Lately I've been inspired many, many times by Kimba, and all of the clever things she does with older furniture. I've been wanting to try re-doing something myself, but hadn't yet figured out what I'd do, or what I'd do to it. Last night, inspiration finally struck.
I've had this Hopeless Chest for probably 16 or 17 years now. It was given to me by my parents and my grandmother for Christmas one year while I was in high school. At first it held the odds and ends that people gave to me for my "future," as well as the wool cloak that my high school beau gave me. But as the years have passed, it is now my "random holiday decorations" holder, with various pieces for various holidays where I only put out a few little things. (4th of July, Birthdays, Thanksgiving, etc.)
After moving several times, having kids and then a large dog that likes to sleep on it, it's ended up looking...neglected. And the former cat of the household can take credit for the tear.
I know...Gross. Please believe me when I say this is not an example of the rest of my house. This thing has been sitting in my entry way for a few years now, and I've been embarrassed by it's shabby cover, over and over. I don't know why it took me so long to get on it, but I finally realized last night that this chest was my opportunity to try recovering something. Now I needed to find some material. It didn't take long for me to consider the "tablecloth section" of my daughter's closet. In there, I found a tablecloth that I've loved for years, but has unfortunately gotten a large ink stain and can't be used for anything besides art projects. I pulled it out to discover there was plenty of space on it that would easily fit my chest. This afternoon I got to work.
Thanks to my Hubby and his vast collection of Manly Tools, I didn't have to invest in anything but some manual labor. He was wonderful enough to help me in getting the staples out of the old cover. It was astounding how many of them there were, and how difficult they were to get out. But out they all came, and finally I was ready to do my part.
The material of the tablecloth was easy to work with, and because it has a pattern, I didn't have any trouble cutting correctly. I tried to keep things as even as possible, and because of the stripes, I didn't tug too hard on either side. In the end, here's how it looked on the bottom.
And here's how it looked when we turned it over. Success!
I'm really happy with how it turned out, and now I have a little bit of color in that corner of the room. I do like reds and fall colors for my house, so it fits right in. More importantly, I won't wait so long next time to re-cover it, and I certainly won't get upset if someone accidentally gets dirt on my old tablecloth.
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6 comments:
I'm doing a happy dance!!! I love it! It looks fantastic and you really did a great job! What a great idea to use a tablecloth. I hate throwing tablecloths away even when I don't use them anymore because of a mark or stain. Perfect way to make them useful!
You know, with all the fiddling I do with my furniture, it never occured to me to recover the top of my cedar chest. I have a beautiful one that my dad gave me years ago. It's a sentimental piece but it's been kept in a spare bedroom because I don't like the fabric that covers the top. Kind of shallow, I know.
Now you've inspired me! Thanks!
Doesn't it feel good to finally tackle something like that?! Very cool!
Yay! A new bed for Simba!
Looks so good, great job!I have an award for you, come get it on my blog!
That looks great! I love it. I love the colors.
Thanks for the uplifting comments, everyone!
And Ali -- you are TOO CORRECT in your statement! lol! Simba loves this spot. He rests his "beak" (as the kids call it) on the window and lays out.
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