Steak and Berries all of the meat. none of the fat.

…with just a little bit of time and a creative spirit.

We’ve been doing a lot of fun stuff since we’ve been up in Oregon. That’s one of the many things I love about being in ‘the country,’ there always seems to be something to do.  First, we fixed the chicken’s nesting box so it would no longer be filled with chicken poop and eggs… Just eggs. The eggs now stay in the box and the poop falls to the earth. Who knows, maybe the ground below the box will soon be the host of a beautiful bundle of wildflowers because, after all, chicken poop is a superb fertilizer.

Then, while Gavin was working on his brother’s basement with his brother, Carson, I spent a couple of afternoons painting some little wooden chairs. And that’s what I really want to talk about. That’s what the Old is New title is all about. Let me start by saying that one thing that really frustrates me is the inclination to throw out the old and buy something new. Of course, that does not apply to everyone, especially in this new Craigslist era (which I am thrilled to take part in) but I still do see it a lot. So when Colette (Gavin’s sister-in-law) asked me to help her paint the little chairs that Gavin’s mother had given her for their new basement/playroom (chairs that Gavin and his siblings had sat on in in their youth), I gladly accepted. And since Colette is the busy mother of two of Gavin’s beautiful young nieces, I took it upon myself to paint the chairs while she was doin’ her thing.

It was quite simple. My materials consisted of some sandpaper, a few sponge brushes, white primer and some leftover indoor house paints – all things we were able to find around here. I sanded the chairs just enough to get rid of any weird texture, then I primed them with just one coat of primer (for good aging), then I painted them each in a different color. I had to give them a few coats but I let them dry between coats by rotating between chairs. And, well, I hope you agree that they look super cute!

Thing is, these chairs are sturdier than any kid chair you’d find these days at, say, Ikea, they were free and Colette & the girls love them! Colette and I talked about how great it was that these chairs had a history with the family and about the fact that she was more excited about these new-old chairs than she would have been about any new chairs.

And I got to spend some afternoons listening to the sounds on the farm, getting paint on my pants and thinking about how everything old has the potential to be something new. This particular project was very simple but the possibilities are endless if you are so inspired. Just check out some of the projects on Design*Sponge, one of my favorite crafty blogs, to see what new-old furniture you might like to create…

That said, I urge you to resist the temptation to throw away that old, sturdy dresser only to buy a new one and instead decide exactly what you would like your new dresser to look like and turn it into a fun and fulfilling project. I promise you will not be disappointed!