Month of Makeovers Day 3: The sum is greater than the parts

My name is Janeray and I am a trash picker. I once backed up my car on a busy street in a downpour to rescue a chair from the trash. At the time I was in the process of collecting similar-but-different chairs for my dining room. The chair I spied coordinated perfectly. It was FREE! And it was so waterlogged that it fell apart when I picked it up. I was drenched, feeling foolish, and all I had to show for it was a part of the chair’s back.

Last week I found the broken piece under a box in my storage area. I knew it had potential to be a great mixer with the right parts.

Symmetry always looks better to me, so I hammered off the rest of the frame.

Next up was two quick coats of Annie Sloan chalk paint and a light topping of wax.

Now for the “what if I?” part. The swirly wood needed something substantial to visually anchor the bottom. What if I added a tin box made by my grandfather? I’d already tried hanging the box as a catch-all for my keys and sunglasses, but it seemed small and insignificant on the wall by itself. One decorative tack later and it became the base of a growing arrangement.

What if I added lots of cup hooks? I could display jewelry or hang keys. Then I thought of something better. What if I added the last stained glass butterfly from the dozens my father made as favors for his retirement party? It used to hang over his workbench in a mosaic of tools, parts and memories. Now the workshop is gone and he is, too. I wanted to keep his glass butterfly and hand lettered cardboard together.

This is the perfect place for them. It will help me remember that there is always enough time to do what matters if I do what matters first.

I love the way the colors sing along with the red walls in our library!

See the entire list of projects for our Month of Makeovers HERE.