I love to change up my props every once in a while so I always have something new to work with. It keeps it interesting for both me and my pictures.
So I saw this chair on eBay and I was looking for something to replace a mini chaise longue I’d had for ages as I’d used it quite a bit and it wasn’t ideal for smaller kids as it was open on one side (more a chance of a tumble even with a ‘catcher’ on standby). Anyway it was a total bargain and the perfect size and shape for my requirements. I didn’t hate the colour but I wasn’t wild about it either.
Long story short, it suffered some damage in terms of scuffing on the fabric and rather than ditch it or have to Photoshop it every time I had a little surf around to see if I could find a way to upcycle it. I can sew fine so I thought about making a cover but at the end of the day, it would have ended up wrinkled and out of shape with an active toddler clambering all of it and so that wasn’t really going to solve the problem.
Then I hit gold-dust – turns out you can paint fabric with chalk paint. Who knew? Well lots of people online knew but I wasn’t one of them so it was news to me! The perfect answer – damage cover with no messy editing afterwards. OK, it did take quite a while to build up a good layer of coverage (you work with the chalk paint diluted) and then you have to wax it afterwards but I just love how it turned out. It’s now a gorgeous soft grey colour, nice and neutral and ready to resume studio duties!
