The Gossip Bench, part 3

I'll spare you the original bench photo. It was ugly -- there's no doubt about that. Here is what the bench looked like yesterday morning after a coat of primer and two coats of Valspar Antique White (which is a misnomer, since it is clearly Butter Yellow).

And here is what it looks like today:

Cute, right? I mean, maybe not for YOU or for your entry way or living room, but perfect for a crazy little girl who wants a place in her room to do her homework and draw. The color is called "Watermelon" by Valspar. It's a high gloss spray paint -- it is one of the ones with a great nozzle on the can. Super easy to work with, dries quickly, coats well. I bought it at Hobby Lobby (not on sale, which is about the worst decorating sin one can commit). It took about a can and a half to coat the whole bench. I put the first coat on with the bench upside-down and the second coat with it right side up in order to get both sides of the spindles. If I had tried to paint it with a brush I think I'd still be out there painting.

Here's a close up of the upholstered cushion I made for it. The fabric is also from Hobby Lobby (although the calicos were 30% off, so no sin here). I bought a third of a yard and only used about half of it. Hobby Lobby has some super cute, modern calico prints. It almost makes me want to do some sewing. Almost.

Although I think I have some extra 1" foam around the house somewhere (maybe up in the attic), I wasn't in the mood to go looking for it. So, this little cushion is a piece of 1/2" plywood wrapped in two layers of cotton batting and one layer of felt, all stapled to the back. Then I wrapped it with the fabric and stapled it and then screwed it into the seat from underneath. If anyone can teach me how to get decent corners on a piece like this, I'd love to hear it. Mine usually look okay, but I can't seem to get them perfect. They came out a little more rounded than I would have liked.

Here's the cost breakdown for this project:

1 can of Valspar primer -- $3
2 cans of Valspar "Antique White" -- $7
2 cans of Valspar "Watermelon" -- $10
1/3 of a yard of fabric -- $3.50

I already had the sandpaper, glue, screws, plywood and staples. So, altogether this sweet bench came in at $23.50. Not bad at all.