After having my 1st baby, like many moms, I developed an infatuation with all of those adorable baby photos out there. Prop collecting is now an official a hobby of mine! I had seen several photos taken with babies on these painted wooden chairs, and I thought they would be perfect for a 1st birthday photo prop! Off to the local thrift store I went! I’m thrilled with the final product and the birthday photos!
To make your own chair prop… start with a chair with wooden legs. For the simplest version of this project I recommend finding an all wood chair. I found plenty of chairs during my hunt that had cane backs or rattan seats. I felt that wood was so much easier to paint, so I pressed on until I found the right ones. As for an upholstered seat or back… I personally think that would be adorable!!! BUT – I was looking for a quick win with this prop. If you are in the mood to reupholster the chair as part of this project… Go For It! In fact.. I hope to try that one day soon, but for this post… all wood it is!
Cut the legs off of each chair, leaving a 3-4″ stump on each leg. I used a handheld circular saw to cut each leg. I chose the length of the stump by using one of the existing rings as a cutting guide… just make sure that the stump is short enough that the chair will appear to be sitting low to the ground, but long enough for the seat to sit just above the grass blades.
Sand, Prime, and Paint! Voila!
Stylish as well as comfortable .The nice thing about painting a wooden chair is that if you don’t like the results, you can always start over again and repaint it.
Great point! Now that I have these chairs, I find myself pulling them out for seating in our yard when kids come over to play! Very comfy and whimsical for even the adults! 🙂