The Broken Chair Challenge: Upcycled Black and White Damask Chair

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I spotted this chair in the back of a Goodwill store.  There were various miscellanies items piled on top of it, and It involved quite a bit of work to break this chair free. I was attracted to the chair design  ( The chair featured a fleur de lys) and I loved the detail.  The chair seat was in very rough shape and it would require re-upholstering.  The overall chair frame seemed like it was in ok shape, and I thought enough of this chair to assume the risk.  The chair was priced to sell at $3.99.

When I got it home,  I ripped the blue material off the seat and discovered the seat was broken and could not be repaired.  Now, I had to salvage another chair in order to repair this one!  My husband and I kept our eyes open for any “curbside” or “free” chairs, I prefered to use  a free chair and not purchase one, but months went by until I found a freebie chair that would be perfect, A lucky find at a thrift store. The chair seat would turn out to be a perfect replacement, and I have future plans to upcycle what’s left of the chair frame.  Stay tuned!

First, I cleaned the chair, and primed the chair frame with 2 coats of a white latex primer.  Once the chair was dry, I began to paint it in a white and black color scheme.  I used black and white acrylic paints to paint the entire chair.

This chair was quite a challenge to paint. The chair had a lot of cut-ins, and detail, and required a lot of patience when it came to the paint brush. I sat the chair in front of the fan until it was dry, and then added a layer of Mod Podge overtop to seal the chair.  It dried nicely.  Now I was ready to re- upholster the chair seat. The original fabric I chose was a black fabric with white roses.  When I placed it up against the chair, I despised how it looked!  So, It was back to the fabric store to pick out another style and I went with the Elegant look of Damask.  I used less than a yard of material and cut and traced it to fit the new seat, leaving extra material for underneath the seat.  I used an upholstery stapler and carefully stapled the material to the back of the chair seat.  Once I was done I screwed the seat back on to the chair.

This chair was not short in challenges, but in the end it was worth it. Looking at the finished chair,  I would say this chair turned out to be worth the risk, and a broken piece received an elegant new lease on life!

Upcycled Black and White Damask Chair

Back of B&W Damask Chair

Rear View of Black and White Chair

Before and After Chair Made with aint,cloth and Mod Podge

Before and After

Black and White Demask Upcycled Chair

Materials:

Roughed up chair

White Latex Primer

Black and White acrylic paint

Mod Podge

Damask Fabric

Brushes/Scissors

Upholstery stapler and staples

Screwdriver

Black Marker to trace seat to fabric

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Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

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Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

Nothing beats a beautiful summer night at the ballpark with the family. We headed toward the shore to attend Irish Heritage Night and catch a Lake wood Blue Claws Game. While there, we saw the most beautiful sunset over the ballpark. The night ended with fireworks. a wonderful time!

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A Friendly Following: DIY Blog Promotion

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I was at the fabric store today buying fabric for a chair I am currently working on, and I struck up a conversation with two very nice ladies buying fabric at the counter.  I was telling them what I planned on doing with the fabric I was buying, and we started talking about Mod Podge and all the great things you can make with it.  Sometimes it is easier for others to visualize what you are trying to explain, so  I showed them a picture on my phone of one of my upcycled chairs.  They were interested in seeing more of what I do. I scrambled for a piece of paper and managed to write my website info on the back of a n old coupon.   I am interested in reaching as many creative people as I can.  It is not unusual for people to come up and start talking to me.  I am generally a friendly person and I guess I have a friendly face because it happens a lot!  I am always happy to share ideas with like-minded people.   It made me think, I needed something a bit more professional to spread the word about “On The Upcycle.” I used Microsoft Word Starter Software to make these cards. I was able to download a business card template and insert the “On The Upcycle” logo and text.  I printed the cards out on my printer, and the result is what you see above.  What do you think?  Does anyone have business cards that spread the word when it comes to your blog?

Lastly, I want to shout a big “Thank you!” to all 101 of you who have chosen to follow me on my humble little blog. It means so much and inspires me to keep creating. Nothing beats the WordPress Community!

