Upholster Chair

Recovering This End Up Style Kindergarten Chairs

As a parent of two elementary school students, I always ask my kids’ teachers if they need anything for their room. Usually the answer is markers, wipes, or snacks. But, my kindergartner’s teacher knows about my secret identity after having taught my older son for a year. So, she didn’t hesitate to ask me if I could possibly recover a few really sad looking chairs that had seen their fair share of kindergarten butts.

These poor chairs were still very study, but the fabric was nubby, pilled and stained. I love a good challenge, so I took all three of the chairs home over the Christmas break.

The first task involved removing the seats. Before I touched the seats, I flipped over the chairs and marked the front side of the chair so they would fit together perfectly when I put them back together. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Before and After, chair re-upholster, DIY, Furniture, Kids Room, milk paint, painting chair, polyurethane, re-upholster, re-upholster seat cushion, ReNew, Sewing, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial, Upcycling, Upholster Chair

Sewing a Bench Cushion with Piping

14 Jan posted by Brittany Bailey

I’ve made some progress this weekend on the desk for our kitchen. This was the keystone in the decision making process for the color of our cabinets. I wanted to see what the color would look like in the kitchen, on a real piece of furniture before spending big bucks on cabinets. I’m happy to say that after trying a few different colors, I’m in love with Copen Blue by Sherwin Williams. I think the skies might have just cleared and I heard the distant chorus of angels singing “Hallelujah!” Yes, it was that big of a moment!

You can see this beautiful blue in The DIY Show Off’s Beach Eclectic Cottage Room that she designed for Shaw with Cassity from Remodelaholic.

This week will be a busy one, I have several projects to start; several to finish; need to pull a permit and I REALLY need to order a refrigerator. If you have one you absolutely love, I’m open to your suggestions. Currently we have a 18 year old side by side. I’m thinking a 25 cu ft or larger french door fridge might be better suited to a growing family of boys.

But, I’m sure you aren’t here to listen to me ramble. So, instead I have a tutorial for making a bench cushion with piping.

Before we get started I wanted to let you in on a little secret: The bench cushion and side table fabrics you see below are actually shower curtains!

You read that right. Shower curtains are not only inexpensive, but they are durable and can stand up to moisture. This makes them perfect for outdoor use. I bought both of these at Target for under $20 each!

[Read more...]

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Filed Under: decor, garden bench, Seat Cushion, Sewing, Tutorial, Upholster Chair

Making an Upholstered Bench from a Coffee Table – DIY Talent Madigan Made

24 Apr posted by Brittany Bailey

Look up there! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no wait…it’s Madigan Made! That’s right, Shannon from Madigan Made is here and she leads a double life. She’s the Clark Kent of the blogging world. By day, Shannon is a pharmacist and by night she moonlights as a creative magician and blogger. This creative genius casts magical spells on ordinary objects and turns them into extraordinary home furnishings and décor.

One thing I love about Shannon is that she never fails to amaze me with her transformations. They are always fresh ideas and the fact that she has the energy to complete DIY projects and hold a full-time job leaves me speechless. Check out just a sampling of her projects.

And now I see some sparks glowing in the distance. They are moving towards us at warp speed, which only means one thing…Madigan Made is in the house! [Read more...]

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Filed Under: built-in window seat, DIY, fabric, Furniture, Guests, re-upholster, re-upholster seat cushion, Tutorial, Upcycling, Upholster Chair, upholstering bench

Thanks for the Laughs, SkyMall

17 Mar posted by Brittany Bailey

Today I am going to deviate from my usual tutorial posts. If you came over for your DIY fix, you can see my post on re-upholstering a $5 yard sale chair on Time 2 Save Workshops HERE.

But, if you really need a good laugh today (like I do), please continue reading.

On our flight to Florida I found myself captivated by the Skymall catalog. Some of the products had me laughing out loud. I knew I had to share some of these fabulously silly products with y’all.

<<Ding Dong>>

Pretty Handsome Guy: “Honey, can you get the door?”

