Transforming Thrifted Treasures!

I'm having so much fun lately scouring the Goodwill and my local Thrift Rite store for items that need a little TLC.  Amazing what a layer of paint or fabric can do. I love to see pictures of things people have gotten for pennies and then changed to something different.  I haven't gotten too drastic in the transformations yet, but I recently saw a old dresser that had been painted and changed to be a bench with drawers on the bottom and sides on facebook.  It was super cool.  I am hoping that one day I have even more time for such things.  But for now, I am having fun with these little changes that make a big difference.  Covering something with a new layer of fabric is quick and easy if it is just a cushion that can be removed.  Upholstering a piece of furniture is a whole different story but a cushion that can be unscrewed makes a fun and easy project.  Here are the steps:

1: Unscrew the screws holding the cushion on the piece of furniture...save 'em out of little people's reach.  2: Use a staple remover from a  craft or teacher store to remove any staples holding fabric on.  This ottoman had a fabric backing and I needed to keep it in the same position in order to screw it back on in the right places. 3: Either remove the old fabric or just leave it on and put the new stuff over! 4: Wash and cut the new fabric and staple it on with a staple gun. Screw the parts all back together.

Yay, so much better and only 9.00 spent!  Here are a few other projects I've been up to.  My sewing room is finally getting color coordinated!

$4 table for displaying a sewing machine my mom gave me.

I forgot to take a "before" picture of this shelf:(, but it was a really dark wood, was scratched and looked like it needed refinishing, so I painted it my favorite color!

Finally a place for some fabric piles! The thread storage above the shelf was a little oak spice rack that I spent $3 on at Goodwilll and painted also. Getting a room coordinated and made into a space I like has always been a slow process for me...as in it takes years. But, I am often inspired by pictures or other people's resourcefulness. Man, working in small time increments does wonders too!  A revelation for me instead of trying to finish all at one time! If you love it too, Happy Thrifting!