Auction Find, Child’s Table and Chairs

Hand Painted Child’s Table and Chairs

Last week I shared with you all my hand painted child’s rocker featuring my old friend Peter Rabbit.  This was the entire auction lot I was bidding on. Final and winning bid, $18.

I don’t know if you have a MaxSold near you, but it’s an online auction house where you can bid from the comfort of your own home.  CTbids is another similar online auction site.  On both sites, you register your credit card ahead of time and you have about a week to bid and decide if you’re going to bid higher.  The pickup time is set, often for the following weekend, where you need to present your receipt and haul your items away.  Unlike Ebay, where someone can place a bid at the last second and win your item, on these sites any last minute bidding extends the bid time by a couple of minutes.  If you counter bid, the bidding is extended once again.

Having said all that, the online auction sites still offer the thrill of the bid, almost like being at an auction and raising your paddle. Will I win the bid or won’t I….what is my max bid…how much do I want this, why am I getting butterflies in my stomach?  The only thing you can’t do is glare at your bidding competitor.

Like I said, I was the winning bidder (but I would have gone a bit higher).  At this particular auction, I came for a 3 story doll house for my granddaughters, which I also won, and came home with a car full of projects. It was a good day.

This was the table and chairs all unloaded and sitting in my garage.

A few chippy paint edges and the yellowing on the top shows a layer of  aging shellac.

On the chairs, a couple of the spindles were a little loose and one of the spindles had a nice little star bandage.

I don’t think the bandage helped this spindle heal.

For this repair and the loose spindles I’m using Loctite liquid super glue.  The liquid allows the glue to flow into the smallest of crevices, even that small crack at the base of the loose spindles.  This spindle crack above, also got a nice shot of the glue and was then clamped together until dry.  Insert a small screw into the crack to prevent any wiggles.  If you can easily replace this cracked spindle do it.

Resist the urge to touch the super glue with bare fingers, a rag or paper towel is a much better option.

If you have bare wood you may need to use a primer before your start painting.

Since mine already had a nice coat of paint, albeit glossy, I didn’t need a primer, I just needed to roughen up that shiny outer coat with sandpaper to allow my new paint to adhere more readily.

Wipe off all your sanded pieces with a lint free cloth.

And now for some inspiration.  I already had something in mind but I love to see what others have created.

If you love color, this is your chance to go all out and express yourself.  Could not find the original artist for this one, it was on a community wall of photos.

This Winnie the Pooh inspired set was found on Pinterest, originally from Etsy by Babydreamdecor.

Also from Babydreamdecor on Etsy is this Fairy inspired table and chair set.

 

This jungle themed set was found on Etsy by Irishfitz.

Etsy was full of hand painted table and chair sets to either give you inspiration or  just go and buy it directly.

And lastly, a little blue and white harlequin pattern with a black and white check edge. I could not find the original artist, just a couple of people who pinned this set.  No matter, this is probably the one that most inspired my design.  I love the diamond, harlequin top.

I’ve also done a few harlequin inspired designs over the years like this lamp, red side table,  mirror makeover,  black side table and this child’s table from a stool.  I do love me some harlequin!

Time to start painting.  I’m using the same sage green I used for the child’s rocker as my background color. This paint is by Chalkit and you’ll probably be seeing this color on a couple more projects.  One, because I love the color and two, because I have  leftover paint.

Even though this paint covers extremely well, I still used 2 coats because there is always that one area that looks a little thin.

Time to start painting.  To make a set, whatever you do to one piece, let’s say the table, carry over that color in a similar fashion onto the chairs.  For instance, when I painted the edge of the table in this bright blue, I also painted the chairs the same.  The same goes for the blue stripe on the legs.

I did think that the blue edge around the table and chairs looked a whole lot like blue painters tape so I added the black stripes to take away that painters tape feeling.

Unless you have a table and chairs set like my first inspiration picture, have a color palette and stick to it.

Have fun with your spindles.

Where you want to paint your harlequin design, paint the entire background one color. Start with a cardboard diamond template, of course make your own.  Center your diamond and trace around the edges.  Repeat a couple of times.  Once you have your pattern started, it’s easy to continue the design with a straight edge.    Fill in every other diamond with the color of your choice.

I could have painted more design but hubby said I was  done.

When you are done, or hubby says you are, finish off your pieces with a coat of clear polyurethane to protect your design.

Invite your friends to try out your new set.

This is how AI envisions my table and chairs all set up for a tea party.  I like his vision!

Find your table and chairs, find your inspiration (find some kids to give it to) and begin.  Until next time…