In typing that title up there, I have to tell you I accidentally typed D.U.I. first. I’m not sure why I get D.I.Y. and D.U.I. mixed up, but if it’s of any explanation, the idea of how to fix up my girls’ little chairs came to me while driving. I was craft-intoxicated which, if you’ve experienced it, is a bit like being drunk.
I shall begin by saying that yesterday’s festivities made my mama heart swell. While Nella was very interested in hanging out in the driveway, eating stale cheese balls, pulling her amphibious feet off and keeping at least a 30-ft. distance from any and all scary masks…
For anyone not wearing a werewolf, Scream or Jason mask, she will kindly smile, wave and yell “Hi!”
…Lainey was thrilled to be a grown-up, trick-or-treating kid–the kind that runs ahead of her mother and doesn’t need a hand to hold anymore. She had friends to walk with.
A few shots from our holiday:
Nella getting ready to boo our neighbors earlier this week
Trunk-or-Treat last weekend
Nella and Baby Angelina
Nella’s Wombmate Boyfriends, Cash & Rocco
Why yes, that’s an easy button on the very pregnant tummy of my friend, Suzanne
And earlier this week, the party was happening at Fred’s–a night where three more dance moves were added to my repertoire of Things I Learned at Fred’s (a fast-growing volume):
And now it is November. Temperatures have dropped and moods have shifted into homey/crafting/cozy modes.
I’ve been wanting to spruce up my girls’ table and chairs area–a place we use frequently for homework, eating, crafting, baking, etc. I wanted it both more functional and more visually appealing.
I painted our table an off white color (Valspar, satin spray paint) and then transformed my girls’ beat up chairs, using Mod Podge to piece together fabric scraps.
Materials Needed (besides 2 small chairs):
Instructions:
1. Clean chairs. Begin by painting Mod Podge onto a small area of chair, adding cut fabric squares or rectangles (I mixed it up, didn’t follow any measuring rules and cut and placed fabric as I worked. I like the look of mixing horizontal and vertical lines and patterns as well.), and layering more Mod Podge on top.
2. Continue to layer fabric pieces and Mod Podge, overlapping fabric when necessary, to cover entire surface area of chairs. The Mod Podge will help smooth out fabric around edges. Make sure no chair shows through, cutting smaller fabric scraps to cover areas when needed. When chairs are completely covered, coat well in Mod Podge.
3. Let chair dry. Add another good coat of Mod Podge and let dry again.
4. Add two coats of polyurethane to seal chair (drying between each layer). This will help it endure kids and allow it to be wiped clean.
(funky boy print fabric would be great for these chairs too)
We also moved our magnet frame (magnetic frame board we made last year, described in this post) above our new table area and added craft utencil cups so things are more accessible for Lainey (but still out of reach for Nella):
We attached our pretty trim onto our cans and then hot glued two strong magnets on the back of each so that they can be removed as needed from the board.
Final Product:
It needs a little rug–and okay, knotty wood floors would look nice under it too. But for now, I completely love it.
*****
Welcome back to sponsor, One Delightful Button, maker of adorable accessories that grab the eye and beg for a “Where did you get those?” Creator Katie uses everything from fabric-covered buttons to Scrabble tiles to make earrings, cuff links, bookmarks, hair ties–in other words, perfect stocking stuffers or gifts for friends, teachers, mamas, etc. 
I love my new fall mustard flower earrings and our personalized book marks.
Katie is offering 10% off everything in her shop using code “kelle”
*****
Hoping November brings smiles for you all.
love, love mod podge. the chairs are fabulous!!!! the little house on the prairie series was my girl’s first favorite book series. those book marks are too cute!
Kelle this came out amazing! I saw the instagram chair pictures and I was dying to see the how-to. I especially love the creativity of the soup cans. You rock!
Cracking up at that first paragraph…I’m pretty sure I’ve been craft-intoxicated before. Love the new look of that table and chairs…can’t wait to try it on our own beat up furniture!
Looks like a fantastic Halloween!
Love the chairs! So crafty!!
Those lil chairs are sooo cute.
Adorable photos =)
Love, love, love the fabric on the chairs!! I must find something to modge podge fabric onto!!
