Sweet Tea and Cherry Print Aprons

There are times

when redoing a piece {or two} of furniture

brings back memories of days gone by.

Sweet nostalgic thoughts arise...

Such was the case with these recent makeovers.

Maybe...
 it was was the cherry print vintage looking fabric of this chair,

that reminded me of Grandma Maybell's threadbare, faded aprons.

Or...
 the light teal color of the chair paint,

which invoked images of Grandma's retro kitchen table,

an old Formica and chrome model from the 50's,

which was in her home until the mid 90's after both grandparents had passed.

Whatever the cause,

I so vividly remember sitting at that old table,

drinking sweet tea,

 'cause you had only two choices of beverages,

sweet tea 

{which was ironically made by Grandaddy John - an old Navy Cook,}

or water!

The choice was simple!

And the times seemed so simple!

Paired with our sweet tea,
Grandma kept homemade peach preserves on hand.
Runny and thin,
paired with made-from-scratch biscuits,
the two would put any dessert to shame!

The house was quiet, but not eerily so
 - out there in the country,

with the only sounds an occasional mooing from a lazy cow,

cackle from a cross hen,

or the purr of Grandaddy's Oliver as he worked a near field.

Those visits were so special.

Across the old table,

we'd swap tales, laughing 'til both had tears rolling down our cheeks,

or I'd pour out my soul on my last heartache

and without rush, or judgement,

Grandma would hang on every word I said,

listening intently.

Her silence of words was golden,

She knew I just needed to be heard.

And then there were times

when she didn't hold back! "smiles"

I miss those days,

...such fond memories!

Anyhow,

the chair above, is the twin to the Toile and gray chair posted last week.

If you missed that post, it can be seen <HERE>

The chair was painted with another sample pot I won at SBC,

Maison Blanche La Craie, Creme de Menthe (color).

I really like the consistency of
this chalk paint.

The nightstand, below,

was one of the most enjoyable pieces I've redone.

I was able to try many different techniques.
...get my creative on and going! :)

The nightstand was a heavy, old 

structurally sound piece.

But had withstood some severe abuse over the years.

I sanded down the top and sides

with an electric sander,

which prevented having to use a chemical stripper.

In the SWAG bags from SBC,

 I had a sample of Miss Mustard Seed's Chalk Paint.

{Courtesy of Atta Girl Says.

See Amy's Blog <HERE>  for more information 

and great projects using the Milk Paint.}

The sample size was just enough to paint all sides of the nightstand twice.

The top was stained a dark walnut by Minwax,

sealed with Minwax Poly Wipe-on.

The stand was heavily distressed,

sealed with AS clear wax,

and I am just loving the results...

The Universal Kitchen Scale
and Westmoreland Hen on the Nest
were found at a recent auction.

Hope your weekend was productive,

and the creative juices were flowing your way, too!

______________________

Linking Post To:

Mop It Up Monday @ I Should be Mopping the Floor

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Creatively Tuesday @ The Rustic Pig
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Gettin' Krafty With It @ Krafty Kat
Cowgirl Up Party @ Cedarhill Ranch
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense
Vintage Inspiration @ Common Ground
Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence