DIY Bench Cushion

It's been a few week's since I've posted anything, but I've been super busy with all kinds of DIY projects and other shenanigans that I'll tell you about.

Originally, this blog was created for my amusement. Something to keep me busy and something that didn't involve breaking up sibling fights, wiping butts, and listening to the incessant replays of Disney Movies. I love Disney, don't get me wrong...but it's nice to have something for yourself from time to time. Anyway, my blog was going to be that something....and then I forgot about it, and then I remembered it again but didn't know what to talk about. After some thinking, I've decided to give my blog a new direction.

Welcome to "Design with Pennies!".

 

My Dad is probably the best haggler on this side of the Mississippi. I grew up at flea markets learning how to haggle and to spot profitable junk . I've always had a fine appreciation for restoring life into someone else's junk and creating a treasure, It's sort of always been a hobby of mine....and although I'm not the best designer in the world (this is indeed a fact), I do have a knack of being creatively resourceful! So, despite the fact that there are 1 BILLION blogs branching from Pinterest, I'm going to do my own thang and share my "how-to's" and how I've decorated my entire house for nearly NOTHING. I've never paid full price for any piece of furniture and the majority of my knick-knacks and decorative pieces are from garage sales and flea markets. I'll recap some of the things I've done in the past and will showcase some of the current projects I'm working on.

Even if no one ever reads my blog, it'll be fun for me and I'm excited. Hopefully if you're reading this, it'll be something you can enjoy and perhaps even attempt for yourself!


DIY BENCH CUSHION:

I have this really old bench that we've always had. It's not in the greatest condition, but it was painted white and my sister-in-law (who is super talented) painted a mural on the front of it for my daughter. I HAD a picture of the before and cannot find it anywhere....sigh.....  We've always kept it in my daughter's room, but she no longer has room for it and I wanted to put the bench to good use! So, I painted the bench black and distressed it. Now, I wanted a cool cushion for it. However, I don't sew. Ever. Under any circumstances. I don't even own a needle. Fabric glue is basically my best friend. Seriously.

So, here's how to make a cushion for your bench without a needle!!

I started with three 12x12 foam squares. I glued them together. You'll find that I use glue for everything. I should probably call my blog "how to decorate your house using absurd amounts of glue and never doing things the conventional way!". That's not a very catchy title though.

 



I wrapped the squares in quilting batting...forgot to snap a picture of that part. I do that a lot. Then I wrapped it all in my fabric of choice. Simple enough so far? :)

 

 

Time to glue. I applied fabric glue to the end of the fabric and folded over to adhere. This seriously could not be anymore redneck. The corners are a bit tricky. You have to wrap it tight like a present. It took me a few minutes to figure out the best way to fold in the corners, and I came to the conclusion that a lesser amount of fabric on the ends is best. It's less to fold and work with. I made sure that the batting underneath was cut the same length as the fabric ends...this way I just folded everything at once and there was no bunching.

 

 And there you have it. A bench cushion made with glue.

The breakdown of costs for the cushion is:

-3 foam squares (on sale at Hobby Lobby) $1.59/each

-Batting (on sale at Hobby Lobby) $5.50

-Fabric (on sale at Hobby Lobby....I told you I don't pay full price for ANYTHING...ever.....) $6.95 for 2 yards

-Glue $4.99

=$22

 

Not too bad.

 

The bench breakdown is simple. I already owned the bench (which I got for free several years ago). I went to Home Depot and got two paint samples for $2.96/each.

The grand total for the bench restoration is $5.92

 

I'll post about the picture above the bench soon!! It's a new one and was ridiculously inexpensive!!!