Sitting Pretty

Here's the second garden chair I put together the other day. This one was literally a $1 chair I bought at a garage sale. It used to have a cane seat but that was gone when I got it. Here's how I did it (clockwise from top left photo - click on the photo for a closer view):

First I cleaned the chair with Orange Glo wood cleaner. When it was clean I realized how pretty and still in great shape it was; I decided right then that I wasn't going to drive nails into it or paint it like I did my last one. You can still make a lovely decoration, for indoors or out, without making any permanent changes.

Next I took a nice round grapevine wreath and used wire to attach it to the chair through the holes that already existed from the caning.

Then, I took a silverplate bowl that I had mosaic'd and attached it over the wreath. It worked out well because the bowl was already pierced around the edges so I could put the wire through it and then through the wreath. The bowl can hold several 4" pots of flowers or it can act as an undersaucer for a larger pot. It can even be a birdbath!

I had a small birdhouse that I drilled a hole in at the base so I could attach it to the chair, too. I decided to spray paint it red. Then I attached it to the front of the chair and decorated it with a tiny, heart-shaped grapevine wreath.

Then all that was left to do was wire some red silk geraniums and filler leaves to the back of the chair. I added a small painted shovel, too.

Last but not least, I found a sweet antique needlepoint with a bright red bird and attached it to the chair back with raffia.