My mom showed me this sofa in Australian Vogue Living a while back, and we both thought it would be a great idea to copy. How easy would it be to buy some old furniture, have it redone in canvas, give some kids some sharpies and let them go crazy on it?
My mom and I both quickly realized this project's potential to be a very fun way to raise money for many different charities.
We immediately got in touch with my aunt, Sidney Aldridge, a pediatritian at Cook Children's Hospital here in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Sidney Aldridge initiated the idea that Cook Children's Hospital was in need of a Palliative Care program at the hospital, and now that this program is well under-way, Sidney is very involved with it's fundraising.
We were not aware of what exactly a Palliative Care program was at first, so here is Dr. Sidney Aldridge to tell you in her own words…
There are now many little patients who are living longer and better because of our advances in medical technology but they do live with very complicated medical problems, and many will unfortunately still die at a young age. As you can imagine, this is a very difficult journey for these little children and their families.A new specialty has emerged in Pediatrics to help these most special patients called Palliative Care. The Palliative Care team would like to provide support for a family at the initial diagnosis, then all along the course of that child's life, and finally, help the family prepare for their child's death.The Palliative Care team helps the child with symptom and pain relief, and also provides much needed psychological and spiritual support for the child, their siblings and parents during these very difficult times. The team consists of physicians, nurses, social workers, child life specialists, psychologists, and spiritual leaders, such as ministers, priests, and rabbis. The Palliative Care team wants to help a little child live as well as possible for as long as possible, and then help make the end of that child's life be as pain-free and peaceful as possible.As you can imagine, it takes very special people to be able to practice Palliative Care. This kind of treatment requires hours and hours with each patient and family, and is not adequately funded by insurance companies. We rely on wonderful charity organizations such as the Careity Foundation here in Ft Worth to provide this much needed care. The Careity Foundation has an amazing charity event, a Western-themed Gala called "Branded" here every August to raise money for our new Palliative Care program here at Cook Childrens Medical Center, and they have provided us with immeasurable support.
The project got more exciting for us when we were invited to the hospital to bring our chair to the kids.
The chair in progress!
We even got some unexpected help from a pony on roller skates.
The final product looks great, as you can see!
We put four coats of lacquer on the chair to seal the scribbles.
My mom and I have both been so excited to share this fun project with our readers-my mom has also posted about this on her blog Atlantis Home
The chair will now be auctioned off at the annual Branded event.
For more information, visit their website.
Again, thank you Dr. Sidney Aldridge for helping us get involved in this event!
We look forward to doing more projects like this-in fact, we have three more chairs in the works!
We plan to auction some smaller chairs on eBay in the near future-we'll let you know more as this project develops.
Awww that is soo awesome!!!
Good luck with making a lot of money for the charity! Its good to see people doing things for other people :D
That’s really thoughtful of you and your mom!
This is a great idea, and looks amazing! Congrats!
what a great idea! hope it’s auctioned off for a lot! what’s the starting bid?
Awww what a great idea guys! It’s always nice to see when people give back :). Tried looking on the site, but do you have to be present to bid/win?
-Andrew
http://meandmarisa.wordpress.com
Great idea. The chair would look good in my appartment :D
Wow that turned out really good, great idea
Wonderful action, when I look on this chair’s pictures and colurs I fell … well happy ( this word can’t show my really emotions :p)
You and Your mom must be really great personalities.
:)
How great!
it turned out pretty well.
and it’s great to do anything to help out kids :)
Amazing, both the cause and the chair! Such a fun, creative way to raise some money for charity.
Wow, this is a beautiful project, great idea, so generous and sweet.. congrats :)
what a wonderful idea, the chair looks amazing!
wow it really turned out great! i actually love it more than the sofa! i’m happy to hear that you’ll continue this endeavour. :)
Great idea, Jane! I am in charge of fundraising at a non-profit in Fort Worth, and we so appreciate when people in the community get involved – especially with unique ideas. I love your blog, keep that passion alive…Branded is such a great cause, and maybe I’ll see you there!
What an incredible idea — and it turned amazing!!!!
This is such a wonderful idea for such a great great cause. Not to mention that that chair looks fabulous!
This project is amazing! I really wish you the best of luck with it
Thats such a lovelyyy idea and amazing of you and your mum to organizee
Looks great tooo :)
The chair came out absolutely beautiful and what a sweet and thoughtful way to donate to a cause :-D
This is fantastic!
This is just awesome! I love it, thank you for sharing it with us!
what a beautiful project! i love the organic nature of childrens artwork. what a whimsical peice, perfect for any playroom or living room!
