A while back Cari from Prima Marketing posted these adorable crates on the re.design with Prima Facebook group page.  She gave them a new life using the Sweet Apricot and the Everyday Farmhouse transfers.

I absolutely fell in love with the aqua color on the top crate, as well as her use of the transfers.  I have to say I would never have thought to pair that particular paint color with that apricot transfer, but they look amazing together, don’t they?

When my picker, Sue, found these kid-size folding chairs at the thrift store for me, I just had to see if Cari’s combination worked on them too.

First things first, I had to choose a paint color from my stash that was similar to that pretty aqua that Cari used.  Initially I thought that Fusion’s Laurentien would be the perfect color, and I did have some of that color on hand.  However, I really wanted a chippy milk paint finish on these chairs.

I considered using Miss Mustard Seed’s Eulalie’s Sky, but that color is a tad more blue.  I also thought about using Sweet Pickens’ Patina, but that one is a bit brighter than I wanted.  Then I remembered, Homestead House makes a milk paint version of Laurentien.  And not only that, but I just happened to have some in my milk paint stash!

Much like baby bear’s bed in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, it was just right.

Speaking of bears, painting these chairs was a bit of a bear.  All of those slats and legs and cross braces, oh my.  Every time I looked at the chair from another angle I found spots that I had missed.

But it was definitely worth the effort.

Once I had them painted, I sanded them to distress the edges and remove any chippy paint.  I also wiped them down with a clean, dry cloth to remove any excess dust before applying the transfers.

Here are what the Sweet Apricot transfers look like out of the tube.

There are 9 different designs in this set.

I decided to follow Cari’s lead once again and trim away the transfer around the piece of fruit.  Initially I tried using my larger pair of scissors, but I found it was much easier to use my Cutter Bees.

I used to use these little scissors all the time when scrapbooking.  They are perfect for getting around small details.

Once I had the transfer trimmed, I removed the backing paper and placed the fruit where I wanted it on the seat of the chair and pressed it down.  Before removing the top sheet of the transfer, I sliced it about halfway between each of the slats using a razor blade.  That way I was able to sort of wrap the transfer around the edge of each slat.

Next I chose some pieces from the Everyday Farmhouse transfer set to add wording to the back of each chair and the cross piece on the legs.

Once I had the transfers adhered, I added a protective topcoat of Miss Mustard Seeds’ clear furniture wax.

I love that these chairs fold up completely flat, which makes them perfect for hanging on the wall as decoration if one doesn’t happen to have a practical use for kid sized chairs.

They would be awesome hung in the kitchen, and you could always pull them down in a pinch if you need the extra seating for diminutive guests.

FYI – the table in that photo is one I painted a while back in a custom mix of milk paint that I called Green Alligator.  You can visit the original post for more details on that.

Since I had a little milk paint left over after finishing the chairs, I also painted this galvanized bucket.

Using milk paint on galvanized metal can be hit or miss.  If the metal is smooth and shiny, or has an oily residue on it, you will likely get chipping.  Possibly even lots of chipping.  However, if the metal feels rougher and doesn’t have a shiny coating then milk paint will adhere quite well.  As you can see, this bucket was somewhere in between.  It was rough and dull but I think there was some sort of residue where it chipped.  But no worries, I love this look!  Once the paint was dry I sanded well to remove most of the chips.  Then I wiped it down with a dry, clean cloth and added the transfer (also from the Everyday Farmhouse set).  I finished it all off with a coat of The Real Milk Paint Co’s Finishing Cream in Low Sheen.  This topcoat will help protect the rest of the paint from further chipping.

Many thanks to Homestead House, Miss Mustard Seed, The Real Milk Paint Co and Prima Marketing for providing the products I used on these chairs.  And a special thank you to Cari for providing the inspiration for these frickin’ adorable little chairs.

If you’re wondering where to purchase the Prima Marketing re.design transfers, check out their ‘where to buy’ page.

If you’re wondering where to buy Miss Mustard Seed’s products, here is where you can ‘buy online.’

If you’re wondering where to buy Homestead House Milk Paint, you can order it online here.

You can also order The Real Milk Paint Co’s Finishing Cream online here.

And finally, if you happen to be local (Twin Cities, MN) and in need of a pair of adorable little chairs, check out my ‘available for local sale’ page to see if these are still available.  I will most likely bring them in to Reclaiming Beautiful if nobody snatches them up right away.