~This poor little stool~

This little stool was just too cute to get rid of. It had seen better days, to say the least. Surely I would need this stool for something, right? As an ottoman, something for the grandkids to stand on, or maybe jump off of? Whatever, it's cute and I wanted it to be even cuter.
If you're reading this, chances are that you've recovered something before and you know how very easy it is. If not, I'll show you the steps so that everyone can realize that this could easily be done by a 3rd grader. Well, maybe with a little assistance using the staple gun.
First you unscrew the top to remove it from the base. If you're going to paint the base do it now because most likely you'll need several coats. I spray painted this with Krylon Ivory paint in a satin finish.

After I was finished with the painting and it was dry, I antiqued it a bit with my antiquing glaze to "dirty" it up a bit. It's important to remember that when you use a glaze like this, you are trying to make it appear worn, so fight the urge to make it perfect. It will be thicker in some places just like the natural wear and tear would have been.

I bought some cute black and cream toile fabric (the left over, I used on my framed "A" project, a few posts back).
Then you remove the fabric (in this case, I had to take pliers and pry the old fabric off). Many times, you can pop the old staples out but not in this case. It was on there for life! If the existing cushion needs to be replaced, just cut the foam to size and lay it on top of the board. To do this project properly, you'll want to place batting between the foam and the new fabric. I skipped this part because I didn't have any on hand, but I'm already thinking that I'll go back and do this step. It will hold up much better if you do.


Lay your new fabric out, upside down, and cut it so that you have plenty to wrap underneath. Pull it really tight and use a staple gun to secure it. The corners are the trickiest. You'll want to treat them a little like "hospital corners" on a bed when making it. Make sure that before you get started with stapling, that you turn the board over to make sure the print is straight. After stapling, place the board back onto the frame and screw it back together.

Simple effort, big difference! Now I just need to find the perfect place to use this cute little stool! I will, I assure you!