Q and A and Tray Chic

Thank you all for your sweet comments about my chair. You've made me excited to start on it's makeover. I just need to find the right fabric. I know the color is "in" but, the vinyl has a few holes in it so it needs to be redone.

Hooray! Some of you asked questions on the last post. And for those of you who've asked me questions on older posts (the dollar frame project, etc.), I'm just getting caught up, so be patient with me.

Q: Jenn asked about painting her chandelier. I tried to email you Jenn, but the info was wrong so I'm answering you here.
A: If your chandelier does not have a really shiny/glossy finish you should be able to spray paint it without any problems. If it has a mat finish, like my lamp did, &/or feels a little rough when you touch it, the paint should adhere just fine.
If it has a really shiny/glossy finish, you'll want to sand it first with a medium grit paper. You just need a light sanding. Then, to be safe you should prime it with a primer made for metal, before you spray paint it. Because it's not going to get a lot of wear, these steps are enough.
I like using Rustoleum brand paint in a satin finish. I like the sheen of a satin. Then if you lightly spray a metallic over it, it will really have a warm finish. Be sure to keep a good distance when you spray the metallic. You only want a dusting of color.

Q: Rambling Girl asked if there were any tutorials on how to make tassels.
A: Elise at Nest Sweet Nest did a tutorial on tassel making. I heard about it from Darlene at Darlene's Days. She's made a few cute ones too.

Q: Sue asked how I come up with so many ideas. Am I working on something all the time?
A: I am happiest when I'm creating. And I AM working on something all of the time. Once I tried to write down all of the things that I wanted to accomplish in my home. It was SEVERAL pages long! I made the mistake of counting each thing and figuring out how long it would take if I did one each day. It was overwhelming! Now I just try to do the ideas that excite me most each day. It's more fun for me, although it frustrates my family. One of my sons jokingly refers to our house as "The house of unfinished dreams" because I have so many ideas and not enough time to do them all.

Q: Runner Mom asked if I upholster too.
A: I've recovered chairs, and made slipcovers, but my thrift chair would be my first big upholstery project.

Q: Carla asked what color and brand of brown spray paint I like.
A: I used Rustoleum's Espresso in satin for this project. I think that it's a nice brown.

Now, I can't leave you for the entire weekend without something fun.

I bought a very large tray at the thrift store. It was rather plain and was stained an orangish color.

I sanded it and primed it.I spray painted it Heirloom White
and sanded the edges for a distressed look.I added some retro hardware that I'd sprayed black
with a bronze metallic dusting.I spray painted four finials.And "ABRACADABRA!"
Those pretty finials are now fancy legs.Then just to make it "tres chic",
I added some fleur de lis rub on decals.It's not a plain tray anymore!