Commode on over

And pull up a chair (once you've recovered from that really awful pun). 

Not just any chair, oh no; an upcycled chair. Yup. I've been getting my craft on once again, and this is the reason I spent several days in March covered in spray paint.

Commode: Before

I spotted this fellow feeling a wee bit sorry for himself, literally, in our local flea market late last year (the one that made me famous). Despite the fact his seat was bleached with the splatterings of bleary-eyed, full-bladdered emergencies past (lovely, eh?), I fell in love with his rather sexy turned legs and arms. 

Eeeew.

But check out those sexy legs!

And those arms! Swit-swoo!

Thankfully, I had a good excuse to buy him there and then, because we'd recently decided our bathroom needed a chair to perch on whilst we brushed our teeth. And what better for a bathroom than an antique commode?! Tom might have been slightly less enthused that we had to carry it home between us, because we'd walked into town...

Rather than reverting to my trusty DIY chalk paint, which I've previously used on a dresser, a lamp, a dining room chair and our dining table, I decided to opt for something even easier (and with no brushes to wash out afterwards) and bought a can of Rustoleum primer and another one of grey spraypaint. 

Making progress; after the first coat of primer.

I was particularly drawn to the wicker elements, because they reminded me of the aida fabric for cross-stitching. So I decided to embroider it. Are you ready for the "after"? Here goes:

So much better with the stains cleaned and covered!

I opted to use wool, because it's nice and chunky, but
I'm uncertain about the colour.

I haven't embroidered the seat yet, because the wicker is so complicated I struggled to get a standard pattern, and I was worried it would make the seat uncomfortable. Look at me- choosing practicality over aesthetics!! Perhaps I'm growing up...

Katie xxx