The girls costumes were so cute, Nella made a beautiful frog. My gaughter has a small table and chairs that she did chalk board paint on the top of which worked so well. I am going to have her check out your table and chairs, she will love it. You are one crafty Mamma.
So much cuteness!
The picture of Nella and Angelina cracks me up… looks like there ia about to be a throw down over the bottle:)
Awesom ideas! I’m a mod podge freak, I love it! I redid all my switch plates around the house. Nell’s costume is so sweet!
Revamping must be in the air–we’ve been doing that too.
Those fabric covered chairs are so fun!
And what a fantastic thing for a 5 year old to do, trick or treat with her friends, sans the hand of an adult!
omg I LOOOOOVE those hats!!!!!!
LOVE the table and chairs! Makes me want to run off to IKEA and buy some just so I can modge podge fabric onto them 🙂 Yay!
omg – im not a very crafty person but i would die to make some chairs like that. ill be remembering this for my boys when they are ready for a play table!
The DUI thing really made me laugh Kelle and then my heart was warmed by this post too, great post Kelle, I love it.
I almost cried after reading this line: Lainey was thrilled to be a grown-up, trick-or-treating kid–the kind that runs ahead of her mother and doesn’t need a hand to hold anymore. She had friends to walk with.
I have a 3.4 y/o, and while he was shy as pie yesterday, I still enjoyed holding his little cold hand knowing that next year he’ll be running up to doors with his big cousins while leaving me in his dust.
You are a true inspiration.
Jen
BEAUTIFUL chairs!! I really want to try this! Your girls are adorable as always 🙂 Love their costumes- obviously, you are a creative genius.
what a great idea for the chairs. such fun. it’s the little touches to make such a big difference. i love Nella’s frog feet. so super cute!! you all had a blast this halloween. big hugs! (:
Love seeing all the pictures of little ones in costumes! And grown ones decked out too!
Happy November!
The chairs are adorable, what a fabulous idea to use up scraps !
DUI driving under inspiration!
? – are you naming your son Fox? 😉
I love, love, love those chairs!!! This pregnancy has sucked the creative energy out of me but, when it comes back….I’m going to use your idea!
Ahhhh I completely adore Nella’s frog outfit!
An I had to pin your chair tutorial it is sooo cute and I have been looking for a way to use up all my little fabric scraps!
{love} it Kel!
Best chairs ever!!!!!!!!! You are so seriously talented and I am so going to try that! ;D
Your Halloween looks so much different then up here on he North (Canada) our kids are heavily layered and had to go out in the rain this year! I love the table and chair set! I have a set that could use a little updating! I may have to follow your direction!
What a great craft idea! I love the outcome! And the costumes that your girls wore were just adorable.
Awesome table and chairs. I need to re-do my little girl’s set. Love the idea of this. And the girls’ costumes are super cute. 🙂
Wonderful pictures! As an Aussie, Halloween fascinates me. Nella’s frog feet are hilarious!
Lainey makes a beautiful princess. I love Nella’ little feet and her hat. The chairs came out great. You need an easy button outfit, hah.
My older boy is four and he ran ahead this year too. It was scary for me, but he was totally fine. My younger son kept dawdling and I could see my older boy getting farther and farther ahead. Being a non-helicopter parent is so hard for me.
Oh my goodness…that little one’s smile is infectious! I love what you did with the modge podge 🙂
I. Love. Those. Chairs! They are totally cute!
Seriously, could that frog costume be any cuter! Those feet!
I didn’t have a trick or treater this year for the first time in 21 years – very sad. LOVE the easy button and the chairs – too cute.
I love those chairs! I’ve got a little boy, and am chomping at the bit to take your suggestion of funky boy fabric for his chair. So cool!
Those chairs are FREAKING FANTASTIC. And being added to my “kelle hampton inspired” pinterest board RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!!!
LOL @ the “easy” belly 🙂
Love the photos, I need to get ours up on the blog too!
http://oliviaiamstilllearning.blogspot.com/
I love those chairs! And that “easy” button on your friend’s pregnant belly made me laugh out loud.
