22 Clever Cabinet Ideas found on Hometalk

I'm a fan of clever ideas.

Many of my favorite projects involve taking something that is intended for one use and using it for an entirely different purpose.  The really cool thing about being a DIY blogger is we aren't limited by conventional ideas when it comes to our projects.  Everything we come across is seen as a possible makeover, repurpose, or upcycle project.  We are forever looking at the potential behind each and every yard sale, thrift store and roadside find.

I get excited when I see other peoples' ideas for the clever use of furniture.  There are so many great ideas out there.  And just to show an example of the creative ways people are finding to re-use furniture I've compiled 22 Clever Cabinet Ideas from  posts I've found on Hometalk.

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Cabinets hold special significance for us here at Pondered Primed Perfected because Our Very First Blog Post Ever  was about a freebie garage cabinet that Scott and I cleaned up and painted to use as a craft cabinet INSIDE our home.  It was a fun project to tackle together (we learned so much through the process!) and that cabinet has been an invaluable source of storage and organization ever since:

But we aren't the only ones repurposing cabinets.

Here are just a few Clever Cabinet Ideas I found on Hometalk by doing a quick keyword search:

At the Picket Fence shared this cabinet turned fun game center, with a dart board inside and chalkboard doors for keeping score of all the good-natured competitions that are sure to happen.

You may not like having all your sewing stuff out in plain sight but want it handy when you need it, right?  How about creating a Sewing Armoire like A Southern Belle with Northern Roots shared on Hometalk.

Coffee, anyone?  I totally need a coffee bar in my home like this one, shared by Wit Wisdom and Food on Hometalk.  If only it came with a built in Barista!

And if you need something a little stronger than coffee...Eve of Reduction shared this sewing cabinet turned cool Beverage Cart.  I'm totally feeling thirsty now.  :)  

The above and below cabinets both remind me of the stereo cabinet that Scott and I repurposed into a fun mini bar.  We shared that post on Hometalk too.  See our Hometalk post HERE.

This old stereo cabinet, shared by Practips, makes a perfect bathroom vanity.

And speaking of bathrooms, check out this cabinet:

Recaptured Charm shared this kitty commode she created from an old, discarded cabinet.  

(When it's all closed up you would never guess what's inside!)

Maybe you don't need a cabinet inside your home anymore?  There are many clever ideas for repurposing cabinets for use in your garage, shop or yard too.

How about this metal filing cabinet flipped on it's back and drawers removed.  A little paint and pegboard create an ideal storage spot for all those long handled tools and whatnots hanging about in the garage.  Shared by Brightnest on Hometalk.

Or this mini potting shed made from an old Armoire and shared by Art is Beauty.

WOW!!!  Those were just a few of the cabinets I compiled on my Clever Cabinet Ideas Board on Hometalk.

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You won't want to miss the rest of these Clever Cabinet Ideas.

You can visit my board on Hometalk HERE.

And next time you look at a discarded cabinet, just let your mind ponder the possibilities! 

If you haven't checked out Hometalk yet, you really should.  It's just overflowing with Home Improvement ideas and inspiration all being shared by Professionals, Bloggers, and Homeowners alike.  You can create an account to share your projects and even ask questions when you need help or advice on any home related subject.

Plus you can follow all of your favorite Hometalk peeps to see what amazing projects they are sharing there!

What are you waiting for?

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DIY Chair Planter ~ In the Flower Garden

I have had a thing for chairs for awhile.  I don't know exactly what it is.  Maybe it's because there are endless varieties of chairs.  Maybe it's because when you have lots of chairs everyone has a place to sit and make themselves at home.  That's always nice.  I just find chairs so charming.

But lately I'd noticed a couple of chairs that didn't have a place around here anymore.  They were looking tired and worn out and they had cracks going through the seats.  Not so charming.  Not the kind of chairs you want to offer to your guests, for sure!

They were destined for the next donation drop off...

But then all this Creative Planter talk going on got me to thinking....

About what I could add to these chippy "old" chairs to turn them into some fun garden planters.

I removed the cracked and broken seats and screwed the chains of wire hanging baskets right to the seat frames.  These hanging baskets have had a good life too...just like the chairs.  Notice all the cracked and faded charm they have?

I started out trying to cut a circle into the seat, BUT the seat was so badly cracked that it just came apart while I was sawing through it...so this ended up being the best solution.  Work with what you've got, right?

I quickly popped off the seat of the 2nd chair by turning it upside down and hammering it fiercly.  We call this therapy around here.  :)

I lined the wire baskets with some of this green moss. 