Epic Fail or Tiny Triumph: Upcycled Decoupage Cigar Box

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I found this great cigar box during a quick walk through of a local Goodwill store. I considered it a win because I was able to get my Goodwill customer rewards card stamped (10 stamps and you save 20% off your total purchase and I only managed to spend $1.06 (with tax)  I had made a previous attempt to upcycle another cigar box and the whole project went terribly wrong!   I liked this box because unlike the failed project box, it was made only from wood.  The other cigar box was made from wood also; However it was coated in paper.  The Mod Podge adhered to areas like the lid creases and not realizing it also adhered to this “paper.” When I tried to open the lid it was glued to the box! Upon attempting to open it, the lid tore away from the box. Ouch!  That’s what I’d call an Epic Fail! I swore this cigar box upcycle would be different!  After all, decoupage boxes are usually fun and easy to make.

Wooden Cigar BoxFor the lid cover, I chose the John Waterhouse painting The Lady of Shalott.  My plan was to line the inside of the box with Ivory Damask scrapbook paper I had on hand.  First, I traced the box lid onto the back of the art print.  I then traced the bottom of the box, and inside lid onto the back of the scrapbook paper.  I then cut them out with scissors.  I applied Mod Podge with a foam brush to the lid and carefully adhered the print to the top of the box carefully, smoothing it out with my hands.  I allowed the box to dry, and repeated this process on the inside of the box using the scrapbook paper.

Once it was completely dry, I applied Mod Podge to the top and inside of the box.  I decided to leave the exposed natural wood on the edges inside.  I really love this box and as I always say “Now…. what shall I put in it?”

Decoupage Wooden Cigar Box Inside

The Lady of Shalott 1888Upcycle Cigar Box

The Lady of Shalott
1888 Upcycled Cigar Box

Materials:

Art Print to Decoupage

1 Sheet of Scrapbook paper

Mod Podge

Fine tip marker

Scissors

Foam Craft Brush

The Genealogy Series “A Typical English Girl”: Eva Daisy Long

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As much as I enjoy crafting, I also am passionate when it comes to my family history and genealogy.  I started my family quest back in November of 2009, after re-discovering a box of old family heirlooms and an autograph book from my Great Aunt Eva.  With the advent of the internet, researching one’s family history has become easier than it was previously. Record Items once attainable only by visiting local county vital statistics offices, and via library micro film are now available on many online records websites such as Ancestory.com.

Today, I am beginning a new feature on my blog called the Genealogy Series.  My goal is to feature  biographies on various ancestors of my daughter, and family. I also want to place them within the history of the time in which they lived.  This, I believe is a fitting tribute to all of those ancestors who are not much different then ourselves, except for the times in which they lived. It is also a wonderful project to share with you when I am in between various art projects.- Like now.

My first biography features the relative who started it all.

Eva Long

Eva Daisy Long was born in Nottingham, England in June of 1906 to parents Harry Long an Engineer, and Daisy Plummer.  Eva worked a job as a stenographer (typist) in England before coming to the United States with her family and her brother (Vincent Long born in 1909, my maternal grandfather) Eva was 19 when the family sailed together to America in 1925 aboard the USS Ohio.  Upon arrival, they settled in Woodside, Long Island, (Queens) NY.

In 1927, At the age of 21, Eva was diagnosed with advanced stage Tuberculosis. TB, was the biggest health crisis in the UK and around the world at that time.  During the 1920’s, treatment options were limited, and the disease often times proved fatal. Effective antibiotics to fight the disease did not become available until quite a few years later.   Upon the families request,  Eva was admitted to The Reception Hospital in the town of Saranac Lake, NY.  At the time Saranac Lake, NY a small town nestled in the Adirondack mountains,  was known for it’s cutting edge treatment of TB.    It was believed that the colder air in the New York Mountains, was more breathable and helped in healing and treatment of the disease.

Eva Long Admission Card, 1927

Above: Eva Long’s admission card to a sanitorium at Saranac Lake, NY.

It was while Eva was here she kept an autograph book from 1927-1929.  The book also has entries from 1925, before she left England for the United States.:

Family History 047

Journal entry dated April 14th 1925 wishing Eva well on her journey from a family friend

She was referred to in her autograph book as”A Typical English Girl”, and dressed the part in  flapper style clothing popular during that era. She also wore her hair short.  A modern look at the time that according to family lure, my great-grandmother “despised”!

