Four Stools + One Tool Caddy = Metal Magic

 Last week when I revealed Horror Monster (READ),  I sorta forgot to mention he had an outdoor living section in the backyard.  Tuula's post on her garden shed reminded me. See The Thrifty Rebel's junk treasure here!

I (we) cleaned out all the leaves and winter debris from around the outside of The Shed (yes, it needs capital letters!).  I realized just how many metal stools and toolboxes and tables I had around the yard. 

And you know what?  I decided I really did not need thirty or more of them.  I have reduced the number of container garden vignettes in the yard over the last few years. 



So I collected four of the stools and one very lonely tool caddy - all perfectly rusty and crusty, all workhorses at holding plant pots, all needing a refreshing make-over, all looking for a new home.

You can see the gang above.  Sorry about the shadows.  There is not enough tools in Pic Monkey to make me a great photographer.

 I took the two kitchen stools first.  At some time in both their lives, they had white legs and a red seat, but I had let them gradually rust.  I sanded with both my electric sander and a sanding block to knock back some of the crusty rust to just the right rust look.

A light spray of blue Rust-Oleum and another sanding.

It was the day they chose the Pope so I chose  two designs out of nowhere to use a paint pen to decorate the top so I could multi-task and watch TV, paint, and whatever else.

No special significance of the "51" except it fit the space.

No stencil, no tracing no pencil - just painted it on.














 


I painted the obvious "plants" on the second with a poor pseudo-Gerber daisy.

Of course, another sanding to distress the black paint and let some of the blue and rust shine through.

 The two office stools were heavily sanded, but no paint.

I was busy watching for the white smoke.  (Remember the Pope.)

All four metal stools were waxed with dark Howard's Citrus Shield.

Though in hindsight I should have saved the expensive wax and used Minwax clear - there was not a lot of "dark" on the stools when I finished.

Last I mixed a watery mix of turquoise paint, water, and nonsanded grout - like a very wet chalk paint. I used a foam brush and generously covered the tool caddy after sanding the heck out of it.

It was then waxed and a torn calico ribbon was added.

So four stools plus one tool caddy equals to some metal magic.

They were quick to line up and march right off to the store where the two office stools were quickly grabbed and went to their new home.




So Horror Monster's outdoor living section has been reduced some.  Next I am on the hunt for excess little metal patio tables and toolboxes.  I know they are about - hiding in the shrubbery, no doubt.

See y'all!


 
  .