Recover Those Dinig Room Chairs and Give Them a Second Chance

Instead of purchasing a new set of dining chairs consider revamping the old ones.  Not only is it easy but it is more cost effective.  Recovering your old dining chairs gives you the freedom to be as crazy or conservative as you want to be!  Below is a picture of the chairs we inherited one in the old fabric and one in the new fabric.  At first I was thinking of sanding them down and refinishing them. This however does not work for me this year because it is the middle of winter and my kids are still little so I think it would be a waste of time and money right now.

First go to the craft shop and purchase about 3 1/2 yards of the fabric you would like to use.  Upholstery fabric is going to cost more but will last longer.  I got a cheap cotton fabric that I really like.  I also got about 5 yards because I plan on making a matching table cloth.

Next wipe down your chairs.  Take your first chair and flip it over.  Most chair seats are screwed to the base.  Usually a screw driver will work but if your screws are rusted you might need a drill.

Set the screws aside and out of reach from any children.  Trace the chair seat onto the underside of the fabric (you may need to iron the fabric or throw it in the dryer for a few minutes).  Make sure to leave room to pull the fabric over the sides of the chair seat and onto the bottom when you cut it, about a couple of inches.

Grab your staple gun and remove the safety catch.  If your fabric has a pattern on it, make sure to line up the pattern so when you flip the seat over it will be straight.  Start on the bottom edge and staple gun the fabric to the seat in the middle. 

Then go to the top edge and do the same.I would like to mention here that you can remove any old fabric and batting if you like.  I choose not because I was trying to get this done while my children were otherwise occupied.

Fold the corners like a present.

Pull tight and staple on the fold.  Do this for all four corners and then staple of the middle of each of the side edges.  Put the seat back onto the base, line it up and replace the screws.  Repeat.  Repeat. Repeat ...

Place the chairs around the table and admire your handy work!

Then make the kids admire it!

Eco Find at Party City

Look at these fantastic bowls I found at Party City!  They are nice and sturdy and made from bamboo fiber!  How fantastic!  We've been using them for a little over a week now and we love them.  They are not microwavable or dishwasher safe but I've found that food doesn't stick to them so they are easy to hand wash.  They had some other things available like trays and mixing bowls but I didn't need any of those.  I also purchased some bamboo cooking utensils to replace some that are getting to the end of their life.  The prices were really low and I am pleased as punch with my purchase!  They are also biodegradable!