Three Ottomans on the Cheap!

I am ready for a break from reality (which means I am so pumped for this long weekend coming up), so I thought I would post on this project that has long been in the works. Truth be told, it has actually been completed for months now- I am just now getting around to posting on it.

Life has just gotten in the way since then. :)

So, I have not-so-recently repurposed three little ottomans that I am so excited to share with you! The only money I have in these are the small amount that I paid for the fabrics & paint for the legs. The most expensive fabric was on this first one...

....and it was only about $20 for a few yards, so I still have extra to use on something else. The ottomans in their "Before" conditions were from my grandmother's house. She actually had three of these things, but I unfortunately don't even have much room for one right now...but I still squeezed it into the house though, rest assured. :)

So, the three ottomans were FREE to me!

This shows two of them in their sad little "Before" state...

I started with an orange ottoman, just like the one pictured above. I knew I did not want the orange in our house (wow), and it was in poor condition anyway, so it had to be transformed.

I headed to Wal-Mart (this was the same trip where I got the leopard fabric for my 30-Minute Vanity Seat Revamp... a LONG time ago). I am in love with this fabric!!

I borrowed my granddad's staple gun, and went to work.

This is yet again another project that I've had ready to go for a while, but waited so long to start on it. And again, I wondered why I waited so long, because it was an easy, quick project. I then waited even longer to post on it, mainly because one of them was a Christmas gift.

I surprised myself because I actually took a lot of step-by-step photos of the process.

Here they are:

I laid the fabric out on the floor so I could work with it better...

I had an adorable little helper while I was in the floor too :) ...

I just cut the fabric to size & lapped it over, securing it with a staple gun at far intervals...

The edges were the only tricky part. I just patiently (ha, yeah right) folded them neatly & tucked, also securing it with a hefty staple from the staple gun.

This shows the two sides stapled...

Now, the ottoman was recovered, but I wasn't done yet. I wanted to really secure the fabric, so I lined each fabric end with hot glue to fully attach it to the underside of the ottoman...

I was proud of the lines I cut in the fabric. Not too bad for the little experience that I have with this...

(I'm telling you, I took a lot of pics of this project...sorry- if you're getting bored, scroll to the bottom for the Before & After) :) ...

I wanted to show one of the legs, so you could see how dingy the brass was...

I lathered each one up with some Brass-o (great stuff!), and now look...

I thought they needed a little something more. So, I decided to paint a few coats of metallic gold...

That helped to shine them up alot. I must have stopped taking pictures by then, because I didn't have any showing that.

Now, to the Before & After of the first ottoman...

BEFORE

AFTER

Also, here's a peek at the other two I finished. The black & white zebra print went to my mom as one of her Christmas gifts (as I mentioned earlier), and the brown zebra is MINE. :)

It is amazing how just a quick clean-up & a simple fabric change can really transform a piece.

I am toying with the idea of adding nailhead trim to mine, but I haven't made myself try it yet. I have already purchased the nailheads, so we'll see. :)

30-Minute Vanity Seat Revamp!

Finally- a project post! I know it's been a while. We've been taking it easy lately around the house. A lot of rest & relaxation, and not much cleaning or project doing. We have cooked a lot though- as you can see by the stream of recipe posts I've had.
But that streak ends here. :)

Just wanted to share with you this vanity seat revamp that I am beyond excited about!

This little vanity chair belonged to my grandmother. I knew I wanted to take it home with me, even before we began cleaning her home. This vanity seat was always in her bathroom. It was rarely ever used, but it is was definitely worn. It had the potential to look cute though- I promise!

Here are a couple of quick Before shots (taken with my iPhone)...

I simply took the chair outside (after it was housed in our garage for a few months), and wiped it down with a Magic Eraser. I then lightly sanded all over, because it had a little rust that made it rough in some places.

I then took a cheap-y bronzey-gold spray paint (from Dollar General, I think), and began spraying one light coat all over. I turned it upside-down first to get the underside...



I think that was the only photo I took during the spray paint process. Oh well. The best is yet to come. :)

Here are a few of the after-paint pics...

Love that bronzey-gold!

Then, I made a trip to Hob Lob & discovered that my local Wal-Mart actually had what I was looking for instead, and at a great price! (Don't get me wrong, I could die happy in a Hob Lob, but I could NOT believe Wal-Mart had more of what I was looking for, and for less money! This also marked probably the first time EVER I was actually excited about heading to Wal-Mart!)

Here is the awesome fabric I found at Wal-mart,

along with the quilt batting...

I only needed 1/2 yard = ~$2. Woohoo!

I was about to ask my granddad for his trusty staple gun, but I realized I could do this small project with glue. Hot glue that is. The seat is so small, and the fabric is not very thick, so it worked out really well. I do have a recover project lined up, though, that will require the help of a staple gun... more on that soon. :)

I also knew that since the seat of the chair was so flattened, I would want some "pouf". So, I grabbed up some high-loft quilt batting while at the "dreaded" Wal-Mart for $4, and I was well on my way.

I unscrewed the seat to the frame easily, then started wrapping & gluing, first with the quilt batting, then the fabric.

Here are more pics, in steps, of the seat recover...

(Daisy girl was my trusty helper.) :)

And now, the final Before & After...

BEFORE...and... AFTER

More After pics that I love...

I'm so happy with it...now I just have to find a place for it, as it is with most of my other projects. :)

Some personal updates: Lots of things have happened since my last post. My best friend Jenn is now a mommy! I cannot wait to meet little Silas Finn!

 Our kids' choir had their end-of-year program, and it was wonderful! Those sweet kids are such a blessing to me. 

I am gearing up this week for Sheena's wedding on Saturday! I cannot wait to share in her special day. The pampering has already started- I got my nails done yesterday, and am getting my hair done Saturday morning. What an awesome reason to pamper yourself, right?!

I guess my next post will be filled with pics of the wedding!

Can't wait!

Linking the project up to...

 

...and many others!