Thrift Shop Re-Do - Sitting Stool

Hey again!  One more for ya on this rainy Saturday.   This project actually was done in a series of steps, but just completed this morning.   I never, NEVER seem to have a chunk of time more than an hour long available to me at once.  

First I want to thank you guys for all of your comments.  They definitely keep me inspired to continue with my little "decorating on the cheap" journey.  I also want to welcome all my new followers!   I am so, so pleased and honored that you've joined and hope to have many inspiring posts over the next little while.

Anyways, on a trip to the thrift store a couple weeks ago, I came across an adorable little stool.   

Along with a candle holder and box, but that's for later...

Needed some work, clearly, and it also seems like it started life as a tall stool that somebody cut down.   But no matter, there was something appealing about it and guess what?   Six Dollars.   Six!  That's it!  You cannot buy a stool at Walmart for six dollars I don't think.   Well, maybe you can, but then what on earth would I do with my rainy Saturdays??

I plan to have this little guy downstairs in the kitchen or the room off the kitchen or the entry way, or maybe even to bring into the family room if extra seating is needed.  I have too many options sometimes.   So the color had to be black.

I spray painted him up. 

First step, make sure it's a nice day, so that this does not happen.

Then find a nice open spot outdoors, spread out an old blanket (or something) and find yourself a cute helper...

This step is not necessary.   This particular cute helper got bored after about 5 minutes and retired indoors to watch SpongeBob.   To each his own.

I basically just used my trusty can of Valspar Black (I used a flat, not a glossy.   Why?  I couldn't tell you.)  and sprayed him all up.

When one coat was dry(ish) I flipped him onto his head and sprayed the underparts.

Let him dry in the sun for a bit.

I like it alot better already!

I decided that since I didn't prime or sand, or anything else that is recommended before painting, that I would show A Touch More Love by spraying one last coat of a protective sealer.

To be honest, it did not make a bit of difference that I could SEE.  But it did make me feel better.

So this is how things were this morning....

Being a bit of an idiot inexperienced with recovering furniture (even the small stool variety) I had wondered how to make the top a comfy place to sit.   A nice lady at the fabric store suggested just some plain old batting that could be shaped for an underlayment and then fabric on top.

Perfect!   I chose the remnants of the same fabric that was used on my window mistreatments.

That way if it is in the kitchen, it looks more at home.   Somehow it's changed from a "him" to an "it".  Did you notice that too??!  :0

Okay, I have neither tools, experience, brains, or a staple gun, so I again relied on The Magic of Glue.

Fabritac for this project again, to be exact.

I basically guesstimated the amount of batting and fabric that would be needed.   I went extra on the batting, because I wanted an actual "cushiony" feel.  

Cut it all with plain old scissors and then went about putting it together.

I initially did this with the stool right side up, but it turned out much easier (duh) to turn it upside down.

Did a bit more trimming just to make sure there wasn't a ton of overhang.   And what I did was basically put the fabric on the bottom (right side down), then the batting on top of that, then the stool on top of THAT.  Something like the picture above.  Actually, EXACTLY like the picture above.

I glued a little hem along the edges of the fabric, just to make it look neat.  Because don't we always get people that come into our homes and proceed to peer underneath all the furniture to make sure things are neat?   That's what I thought.

I did one side first.  Just wrapped him all up like a present.

And worked my way around.

Oh!  I almost forgot.   Make SURE that you have really sophisticated and "fancy" tools at your disposal to hold everything down while the glue is drying....

My personal favorite is the Chip Clip.   So many uses.

Followed closely by.....

A Small Box Of Heavy Things.   This holds everything in place very well also.

Despite me and Chippy's best efforts, it's still not THE absolute neatest job in the world.   But, remember - this part will be on the underside.   And I don't think people REALLY come to your home to look under furniture.   Just sayin'.

Here's a view from the top looking down.  Or the bottom looking up (it's still upside down)

And, I think he's done!    All dressed up and ready to meet the rest of the house...

I'm sure this will more around ALOT (most of my small furnishings do) but for right now it's in between my Kitchen and my Room That Is Next To My Kitchen.

Just for a fun look, I also tried it with a band of black trim along the edges.   Can you tell it's even there??  

It is ingeniously held on by.....

Tada!  Glue dots.   This is probably ANOTHER practice that is not generally recommended, but it will suffice for now.  That way, when I don't like the trim, or want to change the trim - I can just pull it right off again!   Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

The queen likes it too.  

 I had so much fun with this project!  I'm really happy with how it came out - even though I didn't quite have the foggiest clue what I was doing.   And I'd love to hear what you think!  I'd also love to hear about any projects that seemed overwhelming and just a little scary, and how it all turned out for you.

Ta for now!

Smiles and Hugs,
Joyce

Fall Wicker Basket

Okay, so I really REALLY love baskets.  All kinds, all shapes - I must have literally almost 100.  I used to hang them from the ceiling at our previous house, but it never seemed to look right here.   Trouble is, they all seem to be some different version of wood.


Not that there is anything wrong with that.  Not whatsoever.   But, they tend to take on some kind of dingyness to them and they are all varying shades of the same thing.   Nothing looks like it wants to work together.  

So enters my new best friend, Spray Paint.   I have been spray painting everything lately (or at the very least finding things that I WILL spray paint the next chance I get)   My poor dog is cowering in the corner - he thinks he's next.

Here's a batch of them drying in the sun....

This is what happens when you take an ordinary wicker(ish) basket and introduce him to Valspar.

The end result of this particular basket - it's the largest on the top left corner of the above photo.

