sitting on top of the world

Now this would have come in handy for that Geography 101 class. Although in my version Sicily and Tasmania are now next door neighbors.

Yesterday I took a road trip up to Manitowac to deliver my donation to the Chairs for Charity event my friend Kim is organizing. I have always wanted to do one of those art auctions so it was perfect excuse to transform a less than stellar chair, have lunch with Kim, peruse her stash of cool stuff and do a little thrifting together. Oh- the two of us would be dangerous if we did that on a regular basis. We could have been in St. Vinnie's for hours if they didn't kick us out.

The chair came from the University of Wisconsin surplus. I loved the crisp lines of the legs and book racks and the slightly worn seat. When I found it, it had this big sticker on it. Instead of scraping it off, I kept it on and just decoupaged over it. A kind of inspired 'world peace chair' if you will. I used all these great National Geographic maps I picked up at a Chicago flea market with my friend Diana. The colors on their maps are the best....so saturated and detailed. As much as I enjoy using new materials, I just can't seem to get over my love of maps. Australia, Finland, France, Italy, and the US are all one big happy land mass on this piece. They are a great medium to use for decoupaging as they have a nice weight and with all the details, it is easy to overlap. Using a bone folder worked wonders in getting all those crisp edges too.

The auction is not until November, but the chairs will be on display all summer to generate some buzz. I think it turned out really cool and am anxious to see how much it raises. To donate one of your own..contact Kim at Persimmons.