secondhand buys | organised castle

You would think I would have had better things to do 3 days before we travel overseas but I decided to make new covers for some cushion pads to go on some stools for the kitchen.

When we first moved to this house I was unsure whether I actually wanted stools to sit at the breakfast bar at the island bench. I felt that they could make the space feel visually cluttered. In the meantime, we decided to utilise the space under the bench to store some of the buckets which hold bulk dry goods such as flours, nuts and dried fruit.

These will eventually be housed in the revamped and extended butler’s pantry but I am really not sure when that is likely to happen due the eternal dearth of tradesmen.

A few months ago I spotted a giveaway of 2 stools that turned out to be in the next street to us. They were in OK condition overall buy the cushions were covered in a faded yellow fabric that was rather grubby from having been stored in the shed. I picked them up and set them aside as a future project.

So, a few days ago I rearranged somethings in the wardrobe in the spare room, relocated the buckets of dry goods to the wardrobe and set about transforming the stools.

The first step was to remove the old covers. Deconstructing items carefully is a great way to create a pattern for their replacement and helps to understand how they are assembled.

Some strong calico from my stash created a neat, smooth base for the new covers.

I chose a lovely vintage cotton paisley print fabric which had been given to me some time ago.

I decided to adapt the design slightly to make the covers removable and the extension flap folds over to the underside of the cushion and fastens with velcro.

I am very happy with the end result.

The stools are exactly the right height for the bench and the backs are low enough that they do not create a significant interruption the the visual lines of the bench.

I also made a new set of tiebacks for the curtains in the family room to match the cushion covers. They replaced the ones that I made when we first moved in.

Today we headed to Bendigo which is about 30 minutes from home. My mission was to collect a portable hanging rack that I had found on Marketplace. I wanted one that would be suitable for taking to the weekly LETS market that I could use to display bags and other items for sale. This one is perfect as it is telescopic and the height can be about 800mm when collapsed or extended to hold full-length garments if required. It is also easy to transport without disassembling it entirely.

While we were out and about and with no time constraints I checked out a few op shops that I had not been to previously.

I was fortunate to find a pair of black canvas casual shoes which appear to be unworn. They have a decent sole and are well-padded so a good buy at just $7. Whilst they are not required right now in the summer, I can see plenty of wear for them with jeans once autumn arrives.

I found this pretty blue linen top which is significantly oversized despite being marked as ‘Small’. There is a lot of fabric in it and I am planning to refashion it to a different style.

We also went to a native plant nursery where we bought 9 shrubs and groundcovers. I think tomorrow might be a day in the garden. More about those once they are planted.