#Swapitlikeitshot: Flea Market Swap

I'm thrilled to be participating in a fun swap with nine amazing and SUPER talented bloggers.  I'm still shocked they asked me to join in!!  The premise:   Find something at a flea market or thrift store and send the item/items to the blogger assigned via random draw.  Things got a little trickier because our item/items had to be more specific either, wood, metal, class, ceramic or fabric.  The items also needed to be no more than $10-15 in total.  Fun, right?!!  Are you ready to see what I was sent and what I did with the items??  How about what I sent to my assigned blogger Jessica from Decor Adventures?  I'll give you a hint...I sent Jessica something wood.  

Alright, lets get to it shall we?!

Charlotte of Ciburbanity, my adorable and mega talented friend,  had the job of sending me some fabric flea market treasures.   When her package arrived, I was nervous, but I know Charlotte has impeccable taste so whatever she sent would be lovely.  Like I expected it was awesome!!  I received a beautiful vintage silk scarf and a funky vintage table cloth.  I had lots of ideas and lots of fabric to work with all I needed to do was get to work!

I started right away on my first project.  I'd been eyeing a pouf from West Elm  for awhile, but when I saw the price I knew I could make my own for a lot less.   The vintage scarf Charlotte sent me was the perfect jumping off point for my DIY pouf.  

I found lots of tutorials on Pinterest, but decided I could do this on my own (is that ever a good idea?!).  Please take note of the size of my inspiration pouf  from West Elm and the size in the picture above.  When I finished my pouf,  I was shocked at how big it was.....It was HUGE.  Thankfully I had lots and lots of down pillows and inserts around the house (I'm a bit of a pillow hoarder, I know).   After I was done sewing and stuffing my pouf (with about 20 down pillows),  it dawned on me that I might have been a tad overzealous on my measurements (I can sew, but I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kind of sewer).  It might have been advantageous to actually follow some instructions, but it all worked out just fine.  What I ended up with wasn't a pouf, but rather a very soft and comfortable down filled seat.  

Here's my comfy down seat....

The scarf is the top of the seat and the pillow cover in front is made of that fun vintage table cloth.  I backed the pillow cover with some red fabric I had on hand to give it some pop.

Well, at least it's square like a pouf!  I really love how it turned out and I'm happy I made a mistake great choice with my measurements!

To make this I attached the scarf to canvas fabric to form the top.  The rest of the seat is made by sewing squares of canvas fabric together.  I added a zipper at the bottom just in case it gets dirty and I need to take it to the dry cleaner.  This is bound to happen with a dog and an 8 year old boy running around.

My last two projects were made with the vintage table cloth.  I sewed the pillow cover, but I also made an upholstered top for a vintage beverage crate.  I've been wanting to find something to put by my bath tub in our master bedroom.  This is where I read all my magazines and unwind at the end of the day.  I really needed somewhere to store my magazines and act as a side table.  The crate was just right but it needed a top.

This is the vintage crate I used, which I purchased last summer at a flea market.  The poor little crate had no home and no purpose.  

I was in luck because I had some leftover wood from my outdoor ottoman project.  It was exactly  what I needed for my crate top.  I cut the wood to fit the top of the crate using my table saw.  

Next I had to figure out how to attach the wood top to the vintage crate.  I had originally planned on using hinges, but the sides of the crate weren't thick enough, so I needed a plan B.

Since hinges weren't an option, I thought the top could just sit on top of the crate rather than being attached.  I had to make sure the top didn't move around when it was placed on top.  To make sure this work,  I cut two pieces of wood two inches shorter than my wood top and 3 inches wide.  I was happy with this plan because I could use the crate for something else down the road if I changed my mind (which I do a lot!).  To attach the two boards to the top I used wood glue and screws.  First I drilled my pilot holes (if you don't do this, the wood can split).   I then applied wood glue to the back of the boards and screwed them in place using three wood screws for each board.

My next step was attaching batting and fabric to the wood top.  I normally use foam and batting when I upholster something.  However,  in this case I wasn't using this as a seat, so I didn't need the extra cushioning. Instead of foam I used thick batting and folded it in half to make it thicker.  I cut this to size, then cut my table cloth the same size.  To secure the fabric and batting to the top, I used my trusty electric staple gun . 

For the corners, I cut off the excess fabric then folded it like I was wrapping a present and stapled it  to the wood.

Lastly, I applied two coats of wipe-on poly to the outside of the crate.  I needed to make sure it was sealed since I was using it in a bathroom.  Also, I wanted to bring out the color and graphics on the wood.

Here's my cute little bath-side magazine holder/side table!

I hope you enjoyed my #swapitlikeitshot projects!  I so much fun working on them and finding different ways to use my materials.  I still have a lot of table cloth fabric leftover.....I see more vintage  pillow covers in my future!  

Make sure you stop by and check out Jessica's projects.  I cant wait to see what she did with what I sent her!  Also, you don't want to miss all the other creative projects my blog friends have been working on!!  (see below for links to all their sites)

Here's the list of the bloggers who are participating in the swap.

The Chronicles of Home
The White Buffalo Styling Co.

Decor Adventures

Ciburbanity

Gourley Girls and Guy

Windgate Lane

My Passion For Decor

Two Little Superheroes

Hearts and Sharts

Thanks for reading and have a great week!!  I really want to hear what you think so make sure to comment or drop me a line. 

Melody