Junk Party

I know I'm a little late on this junk party, but I guess I just lost track of time. Well here's the update on the chairs. I really enjoyed this project and finished them in only two days. We have had a BBQ with them and my guests were very comfortable using these $1.00 chairs. Who woulda thunk?? Well here's the rundown of the entire transformation.




This is a close up of what kind of shape they were in before the transformation. As you can see there is paint spilled all over them. That was annoying to smooth out. I used steel wool to scrub it away.

This is just after I gave them a thorough washing. I took the chair pads off and set them aside to reupholster.

Added a coat of primer. I just had one can of primer so I had to make it last. I decided if I needed more I would just seal it with another coat when I was all done with the painting.

Okay I have to brag about this deal. If you are lucky your dollar store will get spray paint, and if you are really lucky you will get a brand name. Well I guess I was really, really lucky because I bought this BLACK KRYLON spray paint on 88 cent Tuesdays at my Honks Dollar Store. That's right people $0.88 for name brand spray paint.

Here's another tip for reupholstering outdoor furniture. Get an outdoor table cloth and use it at your fabric. I got this bag for $4.00 at Walmart.

Be sure you get the most for your money. Get the largest oblong shape. They all cost the same no matter the size, so get the largest amount and you will have enough vinyl to do a dozen chairs!

Darn birds! This chair was out only 15 minutes before it became the target.

To reupholster, I added a little more fluff and stapled the fabric tight around the edges. This was truly one of the easiest project I have completed. The hardest part was the painting, it always seems that is the hardest, but I can't complain for it only was $12.00 for these chairs! That's right $4.00 chairs, $4.00 paint, and $4.00 covers. Pretty great day I must say!

Isn't it just so cozy! They are just the right size for the table. If I didn't know any better I would have thought it was a set. SWEET!!!

Another outdoor chair remake!

Went to the thrift store yesterday and low and behold I found a set of outdoor chairs. They are really grungy and I could see people throwing these out to the dump, hence the price tag:

I'm so glad I found them. They are well made, without any of the feet missing, and they are very sturdy. They have been used as painting chairs I suspect, but I could see their potential, and for only one dollar, I could not just pass them by. I got four chairs for only four dollars.

And I'm thinking they will go nicely with this sitting area after I remake them. As soon as I am finished with the transformation I will post the after pictures. In the meantime check out Joys of Home's apartment transformation here. It is fantastic! Also join the party, it's going to be fun! Just click on the icon at the top of my blog and it will take you right to the junk party makeover.

Oh I am so giddy!

Lilacs and Updates

The lilacs are blooming and it just so happens that purple is my favorite color. This space needed an update with flowers, so a little pruning on the lilac bushes and...

A splash of color! Doesn't the space just look brighter? Now my home smells of a garden! Don't you just love my microwave in the corner? Just keepin' it real!

I love this space and it is so fun to change it up. I'll be sad when I have to throw these out, but the orange mini-rosebush is beginning to bud and orange will also be a great color for the space. Nothing beats a free update and bouquet of fresh cut flowers.

I wish I could send you the fragrance of a lilac bush! Summer is now just around the corner. I just love this time of year because it isn't too hot and we don't have frost every morning. I hope you all now want to get out there and do something outside!

What I've been dreaming of...

I love to garden, and this is hard as a renter. I live in the country, so I can have a garden and such, but it really isn't mine. Well I have started to change my attitude. I will be living here for probably another year, so I am trying to make my surroundings more enjoyable. Lately I have been redoing flower beds and and making a sitting area. I want to spend a lot of time outside this summer, and I want to enjoy what I'm looking at.
Today I was dreaming of a beautiful yard and new projects for me to conquer. I went to Better Home and Garden to look at all the beautiful pictures. This week is supposed to be beautiful so I know I will be working on the yard. Here are a few pics for you to enjoy!

Finally a new post

So I know I haven't been blogging lately, but I've been keeping myself busy. This is what I have been up to lately...

Isn't it fun. Totally new chairs! Just think, these easily could be rotting at the dump right now!

Because this was such a huge transformation, I'm gonna give you the rundown. First I took them completely apart to see what I could do. Even after rusty screws, bugs, and spiders I saw the potential of the chairs.

I was kinda freaked out about how I would be able to reupholster them, until I saw these little claws. Now I wasn't sure how I was going to lift them out, but I was going to at least try.

Success!
The key was to push them from the front to the back with a pair of round nose pliers. I think I hear the birds singing!

Now I had to figure out how to hide those holes. I'm not a welder and duct tape wasn't going to cut it.

