I had this ugly (and disgusting) storage ottoman in the garage. It was filthy so I couldn't give it away and I didn't want to just throw it out because it had a bit of sentimental value. Ms. Thang's BFF gave her this for Christmas filled with gifts. (Talk about awesome wrapping idea right?) but after a bunch of abuse, it started to look a little icky. So it sat out there in the dust for about a year.
I was thinking the living room could use a touch of fun fabric and seeing this ottoman outside, I decided to recover it. Now, I should say that I have had a lot of trouble when it comes to picking fabric prints that work well together in a room. That's why most of my throw pillows, blankets, curtains etc.. are solids.
Yes, I am foreshadowing. This project did not go as I had hoped. And it started out so well!
I found a few reupholstering blogs on pinterest, specifically for these storage ottomans (originally from Target for $20 and if you are interested in doing one yourself (which I doubt after you see mine finished) there is one on Craigslist right now. It's even pink.) anyway, the tutorials were great. I looked up a bunch of fabric inspirations on pinterest as well and came up with these.
Take a good look at #2. See how its kind of the odd ball out? That should have been a sign NOT to go with it, however, when I went to Hancock Fabrics and I found something SO similar for HALF OFF, I took it as a sign to go for it!
Here is my fabric. Pretty close right?
When I got it home, I put it in the room and I felt hopeful. The print seemed a little small but the colors were working...
Oh, there are a few changes to my tray? How nice of you to notice! Lets zoom in...
Flowers were in the Target section at Salvation army. I paid $3 and they are still at Target currently for $15. Score! Also grabbed a bird from my fall decor box and sprayed it with silver metallic paint.
Ok ok...I'm procrastinating the bad ending. Back to the ottoman... so the fabric seemed ok. I was hopeful but leery because, as I said before, I have trouble when it comes to working patterned fabric into a room.
The tutorials online were great and with one quick seam (made a giant tube to go around the box) and my staple gun, I was done in a flash.
Hmm. Does it look like mosquito larvae to you? WELL IT DOES TO ME! I tried it around the room and it just wasn't working. Once the larvae thing was in my mind, I couldn't get it out. And the color just seamed to be reading as gray and...I don't like it. I've been hoping it grows on me.
I stuck it over by the yellow cabinet (I love the cabinet, but hate the decor on top and inside. It needs help) and I've been looking for something to put on either end, thinking of something like
these,
but the ottoman looks wrong. boxy next to boxy. It's the stack of Christmas gifts I don't feel like opening. lol
At least someone loves it...
My precious Cutecumber sitting on the larvae box.
I whipped up a couple of other projects to make myself feel better. I found 3 fabric covered canvases for under $1 each at Helping Hands. I ripped off the fabric (FYI, hot glue peels right off canvas) and used one of them to show a little Beatles love on the mantle..
I need to paint the edges black. Not sure if it will stay here, but I like it. I just printed it off, colored the back with pencil, retraced it onto my canvas (pencil acts like copy paper) and filled it in with a sharpie. Done. And while I was printing, I came up with this too. I think they call it subway art? I don't know if I did it right, I just put it together in a way that looked good to me.
I was going to put it on canvas too, but I got lazy and just stuck it in a frame I already had. Hey, 3 projects in one day, I'm allowed to take short cuts. I added sticky tabs I had left over from some command hooks since it's near the door and in danger of being slammed off the wall.
I still have two more canvases to play with. One is really narrow and long rectangle, the other is about a 10x13 or something. I thought about painting a lucky horseshoe to put above a door, but then I started wanting a
real horseshoe and painting it a fun color. A fun
solid color, because patterns are not my thing....
