Have a Seat Sir: Masculine Cane Back Chair Makeover

I found this cane back chair at the thrift store for a great price.  The best part is that the caning is in perfect condition!  No repairs necessary!

But how do you like the 70's orange upholstery?  It was really scratchy and covered in pet hair - maybe that's why I got such a good deal.

I removed the cushion and recovered it in a masculine grey and white striped fabric that reminds me of a men's dress shirt.  The frame got two coats of flat black paint and wax.

In my mind this is where a British gentleman reads the Financial Times and sips tea.  Can't you see him there in his three piece suit? (humor me, ok?)

Here is a better closeup of the fabric.

 I've been working on a lot of furniture makeovers lately so that we can keep Persephone stocked.  This guy will be heading off to the shop tomorrow!

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Piano Bench Makeover

I spied this piano bench at my local Salvation Army.  The scary purple upholstery was covered with cat hair but I just knew those carved legs would look great with a bit of paint and distressing.  It also had a sticker from a local auction house which led me to believe it was an older, quality piece.

The catch was the price was a bit more than I would like to pay so I left without it.  After thinking about it all night I went back the next day with my fingers crossed that the bench would still be there.  It was!

So I brought it home and gave it two coats of ASCP in white and lightly distressed it.  The purple upholstery was also removed to reveal hay/grass type stuffing.  I thought that it was neat and pointed to the age of the bench so I left it in place and covered it with new batting.  Then I tacked on aqua chevron fabric I had on hand from a fabulous sale at Fabric.com.

I think this bench would be perfect for an entryway or at the foot of a bed.  I wish I had a better, styled after photo but this baby had to rush out the door to the tag sale where I'm happy to say it sold!

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Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special

Lego Party Part Two: Activities and Treat Bags

I'm back to share part two of my son's Lego birthday party.  This time I'm sharing the activities and treat bags with you.

As the kids arrived they each received a Lego mini pack to build.  I really wanted the kids to have a Lego set to build and take home with them.  The mini packs are pretty reasonable for under $5 a piece.  This activity kept the boys busy building for about 20 minutes.  It was clear they are all Lego maniacs!

Next we played Lego bingo which was also a bunch of fun for the boys.  I used this printable Lego Bingo from Big D & Me.  Perfect for a birthday party or any day. 

Up next was the Lego head pull string pinata (read more here).  Then  we rounded out the party with pizza and cupcakes of course.

Now on to the treat bags- my very favorite part!  The treat jars are spray painted bulk food containers with Lego faces added with a paint pen.  I knew I was hoarding saving those containers for a reason.  So, so cute!

Inside each treat jar was a hand stamped key chain, Lego t-shirt, and printable coloring book with Lego crayons.


Key chains are all the rage in Kindergarten dontcha know?  I had fun using my stamping kit to make these.

Cleo Livin' Life has a printable Lego coloring book available for download here.  I made my own Lego crayons to go with it using silicone Lego molds and my son custom colored the cover for each of his friends.

Last but not least, I made each child a Lego t-shirt using printable heat transfers.  This is my favorite way to make customized t-shirts.  Just print your picture on the paper using your printer and iron!

Happy Birthday Ben!

Thanks for visiting!

Persephone Grand Opening

Me, Lynette (Wild Rose owner) & Cassie

Photo courtesy of Gail

Saturday was the grand opening of Persephone, my joint venture with Cassie!  We had a great day at Wild Rose greeting shoppers and friends.  Thank you to everyone who came out to wish us well, including Gail and Sharon and her daughter Megan!

Here's a little peek at our space.

For more pics you can visit our Persephone Facebook page.  If you enjoy the tour and would like to stay in touch with Persephone, consider hitting the like button!  You can also see more at The Kramer Angle and Elizabeth & Co.

Thanks for visiting!

Lego Party Part One: Decorations and Food

Last week my son turned 6 and we celebrated with a Lego themed birthday party.  I kept the party small - just 6 friends - so that it was manageable and more fun for everyone!

When the guests arrived they were greeted by this Lego "6" door hanger.

It was super easy and cheap to create this fun door hanger with my son's Legos.  It was inspired by a similar door hanger here.

In the foyer I decorated the telephone table with balloons and Legos and stacked up the Lego head "goody bag" containers.

In the kitchen the dessert buffet was set up with more Legos and balloons.

This little guy is my answer to the party store not carrying a Lego pinata.  He was completely improvised at the last minute with a coffee can, crepe paper and curly ribbon.  Since you can't bash a coffee can with a stick to get candy this is the pull string variety.  The curly ribbon was tied to a few layers of crepe paper covering the bottom opening.  I held it up above the kids heads, each one grabbed a string and on the count of three they pulled making the candy rain down.  I think I'm sold on pull string pinatas from now on! 

I also crafted up these fun Lego brick pops.  These are waffle shaped pretzels dipped in blue and green candy melts and topped with pretzel M&M's.  I think they look just like Lego bricks but my husband had no idea what they were supposed to be!  (You can totally tell right? right?)  Either way they taste awesome!

The juice boxes were dressed up with free Lego brick printables from here.

And of course we had cupcakes!  I made the candy minifigures and bricks with silicone molds found on Etsy.

I'll be back later this week with Lego Party Part 2: Activities and Goody Bag Treats.  Till then, you can see all my Lego party inspiration on my pinboard here.

Thanks for visiting!