Window Seat from Old Door $56

Old Solid Wood Door Not Like the Cheap Doors Around Today: free

Hinges, Triangular Braces, Shop Tools: free due to my kickin' family tree

Spray paint: $6

Particle board: $2

Upholstery Foam: $42

Fabric: $6

I was driving through The Village a few years ago when this door was on the curb for trash pickup. It was sweet ol' Mel Bowman's door. (His funeral was three days ago.) I pulled over and knocked on his front door and asked if he cared if I took it. He didn't.

I had plans to find legs for it to make a narrow harvest table for our patio. Turned legs are expensive, even at thrift stores. I am not going to spend $80 on legs for a free table.

So I asked my sister Cristall to chop it all to pieces in her husband's shop while he was on a camping trip. She's a whiz with the table saw. We trimmed it right up to make a window seat for RE's bedroom and put it together loosely with the old hinges.

Cristall's husband, Harper, is a full-fledged construction genius and he built me some triangular braces to secure everything from the back. If there were a window seat code this thing would pass with flying colors.

RE spray painted it antique white and then we bought a scrap of particle board at Home Depot for $2.01 and had it trimmed to the exact size of the top. This way all her weight only rests on the thick part of the door, not that flimsy middle section. That also got sprayed.

This would have been an $8 project if upholstery foam didn't cost the equivalent of a college education. This piece of 4" foam cost $40 with a 50% off coupon at Jo-Ann Fabrics.

We covered the dreamy, plush foam with some polka dot upholstery fabric I bought at DI for $6. It was just enough fabric to make two slipcovers, which is lucky since I botched the first one and had to make a second one. I'm not kidding- I had half an inch of fabric left after I completed the second slipcover. These kind of things affirm that I'm being watched over. Lucy approves of the 4" foam and is glad we didn't scrimp and get the 3". You'd be surprised how much an inch of foam adds as far as comfort goes. 

RE's bedroom is on the 2nd story of our home and our little lilac bush (that we planted for our 5th anniversary) is now 11 years old and has surpassed the height of the 2nd story. RE can curl up on her window seat with a blanket and read books against a wall of blossoming lilacs. They smell good, too. I can't believe our lilac bush is almost as tall as our house. Crazy.

But not as crazy as an almost-free window seat from a door off the street. I love people's trash!

Florentine Easter Eggs $0

Gather up some plastic Easter eggs. (I used all of our cheap eggs that never stayed shut, because eggs that don't stay shut aren't worth owning, especially if you have a dog that eats the chocolate that falls out of them.) Find some paper you like. I had a huge stash of Florentine paper my aunt brought me back from Italy, but you could also use scrapbook paper, tissue paper (plain or patterned), etc. Rip or cut your paper into tiny pieces (I prefer the look of the ripped paper). Paint the pieces right on the eggs with Mod Podge (or watered down glue) in a single layer, not overlapping your pieces. Let dry. Repeat. Continue until you don't see any plastic. My eggs only required two layers. I made 30 eggs in less than two hours.

(If your paper is thick, just let the glue really soak into it and it will form to the egg eventually. If you are using tissue paper it will form quickly.)

Store in egg cartons. Display in glass hurricanes, on trays, on the tops of candlesticks, under a cloche, wherever!

Beautiful, safe for kids to play with/drop, and your non-closing eggs are sealed for life. Win-win-win.

Egg Cup for Greg's Collar Stays $6

I love this bright orange egg cup. I bought it for $6 at Pome before they closed. I think it is for serving soft-boiled or poached eggs but I use it to hold Greg's collar stays. I got the idea from my dad, who stores his collar stays in his bronzed baby shoe. It would also be a cute spare change or wedding ring holder.

Vintage Backrest Pillow from Tank Top $3

 

 

Mother-Daughter project! RE bought this tank at Plato's Closet for $3. We snipped the lacy bib off of the tank and then hand-sewed it to her backrest pillow. Just the right color and sparkle for her vintage bedroom!

Rummikub Junior Valentines $1

   

I am always scouring thrift stores for old board games. I usually repurpose them on my entryway wall. I found a Rummikub Junior game for $1 and loved the graphics, so I bought it. I turned them into valentines. Each set of 8 cards has the corresponding verbiage on the back. I'm going to write little clues on each one and send my husband on a scavenger hunt around the house to lead him to THE PRIZE. If you happen to have this game and you want to make valentines with it, please download my template for free! If you don't have this game, good luck-it seems to be hard to find. Happy crafting!