So I had people over, we put things in buckets, they came out blue, and a good time was had by all. But then, then a few days later as I was dragging the conglomeration of seating options I’d hauled out for the festivities back to their usual locations, I had an idea. I had an idea bout this sweet little bench.

Now you probably do not realize it, but if you’ve been here for a while, you’ve seen glimpses of this bench before. For years it sat in my office, holding up the giant rocks I used to take most of my blog pictures on. A while ago I started doing that on the porch (better light, more room), and the bench ended up where most not-currently-in-use-but-too-potentially-useful-to-get-rid-of furniture ends up—the unfinished space above the garage. Because a bench is useful and can be pressed into service in all manner of ways.

I’d been sort of idly noodling on the idea of tidying up the garage to create a better spot to change shoes and hang up jackets, and pressing this bench into service was part of that (vague, someday, when I have spare time and energy, and it’s not too hot, and my feet don’t hurt, and I don’t have anything more pressing to do) plan. But I know myself well enough to realize that the best way to implement the plan is to make myself excited about it…and that if I do something cool with the bench, I’ll get excited about using it.

And there it was, right there, waving at me…a way to do something cool.

So I did the only logical thing and, before the impulse could fade and be replaced with a more judicious plan, grabbed one of the napkins I’d dyed with the tongs, used it like a mop, and started splashing blue everywhere.

Well, to be fair, first I took a picture of the unsullied bench so we could properly document its evolution/downfall depending on how the experiment went, then I wetted the rope down with water so it would take the dye better. But theeeeeen I splashed blue everywhere.

So far it’s coming out great. It will absolutely require several coats(? dips? layer? applications?) to get the intensity and evenness I want, but so far I’m excited! Now, as to whether I will actually tackle the garage…well that’s less certain. But this at least improves the odds!