Thursday, September 3, 2009

Frugal Friday~

Hello all of my Frugal OCD (Obsessively Consumed with Decorating) readers! Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday!!

This week I wanted to talk a little bit about frugal furniture...you know the kind you get at a tag sale, at the thrift store or free on the side of the road (that's my FAVORITE kind). I mean, let's be honest, unless you're a master carpenter - or you have one for a best friend - you can't just pick up anything you see. You have to use a little discernment regarding what you can realistically do.

For example, if you find a great dresser, check the drawers. Do they open and close easily? If not, can you fix the problem easily? Is it just a matter of some glue, or are there serious structural problems?

How about an upholstered chair? Does it smell? Is the upholstery lumpy? Can you make a slipcover? Do you know how to upholster? Do you have someone who can do it for you without breaking the bank?


Let's take this sweet little rocking chair for instance. I found this on the side of the road on the way home from a dental appointment with the Princess. I passed it by at first, but then decided I had to have a second look.



Apart from the fact that the back is missing, the chair is in great condition.




The caning is perfect! That would not have been an easy fix.


And the missing back won't be that big a deal. I have a plan.


Here's a rendering of what I hope to do to this little chair. Don't look too closely, I drew this quickly! And I don't have a scanner on this computer so I had to take a photo of the drawing...sorry!



I'm going to paint her white. (Even the caning. I know there are those out there who will think I'm CRAZY for doing that, but I think it will look beautiful!)


Then I'm going to upholster the back. First I'll create a framework using upholstery webbing, then add some batting, add some muslin, and then some great tan linen (only $6.99 at JoAnn's!). Then to finish it off, I'm going to add nailhead trim.


I'll post the project when I'm all done, so stay tuned.

If you are realistic about what you can do, and picky about what you bring home, frugal furniture can be a great way to dress up your home.
Next week I'm hosting another FRUGAL FRIDAY LINKY PARTY!! Get your frugal decorating ideas ready, and then link up to share with all our Frugal OCD friends! Can't wait to see the frugal goodness you all come up with this time around!!


Have a great weekend~

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