DIY Planter Chairs - A quick and easy project

The idea for chairs repurposed as outdoor planters came across my pinterest feed back in March, and like most things I pin, this idea gathered dust for a while before I decided to commit to it.

In part because annuals are on sale at most places right now, and given that I have two sets of broken-seated chairs in my garage awaiting a new life, it seemed like the perfect crafternoon activity post-work on Monday.

I had originally planned to remove the broken caning from the seats and simply drop a couple of old hanging planter pots into the openings. . . easy enough, but where's the challenge and fun in that? Not to mention that once I got the pots out and surveyed the amount of plants I had brought home, I realized that there wouldn't be quite enough space in the pots for the plants to be happy enough.

Plants!

Thing 1 and Thing 2; both seats in disrepair!

A Home for the Knick-Knacks & Treasures

Remember this sweet little shelf I scored last spring for free?

Furniture Face-lift: Dresser and Jelly-jar shelves

A coat of paint can make a world of difference for some pieces of furniture. And, when the local hardware store sells paint returns for pretty cheap; most gallons are $5, and most quarts are $1, I'm usually not too picky about the colors I'm getting for cheap.

Luckily I've scored some decent colors (I am kind of picky!), and earlier this summer found a gallon of light gray and quart of purple. I used the gray as a primer coat on the front door I scored, mainly to cover up the red that doesn't quite go with the house color. The door still hasn't been hung, but we're getting closer.

There are two pieces that needed a little face-lift now that the two rooms have been painted: my dresser, and a shallow shelf that is going to go in the guest croffice. The gray was perfect for both pieces and against the room wall colors, and the purple was a good accent against the gray for the dresser

Early April Updates - Projects Completed & Things in Progress

The snow is finally melting - I have a yard again! Well, almost. The ground is still quite frozen, so my plans to start laying out the gardens are on hold.

the melting snow has revealed that I still have a lot of leaves to rake.
and I'm so close to being able to take the holiday lights of the little front shrub -
however, the extension cord is still buried under a 2-ft plow pile

I'm on spring break - we are lucky to have two weeks - and am staycationing this year. I have more enough to do around the house, and not enough money in the bank to travel anywhere beyond my parent's over the mountain or possibly a trip to Montpelier or Burlington. But the sun is out today, and the temps are supposed to get up into the 50s this week!

Fabric-covered Switch plates & Outlet plates

When I painted the reading nook the other weekend (pictures to come!), I had to remove three outlet plates and one switch plate. I had planned to paint the outlet covers with the wall paint, and the switch plate with the trim color, but of course I set them aside and forgot about them until after everything was cleaned up. Not that it would have been a huge deal to open the paint and do it, but I decided instead to give them a little face lift with some fabric.


the makings of a craft project:
operation update-the-plates

I wanted to stick with the blue accent I have going in that corner (the drapes are blue, as is a quilted hanging that is on the back of the chair, and a poster hanging on one wall has a bit of blue in it, too). I have a respectable collection of fabric and found a blue piece that has a bit of a celestial pattern, with lighter swirls and little stars. The fabric worked with the drapes, and looked good against the wall color, too.

Furniture Facelift: Vintage Dresser

I scored this vintage dresser from the "indoor yard-sale" shop down on the main drag through town. I figured it would be more expensive, and drove by it several days before I decided to take the plunge. I anticipated needing to talk the guy down, but for $25, I decided it was a steal. And I lucked out - another person had looked at it earlier in the day but passed it over since she couldn't figure out how to get it home. Yet another reason I have a Subaru wagon - I can usually make things fit!

hello vintage dresser. welcome to your new home.

Pocket Change on Display and a Sticky Solution to an Ugly File Cabinet

I'm almost entirely moved in, save for a few larger things (couch, ski box, cruiser bike) that I'll eventually get here. And by moved in I mean that the tubs and boxes that were in the storage unit and my parents barn are now in various places in the house. Mostly the man-cave. I haven't done much painting yet, even though I was able to move in at the beginning of September, before the closing (this week!). Of course, when I do get around to painting I'll need to move some furniture around, but since I haven't settled on too many colors yet, nor bought more than a gallon of the few colors I have decided on, I'm not too worried. Eventually there will be before and after pictures of the rooms, but for now, I'm still picking away at the little projects, because I need to feel like I've accomplished something. Even if it takes less than 10 minutes. It's still finishing it, right?

 

Pocket Change

In the process of unpacking and sorting, I'm finding a lot of treasures that have been tucked away for a number of years, and a good amount of things that are destined for new homes. The yard sale/donation pile grows by the day, and I'm thinking I might start sending random things to friends who I think would appreciate them. If you're up for a free surprise, let me know! One treasure I came across the other day was an old cardboard cigar box, which I know I've had since I was probably 9 or 10, that has a bunch of coins from other countries, as well as some paper money. Some of it came from trips abroad that I've taken (Italy, Germany, Ireland) and some of it is from others who have traveled, like my Grandmother, or my Grandad. I suppose at some point I could have taken all the money into the bank and exchanged it, but a lot of the coins are neat, and I love the colors and artwork on the paper bills.

some coins in a box.
also known as art that hides the wireless router.

I decided I wanted do have them out on display, and as much as I love the "mason-jar-filled-with-____" trend, I have enough of those full of shells and beach glass already. So instead, I went the route of a shadow-box. I found a 5 x 5 frame that was about an inch deep and the way the mats were cut and displayed, it gave the frame a shadow-box feel. The paper bills were "artfully arranged" (that's key crafting terminology) behind a mat towards the back of the frame, and the coins were settled in the front against the glass (plastic). Voila!
 

Furniture Facelift: Low Bookshelf Edition

Another free score for the house! This bookshelf, like the hutch from a few posts ago, only needed a couple of coats of paint to make it room-ready. My dad did replace the back, although it didn't necessarily need it. Not a huge deal when it comes to getting free stuff, right? The story behind the shelf, however, is pretty neat.

First, painting the shelf.

bookshelf, with new back (courtesy of dad)

Furniture Facelift: Hutch Edition

I'm all about bargain & thrift shopping, especially now that I've (almost) got a house. Earlier this summer I swung by the ReStore in Burlington to window shop for furniture for the impending move. I hadn't planned on buying anything, but when I saw this piece, I knew immediately that it would be a perfect kitchen/dinning room piece. A little elbow grease got the grime off it - of which there was quite a bit. Word to the wise when donating things to thrift stores/etc.: at least try to scrub off the grime before you drop it off. Nobody wants to scrape that junk off. 

little hutch. so much potential.
(it was a bit on the cheap-looking side. trust me.)

Furniture Facelift: Two Sidetables & an Ottoman

say no to crack

About a month ago I found a a small ottoman at the swap shop. Aside from the cracked seat, it was in good shape; it even has wheels for ease of moving it around the apartment! I didn't really need it (I don't really need anything from the swap shop), but I knew it would make a great foot rest for the arm chair, and the cats clearly need another object to sit on.


When I brought it home, I promptly put it in my neighbors empty apartment until I could find time to do something to make it slightly less ugly, or at least a little more comfortable. No one wants to sit on a cracked seat. Knowing I needed to give this seat a face lift reminded me that I should finally get around to giving a couple of side tables that I've had for a while a face lift, too. I had planned on painting them, but my apartment doesn't have a lot of space for such activities. Next door they went to wait their turn to be refurbished as well.