as luck would have it

I had been searching for a good deal on solid wood dining room chairs-with a cushion seat- for MONTHS and finally stumbled across my diamonds in the rough in rural Indiana.  Leaving my mother-in-law's house we drove past a house having a garage sale and I could see 4 chairs balanced precariously on a hill so we made a quick U turn and I braved a ferocious Pitt Bull to get a closer look.  Perfect.  I bought all 4 chairs for $20 dollars!  I still squeal when I think about what an amazing deal I got!

I also got more than I bargained for.  The crackle finish on the chairs would not be sanded down so I had to resort to toxic paint stripper.  Ug.  What a messy dangerous job!  Can I just say that it is never as easy as the can tells you it will be!

Finally, the chairs have realized their potential and I love them.  It's amazing what a little elbow grease can do!

Here are 2 of the chairs in my dining room.  Yes, I make my kids sit in cheap Ikea chairs with washable cushions.  Hey, it's better than using plastic seat covers!

side note: the buffet is an Ikea buffet that looks fine as is but I wanted to give it a little more character.  I found a sheet of grass-cloth wallpaper and taped it to the doors (yes, taped..that way, I can change my mind and have very little work to do!).