A Little Shabby But It Will Be Chic!

The Craig's List chair update is here, but first a quick recap.  I bought this chair on Craig's List last week for a whopping $20!  Here is the original post.

A great find I think.  But it needed a little slipcover love.  I quickly found that any good slipcover was going to cost me $40 to $75 which would quickly take my purchase from frugal to eek, what did I do!  So I set out to find another solution.  My solution was to buy the slipcover I wanted out of the clearance bin (virtual clearance bin I should say...I bought it at everyslipcover.com) for 19 buckaroos but it was merchandise that had been returned but "not majorly damaged".  Of course no returns but free shipping.  Count me in!  The slipcover arrived a couple days ago and guess what...perfect condition.  No damage at all!

So I pulled it out of the packaging and let it sit flat for a couple of days, which got some but not all of the wrinkles out.  And then I got to work putting it on the chair...

I even read the directions...so unlike me.  Step one lay it on the chair.  Done.  Step two start to line up the seams.

Step three (this is my favorite part) take a large kitchen spoon and use the handle to tuck in the pieces.  So that is what I did, tucked, tucked and tucked. 

So a work in progress.  More wrinkles then I would like and not tucked perfectly but I will keep working with it and get it there.  With the right pillows, an ottoman and a cozy throw this shabby Craig's List find will be my chic little reading spot in no time. 

Now you may be wondering why I took these pictures in such a boring location.  I do have a reason and it is all part of this big secret I am keeping from you.  Actually it is a big secret I am keeping from someone else, but by default that means I am also keeping it from you.  But it will all be revealed soon...patience dear friends...patience!

Fabric Makes Great Art

First of all, sorry I have been MIA this week.  I was ambushed by that nasty cold that is going around.  But 4 days in bed and I am back in action with a bunch of new projects on deck.  And I just finished one 10 minutes ago...

So you have seen this fabric in a few of my earlier posts.  Well, it is time to put it to use.

This is the easiest project in the world and really thrifty too!  Fabric canvas art...you have probably seen it done before but let me break down the simple steps for you here. Start out by strolling through your local craft or fabric store (this is the fun part).  Pick out a couple of fabrics that inspire you.  To make the size art I did you will need 1/2 a yard of each fabric.  So we are talking $10 investment so far.  Then head to the art isle and pick out 4 canvas boards.  I used 10x10 boards.  About $6 each.   

Simply lay the board down on the fabric and cut squares about an inch larger then the canvas on each side.  No exact measurements needed.

Grab your iron and quickly iron each piece of fabric using the "dry" setting.  Then lay the board on the fabric and start wrapping it and stapling it like a present.  (You will need a staple gun here.)

Easy enough...right!  It really is that simple.  And the grand total for all 4 art pieces was $34!  That is $8.50 per piece.  Seriously!  $8.50!  You can barely buy Starbucks for that much!

Now please ignore the top right canvas.  I ran out of staples with 6 left to go. Grrrrr!  That is what I get for thinking "I wont have to come back here for a while" as I was walking out of JoAnn's this morning.  So one more trip to the store and the project is done. 

Now I will reveal more details as the week goes on, but this is all part of a bigger project I have in the mix.  But the project is top secret!  Hehehehe I love the suspense!  You will just have to wait and see!