137/365: Before and After!

I have been blogging in chronological order, but I have to stop here and post my  Before and After! As you know, I love me some blog stalking and get a special thrill out of seeing someone post about how they found something at a yard sale or in a basement and made it super cute and useful in their home.  Now it is my turn!! (I will probably post Sofia's birthday pics in a few days, since I have just caught up with the trip and have to be at school for the first day back tomorrow --it is scandalous how late I am up right now!)

This summer I have made it my mission to find things on the cheap to make my house and/or classroom even more cute and homey than it already is :-P   I have hit garage sales, my dad's basement, loans and castoffs from friends, and have also been known to see something along the side of the road and stop and turn around to quickly toss it into the van! (I can't describe the thrill--10 kinds of fun!)

So one rainy day after our trip, Sof and I were on our way running errands or to dad's house or something, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but not just 1, but 2 chairs, laying on their sides at the end of my neighbor's driveway (only two doors down-yikes!)  I put on the brakes, hit the hazard light button and hopped out into the pouring rain to nonchalantly pop them into the back of the van!  (I've never even met these folks and here I am pilfering their throwaways!) I wasn't even sure what I wanted them for, but they called to me! Then they sat in my car for a day or two and then in my garage for about 2 weeks.

so here is what they looked like in the garage:

Dusty, bar chair standards... but sturdy!

  And  finally last week--my last week of summer vacation--in true procrastinator form, I began painting them and recovered the seats! They are perfect for the shorter sides of my enamel top table (that I would've blogged about last summer when I refinished it had this blog been in existence!)

 Tah-dahhh!  I love them!


They were finished off last night when my friend Lori's husband brought along his drill to my End of the Summer Bonfire and screwed the chair pads back onto the frames for me! Thanks, David!!! I was so anxious to get them done! Sofia sat in hers today and it fits in her spot perfectly!

Just to sum up:

The chairs- garbage picked: free
the paint:-leftover: free
the seat cover- vinyl tablecloth that had a hole burned in it: free
borrowed power tools: free
much gratitude in my heart: priceless!