I will be thinking about this beautiful chair all day and wondering what you and your mom will come up with next. I love the chair and would like to try this technique sometime!
This is such an amazing idea.
You and your mom are such beautiful and giving people!!
This is so awesome!
I was wondering…
Can you still use the chair to sit in after it is lacquered or would the pressure make the finish on the canvas crackle and peel?
Thanks for sharing!
That’s so cute! It turned out so perfect, and for such a good cause! A really great a idea, I hope it brings in a ton of money for the program. The kids must have a lot of fun too, they’re actually ALLOWED to draw on the furniture!
This is actually Gorgeous. Wow.
There you go, Saving the world.
omg they’re amazing!
I have fallen in love with the chair
kisses
what an amazing job, the chairs looks awesome!
What an excellent idea!! I love how creative the chair looks, with added touches from each of the kids. You and your mom have such big hearts! : ) Keep it up, I’m sure the children truly appreciate this!
it’s awesome to see you guys doing this! the chair turned out great!
Jane,
This is such a beautiful and unique idea- one that I would love to recreate in my own area! I’m actually a founding member of a fashion club at my school, and although this doesn’t have too much to do with fashion, we are always looking for new, fresh ideas to raise money for organizations and charities. Thanks for sharing, and good luck!
-Sarah
What a fantastic idea!! Such a great cause, and I bet the kids had fun doing it too :)
That is actually very pretty! Lovely idea!
what a great idea – i love how you saw something, you were inspired by it, and made it into a great cause!
xox
http://www.froufroufashionista.blogspot.com
that’s just brilliant. that chair looks absolutely lovely! the kids and the pony must’ve been so happy to have that chair to decorate.
What an absolutely brilliant idea! And the chair looks magnificent!
xx
that chair is 100000x times better than the one in vogue! The kids are so creative and so colorful! I hope it gets auctioned for a ton of money! It would look amazing in a playroom.
Such a great cause. You guys are doing great stuff xoxoox
how weird, my aunt has a room in her house where the decor is very similar to this! I think she had it “professionally” done though because she only let me put my initials on a canvas stool. :/
xx
that is an absolutely outstanding idea and the chair camp out beautiful!!!
xxoo
It looks great! What an amazing job you guys did. I’m really glad to see that apart from being a style icon you’re also a very sweet person. Congratulations!
xx
A thoughtful project and a beautiful result.
Sweet! Good cause and fun results! :)
congratulations on finally doing something for other people with yr money, time and privilege.
This is an AMAZING project! I love the chairs and helping a good cause!
amazing. i admire you and your mother very much.
oh that just breaks my heart :( that was great of you, though, and the chair looks amazing
What a beautiful chair. I hope you are able to raise a great amount of money at the auction.
Wow, that chair looks amazing! It’s nice to hear you guys give back! :)
What a fantastic way to use your blog/time/artistic talent for good! That chair turned out so well! I work for DWR, please email me if you can…
What a wonderful project! And such a beautiful result. You’re both very admirable :)
It’s so awesome that you can use your blog’s popularity to help like this :)
that chair is amazinggg. and it’s an awesome cause! keep up the great work jane!
<3 The Voguette.
This was really touching..I think it was a wonderful idea and very inspiring. The chair looks fabulous :)
That is absolutely awesome…I have a fraternity based on helping children. This type of thing is so inspiring…great job!!!
this chair looks so much better than the one in vogue!
What a great thing to do! And the chair came out great.
It turned out great! what an awesome idea!
that chair came out beautifully! this is such a great project =)
http://foradelicatefew.blogspot.com
I love it!! The chair is beautiful and I think it’s a great way to raise money for a good cause.
I know your blog is about fashion, but it’s really nice to read posts on things other than buying very expensive shoes.
What a great idea, and a super stylish outcome! I most definitley want to fo this!
XOXOX
Libby
http://fashioncnfectionairy.weebly.com
that’s amazing. something so simple, yet so fun AND super beneficial/helpful.
GREAT job.
You are a saint.
This is a great idea!
Almost everyday I pass this little antique shop with different white chairs and each time I want to go in and buy one in and decorate it with a black sharpie! I think that seeing the beautiful result here I will do it sooner than later!
It is great that you are getting the children to have fun and you fund the hospital!
FINALLY DOING SOMETHING OTHER THAN SPENDING MONEY I SEE
Wow, how great of you to get involved! The chair turned out so chic! I hope you raise TONS of money for those kids!
wow it looks so good!!
