Last week, I picked up this dowdy bench with really great lines at a local thrift store.  It was $12.  I transformed it this past weekend with fresh paint, a bit of silk, and some custom fabric covered buttons.  If you want to know how to create a custom tufted seat, follow the tutorial at the end of this post.

Here’s the Before and After:

The first thing that had to go was the original fabric.  Ewwww.  The bench seat was easily removed with a screwdriver, but those side cushions were another story.  I thought they would simply peel off with a little tugging.  I was way wrong.  I had to take the end of a hammer to them, and the inner stuffing completely disintegrated in the process.  Pliers were necessary to get the green fabric off.

The paint had yellowed, so I decided to prime it and give it a fresh coat of white paint.  Then I gave it a good coat of spray paint in RustOleum’s ‘Heirloom White’.

Once the bench’s wood frame was completely painted, I recovered the bench with some fabric and a staple gun in some pale green silk.   [That’s “lemongrass” colored silk from Joann’s Fabrics – it was on sale for $8 for 2 feet.] Note:  If you are tufting a cushion, make sure you drill your holes through the seat cushion before you cover with fabric.

Tufting Tutorial for a Bench or Cushion

Supplies:

1. Screwdriver to create holes in seat cushion
2. Long needles (called Decorator Needles) from craft store
3. Thin twine or embroidery thread (regular sewing thread is not strong enough)
4. Button cover kits
5. Staple gun and staples

Once the bench had been covered in fabric, I created the custom buttons with the scraps of silk leftover and some custom button kits.  These kits make it very simple to use your fabric of choice to create custom buttons for tufting with the same fabric you use to cover your seat cushion.

Thread your decorator needle with the thin twine or embroidery thread.  Push the needle up from the bottom through the pre-drilled hole.  Once you come up on top of the cushion, thread your needle through the button.  Push the needle back down through the hole and pull button tight to fabric to create desired amount of tufting.

Use your staple gun to secure the thread to the underside of the cushion.  Staple the thread once, then pull the thread in the opposite direction, and staple it down again.  Secure with a knot.

One final problem with my bench was covering the marks from those previous side cushions.  Rather than creating my own side cushions like I did here and here, I chose to keep the sides open and airy.  I covered the marks from the previous cushions with hot glue and some simple gimp trim.

Bench $12, Primer and Paint $6, Fabric $8, Button Kits $7, Needles $4, Embroidery Thread $1.  Total = $38  Isn’t it amazing what a little paint and fabric can do?

Isn’t it amazing what a little paint and fabric can do?

Yesterday I promised I’d show you my finds from Sunday’s local Antique Fair.  Okay, here goes. 

First, I found these huge genuine crystals at a lamp dealer, and haggled him into selling me six of them for $12.  [Total steal, cause these puppies retail for $7 to $10 a piece.]  

I dismantled one of my broken necklaces, and used it to attach the six almond shaped crystals to my dining room chandelier. 

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I circle the local thrift stores like a vulture.  Last week at the St. Vincent de Paul, I saw an abused coffee table with a beveled glass top and really great potential. 

The price tag read $25.  I walked away.  I came back two days later to bargain, and she was still there, but marked down to $17.  Yay for me!

I wrestled this puppy into my car with the help of my mom (thanks Mom!) and gingerly drove home, far below the speed limit and while biting my fingernails, cause I could hear that glass rattling in the back.  (I guess we should have asked for more duct tape.) At home, I prepped it for its spray paint makeover. 

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I was at the Goodwill store with my sister-in-law the other day and she spotted a very abused dresser. She very much wanted a dresser for my nephews who share a room, and she was particularly fond of the “piratey” hardware. Unfortunately, it looked like a hunk of junk.

Centsational Aunty to the rescue! I promised I could bring it back to life. Daring me, she plunked down the $15 listed on the price tag.  Accepting her dare, I bought the following supplies: MinWax tinted stain in Antique Red ($8), some medium grade sandpaper ($3), and one new pull in chrome for $3 (which I later spray painted ‘antique bronze’ with Rustoleum to match the existing hardware).

It’s done!

You can imagine what a dresser like this costs retail!  My 9 year old and 7 year old pirate loving nephews are going to love it ! I can already picture their pirate ship and treasure chest sitting on top. Aarrgggh.

Dresser $15
Tinted stain $8
Sandpaper $3
New pull hardware $3

Total cost: $29  – sweet! 

[4/29/09 Author's Update: This project won the Minwax company's Showcase Project - see this post.]

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