And yet another bed-turned-bench

With garage sale season just around the corner, I'm trying to work on projects that use what I've already stashed in the house.  And garage.  And shop.

This was actually the first bed I bought with the idea of making a bench.

Sometimes it just takes me a while to execute the plan. I have to circle it, stalk it, and finally attack when it's sleeping.  Oops, sorry! That was chocolate!  But the principle is the same.  Only, I have more "will-power" when it comes to furniture.

I took my own advice from my previous experience, and painted the bench seat before assembling the bench.  This is just a dry-fit in order to measure random parts to create bench arms.  I also sprayed glossy white paint into the routed design, with plans to paint the rest a soft Oops green.

After digging through the scrap pile, I found some crib rails that were the right height for bench arms.  In order to place the turned cross piece at the bottom, I had turned the footboard upside down, which left the thingies the wheels or feet went into showing on top.
  

But, I had cut off pieces to match the footboard to the seat height, so I used dowels and glue to add "finials" and cover the metal thingies (What are those called, anyway?)

Next up, rolling on paint.  And painting... All. Those. Spindles. 

A long difficult quick reassembly and I delivered the bench to the shop and set it on the sidewalk with a cute green toile pillow, to catch some rays!

Another project down and more stash actually used.  See, kids, you don't have to call the Hoarder's show yet!

Linking up with: Transformation Thursday
My Repurposed Life

I was featured! 

Footboard planter

Spring is coming, even if the weather can't make up it's mind about that.  Is it weird that I have a fur-lined vest sitting on the back of a chair, and yet am wearing a tank top today?  I think so too.

The owner of the store I sell my creations in gifted me with two twin beds that had been left out on the porch of a rental unit she owns.  I brought them home and hosed them down, but when the stream of water hit the headboards, they crumbled into a pile of wet random wood.  I think the backs were less like wood and more like termites holding hands.  It was so gross, I didn't even take pictures of the pile since I thought I'd have to throw it all out.

Without the headboards intact, I need a way to make something from nothing but the footboards and miscellaneous pieces. 

So I made a planter box. A really  B.I.G. planter.  We're talking over 3 feet by 2 feet.  But with actual feet!

 I only used parts salvaged from the beds so some sides have bullnose edges, others don't.  I deliberately didn't make the box floor fit tight, so water could drain without having to drill holes. It was alright, as is, but I thought it could be better.

I saw a  vintage crate on somebody's blog (I claim Old-Timers disease here) and saved an image of it.  I recreated the graphic in Word and printed it out on regular paper.  Using graphic paper (carbon paper to anyone over 40) I transferred the graphic outline to both long sides of the box.

I started trying to fill in the outline with paint but soon found that using a Sharpie pen work better and faster!

Okay, this is pretty good and, with a light sanding, might look like a re-purposed shipping crate, but people might not understand it.  Well, if it was going to be a planter box, it might as well have leaves on it.  Although, I suppose it could be a dog bed or a really short coffee table, but whatever!

Yes, that's it!  I took it down to the shop and stacked another crate I built and a primitive stool in it.

The next day, I brought down some garden mushrooms I made from random glass pieces and created a grotto in the planter.  If people can't figure out what it is now, I'm going to have to get a neon sign or foam fingers pointing it out!

So that is my latest something-from-nothing creation!

Linking up with Funky Junk's SNS 178