If you would have told me this idea in theory, I wouldn’t have gone for it; but seeing this in person is amazing–and it’s for a great cause! These pieces would definitely bring a boring old living room back to life! Great idea!
xoxo,
Victoria
http://thestylistadiaries.blogspot.com
Wow, this is fantastic! The chair actually looks really attractive.. I want it ( :
I have added your great site to my blogroll.
I don’t know if I’ve ever commented here (I think I did, maybe once), but I do keep up with your blog. Honestly, this has been your most inspiring post ever. It’s moved me to tears. It’s great to see that you’ve taken all the attention that you’ve garnered with the blog and channeled it opportunities, particular this one that is something so positive.
All I’m going to say is you go, Jane. Keep this up. I hope all the chairs sell for exorbitant amounts so you can help those children!
Oops, Jane & Judy! Keep up the good work.
Awesome,well done :)
Your blog is so much fun to read and i love how much you effort you put into it even at the young age you are…you seem way more passionate than most kids your age.
The Aldridges are simply angels. I wish I had the cash to bid on these. They are gorgeous and I want my kiddies to do stuff like this when I have them :)
How strange that all the way over in Texas you buy Australian Interior Design magazines! I must admit, however, that I find them a lot more stylish than a lot of American ones.
Anyway, the finished product looks great, are you going to do any more?
What a great idea!
That is so sweet of you and your mother to do that.
That is such a pretty chair! I love what you and your mom do. Very thoughtful.
Me and some friends are currently raising money for Duchenne, we’ve already organised some things, and are currently busy organizing a concert.
I really hope people are going to pay some big money for that chair. For not only is it worth every dollar, but the good cause makes it even better.
That’s so amazing and thoughful! Really well done for making such an effort, and for such a good cause!
http://dreamingspiresandoldcartyres.blogspot.com/
beautiful result, maybe i should try it sometimes :)
that a great idea !
you’re a good girl in a bad world !
the chair is beautiful !!
That sofa and the chair looks soo amazing! It’s a really good idea, very creative! Love it <3!
I love the chair…really original!
very interesting blog…I add you to my links…
kisses!
What a great idea, and even better to do it for charity. I’m an avid reader of your blog although I’ve never commented before – I love it when style blogs cover more than that.
Thanks for sharing, I hope to see the rest of the chairs!
what a wonderful idea! and the result is realy impressive. plus on a symbolique level i think it great that kids can leave somesthing behind considering that because of their illness their future is uncertain. great initiative. hope there will be sequals!
Hats off to you guys, really what a fun way to not only raise money for charity but to get the kids involved too, Really WELL DONE xx
http://fashionpearlsofwisdom.blogspot.com/
P-H-O-N-Y
Your mom is so pathetic, trying to stay young by linking her blog to yours and having you link your blog to hers. It is getting a bit tiresome clicking on the links you both provide and see it being the exact same post. LAME!
I usually wouldn’t bother addressing a “troll” comment but in this case I just felt I had to.
To Eloise: Considering Jane and her mom are obviously linking each other to get more support and awareness for this charity I don’t see how any sensible person could label it “LAME”. Promoting a good cause is not pathetic, but criticising other people who are helping others is just a bad reflection on you. If it is ‘tiresome’ then don’t read their blogs!
Jane: It is so inspiring to see this project! What a fantastic and creative idea, I love it. Keep up the good work!
What a lovely thing to do, I really admire you and your mum, you used this wonderful creative idea and turned it into a fundraiser to help little children. The chair looks absolutely fabulous. My dad runs a childrens chairty so I will be definietly showing him this post its such a good idea and I love how you got the children involved in the project.
my furniture will never be the same, off to buy markers & invite neighborhood kids for a color party!!! & what an amazing charity its for, brings a tear to my eye
http://snowdropsonmydoorstep.blogspot.com/
good to know you guys are helping sick kids! :)) chair looks awesome
chair looks great. good job. also a very inspiring idea.
check out my blog at
http://lisa-smalldetails.blogspot.com
That is wonderful! The chair is amazing!
great idea, great chair.
xo Noah (Indie Music Blog)
…Congratulations for this great idea!!!!! It´s fantastic and really fun for these children!!
I think that you and your mum are great & fashion people!!..are amazings!!! ;-)
Kisses from Spain!!!!!
That is such a great idea! And the chair looks awesome!
Wow! What a beautiful and creative way to raise money for charity! Honestly, I think I’d be tempted to keep it myself. You’re an inspiration, Jane.
Loved! It’s great that you are involved with your community. I’m touched :)
http://curatorofquirks.blogspot.com/
what a great fundraiser! the chair looks fun, kind of like the patchwork ones that have been popping up in the Anthro catalogs!