A definite improvement, but I still needed to add something.    I grabbed this

and these

and went to work adding some fall "festivities" to the mix.    The foliage (for lack of a better term) has probably seen better days, since I've been stealing from it here and there.   

Some of the berries were used for this fall project

And some other pieces had been used for the candlestick "redo" on this project here

So the back was looking pretty sad and "unfluffy".   I have no real fix for this.  I just figure that will stay in the back and anybody who notices will be too polite to say anything.   So much of my life is like that.

Anyways, attaching the garland was very, very easy to do.   I simply held a piece up and figured out where to adhere it with some floral wire.   I am positve that there are better and more "permanent" ways to achive the same thing.  But since this is not for my store or a gift, it will just be used here at home.   The good news about that is also that the garland can easily be taken back apart and replaced with something else for each season!

So you'll be sure to meet this basket again.  :)

I basically wanted to make sure that wherever the wire was attached, it would be covered by a leaf or another part of the garland and not stick out like a sore thumb bright shiney gold piece of wire.

The leaves do seem to cover it up very well!

So after attaching it on each side (or maybe in five different spots altogether) we have our end result

TaDa!

I so love the way these colors look together for fall.   Here's another view :

But that's just in an upstairs hallway and I wanted this little beauty somewhere that we actually ARE.  So I ended up bringing her back down to the family room on my hearth.

Cute!  I love it.  This would be great for newspapers, magazines or even a little stash of firewood.   Here's another cute tip:

Turn a basket upside down and it becomes a GREAT area for a small display!  

Total cost ZERO and time was approx. one and a half hours (even counting waiting for the paint to dry - I think you are actually supposed to Prime it first and wait a much longer time, but whatever.)

Now I just can't figure out which I like better!  Either way could hide a bunch of yucky - very useful.

By the way, I am linking up to Reinvented's Trash to Treasure Tuesday (if I'm able, since it is Wendesday LOL!)   Be sure to  check her out here!

Have a great day!

Smiles and Hugs,
Joyce

It's A Pink Pink World

Sure seems to be a Pink Pink World at this point! At least in my daughter's room.

My daughter has been asking me to repaint and update her bedroom for AGES.  Well, except that she's only five, so it can't have been that long.    Anyways, she picked out all the colors herself, God Help Me.    Yellow, Pink, Red and Green.  And maybe Blue.  And a Big Yellow Sunshine.   Well, we'll figure out the details later... and I'll be sure to post photos along the way.



We picked out a pretty light pink sheer fabric for the windows and the plan was to get some fancy tie back to dress it up a bit.  Trouble is, I couldn't for the life of me find anything that was at all pretty and unique.  So I did what any self respecting Cheap Girl would do - I made them!

Very proud of myself in fact.  Little One loves them, and they do add a little spark to the curtains.   If the whole room was going to be this pink?   Too Pepto Bismal for my taste.  But we've got a pretty light yellow for the walls picked out, and this really will be the only pink in the whole room.  I hope.

Basically what I did was this:  You know those sometimes (usually) awful silk flower arrangements they sell at W#$mart for about $2?  I bought one bouquet of those and ripped it into pieces (not REALLY but I did dissassemble it - the flowers pop right off).  Then I found some very pale shimmery pink ribbon in my craft room, and glued those suckers right to it.   Easy peasy pie, right?   It really was that simple and it looks fairly pretty and my daughter thinks I ROCK!  Awesome Possum.  Gotta love that.

And, I cannot actually recommend this for a child's room, but I just used a push pin to attach the ribbon to the window trim.  Can't even tell!  Well, not really.

I'm thinking of TONS of possibilities now for more handmade curtain tie backs - can't wait to start playing around!

While I'm at it, I've been browsing online for Little Girl Room ideas (by the way, BEWARE of using the search terms "cheap little girls rooms") , and WOW there are alot of pretty rooms out there..

Courtesy of HGTV

I'm really enjoying the rooms that showcase other colors, besides the traditional Little Girl Pink

From HouseDecoratingIdeas.com (where I will be headed next!)

Sandra Belle Interiors - just love the green and purple combo!

Courtesy of Firefly Furnishings - More green - I just adore this nightstand and the head and foot board. 

Here's a couple using the standard *PINK* but with their own unique twist.

I forget where I pinched this photo from and I apologize.

Pretty for a sophisticated parisian look

The above is one of my favorites - from Rustic Decorating Gone Wild.   Perfect for my future log cabin!  Except for the fact that my little girl will probably be 30 by then.  She won't need a bunk bed.

Doesn't this look like a fun little spot for a tea party??

Another thing I want to try to somehow incorporate into my daughter's room (at her request) is a canopy of some sorts above the headboard. We've got a bunch of built in shelving, so at the moment it seems impossible. 

And  the little rugs!  They look like adorable little polka dots scattered around - LOVELY touch.

The above is from Diapers to Design - Awesome idea as a headboard!!!

Courtesy of Sprouts Gallery

Love the idea of something like this in my little one's room.   A small desk that can double as a vanity.  I would find a *cheap* (of course) mirror to place above the desk and raise the pics up a bit.

So, that's one of the decorating challenges ahead of me.   My daughter is old enough to have some say in her room, but I'm thinking it's definitely going to be a battle of the wills here!   I keep compromising by telling her we can get a little more crazy in her playroom (another challenge for another day year).   I want her "little girl" room to still look like it belongs to an actual little girl!

Do any of you guys have girls you decorate for?   Any suggestions for me?   I clearly need all the help I can get!

Please leave a comment or link to your own photos - I love hearing from you all!

Smiles and Hugs,
Joyce