Baa, Baa Bench

 I have been dragging this bench around since my Fall Crawl. (Read here!) Out of the truck to clean and back into the truck.  Out to sand and prime and back into the truck.  

Out to paint and . . .

Well, you get the picture.  It was just easier to pull it in and out of the truck than in and out of the house.  The bench is not that heavy, but it takes two to carry it because of the length.

 
It resembles a pew, but really was part of a breakfast nook set.  The lady at the flea market had already sold the table and other bench. 

 The bench was well-sanded and primed.  I am always a little leery of things stained that orange color.  It tends to bleed through just about every paint color.

The neat thing about this bench is that the seat top lifts to reveal a nifty little storage place.

The despicable thing about this bench is that the seat top slams down upon unsuspecting fingers as you are moving it.

I decided to use taupe paint with a surprise inside.  Also I had sheep on my mind.  

I love sheep.



Lucky for me Karen over at The Graphics Fairy has a huge collection of animal images.  This is one of my favorite sheep images.  You have seen me use this image before.   (Read A Flock of Sheep)

I took the image over to Pic Monkey to alter it.  I added some blue to the background with brown smudges around the edges.  I decided to use the typewriter keys font for BAA.

I was so proud of myself for remembering to reverse the writing.

I also reversed the image so I had two mirror images to use on the bench.

I also stayed on Pic Monkey way, way too long and no longer had enough daylight left to work on the bench and had to put it back into the truck!

Caution:  Pic Monkey can be addicting! 

I printed out the images (5 X 7) on transfer paper.  I then ironed the sheep onto osnaburg cloth following the package instructions.  You are not supposed to use an ironing board because you need a hard surface.  I have a ceramic cooktop on my stove - I just use it as the ironing surface.

When they cool, peel off the back.

I frayed the edges by hand tearing the sections and pulling out threads all around the edges.

 Trusty true friend Mod Podge came along to help.  If the cloth was a heavier weight, I would have used a gel medium.

Look closely to see the mirror images of the sheep face in two different directions.

I really soaked these to stay in place.  After drying I gave them two more coats.  It was sunny and hot - they dried quickly.

 Since I forgot to take a picture after painting the bench taupe, I figured you would see it as the worked progressed.

I also forgot to take a picture of the distressing - lightly sanded all over and heavily sanded the edges.

The sheep panels fit perfectly into the panels on the back of the bench.

How b-a-a-a-a-d is that!

Did I tell you I love sheep?

 Here comes the surprise.  It is not an original idea.  I freely admit I "borrowed" this idea from Suzan at Simply Vintageous.  Read Forever Young!

When I saw the sheep, I knew this would be the piece for a little surprise inside the storage bin.

First I painted it Sea Mist.  Then I varnished the whole bench in satin.

"Baa, Baa, black sheep, have you any wool?"  came to mind.

I used permanent ink to stamp the phrase on the bottom of the storage space.

Here is the completed bench with the top lifted a little so you can just peek inside.

Did I manage to do this without slamming my fingers with the top?

NO!  (For like the hundredth time!)

This bench is lucky I love sheep!

 My final picture of Baa, Baa Bench is this one of her sitting on my painting bins.

I had hoped to take one of her beautifully placed in the booth, but I forgot my camera so this will have to do.

Okay, back into the truck for the final time.

Chucks and I carried her out of the truck, through the store doors, down the aisle, and into the booth.  



We have toted that bench for the last time!

Chucks - not so much a fan of the sheep!

Well, do you have any wool?  I have one wool sweater and a couple of wool blankets.  They are not practical around here.  The humidity and the rain returned today.  BUT there is a hint of cool in the air in the mornings.  While we were at the store today, a couple who have space there found the perfect small drop leaf table with two chairs for Leia's new apartment.  So the bench came out, and the table and chairs went in for at least the next ten days.  I will not be able to hide anything in my truck!  What if guests come?  I will not answer the door!  BAA,  BAA!

See y'all!

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