DIY covered ottoman

This covered ottoman has been one of the most fun and easiest projects ever! The hardest part? Finding a cheap and functional coffee table and fabulous fabric. I started gathering materials for this during a super busy and stressful time in my internship (presentations to management--eek!), so it took me a few weeks to get the finished product (and a few months to blog about it), but this could easily be done in a weekend. Above is the finished product after quite an extreme makeover. I bought this coffee table for $13 at a Goodwill. Kinda gross, but not too bad for $13. It had potential.

I sanded it down a little and gave it a fresh coat of paint followed by a light coat of glaze (glaze not shown).

I cut a piece of plywood to fit the top of my coffee table then sanded the edges and rounded the corners. 
Because my coffee table was so long, the craft store didn't have 3" foam that fit the dimensions, so I bought 2 rolls of 2" foam. I cut them to the correct dimensions and used spray adhesive to glue them together and then to the plywood. I don't think you necessarily have to glue them, but the plywood is a bit cumbersome, so it made it easier to deal with for the next step.

 I used a serrated kitchen knife to cut through the thick foam which left my edges a little messy, so I covered it first with thick craft batting. Smooth it out on the floor and turn the plywood board over with the foam face down onto the batting. Batting rips easily, so pull firmly but don't go crazy. Staple around the edges.

When you come to the corners, fold and staple to get a smooth edge. Then go around and cut the batting off fairly close to the staples.

Now add your fabric! Staple it the same way you did the batting, but if you are using a pattern like I did, make sure your pattern is straight! You can put a few staples in on each side then flip it over to make sure you aren't cock-eyed. Flip it back over and staple until your little hand can't staple any more! Seriously, staple a lot. 
More staples = less riples. 
Also, pull tight! Over time your fabric will loosen up, so you want to start with a tight fit. 
Use a few screws to attach the top to the coffee table from the under side and you're done. All for about 100 bucks!

I found the perfect rectangular tray at Stienmart :)

Go ahead and put your feet up.


In traveling news, Rhett and I are headed to Minneapolis this weekend for GSA and a birthday celebration! Hello beautiful weather and Mall of America! 
The following weekend, I'm off to New Mexico for a field trip to study carbonates with m new pair of wool socks. The Guadalupe Mountains are going to get realllll coooool at night. Good thing I have a never-been-used mummy bag hanging in my hall closet. Winning! 
Insert iGeo right in the middle and October gets pretty crazy. We have selected our high school participants and busily preparing for their arrival on campus! October is usually one of my favorite months, but this one will fly by. November, see you soon!




Did you make it this far?? Then you must be Rhett...or Mom :)