Me: “Oh, it is just Buddy..”

PHGuy: “Why is Buddy ringing the doorbell.”

Me: “Because he wants to go out.”

A week later…

<<Ding Dong>>

PHGuy: “Oh for Pete’s sake. Does that dog really want to out again? He rings that doorbell every 5 minutes.

Me: “I’ll let him out in a few minutes.”

<<Ding Dong>>

Me: “Oh no! It really was the doorbell. It was a Girl Scout with my cookies. Come Back!!!”

Guess what! You don’t have to hide the litter box anymore! Oh happy day…instead you can put this <<ahem>> attractive planter with a gigantic hole in it in your living room!
In fact, you can put it front and center in your room and use it as one gigantic focal point. I have to call Erin at Two Story Cottage about this. There must be some rule against focal points that are just plain U-G-L-Y!

Peek-a-boo! Speaking of wrong, this product photo just creeps me out. Is that a lady climbing out of an under the bed storage box? Or is she a zombie coming out of a coffin.

Pretty Handsome Guy: “Hi, honey I’m home. Oh no, rough day?”

Me: “What? Why do you ask?”

PHGuy: “Oh no reason, do you have a headache?”

Me: “Why yes, how did you know?”

PHGuy: “I think it was the steel brain-sucker thingy resting on your head that tipped me off.”

So, you finally planned a get-a-way to the beach. But, when you get there you have to put down this gigantic mat to protect you from the (horror of all horrors!) sand. Ummm, okay. So, why did you go to the beach?

Helen goes to the beauty parlor every week to get her hair set. One thing she never leaves home without is her Sit-n-Stroll. Isn’t that smart? She can work out and exercise while sitting under the dryer. She is so thrilled with herself that she just ignores Eunice who is LAUGHING her curls off looking at Helen!”

I have to admit, that Sit-N-Stroll is tempting. Do you think it could help me lose that blogger bloat! Afterall, it counts calories, time, steps and much more! (Wonder if it has a blog post word count tracker and Tweet Deck installed?)

I get the concept, but I want to know, who awarded this product something and what was the award for?
“And the best way to train your cat to use the toilet award goes to………”

What do you tell your guests when they want to use the toilet and your cat is already using it?
Me: “Sorry, you’ll have to wait a minute. Felix is in there. Oh, and don’t mind the claw marks on the toilet paper. Sometimes he uses it as a scratching post.”

I am definitely one who appreciates the freedom of hands-free. That is why I loved my baby carriers when my boys were babies. But, this just looks ridiculous. Tell me you wouldn’t bust out laughing if you saw someone wearing this at the airport?! The “Helpy” looks like a suitcase bra to me. And what happens when she is rushing to catch her connecting flight and stops short? <<Guffaw, snort, snort!>> I’m just laughing thinking about it.

This faux birdhouse may reduce the noise of your dog barking. But, the birds will be squawking up a racket trying to get into this birdhouse.

That is just plain cruelty to birds!

Dude, if you think putting this thing on your head every night is going to restore your confidence, you better think again. Can’t you just see the ribbing he’d get from his friends when they came over to watch football with him?

Then again, who knows, maybe it would turn into an i-Restore party for men. “Brent, Dude, pass the i-Restore! You’re hogging it.” ” Ooo, I can really feel it working. Mark, Dude, you gotta try this.”

Now, I bring you some fabulous home décor products that you must have in your home!

This life sized “Mademoiselle” Lamp will be sure to turn heads, (if it doesn’t scare the you-know-what out of you every time you go downstairs in the middle of the night.)

The next morning:

Me: “Honey, why does our “Mademoiselle” Lamp look – errrr – beat up?”

Pretty Handsome Guy: “You’d knock her head off too if she tried to attack you in the middle of the night!”

Okay, so the lady lamp wasn’t quite your style. Well, how about this lovely lawn statue:

The good thing about this sculpture is that my neighbor’s dogs or cats would no longer roam in my yard. Then again, I don’t think we could ever get Buddy out in the yard to do his business again. Hmmm, might have to skip this one.

