Fall Cleaning??? Landed me a Toy Chest

I have heard of spring cleaning...who hasn't?  But Fall cleaning?  Maybe it's because the weather around here is even nicer than spring that is getting people in the mood to clean and de-clutter.  I however am in fall mode which mean collecting and settling in for the winter.  Hahah I sound like a squirrel.    Either way I am gaining huge from the purging others are doing.

My parents are re-doing their kitchen which for some reason means they are purging and cleaning out their basement?  I don't ask questions, I just benefit from their free-sale in their garage.  This weekend The Hubby went over to help move some of their unwanted furniture into their garage.  The Boss and I joined them for breakfast and then I headed to the garage to collect my goods.  One of the things they were getting rid of was this white wicker toy box that was in my younger sisters room about 16 years ago.

One of my pet peeves, and I am sure I have said this a thousand times, is a house that resembles a Toys R Us.  Don't get me wrong, we buy The Boss pretty much everything she wants but I see no need in letting it clutter our home.  I also don't child proof my home (ie. move breakable things out of reach...I just tell her no) but that is a discussion for a different day.  Back to the toy box, I wasn't really loving the white wicker but every good DIYer knows that a good piece is just a spray can away from being a great piece.  I decided to take a risk and spray the toy box a bright colour.  It is for a child after all.  I grabbed a can of Krylon Ivy Leaf, took advantage of the gorgeous weather this weekend, and sprayed my little heart out.

I was a little worried about the colour.  The can looks more olivey thank yellow however after one coat it looked really yellowy which I was not going for, the second and third coat helped a little.

Here is the finished toy chest.  I think the colour is a total fail.  I wanted it to be a pop of colour but this is a little extreme.

  I am going to try to add throw pillows ect. but in the mean time I am brainstorming other colours...suggestions?  I am considering doing it a metallic, perhaps bronze or maybe even gold.  I will add pictures of it in the room once I work with it a little.  Stay tuned!

 

Waiting Bench

When I was growing up, my parents had a bench in their foyer that we jokingly referred to as the waiting bench. The name was the result of multiple different men over the years who had found themselves taking a seat waiting for one of the three girls to be ready to go out for the night.  In an effort to spice up my small foyer I decided to add a bench, and while there are no men waiting on this bench (yet), it serves its purpose for me to pull on my boats and store the Boss' outdoor accessories.

I started with a tv stand from IKEA.  We are renovating our bedroom and no longer need these for nightstands.

I used a piece of wood cut to fit the top of the stand, spray adhesive, batting, carpenter glue and canvas material from IKEA.

 I cut the batting to size and used the adhesive to stick the sheets together and then to the piece of wood.  I used 4 sheets but you can continue to layer them until you reach the softness you desire.  I then cut the material adding an inch all the way around the bench pad.  Next, place the batting face down on the back of the material and pull the sides up tight.  Use the staple gun to attach the fabric to the back of the bench pad.  I then used wood glue to secure the pad to the bench and my husband placed 4 screws (one in each corner) for me to ensure that they wouldn't separate.  I finished the look by adding two small baskets on the bottom shelf to keep the Boss' stuff.  Easy!!!