SK On Elderberry

"To Roam or not to Rome"

My Father was on a sailor on a destroyer tender ship in the Japan Harbor when the armistice of World War II was signed. This iconic image of a sailor kissing a surprised nurse whispers memories of a generation almost gone.

My Mother also now gone, keeped this gem of a newspaper article her entire life. I found it in her hope chest after she passed away this last year.

I dedicate this awesome chair to my Mom and Dad. A generation of strong, honest, courageous and hard working people. Thank you for your example.

This would have been called a English gentleman's smoking chair. Sadly left alone on a thrift floor for many months, I purchased him for a grand price of $19.00. Actually my friend/buyer found him. She has the best eye for the best prices. It's not like she has time to do this for me. Heidi is the owner/operator of Pine Lodge Labradoodles which has an international reputation. Thanks Heidi.
http://pinelodgelabradoodles.com/

I cleaned the chair thoroughly with a mixture of Dawn and vinegar. I then sanded the surface with a 220 grit sponge sanding block. The point is to remove any sealants and oils. Fingerprint oils are almost impossible to paint over.

Although the chair was built with the greatest of care, including down filling, the upholstery fabric is an inexpensive vinyl. After ninety five years or so, the surface was showing great areas of stress and rubbing. The cording was in excellent condition, just decades of rub marks

I was very interested in how and what could be used to paint old vinyl. As I tested different brands of paint, I tested a spray paint made for plastics. I must have done something terrible. It stayed sticky for days. I eventually took a paint remover and removed all the paint I had done. Interestingly enough the more I cleaned with this paint remover the better the vinyl looked. It also made the surface an excellent surface for chalk paint.

Chalk paint does not rub off on clothes and it does not crack. I was careful to sand in between coats of paint. My next project with vinyl will go much faster as I seem to have the need to reinvent the wheel.

I made a custom cream chalk paint for the body. I painted two coats with sanding between dry coats.

My chalk recipe is: 1 part calcium carbonate (powdered chalk) 2 parts flat latex paint.

1 Part Chalk

2 Parts Flat Latex Paint

Mix till no lumps and keep stirring occasionally while painting.

2 TBSP water.

"To Roam or not to Rome"

Thanks Graphics Fairy

The design I imagined so carefully in my dreams, evolved as I painted. I wanted to see if I could create a piece with balance of color and design and still keep the theme intact.

My theme morphed into a masculine dream of travel.

Thanks to The Graphics Fairy for most of the graphics.

The steps in painting the newspaper and picture was long and trying.

"Always Kiss Me Goodnight"

"I Love You to the Moon and Back."

Thanks Graphics Fairy

"To Roam or not to Rome"

Flower Puffs, my children call Wishes. I remember running down the road as a child with little specks of white magical puff flowing in my wake.

"All those who wander are not lost" Bilbo Baggins

Borei By Design was kind enough to let me use parts of her logo for my chair. Thanks be to Holly. I fell in love with her puff flowers we call wishes.

At the completion of my painting I washed the entire surface with an antiquing medium of chocolate brown and carefully wiped most of it off.

The last step was to wax the entire piece with paste wax and buff to an old world shine. The nail heads are painted gold to match the dipped gold feet and gold offset buttons.