Horsey, horsey, don't you stop....

Back in May, I announced my intention to renovate a shabby, wobbly old nag of a rocking horse as a present for Number Three's first birthday. I was full of inspiration and enthusiasm and had a baby who slept for about 90 minutes mid-morning, so I got off to a good start.

 But in mid-July, almost overnight, my baby became a toddler, sleeping less, starting to walk and generally scuppering his mammy's grand plans. So poor horsey lay in pieces in the shed, stripped of his old red plastic, sanded down and wood-glued in places, waiting for the day when he would get his long-promised make-over.

As Number Three's birthday loomed, I struggled to recapture my enthusiasm and get back to work. Just as I had begun again, Number One got sick and my time was limited again. 

So his birthday came and went. He got a book instead of a rocking horse. He felt rotten because of his fever and I felt terrible that my good intentions had come to nothing. 

Eventually, after a couple of days I got a burst of creative energy. I pulled a few night shifts and enlisted the help of The Bavarian, Number One and Number Two in design matters. Between us we agreed on a colour scheme. I gave the whole horse a second coat, painted the face details, covered the seat and plaited the reins. 

Just under a week after Number Three turned one, his present is finally ready and I cannot wait to see his reaction.

If you enjoyed this, why not pin it? 

The Pony's Progress

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the old rocking horse I found and was planning on renovating for Number Three's first birthday. Well, the horse has been through quite an ordeal since then. The poor old fella has been stripped of his seat, had his head removed, his legs glued back in place and his face scraped off. Harsh as all that may sound, it is for the best. He couldn't have gone on as he was. He was just too old, wobbly and generally dingy. 

After giving him a good sanding down and a once-over with white undercoat, I took a break and set my thoughts to how I'd like him to look.  I had a notion of going for a dappled grey look but needed a little more inspiration than that. So, as one does, I took to Pinterest . You can have a look at my Pinterest rocking horse ideas board here.

It took me a while to decide on the shade of grey I wanted (because there are apparently 50 or so). Too pale and it wouldn't contrast well with the white, too dark and it might look drab. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, I decided to mix my own shade using a grey and a blue that I already had (leftover  from painting chairs - what else!).

So far my little pony has been give one coat of grey. I'm hesitating before applying a second coat. I need to decide on how to do the dappled pattern. Do I want a stark grey-white contrast on the head only, or should I go for a medium grey overall with light grey and white patches all over the frame? The latter would be the prettier option I imagine, but also the more difficult to create. 

While trying to decide on the pattern I started to work on the face. In the photo above you can see a photo of the original face. It was plain and simple but slightly reminiscent of a giraffe with the spots on the neck. I want to have a fuller mane and want to avoid the stencilled look of the original. 

I tried to be patient but when I have an idea I need to go ahead with it immediately or I lose momentum. So I picked up one of Number Twos colouring pencils lying nearby and started sketching a face freehand straight onto the horse's head. I think you can just about make it out in the photo above. Considering that it was a spur of the moment thing and a first attempt, I am quite pleased with how it turned out. Now the challenge will be the painting. I'll need an extra portion of patience for that. Wish me luck!

If you're looking for me, I'll be in the shed!

If you're looking for me anytime soon, I'll be in the shed with a sander in one hand and a jar of paint stripper in the other. There's a lot of restoration work to be done round here before Number Three turns one at the end of the summer. 

I've been hoarding some salvaged stuff and flea market finds so that I can make him some hierloom-looking presents for his first birthday. 

We have had the rocking horse since Number Two was a baby. It was put out for the bin by someone with no sense of nostalgia at all. At least that's what I think. I mean how could you dump this gorgeous little fella? 

While Number Two still fit into it, I hadn't the time to do it up and once he grew out of it, poor horsey was sent to the cellar and forgotten about. He very nearly got taken to a flea market to be sold, but we hadn't the heart to do it when it came down to it. 

So, today I stripped off the plastic seat cover and the old, rotten padding and then began sanding the flaky varnish off. I also put paint stripper on the face (God that sounds awful. I feel horrible just typing that sentence) and sawed off the plastic handles. Operation restoration has begun in ernest.

Number Three's bedroom is decorated in greens and white, so I want to go with something that will fit in with that when I finally get round to painting the rocking horse. I think I may go for a medium grey with white patches, a darker grey mane and a green bridle.  Hmm, I feel a mood board coming on. 

Part two of the birthday present is this little toy shop. I really should have put something into the photo to show the scale of it. Size-wise, this is made for toddlers to stand at and play shop. It is from the 1950s, according to the family I bought it from. They only wanted €10 for it. I was thrilled, especially when I saw that the clock actually works. I kept smiling to myself this morning in the garden every time I heard the ticking when I switched the sander off.

Colour-wise I am not sure yet what I will go for. I definitely need to look around for some inspiration. I am considering painting the background a darker colour and the shelves themselves a lighter colour and I will probably add some text to the front panel. It seems a bit bare to me as it is now.

I am so pleased to finally have found the time to get started on these projects. For me, the first blow is half the battle. Once I get started on a project, I usually manage to keep up the momentum till the end.  

As I said, I'm still undecided on the final look of both pieces. I'd love to hear your ideas, if you'd care to share.