(It's grown right here in The Pacific NW ~ how's that for local!).

Many stores also sell the liners for these wire baskets, BUT they were out at the store I went to today.  I was so determined that nothing would thwart my chair planting project that I just grabbed the moss and moved on.

I also grabbed these shade happy geraniums, some quick growing vines and those adorable little "mega-white" Bacopa flowers that are great filler in hanging pots.  Just enough to fill my baskets with a little growing room left over.  I know these plants will need room to grow and mature so I didn't want to over do it.

My first chair planter finished!

Here are both chairs in the garden with a cute little girl playing peek-a-boo behind the tree.  :)

I'm so excited to watch them mature and fill in.  The vines I bought said on their insert that they are good with part shade and are FAST growing.  Just what these planters need.

I'm hoping they will become big bushy mounds of flowers growing over the seat area and vines cascading down the sides just like the big beautiful hanging baskets.

I can already picture it!

I'm loving this sweet little vignette in the corner of our yard.  

We are completely surrounded by fences, sheds and other people's houses, so it's nice to have something pretty to distract from all of that "fenced-in" feeling.  

For more fun Creative Planter Ideas check out this Google Hangout hosted by Kelly Elko of Eclectically Vintage and some other talented bloggers.

Enjoy your Spring Gardens!

Sherry

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Dangly Earring Storage & Display DIY

I sent my big jewelry box off to be photographed by Somerset Home awhile back in the hopes that I'll see one of my projects on the pages of a magazine someday.  That would be a dream come true for me!  Ever since then all my jewelry has been thrown together in a basket.  Not a convenient way to store jewelry, let me tell ya.

Whenever I tried to find earrings I couldn't seem to locate a matching pair.  So, not much earring wearing happening around here lately.   Something needed to be done and quick...

Then I remembered this little wooden house I had found at a thrift store eons ago.  I think it cost .50 cents.   It's a simple little shadow box made out of wood.  I've seen these at Michael's and Joann's for a few dollars, I think.  When I bought it I intended to put fun family photos in each section.  Wouldn't that be cute?  But now my wheels were turning about using it to display some of those dangly earrings that were getting all tangled together in a basket.

(FYI ~ Dangly isn't really a word but it's what I like to call my long dangling earrings like the ones below.)

So I painted my little shadow box house with white gloss spray paint.  I added some little metal loops that screwed into the wood pretty easily.  I screwed these in with my hands because the wood is fairly soft.  You could use small pliers for this step too.

Then I added some scrapbook/crafting decals to give this little house some personality.  Apparently some 80's personality since one of the stickers says "gonna dress you up in MY LOVE".

I did love that song waaaaaay back when!  :)

Just a couple of nails attach it to the wall next to where I get ready.  I might wear earrings every day now!

My dangly earrings have a new home and they are loving it.

Now what to do with all those post earrings...

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Tank Top Beach Bag

Sometimes you just have to take what you've got and make it into something better or more useful.  Like this tank top I turned into a beach bag.  I never wore the tank top, not even once, but this beach bag is about to take a trip to Hawaii with me!

I bought this tank top on clearance at a little boutique a few years ago.   It was adorable!  I loved how it looked...

...ON THE HANGER!  

It was adorable with the sweet fringed neckline and the sheer pleated body.  So romantic.  A bit sexy.

But it didn't look cute on me!  

The color is too close to my skin tone so it washed me out bad.  Not good!

That will teach me to try things on before I buy them.

Even if they are only $5.00 on clearance.

So I put it in the donate bag and there it sat.  Until the other day when I saw some tank top totes on Pinterest.  I didn't pin them because I had no intention of making one so I can't share who made those particular totes I saw that day.  There are numerous versions you can find online though.  Just type tank top tote/bag into the Google or Pinterest search bar and see what comes up.  :)

Then the other day I was thinking about what I would carry my towel, sunglasses, book and sunblock in while in Hawaii and those tank top totes popped into my head.  And I pulled out my tank that had never been given it's day to shine and here's what I did:

I grabbed a piece of scrap fabric I had that was a nice tropical print on a cream background.  This would become the lining for my beach bag.

I measured how deep I wanted my bag and cut the lining that long.  I traced the arm holes and straps because these would become the handles of my new tote.

Once the measuring was done I folded and cut out my lining fabric to size.

I also cut a couple of strips of lining fabric for reinforcing the tote handles.

I sewed up the sides of the lining fabric.  The bottom was the fold so it didn't need to be sewn.

