Sitting on a Sunny Spot

I am FINALLY bringing back some DIY to the blog and what better way to lift the clouds of our stormy aftermath here in Alabama than to bring in a little sunshine.

This little phone bench belonged to my grandparents (my mom's parents) and has been sitting in their living room as long as I can remember. I mentioned to my mother a while back that I was hunting something similar for my new office. She was over at my grandparents house a few days later and noticed the bench was gone. My grandmother said it was moved to the basement to make more room. Mom mentioned my liking it and she said I could have it. Yes!

Having a piece that belonged to them means so much to me, especially now that my Granddaddy is gone. There is something extra special about a piece of furniture that has been in your family. Just glancing at it brings back a multitude of memories spent at my grandparents house.

Alright, I'll be nice and go ahead and give you before and after shots.

BEFORE

AFTER

Since my office accent colors are pink and yellow, I went with a light yellow for the bench. I couldn't be happier with the color. It was the exact shade I envisioned. 

I'll go ahead and mention the picture frame as well as the random piece of fabric hanging out in the corner. I wanted to pay tribute to my grandparents with a photo of them so that anyone who may see the bench will know it was theirs. I chose a picture from their honeymoon in 1942. They are on a dock at the beach in Panama City, Florida. I just love it! I bought this frame for it because it reminded of the dock. I placed a little starfish by it to echo their seaside romance. They were married 65 years when my Granddaddy passed away. Their love story is truly remarkable. What an inspiring pair! 

Here's an up close shot of the frame and photograph. Such a handsome couple!

The scrap of fabric I have there will eventually be a pillow. I just haven't gotten around to making it yet. But this gives you an idea :) It's the leftover material that I used to cover my thrift store office chair.

But let's rewind a bit. 

Starting off, I sanded this sweet little bench A LOT and got rid of the shiny top coat, getting down to a nice and smooth paintable surface. Sorry no picture.

After cleaning up the sanding mess that covered the bench, I primed the piece with my Kilz primer. 

Cell Phone Picture Alert!

After priming, I lightly sanded again and then added about 4 coats of paint over the next couple of days. Nope, not kidding. I should have listened to the Lowe's guy and bought a tinted primer. But alas, I convinced myself that my white primer would be fine. Oh well, live and learn. The paint I used was Valspar's lemon curd in semi-gloss. As I said earlier, I L.O.V.E this color.

I placed the bench on a short wall in my office that is the perfect location for it. I hung my window with my yellow wreath above it to complete the look. 

Yes, that's a red ball in the doorway. Wonder who left that there... 

Honestly, it's like he hears the camera and comes running...

I love having this in my office. I think it looks adorable! Lots more to come on the office soon. It's almost done! 

Partying Here this Week!