Photo’s of Eva:

Eva Long Saranac Lake, NY

Eva and friends taken at Saranac Lake, NY‘

Above: Eva Pictured with Friends Saranac Lake, New York

Eva’s last autograph book entry is in 1929.  What happened to Eva after this time is unclear; However I think it is safe to assume her disease had progressed, and at this time could no longer live life to the fullest.  She made many friends at Saranac Lake, and appeared as though she enjoyed her time here.  Sadly her life was cut short on March 24, 1931 at age 24.  She passed away in Saranac Lake, NY and is buried next to her father, Harry Long at Brookside cemetary, Englewood, NJ,

It is unclear if Eva ever got to return home to her family.  My grandfather was very close to his sister, and suffered from TB himself, but he recovered.  He found it hard to talk about these events according to my mom.  He held on to her personal items, until he passed away himself in 1985.  I have many memories of my grandfather, but an interesting memory is, he always kept a separate fork, knife and spoon that only he ate from,certainly a fear of spreading his TB to others he loved remained throughout his life.

Autograph Book Entry

One of many entries in Eva’s autograph book featuring hand drawn artwork

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An entry from a  friend who resided with her Abbott Kinney (listed with her on 1930 census records) notice the quote from Robert Louis Stevenson, a famous resident of Saranac Lake, NY

See more of the “Eva Long Autograph Book” uploaded to the digital archives of the Saranac Lake NY Historical Society Wiki an amazing site run by wonderful folks.  Be sure and check it out!

Anyone else have a similar ancestor in their tree?  I would love to hear about it!

Super Hero Seat: Decoupage Justice League Of America Kids Chair

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My husband and I are kids at heart, and when I told him my plans to creat a “super heroes” decoupage kids chair, he was excited to see the final result. After a trying week and a busy weekend, I figured it was a good idea to jump right back on the “crafting horse”, and keep the upcycle going.

I passed this chair up many times.  I stop by the Goodwill right down the street from our house periodically.  It is usually a quick walk through,  and this chair sat, un purchased through several of these “walk throughs”,  The chair was in very rough shape and was doused in a heavy lacquer finish, that I suspected, would not be easy to apply paint to. It is difficult for me to pass up kids furniture because I love it so much, so during this particular walk through with my daughter in tow, I finally decided to buy it.

Old Beat Up Kids Chair

First, I tightened the chair and legs,  and used sand paper to smooth any rough edges on the chair.  I cleaned it with a damp cloth to remove any dust and dirt, and boy this chair was very dirty!  Once that was done, I used a white, latex primer to paint the chair from top to bottom. This was essential and even with the chair’s lacquered finish, it covered nicely.

After the primed chair was completely dry,  I painted the chair with a red and blue color scheme to mimic the Justice League of America colors. The Justice league of America is great because it incorporates the best superhero characters from DC, Comics.

I applied Mod Podge to the chair seat with a large paint brush. I then placed the prints onto the chair seat, slowly smoothing it out with my hands to avoid wrinkles. I repeated the same process for the chair back,  I decoupaged the Justice League symbol and two additional characters I could not fit onto the chair seat, These characters were The flash and The Green Lantern. I cut them out with scissors and applied them so they would appear as though they were “leaping” off the chair seat.  I made three white, printer paper stars to add some “pop” to the top of the chair back.

I placed the chair in front of a stand up fan to dry.  The next day, I applied Mod Podge to the entire piece to seal it and repeated this process twice, allowing the chair to dry in between coats.

My husband loved how it turned out, and it was nice to complete a strictly “just for fun” project.  I hope you enjoy it too!

Justice League Of America Decoupage Kids Chair

Materials:

Kids Chair

Comic books,or Comic Prints

Mod Podge

Red and Blue Acrylic Paint

White Latex Primer

brushes, scissors, pen

sandpaper

I Needed That! Pass the Cupcake!! “On The Upcycle” Nominated for a Super Sweet Blogging Award!