Those chairs are fantabulous… Seriously love. Oh and the girls were adorable. Surprised Nella could even walk in those flipper feet lol!!
love!!!! and love the FOX on the magnet board 😉
Oh kelle! Words can not describe how much I love the creativeness you have! The costumes were amazing! 🙂 And the kids corner and chairs! I have wanted to figure out fun ideas for my own kitchen and you make it seem so easy!
My children were scared out of their pants by some crazy nut with a chainsaw! He and his friends got chased out of the neighborhood by some pretty irate parents!
The chairs are beautiful 🙂
I love what you did with the chairs. They look awesome
That picture of Nella and Angelina is so adorable. Their faces are priceless, it’s like they are both thinking, “What are you wearing?” The costumes at Fred’s are so great, I sure wish I lived close to you. I’d definitely have plans on Friday nights! Lastly, your chairs are fantastic! How creative! They remind me of the glass pop bottles we cover with a patchwork pattern of fabric that held our pipe cleaner/fabric daisies in the late 70’s. 🙂
Your daughters are adorable and I’ve never seen such a cute frog before!
OMG, litlle frog Nella is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m totally doing that to our kids IKEA chairs that have remained unfinished for 3 years now! High time I get it in gear. Lord knows I have enough funky fabric in my stash to get the job done. Please do let us all know at some point how they’re holding up to active kids and how you fixed any lifting fabric, if the need arises.
I have come back several times to look at the picture ofhe girls trunk or treating. Nella’s face while reaching into her bucket is killing me. “Imma gonna get a candy, you are not going to say no. Deal?” xoxo
I have a table nd chairs to edo o Max, I might just be able to pull this off. Miracles happen.
Kelle,
I came across your blog the way many people probably have — Nella’s birth story. Someone shared it on Facebook, and then there was no going back. I was hooked. As I read the raw emotions pouring through your words, I cried. Tears streamed down my face; snot dripped out of my nose. I was in awe of your honesty and already completely, totally head over heels in love with your family and Net.
I’ve become somewhat of a Kelle Hamptom stalker since–reading your blog, following you on Facebook, Instagram and now Pinterest. I recently bought your memoir and I could barely put it down. If it weren’t for my very important job of taking care of my two young boys, I think I would have read that thing cover to cover in one sitting.
I keep telling my friends and family about your and your blog. I warn them to be careful because they could become addicted. If it happened to me, it could happen to anyone. I keep telling them I wish I was your friend. You seem so cool.
Thank you for sharing your life with us. Thank you for your refreshing honesty. I love your quirky sense of humor and I adore your style. (I have now acquired a love of thrift shopping.) Most importantly, thank you for showing the world what love looks like. The unconditional-I’m-going-to-die-if-I-don’t-squeeze-you-right-now variety.
Thank you for being you.
Love,
(One of)Your biggest stalkers and wannabe friends – Angie Mahlke
http://mahlkechronicles.blogspot.com/
First of all…I love the Kermit hat – she looks adorable as usual. The chairs look awesome and easy! Thanks for sharing!
Happy Halloween and Happy Autumn. This post ROCKED. The girls and their friends are just too cute all dressed up for trick-or-treating. I love the chair/table redo. I have a set that I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with. I was just going to paint them but this fabric make-over it fabulous.
The frog outfit is just ridiculously cute and I love the chairs!
I love everything about this post! Well done! Your girls’ chairs give me a great idea for our house.
I am a college student in Florida and I am wanting to either get into an O.T. program or Speech Therapy to help enrich the lives of the sweet blessings like little miss Nella. I have volunteered at my mom’s work for many years now (she is the children services manager at Pearl Nelson Center for early intervention) and I have been blessed with many a play-date with children of different kinds of special needs; seeing stories about your precious Nella makes me so excited to make this my career!
On another note: You are truly talented! The way you speak about family and love and self-confidence and being a mama completely mesmerizes me! I saw a post on Pinterest about four days ago saying that your blog was something everyone must read and in the last four days I have been completely enchanted! Your photos are also so incredibly beautiful (and so are your girls) 🙂 Oh, and in the last four days since I made the wonderful discovery of your blog I have spent about 6 hours sitting and reading. Your family has gained one more huge fan!
All the love and success in the world!~Emily
p.s. sorry for the long comment, I just thought you should know how inspiring not only you but your whole family is!