Here's how it looked once the sides were sewn up.  (above:  I turned it right side out for this photo) 

This piece gets turned inside out again and put inside the tank as a lining.  My tank was so sheer and "stretchy" from those pleats that I wanted to give it some form with this lining fabric.

I folded the handle pieces over and sewed down the edges then turned them right side out using a safety pin to push through.

The bottom of the tank was sewn with a zig zag stitch, the excess cut off and turned right side out again.

The lining was put inside and stitched all around the edges with a zig zag stitch to attach...sewing the little handle reinforcements under the straps.

This isn't much of a step-by-step tutorial but honestly, it wasn't too difficult.  

If you use a tank with a more substantial fabric you could create a bag without adding a lining at all...just hem up the bottom and voila!

It's the perfect size to carry my beach stuff around.  

It's cute enough to carry into a restaurant or shop as well.

And that's just what me and my new bag will be doing when we arrive in Hawaii next weekend...bumming it on the beach or shopping the open air market and sipping Mai Tai's at local restaurants.

Wish I could hide you all in my bag and take you with me :)

I hope you come and visit next week when I've got a couple of wonderful guests coming to share their fabulous~ness with you while I'm gone!  You won't want to miss them.

Aloha!

Sherry

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Coffee Table Ottoman

I've been dreaming of turning an old coffee table into an ottoman for a long time.  I spent many a summer weekend scouring yard sales, just hoping to find the perfect table.  Isn't it funny how you can come across a certain type of item over and over again...making you wonder what on earth you could re-purpose it into...then when inspiration hits you there's suddenly none to be found anywhere?

  Yeah.  Really funny.  Finally I gave up looking.  I'd grown weary of the chase.

That's when my Better Half came home with this beat up old beauty.  Just when I'd resigned myself to living without a coffee table ottoman.  He found this solid wood coffee table at a yard sale for $1.00 and brought it home to me.  Perfect price.  Perfect height and length.  Looks like I have my next makeover mark!

I flipped it over and unscrewed the table top.  It had to come off so I could paint this base.  I also needed to add foam and staple the upholstery fabric directly to the under-side of the table top which would be much easier with it off.

Do you see the patina on those little copper feet?  You can't fake that.  So pretty.  I taped those tapered copper feet off before painting the base.  I wanted the patina to stay. 

I whipped up some homemade chalk paint with some Metro Recycling Center white paint and unsanded grout.  I used a hand mixer to get it nice and smooth.

I did three coats to give the table good coverage.  I distessed a bit once it dried.

Then we went shopping for some foam.  Egads!  Have you priced foam lately?  It was $34.99 a YARD.  You've got to be kidding me!  This is supposed to be a thrifty makeover. 

We ended up finding an Ikea crib mattress still in the store wrapping for $7.00!  This left us needing only 7 inches of foam from Joann's to cover the tabletop.

I used a cloth shower curtain I had to upholster the mattress and foam to the tabletop.  I needed to merge the foam and the crib mattress together and add a bit more padding to the top.  I stretched this white fabric over the foam and stapled underneath the table top...pulling tight as I went.  This did the trick.  I love the look of the white but I know it wouldn't be this pristine for long around here.  I only wish!



I sampled this grey chevron fabric also, but decided it was too light weight to stand up to all the heavy foot traffic.

After I added the foam and the white shower curtain fabric I stretched my upholstery fabric over the top and stapled underneath. Again pulling tight as I went. After adding the button tufting I screwed the top back onto the base.

Here is what it looks like now:



This graphic fabric is a Cynthia Rowley curtain panel I picked up at Goodwill for $6.00/pair. 

I had pre-measured and drilled six holes into the tabletop before adding the foam and fabric.  I used the fabric covered buttons to tuft the ottoman.  Here's a good button tufting tutorial if you want to give it a try.  I love the tufted look on ottomans and would have loved to do MANY more buttons...but we were going for thrifty here.



Ignore the ugly couch.  ;) 

Sadie was determined to be in every picture.  I had to lure her out of the way with treats.  Hey!  Smarty pants dog!  She thinks she's so smart.

We now have a soft place to put our feet up and relax!  It's wide enough for everyone to share AND extra room for a tray.

RECAP:

Coffee Table    $1.00
Ikea Mattress    $7.00
Curtain Fabric    $6.00
Buttons    $7.00
7 inches of foam    $8.00
TOTAL COST        $29.00

For less than $30.00 we have a large, custom, tufted ottoman.  

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