I saved the best for last…Introducing Sperm Shoes!!! And LOOK! They even explain the rationale behind their logo: “Slick Seed of Life Logo – Because it’s cool!” That was some sales pitch!

Have low sperm count? Wear these shoes!

Are you pregnant but can’t share the news yet? Wear sperm shoes and keep ‘em guessing.

Disclaimer: I was not paid by SkyMall to share these products with you. I don’t get a commission if you buy them. In fact, their lawyers are probably drawing up a cease and desist letter right now, asking me to delete this post. So enjoy it while it lasts!

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Filed Under: Laughter, Upholster Chair

The Painted Cottage – A Tour of My Favorite Store at the Beach

14 Aug posted by Brittany Bailey

We just got back from a very relaxing week at the beach. The weather was perfect and our boys really enjoyed playing in the surf. I think we brought back a bit too much of the beach with us (sandy sheets, hair and toes). But, at least we had fun!

My mom and I spent an afternoon shopping at the outlets in Myrtle Beach, but not before stopping at my favorite location in Ocean Isle Beach, NC.

A place where I can look at lots of this:

Admire plenty of this:

And go ga ga for this:

All these and more can be found at The Painted Cottage.

This eclectic shop is an adorable boutique with sherbert colored walls and oodles of antiques, art and shabby chic finds. I could spend hours browsing this store and still not see everything.

Here is just a sampling of what is inside:

Did you see that white oyster shell mirror on the wall?
How about the same mirror with black oyster shells?

Very chic in black, don’t you think?

Precious blue bottles with coral and starfish lids

I just love this summery beach wreath spray painted light blue
and accented with ribbon, coral and shells.

Don’t you just love this red floral wingback chair with the starfish throwpillow?

(Realistically I know it would only last 2 minutes in my house before being plucked off
the pillow by my boys or crushed during wrestling matches.
But, I can dream about it, right?!)

A Trio of Starfish on Burlap

Another unique way to decorate with an old window and wine corks!

Whoa! I just found Daisy’s twin? She looks fab in red.

Hey, another coincidence! A chair with the same P. Kaufmann fabric
as my daisy chair and bench in my guest room (only in a different colorway.)

Let me tell you, The Painted Cottage has the best decorative chairs.
Like this blue rattan chair.

Or this shabby chic floral detailed chair

I’m crazy about this child size rustic chair with the monkey fist knot ball

And just the aqua color of this chair has me hooked

More aqua color on this vanity and clear glass lamp

Catching my breath as I spot this gorgeous aqua armoire!

I’m only pulled away from the armoire by these glass beauties.
Am I part magpie? Why am I so fixated on shiny shinies?

This dresser pulled me out of my aqua fixation.
Beautiful sea foam green.

Will you look at this lampshade?! Fabric flowers sewn to the shade. Heavenly!
I can’t wait for one of you crafty readers to write up a tutorial on this.

or how about this lamp? LOVE IT, right?!

A beautiful hydrangea painting

Upon closer inspection, the flowers are actually cut magazine photos.
How clever!

The store has an abundance of signs with clever sayings.

“Barefoot is Bliss” so true!

“At the Beach we live by the currents and follow the sun”

“Dogs have owners, cats have staff”

That black bench under the throws is another headboard bench.

This sign just kills me…get it? KILLs me. Okay, sorry, that was corny.

The crab shack

More artwork and accents

So, if you make your way down to the southernmost beaches of North Carolina’s unique barrier islands, (or even if you are in Myrtle Beach). Take the time to stop by and visit The Painted Cottage at 6692 Beach Drive, Ocean Isle Beach, NC. (Phone ahead for hours and directions: 910-579-5995). Be sure to tell them that I sent you. (I am not paid by the Painted Cottage, I only hope they remember me next year when I go back.)

Best of all, if you haven’t had your fill of eye candy from this post, visit the shop’s website: thepaintedcottageonline.com or blog: thepaintedcottageonline.blogspot.com