Bravo, idée fabuleuse…
Vraiment félicitations
Super nice Jane, isn’t it wonderful doing something for others?
My Mom says, “In an empty heart, there is room for no love, in a full heart there is room for much love.”
P.S. This will also look good on your already extensive list of extra-curricular activities for those college apps!
That is such a great project! I think you’ll raise a lot of money because the chair looks so amazing. I want one of my own!
That is such a good idea for such a worthy cause and it really is a great way to get the kids involved as well and make them feel like they’re contributing.
I would love this even if the results weren’t gorgeous, but, bonus, the chair is beautiful!
that i so fabulous and heart-warming! excellent job, keep it up. :) inspires me to do a project like this!
xo
xazddesign.com
i have been following your blog for a while but never dared posting a comment ! anyway this time i would like to say, Chairity is a wonderful idea… :)
That’s so cool! What a great idea.
I also love the pony on rollerskates!
what a great idea, i love the chair and even more i love that it is going to be auctioned off to help the kids! who ever bids on it and wins is a lucky person, they will know that their money went to a great cause! :) http://framestheworld.blogspot.com/
that looks really good!
That chair is AWE.S.OME!!! I hope it raises a lot of money for the charity. Love it
What an incredible cause and family! The Gillorys send their love!
I remember reading a comment from some pretentious idiot on your blog a while back, something along the lines of “what are you doing to help the community, blah blah…” Hmmm – I wonder if she would’ve had the initiative to even think of doing this project! I think it’s so inspiring to see how you acted on an idea and turned it into something that helps such a worthy cause. You’re a rock star Jane!
Much love from Budapest :)
congratulations for you great generous idea !! And th chair is very beautiful
great project and it’s such a good thing to help other people/kids who need it!
What an amazing idea, and the chair looks amazing. I hope it fetches the selling price it deserves.
wow!
this is an awesome project, jane!!!
i love the outcome!
http://momfashionworld.blogspot.com/
This was an inspired project!!
That is so kind of you. I wish I could do something for the little patients of our area. I´m interested in entering med-school, so maybe I´ll be able to make a difference in future.
What a excellent idea.
Love it!
Congrats from Brazil
Marcela
It’s very refreshing to see you and your mom doing things for others. As much as I love your blog it can seem a little ‘self obsessed’ at times. Keep up the great charity ideas and work!
-LWK
http://www.laviedewhitney.blogspot.com
What a great idea! The chair looks amazing! Best of luck in your fundraising! My sister is sick (luckily not in Palliative Care) and I’m sure those kids had a good time. Little things like getting to scribble on a chair can brighten anyone’s day when you are in and out of hospitals often.
Jane,
I would love to do something like this in Houston/San Antonio, TX.
What an innovative way to make a difference!
I will get in touch with you in the future about what it took to put this project together.
This is so fabulous! The chair is beautiful, and for such a great cause!
xoxTheens
callmetheens.blogspot.com
Wow, you and your mom are very good persons!
Peace and love!
I find the chair extremely beautiful- Kids are the best, they’re honest, they have unbridled creativity without any baggage
or resentment.
Good on you for executing this project..
What a very precious idea! I absolutely adore the finished project. Good luck!
Chelsea
unordinarychic.blogspot.com
That is amazing, I love that you got to actually have it happen… the kids must have had a fun time drawing on it.
Super cool idea and great result! Good for you guys. :)
This is SUCH A COOL IDEA! Its SO sweet of you to help the kids and the charity by helping organize this! Thats soo awesome, and I wish you the best of luck in the auction–If I had cash I’d buy it XD hahaha but really, that is awesome.
The Dries Sandals are amazing ! Your look is so beautifull!!
Wow- this is gorgeous and such a smart idea! Its so great to see bloggers channel their powers for good!
creative and thoughtful!
it’s a realy good idea, and that chair looks perfect !!
It’s like a life-size coloring book. L.O.V.E.
http://www.stylesnog.blogspot.com
i have to comment and say “well done!!!” what a super idea. how bittersweet and tender…
good on you.
xxx
Wow, that is such a cool idea! Looks like fun. What a wonderful way to help children in need.
Plus, that chair turned out great!
http://www.jenandaudrey.blogspot.com
that chair looks so great, wow those kids really should be proud! I think it even looks better than the sofa featured in vogue living :) I think it’s a fun way to re-use old furniture, especially if it’s for a good cause.
Gorgeous! The chair looks so amazing. I LOVED that sofa from Australia Vogue too!
