I've gone off my rocker

I think the title of this post is true: I have gone off my rocker!  Thanks to a lovely hip injury and a busy holiday/interview season, posts have been quite sporadic, but I am hoping to do a better job in the near future!

Here's a glimpse into a Craigslist find that I transformed a while back.  Meet the rocker:

Not exactly the kind of "rocker" you might have been imaging.  Not quite as "punk" as many of the rockers I envision, but she definitely has her own style.  A style I'm not exactly sure what to call and will refrain from so as not to offend anyone who may have a similar rocker in their life.

Yes the fabric did look just as bad in person, but for the cost of the chair ::cough cough free!:: I thought I could make this rocking chair look new again!

So I got to work taking off the layerS of fabric.  Yes layers is plural.

The second layer of fabric made the first one not look so bad! Unfortunately, each layer was held in place by hundreds of staples, so my pliers and I became good friends, until I took the second layer of brown fabric off and found the red fabric seen above, which was attached with nails.  Enter hammer.  And too much time removing staples, but in the end it was worth it!

So after all of the fabric was removed, I primed and spray painted the rocking chair with Rustoleum spray paint.  I thought about trying to salvage the stain, but there were too many details that I didn't want to have to sand to get to the bare wood. 

I then used a spray poly to seal the chair and act as an added layer of protection.  I chose a semi-gloss to give it a little shine!

Next step was the face lift of fabric!  I used a 40% coupon at Hobby Lobby to purchase a new seat cushion and some black and white coordinating fabric.  At home, I placed the seat cushion over the springs, then used my handy staple gun to secure two layers of batting (already had at home) around the cushion to soften out the corners.  I then finished off the chair with the black and white fabric, also securing it to the chair with a staple gun.  

Ready for the transformation?

Before:

After:

And a photo-bombing dog after:

The intent was to "flip" the rocking chair, but Luke has been using the chair in "his room" as a place to put his bag, and I think it adds a little bit of coziness to the space!  That doesn't mean it has found it's permanent home, but for now, I think it can stay until I get the urge to transform another piece of furniture, which happens about every 3-6 months, so I guess I'm due!  But I think I'll be waiting  until the month of December is done. Happy Holidays!

That doesn't mean it has found it's permanent home, but for now, I think it can stay until I get the urge to transform another piece of furniture, which happens about every 3-6 months, so I guess I'm due!  But I think I'll be waiting until the month of December is done. Happy Holidays!