Adventures in Spray Paint and Upholstery

So.... I've been a very busy girl this weekend.  Saturday I took a bunch of junk to Peterson Air Force Base for their base-wide yard sale and set up with a new friend from a playgroup I just started attending.  I wanted to do more than just sell some junk though, I was shopping!  I keep a list in my phone of all the things I "need" for the house that I would like to pick up at bargain rates.   Well, I managed to buy a full patio set (four chairs and a table) for $20, a wicker chest for $1 and 20 items clothing for Darcy for $10.  Oh, and a ginormous mirror for $10 too. 

I'm not sure what I'm doing with the mirror right now, but it was the perfect size, color, and style to go on top of Darcy's dresser when it stops being a changing table and needs to be a vanity.  That thing weighs a ton, so I'm not hauling it upstairs until I know where it's going. It stands on it's own, so I'm thinking I may just put it on the floor in her room so she can admire herself when she had floor play time.

But...more to the point I've been tackling the wicker and patio projects.  I've been wanting a blanket chest for our living room for ages.  Right now our fleece blankets end up on the floor because Carson pulls them off and likes to snuggle in them. As a result, all of our blankets are embedded with dog hair- blech.  But if we had a place to toss them out of his reach, I'm hoping they would have a chance to de-hair after a dozen or so spins through the laundry.  So here's my before and after of the chest (I've spent about an hour on it so far, but I have to reattach the hinges and hardware still.

Before- $1

After- with $4 spray paint and $10 batting and fabric (before second coat of paint)

I"m pretty darn pleased.  Just ignore the photography though- it's not my strong suit.  The next project coming down the pike is to paint the patio furniture and recover the cushions.  Here's the before and a sneak peek of what's coming.  Yes, the table top is FILTHY. Apparently $20 doesn't cover windex.

I'm adding color to the front porch baby!  Hopefully I'll get this wrapped up this week, along with assembling my raised bed (boards in the background) because we'll be in Greeley next week and then Boulder as I run my first 10K!