How to find a peacock chair in 4 steps

Image via Lost-In-Tyme

I'm obsessed with peacock chairs at the moment. Not the Hans Wegner midcentury classic but the retro cool cane thrones made famous by the likes of Morticia Addams (and Al Green it seems).
First I found a doll's chair in my thrifting adventures then a pair of children's chairs. This week my elusive chair came one step closer. I found a peahen chair.
The smaller less ostentatious "female" to the strutting peacock chair is the next stage in my thrift shop journey. I feel the elusive peacock is just one step away. Of course I could just track down a new one but that would be too easy. I want it vintage. I want it in a thrift store and I want it cheap. Can't be that hard (???). The peahen will be fixed, painted and a new cushion made to patiently await her mate.

My rattan chairs from last week are sporting new satin varnish and I've started work on the cushions. Ralph Lauren won. Hopefully photos soon. I'm off to hose my garden. It's a momentous afternoon. We have had enough rain in the past few weeks for a momentary relaxing of the level 6 water restrictions we have had all summer. We are allowed to hose our gardens for 1 hour! I bet I feel guilty as I hold the hose and daydream instead of taking over an hour to bucket water my small courtyard.

Sexy circles and kids' chairs

I've been thrifting again. So what's new. I sound like a broken record. This week though I got my grubby little hands on 2 rattan chairs that are hot hot hot or will be with new cushions and upholstery. $30 for the pair! Thank God Colin the thrift store manager hates cane and loves me. Look at those sexy circles.

I've been testing some fabrics I already have. The one on the left is Augustine by Ralph Lauren. The other is Peekaboo by Twenty2. Both picked up on eBay for a fraction of their retail price. Which one do you think? Kim's leaning towards the Ralph Lauren. I'm intrigued by the Peekaboo lattice on the crisscross rattan. I won't be painting these, just revarnishing.

Here's something I finished this week. The cane children's chairs I posted last week are now cherry red with little kapok filled pillows in Daisy Daisy a Lee Joffa fabric from David Hicks by Ashley Hicks (eBay again). Groovy retro thrones for a three year old princess.

News from my death bed

OK so I'm sick right now (see pathetic excuse below) but it didn't stop me from thrifting and painting during the week. It has however stopped me from finishing anything. The painting will have to wait till next weekend. The planter will be home to a fabulous fern (house plants are SO 70s) and that rattan child's seat is actually one of a pair and is destined to be painted, cushions made and given to a good friend's 3 year old daughter. A couple of thrones for some princesses to take tea in. I've managed to find a doll's chair and a child's chair. Now I just need to find the adult chair. Fingers crossed. I did find two other rattan chairs for the ridiculous price of $30 the pair but the delivery guy didn't turn up today. They'll have to wait till next week for photos. Bye all! I'm off to bed again.

Finished!

At last that #*%*# credenza is finished. So much work for a $39 thrift store find! I can't complain though because we needed the rain. Here it is with my tarted up lamp. (Just wish I had remembered to turn the seam away from camera.) The chair is a Grant Featherston R152 from the 50s. The artwork is a mixed media I made from vintage Penguin paperbacks. Papua New Guinea spirit house pole and stool, West German floor vase, vintage Portuguese copper coffee set and one of a pair of Murano glass vases round out the group. Except for the New Guinea pieces and rug everything is from a thrift/secondhand store or made by me. (I'm trying to furnish my apartment on thrift or handmade.) OK that's one piece I can tick off my "to-do" list. What's next?

Watching paint dry

It isn't raining! Hooray! I have a chance to finish my credenza. What do you do though while waiting for paint to dry? Lampshade! I bought this fabric from Metremade back in August for another lampshade. It sat all this time in my linen cupboard confronting me everytime I opened the door. Today I measured cut sewed ironed glued and pegged until I had this "new" lampshade for my vintage Italian pottery lamp base (secondhand shop find). I must admit the old one was looking rather ratty. If my credenza is dry by Sunday (and I can drag it into the dining room) I'll take a picture of my tarted up lamp on my tarted up credenza.