Earth Day Prep

We have a great little group in Laguna that is called Transition Laguna, which focuses on sustainable living.  OK it’s a longer story than that, but I have always wanted to be more involved with this group but always lacked the time. Thankfully, they are active on Facebook and I keep up that way.

I went with my friends John & Marge to a planning meeting for Earth Day in Laguna, which is partially sponsored by Transition Laguna.  “And who can style the eco-lounge for us?” Chris, our organizer asked?  John and Marge looked right to me….”ah, sure, I can do that.” 

Tomorrow is the all day event, and TL has managed to get a small downtown street between Coast Highway and the Library blocked off for a pedestrian way and our various info tables, speakers and music.  The “Lounge” will be right in the middle. 

I’ll show you tomorrow what I pulled together, but I thought you’d like to see the fun seating we will have tomorrow.  I have pulled furniture from the house, ancient wooden stools from the garden for the kids, an antique French bench etc, but hey, it’s Earth Day, we also need a little fun, and I just can’t help creating something really organic for such an event that is down the street from my house.  I thought to make a few pieces that turned people on their ear.  So in the last 48 hours I have made a few seating pieces.  Remember that chair I slipcovered for the Giving Freely shoot for Romantic Homes magazine last summer? I have used and recovered this chair a handful of times; it’s very old and solid.  Here it is again, now stripped of my beautiful stenciled slip cover~

Organic….green….hmmm…I got out the glue gun and a box of sheet moss~

Piece by piece~

and here is the chair ready for tomorrow~

As today is trash day, yesterday I went cruising for a free chair.  I found a man five blocks away cleaning out the garage.  This chair was on the street.  Free? I asked?  Sure he said.  A nice Ikea chair, but I had other designs on it~

Sorry forgot to take the pic before I got started on the chair, but I mixed primer with some red and blue acrylic paint and got – lavender – and coated the chair~

Oh yeah, that’s better! I love the French X back!

Next I used a brush to coat the chair sections with Moge Podge and then pressed in lavender buds~

Yes, I now have a chair that is completely coated.  I imagine people tomorrow wondering if then can sit in it.  And if they do, yes, their butts will be covered in lavender.  It’s Earth Day, why not have some fun???

Today I ran around the garden and house pulling a few more pieces; love the chippy grapevine trio with the mossy chair~

A few black and white chairs, and the Ikea chaise that Joni from Cote de Texas turned me on to, which will be covered in 19thC French linen tomorrow….

But we weren’t done yet; I found a table a few months ago on trash day; John fixed her up with some new legs as the old ones were rusted out~

Concentric layers of pittosporum leaves gave her new life~

Chris our Earth Day organizer came by today and loved this table but wondered if I had too much time on my hands.  Rather, it’s too much creativity on the brain…this took about two hours and it would have been done in the wee hours if I were working full time, but I still knew exactly what she would become….a nice living table….

She is sprayed with an herb tea to keep the green for some time….

great with the crates, and like a big concentric green pizza~

Everything is ready for tomorrow….I’ll show you pics then, and we will bring certain elements to San Diego for Sunday’s farmers market~

I am using crates all the way tomorrow, with just one basket; isn’t this a nice one….my usual Saturday basket dressed up with herbs & daisies which will soon go into the garden.  this one is from Burgundy and very old and I could have sold it 200 times.  Cute with a sweet little vintage market tag from the Paris Flea~

Have a Green & Chic weekend, and look for lots more pics tomorrow…..