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I want to thank Row from Row’s Pottery Shed for nominating “On The Upcycle” for a Super Sweet Blogging award.

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It really meant a lot to me today! After a very stressful week, and receiving some negative comments on a project of mine on Pinterest, being nominated was one of the few bright spots in my day.  All the pieces I make,  the good, the bad and the ugly, I pour my heart into. I guess you could say they are like my children and I am a bit protective of them.  Don’t get me wrong I welcome constructive criticism and a difference of opinion, it’s the outright negativity that hurts most. Fear of trying and failing is what prevents us from achieving great things.  So, thanks again Row for reminding me there are good, positive  people in the world who choose to encourage, and build up instead of tear down!  Be sure and check out Row’s blog!

“Super Sweet” Question and answer!

1. Cookies or Cake?

Hands Down Cake

2. Chocolate or Vanilla?

Is it a crime to say I like them together : )

3. Favorite Sweet Treat?

Weird maybe but I LOVE Lemon Meringue Pie

4. When Do You Crave Sweet Things The Most?

When I am stressed!  I was craving it a lot this past week!

5. Sweet Nick Name?

Baby D a nickname given to me by the hubby : )

AMAZING BLOGS-A Super Sweet Bakers Dozen:

Be sure and check out these amazing blogs I enjoy following. I nominate these blogs in no particular order… they are all great!

1. Re: retro

2. GoodWill Hoarding

3. Redesigned by M

4. Hammer Like A Girl

5. Roof Top Creations

6. Pillows Al-A Mode

7. LoveLibrary

8. The Crafty Madre

9. Being Zhenya

10. Why Buy It DIY It

11. Pepper Box Couture

12. Space Lift

13. Beyond It’s Purpose 

Stay sweet my friends, and Congrats on your nominations!

Upcycled Pickle Jar Decorative Lamp- Part Two

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It all began with three broken lamps up in our attic, and a spaghetti jar.  I had an idea jump into my head one day, to upcycle these broken lamps with glass jars. I decided to produce the first of what I was hoping would be three cloth-covered decorative lamps.  I was very happy with how  Upcycled Spaghetti Jar Decorative Lamp turned out so I decided to move forward with lamp # 2.  This time I wanted to use brightly colored fabric on the glass.  I had this great pickle jar that was slightly larger than the spaghetti jar I used previously.  I also had some left over fabric from a previous project called Upcycled Wooden Pedestal Bowl, and Restyled Side Table  that  was orange, red, yellow and black.

I cut a large piece of fabric, enough to wrap around the sides of the jar.  I traced the bottom of the jar, (which would be the top of the lamp) onto the fabric with a sharpie marker, and cut it out with scissors. I applied Mod Podge to the outside of the jar, and applied the fabric carefully around it.  I used twine to tie the fabric at the bottom.  This actually looked great and allowed the fabric to touch the base.  I then glued the rest of the fabric to the top of the lamp.  I allowed this to dry and then I applied the Mod Podge over the fabric.

Upcycled Pickle Jar Decorative lamp

I love the red hue the light gives off.  It was very difficult to get a picture of what the lamp actually looks like.  I had to play around quite a bit with the camera settings.  I have this on the fireplace mantel in our living room.  Stay tuned for lamp # 3!

Pickle Jar Lamp pictured with Upcycle Wooden Ped bowl

Upcycled Pickle Jar Lamp Pictured with Upcycled wooden Pedestal bowl.  Love this fabric!

A Piece Of Americana: Upcycled Windsor Back Chair

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Since I began upcycling, crafting, and decoupaging, I have wanted to make an Americana art piece.  I was uncertain as to what the object would be.  I was waiting to see what life, or thrifting was going to place in my path.  Then one day, I spotted this chair in a Goodwill Store.  The chair needed a bit of TLC, and had some issues.  Most of the finish was worn off the chair, and the spindles and legs were loose.  The chair passed “the sit test” I sat on it and I didn’t end up on the floor! Nothing I thought a little love and wood glue wouldn’t fix. Despite it’s problems, I knew this chair was something special.  The chair displayed several design elements I found intriguing, and the chair style looked very “American” to me.  I will be honest, I  didn’t actually know anything about this chair, but I knew one thing- I liked it.

