Season of Gratitude: Before and Afters

Our front porch is one of my favorite places in the world.

It’s great for sitting. Or sittin’ – depending on the mood.

Our dear friends Kathy and Billy gifted us with mad money Home Depot shopping cards as a house warming gift. They didn’t tell us we had to buy porch furniture, but we've spent such lovely times with them on their front porch, we couldn’t think of using their gift for anything else.

I love these rocking chairs.

They rock.

But my favorite chair comes from before. Before the black furniture. It sticks out like a sore thumb. You can see it up there in the first picture ... not playing well with others.

But I love it. You can pull out the foot rest and recline ala Cleopatra. Or adjust the back for a better view of the stars. It's the wrong color, but it’s awesome.

Alas, my husband hates this chair. It sticks out like a sore thumb. Did I mention that?

I’ve been inspired by ThriftyDecorChick and her can-do spray painting fun (no pun intended ;o). And I've been eyeing that spray paint that says it bonds to plastic ...

Plastic? Really? The paint won't shred off? Can you paint plastic and it look good??

The instructions on the paint can say to agonize over painting for a minimum of four months, and greatly fear that you are sacrificing your most favorite chair ever to a project doomed to fail. Spray paint and plastic? Are you CRAZY? I'm kidding. The instructions say to prepare the surface. Which I did, by swatting at it with an old dishrag. And licking my finger to rub off a coffee stain.

Then I got right down to painting. Because precision is definitely NOT my middle name. Neither is patience. Once I get over the fear, that is.

My husband taught me to spray in short bursts. Like “Psssst! Pssst! Pssst!” As opposed to “pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst!” as I was wont to do. When when you spray in short bursts and use even, smooth strokes, you are far less likely to get drips or globs. When I listen to my husband, things always turn out better. Don't ask me how I know that.

I thought the paint color was BLACK, but it is really grey. With little sparkly flecks. Like a car. Which is nice, because if my husband’s truck ever needs some body work, I can take care of it with my left over paint, applied in short "pssssst! psssst!" bursts.

I painted two coats, which only used up one can. It was EASY. And QUICK - 45 minutes or less from the time I made the first "psssst!" to when I was dragging it back to the front porch IN TRIUMPH! The spray paint covered extremely well - you wouldn't know it was a spray painted chair. Except maybe for the color, because would you really paint a lawn chair metallic shiney grey just like your husband's truck on purpose?

One of these days I’ll track down some plain black paint. But for now … whatever … my chair fits in better and is no longer in danger of being banished.

This is probably the lamest DIY before and after post EVER ... no, I did not transform a room from hospital sterile to sunny beach cottage using only items from Goodwill and Aunt Flo's attic. Yes, I spray painted a chair ... but if someone had told me that you really could paint a plastic lawn chair a completely different color and it would really look good ... it wouldn't have taken me so long to work up the courage to whip out the paint can. Even if it's not exactly the right color :o) If your plastic lawn chairs are looking drab or not fitting in, there is hope - just grab a can of spray paint that claims it bonds to plastic. It works!

Today I’m thankful for my favorite chair, transformed by a Before and After project. Ruby's thankful, too.

Linking up with Thrifty Decor Chick's November Before and After Party!

http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2011/11/november-before-and-after-new-knobs.html