

This was really NOT straightforward. It seems there's a world of difference between cutting piddly little bits of trim with mitred corners and huge fat chunky wooden door frames. Hand mitre saws have a slight wobble and I had to go out for replacement wood three times before I managed this. In the end I bought a mitre block and got my corners looking good.

Well, good enough for me. Once caulked and painted it's fine.

I also had to cut holes for the hinges and this was also complicated as I was cutting on the curve of the door frame. Slight wobble but I don't think it shows when it's painted...

 At some point I'm going to have to do something with the rest of this wall. It's going to create a dust cloud. Which means cleaning everything in sight. I've put it off for a long time.

And that floor isn't staying. If  I get paint all over it, new flooring will become as big a priority for my husband as it is for me.

Fat Freddy looking bewildered. ''Mummy, why do you take photos of doors? It's not normal.''


So what else have I got to report? I did some research on the alligator case and found this one on ebay...

This one is the real deal, a vintage Mark Cross...

It was on ebay for the best part of £250.

See how the skin has dried out between the scales?

Like mine!

So I've decided mine is real too. Result. It's really tactile. I can't resist stroking it.

There's a useful little film on youtube which will also help anyone work out if their alligator or crocodlie leather is the real deal...

Thank you to Anna who wrote to me recommending Urad polish from Lakeland for reviving leather bags and cases. I used Kiwi dark tan polish but I can see that might get colour on your clothes if this were a handbag so Urad is Annas top tip.

Keep your eyes peeled for hidden gems in the charity shops girls! 

Last of all, the eagle eyed among you might have noticed a new button at the top of the page leading you to my very own shop BARTLEBY and SAGE.
It took seven or eight weeks from having the idea to product manufacture and then TEN MONTHS to put the shop together.
Which is ridiculous!
But hey, we're there now.

Despite having no proper shop I've done well just from people randomly finding me through the blog and Pinterest pictures. I've got more designs in the pipeline and they are VERY exciting. I have not forgotten my giveaway competition promise dear readers but I'll wait until I have more products so you can have a choice.

These are the photos from our professional photo shoot. Clearly they aren't my photos as they are level. Fortunately I'm married to a professional photographer. Our kitchen had never been so clean!
 

And fear not, I'm not going to bleat on and on about the shop but I will show you our new designs from time to time mainly because I'll be overexcited and giddy about them and I won't be able to stop myself.

But do come and take a look at the shop. There's something for everyone I think you'll find.

If you like the colour blue and are into vintage style splashbacks...