a pair of benches.

Published on by Quandie

I picked up this rather non-descript pair of benches at the Bryn Mawr sales earlier this month.

They were literally the first thing I saw as I stepped out of the car.  I think I was a little over-excited at the prospect of returning neighborhood sales when I snatched these up.  They really weren’t anything special.  They certainly aren’t vintage.

They are pretty sturdy though.  So after I gave them a good cleaning, I hoped I could give them each a new personality with a little paint and some transfers.

I painted the first one in Dixie Belle’s Kudzu.

I added the I.O.D. Rose Chintz paint inlay to the shelf underneath.

And then I added the Fresh Cut Flowers stencil from The Stencil Market to the top.

It was a perfect fit.

I followed all of that up with some sanding to distress the edges, and then a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

I painted the 2nd bench in my favorite warm white, Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth.

I covered the shelf underneath in a black and white gingham transfer from re.design with prima.

Then I added a portion of their French Specialties transfer to the top of the bench.

Once again, I finished it off with a couple coats of DB’s flat clear coat.

As a sidebar, I took all of the photos for this post yesterday morning, and then yesterday afternoon this happened …

That white stuff?  It’s hail.

We had a massive hail storm.  It sounded like rocks were being dropped from the sky.  And really, they may as well be rocks … except they melt eventually.  Many of my hostas were totally shredded.

Just when they were starting to look really fabulous.

I have to steel my nerves to head out there this morning, survey the damage, and start the clean up.  But, on the bright side, I have lots of time to spend in the garden this summer.  Looks like I’m gonna need it.

So anyway, two somewhat different looks for a pair of formerly matching benches.

Which one do you prefer?

If any of you locals are in need of a small but sturdy bench, both of these are for sale.  Check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for supplying the paint and clear coat used on the benches.

31 thoughts on “a pair of benches.”

  1. Big big improvements. These are so charming. Would be so cute in so many places. So sorry about your hostas. Good thing you are retired now although that’s not quite what you had in mind I’m certain.

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    1. Totally not what I had in mind, but I’ve been a gardener for a long time so I should know that the only thing you can count on is that mother nature will throw you a curveball every now and then 🙂

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  2. I’d have to say I like the white one best, but the green one is just right for a garden shed.
    You really got hit with the hail! In Woodbury, we got some, some very large, but not a lot of damage to my plants. Good luck salvaging your gardens.

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  3. Love both…but black n white is my favorite. We got large hail in Lake St. Croix Beach too…sounded awful when it hit the roof!

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  5. Both of these are beautiful, the white with the gingham shelf is my favorite!, your garden is lovely, hopefully the plants will recover.

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  7. You should have issued a spoiler alert Miss Quandie! I went to your “available for local sale” page yesterday after I looked at your toolbox make-over (cause I’m always curious about your under selling your creations) and I saw the two benches………I thought to myself wow, Quandie’s turning out so much product that she can’t even post on all of it! Lol…..anyway, the Kudzu bench has charm but I love the black and white most 😀

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    1. Shhhh … don’t give away my secrets Connie. I often put things on my ‘available for local sale’ page the day before because I don’t always get up before 7 a.m. to add it the day of (my blog posts are always scheduled for 7 a.m.). Although that being said, it is true, I am turning out so much stuff right now that I can’t get it all posted. I may have to resort to 5 posts again next week 😉

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  8. Those are beautiful 😍

    Had a hailstorm here as well, yesterday afternoon! In St. Albert, Alberta Canada. I too, was painting – side tables. ❤️

    Elle

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  10. Hail? I hate to say it, but I think we’ve made Mother Nature angry, treating this wonderful planet like a garbage dump. I’m either easy to please because I even liked the red (my favorite color), the white and the green or perhaps I haven’t any taste at all.

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  14. Love both the benches! Would be a very hard choice indeed!!
    But, this also brings up a question: is there a product or technique that you use to waterproof/weatherproof wooden (or wicker, or even metal) items to be left outside safely??
    Thanks 🙂

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    1. I have to say, no, not really. In my opinion anything made out of wood will not last forever outside without regular re-painting. You can extend the life of painted wood with a good topcoat, like Dixie Belle’s Gator Hide, which is specifically meant for outdoor use. But even that won’t last forever. I repaint the green Adirondack chairs (in my photo with the hail on my deck) every two or three years. Wicker really won’t hold up to outdoor use for more than a few years. As for metal, I prefer a rusty look to my metal items in general, so I don’t worry about them at all. As for these benches, I would not recommend them for outdoor use unless they are on a covered porch.

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