I found these boards in the trash the other day and thought they would be the perfect way to turn these unsightly paint cans into something useful...

Pick a color and paint the boards.

Measure the height and width of the paint cans.

Measure and cut decorative paper to wrap around the cans.

Wrap the paint cans with paper and fasten with tape.

Layer the boards on top of the cans for makeshift shelves. Much prettier!!

A few years back I snatched a pair of these chairs from the dumpster outside my apartment. They were in fair condition… the legs needed to be detached, sanded and then reattached with some super-strength Gorilla Wood Glue. The seats were also a bit torn, but I put some pillows on top, and they were good to go.

A couple months ago I was out to lunch with some friends from work, and we walked past a reupholstering shop. They were having a vinyl sale, so we popped in for a peek. For $22 I got (a little more than) a yard of teal vinyl with the kitchen chairs in mind.

Since the seats were still in fair condition, with only a few minor rips and tears, I decided to take a short-cut by placing the new vinyl right over the old, eliminating the need for new padding.

The steps are outlined below… click on a thumbnail to view the full sized image.

A few years back I scooped up these old frames someone left on their stoop for give away. They’ve been gathering dust in the corner for a while now, so I decided to follow my own advice… use or or loose it!

Here is what I did:

(click on an image to enlarge)