Hello amazing friends! Can I tell you how nice it is to have the freedom to dig to through my pile and pick something to make over, and not feel like I should be doing something house-related? This is the first time I have felt that freedom since moving in back in August, and it feels so good!
My pick for today is this dated little rocker I picked up at the thrift store for $5 just before the holidays:
Harvest gold velvet hasn’t been in fashion in 40 years so I’m pretty sure this little fella has been around a while. I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I used.
While I still had my Bit of Sugar DIY chalk paint out from painting my office storage piece that I shared on Tuesday (See that HERE if you missed it.), I gave this little gem a coat as well:
Good bye harvest gold. Hello cute black and white check!
I know black and white aren’t traditionally colors one would use for children’s furniture, but that’s the beauty of creating…you can do whatever strikes your fancy! Plus it is pretty gender neutral.
This cute check also matches the graphics I added to the back of the chair for a fun touch:
To add these I used my Silhouette cutting machine. (I have this one HERE.) Did anyone get one for Christmas? I had a love-hate relationship with mine at first, mostly because I was so used to using Photoshop Elements to create my designs, but once I realized I could upload my own creations to my Silhouette to print, we were friends again. I shared how to do that HERE.
Simple words like I added to this chair are easy to create in Silhouette though, plus they have tons of their own designs you can download.
I like to use regular old contact paper since I am cheap, however don’t choose black and white paper if your design is black and white also:
Oopsie…that made it kind of difficult to see what I was doing. I used this craft paint and a small brush to fill in the “stencil” I had created with contact paper.
When my graphics were dry, I lightly sanded the entire chair including the words and sealed with Annie Sloan’s clear soft wax.
I didn’t bother to remove the old fabric on the seat, and in fact I kind of like to keep it there to show the history of this little piece for future owners who may uncover it some day.
I found about three yards of this checked fabric for $2 at an estate sale last year…
My el cheapo $8 staple gun did the job perfectly!
The seat was just held in place by three screws.
This cute little piece actually looks really sweet here in my office, if only I had little bums that would still fit in it! Even Brennan had a hard time squishing his little tush into it.
Now this chenille throw is the kind of vintage I adore…
It is part of a larger bed covering that I picked up at a yard sale for $5. Unfortunately it looked like moths had had their way with it all along the top seam, so I cut it down.
I hope you enjoyed this little makeover.
Here’s another little rocker that got a much-needed makeover a couple of years ago:
See how I updated this sweet rocking chair HERE!
I’ll be back on Tuesday sharing how I updated this thrift store flatware box:
UPDATE: See how this flatware box looks now HERE!
Have a great weekend! š
XO,
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catherine says
Oh I just love it. Looks fantastic x
Christy says
Thank you, Catherine!! XO
Mary Kaiser says
That turned out adorable, I Love it.
Christy says
Thank you, Mary! XOXO
Christina in SW FL says
Christy, I adore the staging with the chenille throw and stuffed lion. It’s an adorable chair and you really made it special with the stenciling and seat cover. I’m sure it will sell quickly!
Christy says
Thanks, Christina! Hoping for a quick sale! XOXO
Norma Rolader says
Very adorable I have one of our daughters when they were very young and it is a red color Now our daughters are 49 and 48 … Wow!!!!
Christy says
Thanks, Norma! I love that you kept your daughterās rocker! XOXO
Janice says
Love the little rocker. Black and white checks may not be what you would normally use but it certainly looks fabulous. So glad you are back to redoing items because it gives me something to look forward to every Tues and Thurs.
Christy says
Thank you, Janice! I too am so happy to be back to my makeovers! XOXO
Marcie Lovett says
It’s adorable, Christy! Last year I pulled the upholstery off an old chair and found two more layers of fabric, and underneath it all, pieces of an antique quilt that was used for padding. I think it’s fun to do a little furniture archaeology and see the history behind the piece.
You must be relieved to take a break from the house. Of course, there always will be house projects, but the big ones are done. Now you can work on filling that booth, because this chair isn’t going to be there long!
Christy says
Thanks, Marcie! I do love seeing whatās underneath…how cool that you found pieces of an antique quilt! XOXO
Ange says
I bought the same little rocker for my son
40 years ago when he was 3 years old. As always you did a Great makeover.
Christy says
I bet this brought back sweet memories! Thank you, Ange! XOXO
Wanda Rose says
Cute! You “rocked” this project! š
Christy says
Ha ha thank you, Wanda! XOXO
Becky says
So cute! Little rockers are so hard to resist. I go through a mental battle every time I shop, it seems! I’ve got the little bottoms to sit in them, just not the floor space to sit THEM in, haha! Great choice with the black and white!
Christy says
Thanks, Becky! They really are hard to resist, arenāt they? I actually bought two when I bought this one. Enjoy those little tushies while you can! XOXO
Susan Williams says
I love the combination of the black plaid and the white rocker!
Thanks for sharing
Christy says
So glad you like it, Susan, thank you! XOXO
Debbie in TX says
Love this little beauty. Had one almost exactly like it as a child, and I loved it and sat in it every day. Some little boy or girl will be extremely happy to have it.
