How To: Galactic High Chair

Good evening, Fanatics!

 So Isaac has entered the stage where he can walk and also likes to feed himself. This means that there is usually a lot of mess and crumbs after he eats because up until now, I didn't think that he needed a high chair.

 I don't really like most of the high chairs out there; they have too many pieces or are too expensive for a small chair with a tray. I found an inexpensive, simple high chair at IKEA for $20, and decided to jazz it up with a space paint job. Ours doesn't have a tray, since they come separately and I like the idea of Isaac eating at the table with us, so if you want the tray you can apply all of the same paint instructions to it.

This will be a rather lengthy tutorial, but the project itself only takes about an hour and a half. 
Materials
IKEA ANTILOP high chair with safety belt
- (1) can of spray plastic paint primer
- (2) cans of black spray paint [note!: I used Krylon Fusion: for Plastic instead of a separate primer and paint. It only took one can to cover the entire seat]
- (1) can of clear spray lacquer or sealant (Make sure it's baby safe!) [note: most lacquers should be safe for children as long as you clean the surface after it dries]
- Acrylic paint in galaxy colors (violet, dark blue, bright blue, gray, white) Look at pictures for inspiration!
- small spray bottle (optional)
- sponge
- small paintbrush or toothpick (for stars)

Step 1: Don't assemble the seat yet. Peel off all of the stickers and remove any residue with rubbing alcohol. Slide the plastic stoppers off of the seat belt and remove the straps. Make sure to put the safety belts and plastic pieces together in a container or bag so you don't lose them.

Step 2: Lay some ground covering or tarp outside on a flat surface and secure it so it doesn't fly away. Put the clean, dry plastic seat in the middle of the tarp and spray one side with the primer. Let dry then flip over and do the bottom side. (Let dry and then cover with your black spray paint if using separate primer/spray paint.)

What your seat should look like after primer/paint.

 Step 3: After the primer and base coat dry, it's time to start painting your galaxy! I used a palate of blue, purple, and pink but you can mix up your colors according to whatever you want the look to be. This is where your small spray bottle and sponge brush come in.

 Start with your darkest color. Mine was a light blue and, unless you're starting off with a very dark color, mix about half of your dark color and half black paint in your spray bottle and add a little water. Spray the paint over large areas of the seat, leaving some parts completely untouched. You can also do this step with the sponge brush. After this coat dries (which it should fairly quickly), use a lighter or the original shade of your darkest color, and either spray or sponge in slightly smaller areas over the dark acrylic paint. Feel free to add streaks to make it look cloudy (I used the sponge brush and didn't clean it between colors.)

 After this layer dries, you'll want to switch to your secondary color, which for me was lilac. Please don't make the mistake I did if your secondary color seems a little too light and add black paint to it. It will just turn gray and you will have to start over with the acrylic paints. If you must make your secondary color lighter, mix it with just a bit of your first color. With your secondary color, you'll want to paint your areas a little more asymmetrically, and even venture into the plain areas a bit. The goal here is to add a little depth and dimension. By now, the galaxy will be taking form, and you should feel a little more comfortable taking artistic liberties. After your secondary color has dried, take the lightest, most brilliant color in your color palate and add some small clouds and flourishes.

 Step 4: Time to add your stars! Take the tip of your paint brush or a toothpick and dip it into the white paint. Add small white stars in varying size and concentration around the whole of the chair. This will prove to be the most simple and most trying part of the painting.


Step 5: After all of the stars have dried, cover the chair completely with 2 coats of spray lacquer, allowing the coats to dry in between. You can also add your baby's name to the back of the chair in white paint before you apply the finish. I suggest using a stencil or taking the time to do a constellation pattern, instead of free handing it like I did.

But I still like it.

Step 6: Assemble the chair, remembering to add those plastic stoppers you removed from the belts earlier. I like the ANTILOP because no tools are needed to put it together.

Original chair.

Your finished chair!

Ta-da! You're done; and your little starship captain is ready to navigate his way to dinner time.

Stay Fanatic,
Megh