Chevron Tray Tutorial

Hey friends!  I’ve learned that I enjoy making the projects and get into a habit of having too many projects going on at once without blogging about them.  I will try to fix that!

Kaitlyn from For Better orBratwurst and I decided we needed a crafty day.

I needed something awesome to go with my new funky orange chairs, so I took an old frame that didn’t have anything in it.  By putting it down on the table and adding some handles, it turns into a funky tray that can be used as a picture frame at any minute.  I love up-cycling (ie, recycling old stuff to be super chic). 

Materials:

            Frame

Paint

            Painter’s tape (I like the Duck brand)

            Brushes, art supplies, etc

            Pencil

            Ruler / Paper

            Scissors

            Patience :-)

1.     I removed the piece I wanted to use for the painting from the frame, which was in my case, the back.  I have seen some people paint the glass which does look really cool, but if I ever wanted to reuse the frame or change the art, it would be much more difficult.

2.     I LOVE THE CHEVRON PATTERN.  I started with choosing how many changes in direction I wanted on the final product, for example if the pattern looks like “M” then you have 3 changes, if “N” then 2.  I wanted the off-kilter look of the “N”.

3.     Mark off with your pencil where the pattern should change and mark it accordingly. I took some paper and measured it the length of the board because I didn’t have a ruler nearby, and folded it into 3 equal sections.  Easy!

4.     Lightly extend the marks all the way down the board with your pencil so the end product looks professional.

5.     Choose how far you want to have between the lines and mark accordingly.  For example, you want the 1^st and 3^rd piece of tape to line up identically to each other, not having one piece longer than the other. Mark how far down you want it to go (for softer chevron, smaller space, for more dramatic chevron, more space!). 

6.     Tape accordingly!  I did all one direction first, then came back and cut the other pieces. I didn’t worry about getting the tape cut at the perfect angle, I ripped a piece longer than what I needed, then cut it so I didn’t have any unsightly gaps. 

7.     Paint!  I wanted a pop of color for the table, so I applied a multitude of muted colors in two coats.

8.     Peel the painter’s tape off before the paint is completely dry! This is imperative.  Otherwise you will peel part of the lines off unintentionally… no bueno.

You could apply a topcoat, but I think that is what the glass is for. Enjoy!

The Lewis Dots

The Chairs Redo

I hated my kitchen table and chairs.  They were a garage sale find from my husband’s bachelor days, and I honestly couldn’t wait to have some money to buy a new table set.  

Because food to put on the table is more sensible than a beautiful table with starving grad-students, I figured that I would just deal with what I’ve got. They were a wooden Windsor dining chair, the early-American kind you can find anywhere for about $50 / chair.

I stumbled across these chairs at ApartmentTherapy.com, and if you check out the prices you might fall out of that ugly chair: $615 at http://oandgstudio.com/! They make the old and outdated so bright and inviting. 

I knew what had to be done: paint!

My first instinct was to paint it that pretty cobalt blue from my office, but I chose to actually coordinate the two rooms that are next to each other.  My living room (although it is NOT finished) has African colors and pieces from my multiple trips to Africa. It is very earthy and warm, and the stark contrast of the blue might be nice, but my kitchen is bright reds and yellows, so the small space would look like Skittles exploded.  No bueno.

I initially chose a “rust” color in my head, the red/orange color you think of when you see an African sunset as it would coordinate with both rooms that it met with. I set off to all spray paint stores that I knew of in the area to find it; however, 2 hours and 3 stores later, I gave up on the ‘rust’ color and decided to go with something more practical. In the moment during a huff of frustration I chose bright orange. I thought it would work because the antequated style and modern color would make it awesome, rather than just weird. 

Here are the steps I took to make the chairs awesome:

1.     Clean to get any grime off of chair

2.     Used medium grade sander to remove finish

3.     Clean again to remove dust from sanding

4.     Prime! I used the low VOC one so that I could do it while watching a movie

5.     Used fine grade sander to even finish out

6.     Clean again to remove dust from sanding

7.     Spray paint!

8.     Repeat steps 5 & 6

9.     I applied a second coat of paint to make it look awesome

Here are the chairs at the table!  Now I love it.  I feel so chic.  What do you think?

Happy Painting! 

Love,

The Lewis Dots

Yes, my cat Jazz did want to be involved, so he got into the primer, see the white stuff on his bum? So I allowed him to be in the final shot.