Wow! Wow Wow and Wow!
I am madly in love with this pair of hand-painted Alice & Queen Wonderland chairs!
I recently taught my second online chair painting course….. and these chairs are the result of that class!
If you are a new reader, hello and welcome to the Fancy Fam! With over a decade of furniture painting experience, I can honestly say that sharing my projects through this blog is still my favorite way to inspire! I've got years worth of fun and creative ways to update your home decor and furniture through paint! If this sounds like something you'd like to have delivered to you every Sunday be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter here!
Before
I was lucky enough to locate SIX of these dainty little chairs and I was hoping to paint an entire Wonderland set! Sadly….. the chairs were not in very good shape and I was only able to salvage three. So. for the course….. I only created Alice AND the Queen of Hearts but I plan to add the Mad Hatter very soon!
Supplies Used
Using chairs as a canvas for art is a favorite of mine! If you aren't comfortable with drawing your own designs you can use stencils, patterns, and transfers to create visual interest. There are so many products on the market today that allow you to create art on fabric! But first…. you must set the stage for your feature designs…. and that is where Dixie Belle primer and Silk paint come into play!
The first product you need after giving your chairs a thorough vacuuming…. is Boss in gray or white. This product covers all stains and blocks odors as well… which is a bonus when working on used fabric chairs. I apply a single coat and let dry. I sand lightly with a fine grit and apply a second coat of primer and allow to dry. Follow by a final light sanding.
You can now paint your chair in whatever color you choose and I highly recommend Silk paint. It has an eggshell finish that is perfect for fabric and does not crack!!! I apply it in thin layers with a dry brush…. using NO water! And when you are finished….. you really are finished! It has a built in top coat…. so NO top-coating!!! I used Oyster for my white and Anchor for my black.
When I create my art on chairs….. I usually draw in pencil or chalk…. and follow with a sharpie marker. This reminds me of a coloring book picture….. and I just fill it in with paint. I usually do my artistic work with the chalk mineral paint as it blends really well and I am able to use water with it to create different consistencies. Both Alice and the Queen are created using the chalk paint line. This is the fun part….. and the part that I encourage you to set aside your perfectionism and just paint freely….. as if you were a child again…. coloring in a coloring book.
I am NOT a portrait painter…. but I am a painter….. and I'll paint a portrait if i want! LOL! When I look at these two faces I do see things I'll do differently next time…. and that is the point! If you don't try…. you won't learn…. and you certainly won't grow! But I am still thrilled with my work here…. and more than anything I'm thankful for my sense of adventure! It took me YEARS to not be afraid of failure…. to not be too proud…. to not be afraid to suck! I'm ok with just going for it…. and I want that for you too!
As much as I love the fronts of these chairs….. the backs REALLY run a close race! Aren't they beautiful!!!! The two color blend on each….. the blues on Alice and the reds on the Queen….. set the perfect back drop for stencils and transfers and a message!
The Alice chair back features a bright pink floral from my Wonderland transfer…..paired with my favorite butterfly ever!!! And then, the message from the Alice 2 transfer…… all on top of Cobalt Blue blended into Fluff. Transfer must be burnished and sealed with Easy Peasy Spray Wax.
The Queen chair back features a small floral from my Wonderland transfer…. and is paired with a message from Alice 2 transfer. I embellished the message with a spooky fly and colorless floral from Bud & Branches transfer. The backdrop was created with Honky Tonk Red blended into Peony and enhanced with a light dusting of harlequin (using the stencil) in gold!
Both chairs are embellished with gold leaf trim. I applied gold leaf adhesive…. waited thirty minutes to tack…. and applied the leaf sheets. Gold leaf works well on fabric too! Just make sure you top coat with leafing sealer. Gold leaf makes EVERYTHING better!
I could not WAIT to show you this project and I hope you love it as much as I do!!!! Both of the chairs are available and can be found in my shop section HERE.
More Inspiration: Chairs
JOIN ME FOR MORE...with Curiously Creative
If you enjoyed this and want more of a deep dive into home decor and DIY processes, I would love it if you joined my exclusive online creative group, Curiously Creative. I show up LIVE to guide you through every step of updating, upcycling, crafting, and creating on-trend home decor and gift-giving ideas!
Want more fancy furniture & design?
Save & Share on Pinterest!
Please please please share my Alice & Queen Wonderland Chairs and follow me on Pinterest!