Christy says
Thank you, Debbie! Hoping some little boy or girl will enjoy this one just as much! XOXO
Linda Petersen says
All I can say is “You Rock”! The rocker is as cute as it could be & the throw is perfect! I think you should put the little fur friend in the seat & leave it in your office????. I’m sure he could be fitted where the graphics are still visible. ā¤, Linda
Christy says
Ha ha thank you, Linda! I really am tempted to keep it! š
Patty says
Just PERFECT! š
Christy says
Thank you, Patty!!
Christine says
You always finish your projects in such a professional way. It inspires me to do the same.
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Christine! XO
Denise Zdziennicki says
Great minds š …I just reupholstered a chair with that similar harvest gold velvet. Your rocker is so cute and l love the You Rock stencil you created with your Silhouette. I think I want one! Have a great day. x
Christy says
Thanks, Denise! Ha ha not sure that beautiful shade of yellow will ever be popular again! Yes the silhouette is awesome! XOXO
Julie Briones says
Looks adorable… the black and white will coordinate in a lot of neutral rooms. š Sooner or later, I may need to invest in a Silhouette or Cricut. We’ll see!
Christy says
Thank you, Julie! I figured it was gender neutral too! Yes love my silhouette! XOXO
Robyn D Wright says
SO much better! I like the black and white!
Christy says
Thanks, Robyn! XOXO
Margie says
What a sweet makeover & love the black & white seat cover. Will be keeping my eyes open for old bedspreads to remake into throws.Love that you can see beauty in just about everything.
Christy says
Thank you, Margie! You are so sweet! I try! š XOXO
ROSE LEFEBVRE says
Love it! You Rock fits so wonderfully! Genius
Christy says
Thanks so much, Rose!! XOXO
MaryJean says
I love the rocker! I found one at AmVets last year for about the same price. It looked like someone made it and it was pieced together wood. They left it natural so you could see all the joints. I think that’s why no one was buying it, but I had other ideas. I loved the way the person did some scrolls on it. I painted it a cream color and pink for my granddaughter and wrote her name, Piper on the seat in pink. I gave it to her Christmas 2016. I thought I had saved it on my Pinterest board so you could see it, but I did not. Anyway, yours turned out great. I like the padded seat. Mine did not have that.
Christy says
Thanks, MaryJean! I bet your granddaughter loved it! XOXO
Cecilia says
It’s adorable! I got a Silhouette last year. I still love/hate it as I still have trouble figuring it out. You should do more tutorials on using it. I looked at the one you mentioned. That will help! ????But I need all the help I can get…they don’t give you enough directions!
Christy says
Thanks, Cecilia! I don’t think it is very user friendly…you really need to watch a few videos, which I am terrible at lol. Once I figured a few things out though, it was easy to remember how I did it. XOXO
Terrie says
I noticed that you stenciled the word rock in lower case letters, but your pictures show upper case. Did you change your mind?
Christy says
Hi Terrie, the stencil is actually in capital letters. š
Carrie says
So cute, nice way to update it! That rocker looks well built too. Great idea on the bed covering to save it, i like it.
Christy says
Thanks, Carrie! It is very sturdy for sure! I still have some of the bed covering left in case I find another need for a small piece of it later. XOXO
Sherry Stuifbergen says
You do have a great eye! I love the “you rock” graphic. Everything you do is one class act! I love to read what you are up to.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Sherry!! Have a great weekend! XO
Donna says
Adorable l e! The little chenille throw is the perfect touch.
Christy says
Thanks, Donna! XOXO
At Rivercrest Cottage says
My husband’s childhood rocker is in our garage waiting for a makeover. It’s exactly like that little You Rock rocker. Except it doesn’t have a seat because it was caned at one time, but ruined. I’m going to get him to make a seat like that now that I see how it can be done. Your makeover is perfect!
Christy says
Thank you, Sugar! It would be awesome to be able to restore such a treasured piece! XOXO
Cornelia Short says
I have a rocking chair that my Grandmother bought me when I was a toddler and Iāve always kept it in my daughters room, so itās in really good shape. The seat is a tightly woven type, not sure what they call that type of seat but after seeing yours updated I think I might update my little rocker too!
Also, on a side note, I checked out the Amy Howardās paint/wax brush you use and I was really surprised at all the bad reviews that brush got ???? oh well Iām glad I didnāt purchase one but Thank you for the recommendation.
Love your work
Christy says
I’m so glad you are feeling inspired to update yours! As for the brush, I believe it was intended for painting, but I could not imagine using it to paint flat surfaces. I bet it would not get good reviews for that purpose, but I love it for painting all the ornate details on frames. It works amazingly well for that! š
Cornelia Short says
Thank you for the tip on the brush ???? I have a large ornate mirror I bought last year and Iāve been afraid to paint it which is why I looked at how you did your mirror.
So, Iām off too buy the paint brush and thank you for the great tips on how to paint my mirror. I will take some before and after pictures ????
Thank you
Christy says
You’re welcome, Cornelia! This will work perfectly! š