Craftster‘s latest challenge is “Super Ugly to Super Awesome.” You have to take something old that cost less than $20 and recon it into something cool. I used an old chair that I’d tried (and failed) to repaint once before. I’d gotten about a fourth of the way into the project and then abandoned it, and the chair sat around here in its half-finished condition for years. It moved with us in that condition. It was awful. I finally got sick of looking at it and decided to use the Craftster challenge as an excuse to do something about it.
I used a “bee” theme because we’d just harvested honey when I started the new paint job, and I was really amped up about our hive. I think it turned out pretty cool.
Here it is, in all its glory:
Finished front.
Finished back.
Closeups of back.
Closeups of front.
Closeup of seat.
And a couple of before shots. I’d been trying to do a Route 66 theme, but I actually started this thing before we ever traveled 66, and I just kind of didn’t get it. I was also using some techniques and types of paint that were ill-suited to the project. The result was pretty bad. I think you can see why I ditched it before I finished:
I doubt it will win the challenge, but that’s OK — I already won a cool chair. 🙂
Emily
Red Fork Hippie 
Emily this is just GORGEOUS – i love the idea of Route 66 chair as well !!!!
Thanks! The Route 66 chair was a good idea in theory, but it didn’t work so well in practice. If I tried it now, I could probably come up with something MUCH nicer, but I think I have enough Route 66 stuff at this point. Might be fun to cover a chair with those old souvenir water decals they used to put on car windows, though.
I’m going to hit a thrift store soon (maybe Bluelocks with my little brother and his wife this weekend) and pick up a chair I can paint with crazy-looking cats and kitty footprints. I’m going to give it to a charity that rescues homeless cats so they can auction it or sell it at a craft show or raffle it off or whatever floats their boat.