I went ahead and did the primer, and meanwhile went to the store to figure out what to do with those holes. I asked a person in hardware what they recommended, and they showed me a putty that is used for steel and metal. So I ended up putting it over the holes and letting it cure for about a day. I then took my power sander and let it work its' magic. Seeeeee the difference!

Look no holes!!!! Don't you love the fabric! Just perfect. I didn't want it to get too weathered, so here's a little tip:

Dollar Store vinyl shower curtain cut to cover the fabric!

Brilliant!

I know your dying to know how much this cost me... the total was $6.00 for paint, $5.00 for metal putty, and $10.00 for fabric/vinyl. That's a total of $21.00 for two like new outdoor chairs! Happy Dance!!! The cushions were free cause I just used fluffy blankets that were going to go to the thrift store.

As a side note I found those pillow for clearance at $2.50 a piece, and if I get tired of them I can just used them as a pillow form for another pillow case!

Project Procrastination

So I was just looking at the inspired room blog, and they are having a project procrastination party! I have two weeks to completely remake these two chairs. I know I probably should have just thrown them out the window, but lets see how things go first. Wish me luck! Here are the before pics...

Pretty sick, but you cant beat a couple of free chairs!

A much needed facelift

My kitchen doesn't have a ton of storage, so a few years ago I bought this shelf. It worked great for the space, other than it was an eye sore. My excuse was that I was renting and I didn't need anything to look nice because it would be too expensive and too much work. So this sat in the kitchen for a few years just like this, but with more stuff on it...


I wanted to give it a face life and needed accessories. I have been buying white plates galore and I found this sweet little spice rack at the thrift store, but I could get more use out of it than just spices. So after giving everything a quick coat of black spray paint...


TA DA!!! Now it looks more like a hutch. I have made more space in the cupboards and I am in lurve every time I look at it.

It may not be a real hutch, but I love it! Now I used mostly things I already had. The spice rack was only three dollars and it makes the perfect top to these shelves. Total cost of project was under $15! Now what do you think of that??

Can I just say white plates are amazing! Every time I go to the thrift store I look for cute white plates, and usually am successful.

A needed shelf

I have been looking for a shelf for a while now. Nothing fancy, just something for my storage room. It is funny how you see thing differently when you are reusing and thrifting. This shelf has been in the garage since I can remember, and I never really looked at it. It was garbage. Left for the birds in a woodpile. Can you see all the grime and dirt. First I nailed and screwed it back together, then removed any loose nails or staples. Then got out the scrubber and cleaned out all the dirt and bird poop. This was not for the faint hearted. I had to put on the big rubber gloves for this job.
After I was done I needed a little snack and break. Yum chocolate milk and granola bar.

This is just after cleaning it up. After cleaning out all the dirt and removing the plastic from the shelf I found out that this used to be a Doctor Scholls shoe rack. Funny how things can be used.

Next I applied a coat of Kills, and white paint. I have used this for various projects over the years. It has been four years and I'm only 1/3 of the way through!

Wow what a difference! Perfect for the storage room and didn't cost me a thing. Now look through those junk piles, you may see thing differently when looking a second time!

Grapevine Topiary

Okay so I'm not sure if that's what these are called, but I love decorating with 'em. I have seen these made with larger branches and love it as well, but the grapevine I had on hand was this smaller size.

Here's a quick tutorial on making these. They come together pretty quick, but if your vine is prickly WEAR GLOVES! This vine was fine without gloves, but to be safe and splinter free put on the work gloves.



I like how versatile it is to decorate with these. I just put them on a candle holder or large vase. They just bring nature to a scene and complement the design.

The first step is to SOAK. I let them bath in the water for about an hour. Don't worry, the water maybe swamp like looking, but there weren't any bad odors.

After soaking it pull some of the branches apart. This part is probably the longest step and the most annoying, but this depends on how spindly your branches are.

Next wrap a branch around your finger, like making a yarn ball. First you twirl it around two fingers.

Then take another branch and twirl it around the the circle of branches. Keep adding branches and you will see the ball start to form.

Like this...just keep adding more branches to the ball, and it will get bigger and bigger just like a ball of string.

As you go along put the ends back inside the ball. This will keep the shape.

The last step is to put all the ends back into the ball. Just weave them back into the ball.

Viola!

And there you have it!

I bought the grapevine at the thrift store for $2.00, I have made four balls so far and used less than half of the total vine. Always keep your eyes peeled for a good deal on vines, because the possibilities are endless with a little vine and creativity!