Something Sweet ♥ and Icky fingers

Before I get into my post I just wanted to thank Jeannie from Jeannie's Happy World. She made this extraordinary card and sent it to me. I was so touched when I got it today. As you can see she is one very talented lady.


The beautiful embossed paper, the sparkly Fleur de lis, soft butterflies..the whole thing is a feast for the eyes. Thanks Jeannie I LOVE IT!

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A year or so ago, I was looking for a bench for my master bedroom. I couldn't find anything I liked in the price range I was willing to pay. So I decided to build my own.

Just the other day my hubby said it would be nice to have a bench in our closet. He gets dressed in there in the mornings so he doesn't wake me up. And having a bench to sit on to put on socks and shoes would be really handy.

So I figured if I was going to build one I might as well do a post about the makings of a simple bench.

First stop.....off to Osgoods fabric warehouse. I ♥ this place. It is a wonderland of fabrics, trims, and so much more!

Gotta have some foam....they cut it to size for you...so you don't have to fight with it at home. I am all about someone else doing the hard work for me!

2 yards of fabric (I wouldn't recommend working with silk or a plaid for your first time out....and working with a silk plaid...well that's just plain dumb....just ask me I know that now!) 2 yards of batting, 4 yards of trim (ouch that hurts the wallet) and a 3" piece of foam 48" x 18"

Then it's off to my favorite place....the Home Depot. Where they'll cut your wood for you. I don't use saws....me and things with big teeth just don't get along! I bought a

24" x 48" piece of 1/2" plywood and had them rip it to 18" x 48"

Then I took 2) 8' 2 x 3's over to the chop saw and let them cut those for me too! 2) 48" lengths from one...and 2) 15" pieces from the other. Which will give me a 4 foot by 18 inch bench when I'm done.


The cute french country legs I bought from Rockler.com they have great furniture legs ....these are maple and are 15" high ...only $18.99 each. You'll need a nice drill, wood glue, clamps, a couple dozen 2 1/2" screws and some 2" screws, and stain or paint for the legs.

This is where the icky fingers from my giveaway post came in. I tend to be really messy when I'm staining.

Simply build a four sided box with the 2 x 3's and glue and screw them together. I used the 2 1/2" screws because the wood is 1 1/2 thick. Once the 4 sides are screwed together you just screw on the top. Easy as can be!
There are a bunch of ways you could attach the legs. But I just used 2 screws on each side and 2 going in from the top. I wasn't sure it would be enough when I built the first bench...but a year later it's still as solid as can be! And it even holds my massive bulk!


Then you just plop the foam on top!
You'll need a nice staple gun. I love this one because it doesn't need much hand strength to drive the staples.

Then simply wrap and staple the batting, and the fabric...hot glue on the trim....and TA DA! you have a bench!



On the bedroom bench I used big nail heads instead of trim....but the trim was quicker and easier...and added a little pizzazz.

Wrapping the corners can be tricky...but after a few tries I can usually get them fairly decent.

Working with the silk plaid was a pain in the rumpus...the silk was slippery and hard to work with...and the plaid made lining the fabric up way harder. Next time I'm going to go with an all over pattern that is more forgiving.

And nooooo I didn't take a picture of it in the closet...because frankly I didn't want to work that hard to clean it up! But it turned out pretty nice. All together the materials cost about $200...it would have been much cheaper with a less expensive fabric and trim. But the fun part is being able to say you made it yourself!

And now my hubby doesn't tip over when he's putting on his shoes!