My sweet friend Mary texted me about a piece of furniture she found on the side of the street. She dropped it on my front porch for me to discover. It was an odd piece of furniture that was from a long time past.
It was a chamber potty that people used when they had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. They used chamber potties so they didn’t have to go to the out house in the dark.
From the minute I saw it I knew what I was going to do with the piece. I just needed to find the right family with the right dog. A few months later the opportunity to share this piece with a family came about.
I had a student at my private studio that was moving to Tennessee. I had become great friends with both the student and her Mom. I wanted to do a piece of furniture for their new house. I found out they had a great Dane for a dog. Bingo – here was my family with the right sized dog to fit this piece.
I turned the piece into a dog feeder for a very large dog. Yes, a Great Dane is the perfect size for this piece. I started with a good cleaning because gross we know what it was used for in the past. I then did the standard sand and wipe down. It had so much damage to the wood so staining was not an option. I painted it with 2 coats of dark gray paint.
Once the paint was dry I sanded off the edges and corners to give it a worn look. The top painting is fun and whimsical and tells a story. The words peace and hope is what I wished for my dear friends as they started this new journey in another state. The word family next to the clock is to represent “family time” once they get settled. The flower, vines, leaves, bird and butterfly symbolized the beauty of our friendship and distance will never end it.
This piece will be used over and over, they will be wiping it down many times a weekly least. So I did several coats of clear finish, a total of 5 coats.
I finished it off with some great hardware in turquoise to give it a pop of color. When closed it’s a great piece that adds whimsical fun to any room.I truly miss this student and her Mom. Her mom recently invited me to come visit. I’m very excited about that and will be looking for a time to work that trip in.
It’s sad to me that so much furniture is tossed out. I’m glad for the pieces that are found and redone. We are a society of tossing out what we don’t need at the moment. I totally get keeping things cleaned out of your home but find a way to recycle those unwanted things. This piece was left for the garbage, thank you Mary for grabbing it up for the chance at a renewed life.
Recently I found an old beat up chair that the legs are completely out of use. So I sat it just outside my back door so I could think about what it could become. I have a great idea and next Tuesday I will show you what it has become. I love it so much I’m going to have a hard time selling it.
I hope this little story today gives you pause to think about what you have in your home. Think of one item that you have and don’t use. Try to rethink its purpose and make it something you will use or someone you know will use. Doing this makes me Blue Happy and I’m SURE it will make you Blue Happy also. Post your ideas on Blue Happy so we can all be inspired. Go Be Blue Happy!
