Cruella

Meet Cruella!

A charming vintage distressed vanity bench featuring an ornate weathered wood frame. She is in much need of an upholstered seat and maybe a little more in the facelift.

Should I style this vanity bench as Shabby Chic or lean toward a bit of country western? My vision for Cruella was definitely the start of a very different direction. You see this little vanity bench was originally my grandmother’s. Originally, it wore brown paint/stain and had a brown and tan striped seat. It was left behind when my grandmother was moved from her little ranch to town. It was forgotten and a bit on the grunge side. Upon a nostalgic visit to the ranch with my mom, I found it in what was my grandmother’s bedroom. Since the ranch still belonged to my grandparents’ trust my mom gave the bench to me.

Cruella discovered this turquoise green paint through me many years ago, back in my early college days. I painted it this fun turquoise green and covered the seat in a white fabric with purple pansies all over it. Fortunately, I still have a couple of fabric pieces left to remind me of her earlier days. She was then Estella. Estella/Cruella was definitely girly back in those days. She didn’t match anything in my house, I didn’t care, I loved her!

Cruella’s Distressed Appearance

How Estella – Cruella got this distressed appearance? Once again, by me. I had a vision to strip it down to the bare bones/wood and possibly stain the wood a nice golden oak color. Once I began to strip the paint the layers smeared. Under the turquoise green, I found brown paint, cobalt blue, and a touch of creamy yellow. Some of this turquoise paint and the others yielded to three types of paint remover, oven cleaner, scraping and sanding. The rest remains and refuses to budge. That is where I have left it. Now you know the bulk of this story.

How Estella Became Cruella

Now when Estella was in her younger days, she definitely stood apart from other pieces of rustic and gathered furniture. She sat unused and mostly unseen in a storage unit until it was time to vacate this unit. As her owner decides to mellow her turquoise appearance, she becomes quite mischievous and decides to create a much different lifestyle to become the raucous and revenge-bent Cruella holding on to her sentimental paint.

Let’s Just Go with It – Cruella

Some ideas I through at her for a new seat upholstering.

Not loving a Navajo blanket upholstering. Not my vision!

Cruella is going in the direction of a beautiful brown leather upholstered seat with a bit of a surprise. Stay tuned for more of the finished story of Cruella.