A woman behind me saw me looking at it ,and said “That’s a Windsor Back Chair.”  She was from New England and these chairs are popular in that area. Then she simply walked away.  She was eyeing it up, but I had a tight grip on it.  By now the chair was in my cart and rolling with me out of the store.  The chair cost $5.99, but for this I think I would have paid a little more, so it was a great deal!

Windsor Chair

When I got home, I did some research on the chair and It had several of the Windsor Chair Design elements.  I found this great website for a company that makes these chairs Gummel Chair works and they feature an interesting history of these Windsor Chairs Beginning with their origins during the reign of King George in England to the shores of New England and the Early American Colonies.  It also states it became “preferred” in some circles to paint these chairs to bring out their unique design qualities.   This made me feel better about painting the chair, and since I did not have the space to keep the chair out year round, I thought it would be a nice to showcase the chair during the patriotic holidays.  Having a reproduction in need of some work seemed exciting and the “perfect” Americana project candidate,  It also happened to come along at the perfect time.  The July 4th holiday was quickly approaching, and I had to submit an original project for the new Green Crafting Book The Green Crafts Lifestyle .

Materials Used:

Red, White and Blue Acrylic paint

Decal, Print, Patriotic decorations for decoupage

Foam Brush to apply Mod Podge

Paint Brushes of various sizes

Scissors

I cleaned the chair before I got started with a damp cloth.

I primed the chair with two coats of a white latex primer.

Chair Materials

I applied the Mod Podge with a foam brush to the seat surface generously.  I took the patriotic image I was using and carefully glued the image to the seat.  I used my hand to smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles.  If you have one available, you can also use the rubber Mod Podge, or roller tool to do this as well. Once dry, I applied a layer of Mod Podge with a foam brush over the image to seal it.  Now it was time to paint the chair.  I used a red white and blue color scheme and continued the pattern featured on the patriotic image for the chair seat.  Once the visible parts of the chair were dry, I flipped the chair over and painted underneath.  I then cut out some small white stars I wanted to decoupage to the top of the chair to add some additional flare.  I applied Mod Podge to the top of the chair with a smaller paint brush and applied the stars to the chair.

Once the chair was dry, I carefully inspected the chair for any painted areas that needed touching up, and added additional paint needed to these areas.  I allowed the chair to dry thoroughly overnight in front of a stand up fan. The next day,  I applied 2 coats of Mod Podge over the entire piece using the foam brush for larger surfaces, and a smaller paint brush on the smaller areas and chair legs.

An Upcycled Windsor Chair draped in Americana Decoupage:

Patriotic Windsor Style Chair:

Before and After:

Patriotic decopage Painted chair before and after

“On The Upcycle” Featured In A New Book~”The Green Crafts Lifestyle”

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I am excited to announce the arrival today of the new Amazon book for Kindle by the very talented Mahe Zehra Husain known by her fans as MZ.  She has an amazing green crafting company and website called Altered Upcycling.  Make sure and check it out!   “The Green Crafts Lifestyle”  is now available for download on Amazon for only $4.99!  I have been privileged enough to take a peek inside and it has some amazing green crafts, and features upcycling artists from around the world.  It also features artist bios and my very first step by step photo tutorial.  You can buy it here: 

Altered Upcycle Available on Amazon

Tomorrow’s blog will feature my “Secret Americana Project” An Upcycled, American classic, Windsor back chair.  A project that is debuted in the book. I was unable to share it with my readers…Until now!

When I started this blog back in April, I couldn’t have imagined having a oppurtunity such as this!  I am featured with some of the most talented and amazing artists, and quite frankly, I am not sure that I am even close to being in their league!  I feel very honored and grateful.

I would like to send out a special Thank You to Katherine from Pillows A-La Mode who encouraged me to “throw my hat into the ring” with this project. Make sure and visit her craft blog.  She is an amazing talent! It is an exciting first for me, just a simple working mom from NJ who loves to create!  Thanks also to all my readers for your support,  It means more than you know!