So love your blog – your honesty and warmth shine through every post and I feel very privileged to share in the magic! I so love Ella’s Halloween outfit and you’ve given me lots of inspiration for handmade gifts – thank you
http://littlehouseintheborders.blogspot.co.uk
Hi Kelly, could you please use your fame and notoriety to make mention of the devastation NJ is currently facing and encourage people to please donate to the Red Cross or other organizations? While it’s fun to look at everyone’s Halloween pics, I think it’s important to keep those people on the NE coast in mind whose kids were not able to have a Halloween this year, and many of which no longer have homes. Thank you!
Funny that a Little House book would show up in your post. I’m 25 and was just thinking in the past week that I should read those books again. 🙂
Hard to tell what’s cuter – the kids’ costumes or the chairs.
I always default to the kids.
Many years ago I recovered my daughter’s work table also, except I did mine with scraps of wrapping paper, pictures from books etc. I did it the same way as you, and now 15 years later the table and chair pretty much look in the same condition. Every 2 or 3 years I have given it another thin coat of polyurethane just to make sure the constant washing of the table didn’t degenarate the paper (iykwim) Apparently the paper method is called decoupage!
Fred’s looks like a BLAST!! Love the chairs 🙂
Lainey looks SO gorgeous in her princess dress! That COLOR….stunning on her!
And you know I love Nella Frog too!!! By far, cutest costume I’ve seen this year!
Your chairs are absolutely beautiful, but I have to tell you that I am in love with Nella! I think she is just the absolute sweetest little thing. I love how you have embraced all things Downs and are just so honest about it. She may have Downs Syndrome, but she is a beautiful little girl first. Great job Mom!
i swear parents really outdid themselves with the costumes this year! remember growing up, those he-man plastic sheaths & masks everyone wore? not anymore! nella’s might be the best of all the ones i’ve seen, followed closely by the two baby sisters dressed as laurel and hardy. 🙂
Those chairs are adorable. I promptly threw them on my DIY Dream Pinterest board.
Rock on crafty mama!
Stacie/BikiniBy30
Chairs, awesome. Princess and frog, couldn’t be any cuter. xo
I just wanted to tell you that I love your blog! You have amazing, crafty ideas and everything you do seems to turn out so beautifully! Today I read your Nella’s birth story and I cried. You are an amazing woman – a beautiful mother – and your daughters, your family are a reflection of everything beautiful that you have projected forward. Thank you for being so amazing and inspiring.
Love the chairs!!
Today I visited a new church for the baptism of a friend’s daughter, and one of the people ushering the congregation up for communion was a handsome young man with Downs syndrome. Before I would have smiled at him and quickly avoided eye contact. Not for any other reason than because I was at a loss on how to behave, react, just be. That was before I came across your story. I am thankful to you for showing me that someone with a disability isn’t labeled by that disability, but is just another person. Today at church I smiled at that young man and proudly looked him in the eyes as he ushered me out of my pew. Thank you, Kelle. You have taught me a valuable lesson.
Nella & Angelina’s little hats are adorable. I want one for myself!
I check your blog daily so sometimes I see your post several times before a new one appears and that’s OK. I enjoy the pictures every time I click on ETST. I LOL today as I looked at the Halloween picture again. A great start to my morning.
Wanted to share this story I came across today. <3
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/8579599/chy-johnson-boys
I just happened across your blog and I really enjoy reading it. My 3 yr old granddaughter has Ds and she is the light of my life. I noticed your comment about the tin cans with art supplies being high enough to be out of Nelle’s reach, with a chair and table nothing would be out of our Faith’s reach. It is wonderful though to see the world through her eyes.
Love the inspiration that you spread. The chairs – amazing. And the girls – the cutest ever by far. And nice job on the frog costume.
I’m jels that you had that much Podge on your hands to peel off. Love peeling it off my fingers post project.
-Jennifer
I love those chairs! I’m thinking of someway to decorate the kids chairs that used to be mine when I was little, but I have a boy & a girl. I’m sure Vinnie will love floral patchwork, but his daddy may not :/
also, wth is that purple guy in the first photo?!
Great idea!!!
Oh my gosh I love the chairs!!! Love them! http://twilsonismakingthemostoftoday.blogspot.com/