You could sell all your fancy shoes, fly to one of the deepest parts of Africa and feed and clothe and medicate fifty starving, kwashiorkor-suffering children and anonymous trolls would still post bitchy comments on your blog about things as trivial as synchronized posting with your mom. Oh, internet.
Wonderful idea, way to go Jane!
This is awesome! I’m going to recommend it to my fundraisers. Thanks Michelle for passing the info along! If any MW volunteers want to lead the project, get in touch with me!
Mighty Writers
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.mightywriters.org
I love how the chair turned out – so beautiful! Obviously a bunch of budding young artists. This is a great idea – good for you and your mom for doing this!
What a cute idea! I really love the outcome
http://girlalamode.blogspot.com/
This is such an inspiration. Thank you!
cool….awesome jane im ur no.1 fans!!! its so sweet…i hope i can do the same thing as u do…(btw im from Indonesia) just visit sometimes jane…indonesia have many beautiful places to enjoy…
that is such a great idea!
oh and you kind of look like that girl on wizards on waverly place.. the vampire one
but thats a good thing she is pretty hah :)
Well done to you all…a fabulous project!
The idea of planning for your child’s death is heartbreaking. My thoughts go out to these families.
Props to you, your mom, and your aunt for coming up with a (very stylish) way to help.
~Tamia
http://www.stylesamplemag.com
So wonderful and the chair is so beautiful! :)
The chair turned out just lovely, what a great idea…and how very sweet of you and your mom!
Jamie :)
Beautiful idea, the chair actually looks stunning!
The chair turned out gorgeous… :)
I’m sure the kids really enjoyed the project!
Congratulations for your lovely idea.
beautiful post. the chair is simply gorgeous! it’s refreshing to read about your wonderful idea to help this very worthy cause.
the private IBO school where i used to teach does fund-raisers; i’ll pass on your link to the director, in case they want to use this brilliant idea.
woah. I love it.
joelleleung.blogspot.com/
What a great idea. And the chair is adorable:)
What an amazing idea! The chair looks amazing and it’s such a good idea doing it for charity :)
wow..these kids were very talented
its an amazing chair !!
love them =]
I love it! What a beautiful idea for a great cause.
Back in the 80s a woman named “nancy drew” drew all over her colonial house and furniture. it was featured in Metropolitan Home. Then she had some gift shops, across the country.
http://www.nancyswandrew.com/Bio/BioSketch.htm
it’s a cactus. just checkin’. i am dyin’ to meet aunt sydney.
the chair isn’t exactly beautiful, but it’s cute. And for a great cause.
I am always so thrilled to read about people giving back!
omg i used to live in that house!!! the owners have a cute little studio on the first floor that i shared with a friend when i first moved to ny!! the owner has such unique, fabulous taste :) loved that couch idea–her daughter’s class did the ‘decorating.’ had no idea she was in australian vogue, just stumbled across this post!
For a bit more background on the evolution of the doodle trend, check this out:
http://patternpulp.com/2009/02/13/trend-highend-doodles/
Cheers,
Shayna
at first i wasnt sure, but then i loved it, thats awesome i bet the kids had so much fun, i did something like that when i was a kid only they gave us these all white plastic plates, and perminant markers and we made wall hangings for our parents :)
New Blogger!!!Jane I love your blog,but my is totally going to top yours!!
High fashion rocks
Good thjing by helping the hospital
hope i can do the same
http://Fabwear.yolasite.com
I realize that my comment is about three months overdue, but I just wanted to say how great it is to see people engage in such creative ventures in order to raise money and awareness of Palliative Care programs. These are such a necessity in this day and age, and providing support of programs catered toward children is often overlooked. I currently study both children and death at the post-secondary level, and this charity would be a great and relevant cause for me to get involved with, so thank you for shedding light on it!
I found the “Work” of one, the sensitivity amazing!
Hello, This is a facsinating Blog…as a prospective undertaker this is just the sort of insight I require! One question has me wondering: there is a bit of folklore I hear is that claims the dead are generally buried without shoes…is this true?
Brilliant! What a great read. That was a good post – informative but not too heavy. Thanks for taking the time out to write it! I think spirituality is really important too, we certainly agree on that point. A leader without spirituality is missing a key element.
I love that drawing! It reminds me of that old TV show (might still be going actually..) in North America called The Big Comfy Couch. Definitely need on of those at home!
Do you agree that travel must one day revert to being a luxury
Thus the makers suggest the buyers to make use of it forward of every single meal.
this is cool and a great idea :D
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