A New Desk for Ellie, A New Chair for McDaniel

Day #13

As I was uploading chair pictures for the Devil’s Chair post,

I realized I had never blogged about a few projects I did at the end of summer for the girls.

Ellie decided that she was done with her vintage school desk/chair combo.

I found this at a flea market for $15.

She needed more room to spread out her books.

I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it

it’s a chair after all,

so I moved it to the basement.

I began a search for a desk for Ellie’s room.

Ellie’s room is SMALL so the desk couldn’t overwhelm the space.

I found this set on clearance at a local consignment store.

Crackle paint ALL UP in here.

It came with a chair!!

The size was perfect except that when Ellie sat in the chair, her legs touched the drawer in the middle of the desk.

We decided we could cut down the chair.

But once we got it home and looked at it, we decided that with so many drawers, we’d just take out the middle one and leave the chair alone.

I even got out my jigsaw and sawed off the 

piece of wood supporting the drawer.

Ellie decided she wanted white and hot pink for the desk makeover.

It took some serious primer to cover up ALL THAT crackle.

I too, once used to crackle.

 But hear me out:

Friends don’t let friends crackle. 

It’s a pain to redo!!

Ellie and I brushed on the white paint and spray painted the pink parts.

We also spray painted the drawer pulls white.

I already had this gray chevron fabric from the office
chair project.

We are very happy with how it turned out and Ellie uses the desk every day.

In the midst of all this, McDaniel reminded me that she STILL needed a new desk chair.

We’d gotten her a cute youth-size purple office chair on wheels ONE MILLION years ago when she wasn’t taller than many adult males.

The cute youth-size purple office chair on wheels lost some key bolts that attached the back of the chair to the bottom which caused crashing and booming sounds to come from her room every other night followed by a,

“I’m alright!”

(as the chair shot out from under her since it was ON WHEELS)

followed by me looking at Monte on the couch saying,

“We really need to get her another chair.”

That only took 5 or 6 years.

McDaniel decided that she needed a full-on adult-size office chair.

She’d already gotten used to a chair on wheels so she added that to her list of must haves.

Luckily, as I was on the hunt for Ellie, I spotted such a chair.

Pretty worn out but in good shape for
$15.

McDaniel loves navy so I was thrilled when I found a navy striped shower curtain at Target.

Shower curtains make the best chair covers because 

they hold up to water and stains wipe up easily.

I bought that plastic fusion spray paint to spray the bottom and arms and back of the chair.

That stuff is AWFUL! 

More went all over my hands and face than on the chair.

I went back to the hardware store and they gave me a Rustoleum spray that works on all surfaces.

It was so. much. better. 

I love Rustoleum paint.

I wish they were paying 

me to say that.

I love how the chair turned out!!!

I stapled the fabric onto the seat and arms and where I could at the back of the chair.

The fabric sagged a little due to the angle of the back of the chair so I had to pull and hot glue around the edges. 

I hot glued clothes line roping to hide the glue lines and give it what I hoped was a nautical feel.

The fabric still isn’t as tight in the back as I’d like but McDaniel was okay with it.

And I got both of these projects done before school started.