another project and the spaceship dentist

I've been looking for a chair for awhile now to replace the glider rocker that we never used. (Don't get me wrong--I loved the rocker when I was pregnant but I don't think anyone has used it since.) I have been searching craigslist for something inexpensive that I could possibly reupholster. Since I had never attempted upholstery before I didn't want to get something too mind blowing for my first try.

Anyway, I finally found a pretty basic chair. I liked the simple design of it and loved how the arms of the chair mimicked the curves on the arms of our new sofa. So I spent a whopping $10 on one butt-ugly brown chair! I know--you're thinking, "Why would anyone buy something so repulsive??" Believe me, the picture does not do it justice. It was pretty gross.

Then I went to JoAnne's and found another bargain--khaki colored cotton twill fabric for $0.75 a yard!! Honestly, can you get a better deal than that? I bought what they had left which cost me about $2.00.

Finally it was time to disassemble and try and figure out how the heck this chair was upholstered in the first place. After pulling out a gazillion (okay I'm exaggerating--probably only a bazillion) staples I was finally able to start taking the pieces apart.

Next was (for me) the fun part--sanding and painting. Okay, well maybe not the sanding part. But I love painting! It's like vacuuming--instant gratification. Okay, you all probably think I'm a weirdo. Anyway, I liked this part because the chair really started to transform. Oh, and Isaac was helping as usual. :o) I don't know why he was showing off his gut.

After the paint dried, it was the part I dreaded. I was worried that after all my efforts my inexperience in upholstery was going to make the chair look really crappy. But I took it one piece at a time and I think it turned out pretty good! :o) I used some leftover material that I had used to make throw pillows for the sofas to make a new pillow for my chair. I'm really pleased with the results on both the chair and the pillow. And all I spent was $12 for the chair and about $3 for the pillow! I love bargains.

In other news--

Shailey and Eli went to the dentist today to get their teeth cleaned. There is a really cool dentist office here for kids with an entire "spaceship theme". They do everything that they can to make going to the dentist fun. You can check them out here.

Shailey and Eli both got new toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, a plastic tumbler and a timer so they can be sure that they are brushing long enough. And the best part (for me) was no cavities! I wish they had such a cool dentist when I was a kid. Maybe I wouldn't dislike going to the dentist so much.

And one last thing--we finally got a new dining room table set! Our old set was getting too small as it could only seat four people and in case nobody noticed we are a family of five. :o) Anyway, we got it for a great deal. I was a little worried about the fabric on the seats. I mean, really? Cream colored fabric and three kids? Really? So we tried to remedy that potential problem with a whole can of Scotch Guard. For any other moms out there with messy eaters (honestly what mom doesn't have a messy eater?) who isn't sold on Scotch Guard yet--you have to buy this stuff!! We spent about $5 or $6 on a can and already I have been able to clean up spaghetti, pizza sauce and chocolate with ease. Well worth the money! Anyway, here's our new table.