Monday 3 June 2013

Magpie Monday - Kid's Garden Table & Chairs, cable reel upcycle


I thought this week I'd share with you a little upcycle I did last summer, but it's one that is still getting lots of use.

We were given some old children's deck chairs which were found in the loft of a family property in France.  They are a perfect size for Ruby and her friends and cousins, but were not very inspiring to look at.




With a lick of garden paint, and re-covering the seats, now they are perfect for lazy summer days in the garden.

I bought a Gillian Kyle tea towel and used that, removing the original fabric and using it as a template.  Buying linen tea towels is a great way to get designer prints and fabrics at a fraction of the cost of buying it as  material by the metre.



For the table, I used a cable reel that was being chucked out from my brother-in-law's workplace.  You can pick these up often in skips, at the roadside or by covertly driving around industrial estates on a Sunday.  What? Oh come on.  We've all done that, surely?  They come in a great range of sizes and are perfect for tables.

The wooden top and bottom were painted in the same outdoor paint, and I covered the cardboard inner tube with hessian rope.  By far the cheapest way to buy a decent length of this sort of rope is to get window sash cord from the DIY store, otherwise it costs and arm and a leg.


What do you think?


Ruby loves to sit here to eat when we have barbecues, or will set the table up for tea parties for her dolls.  I'm on the hunt for a tiny glass to fit in the centre as a vase, and I think that will finish it off perfectly.

Have you salvaged anything lately, or bought something second-hand?  I'd love you to grab the badge and link up.



32 comments:

  1. love your new blog makeover :) great garden ideas!!

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    1. Thank you Maria, haven't seen you around in a while, hope you're well? x

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  2. I love it I love it I love it! My tin baths and new ladders were christened this weekend! Perfect party props!

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    1. Thank you Lucy - your party looked AMAZING!

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  3. Wow, these are gorgeous - I love the fabric and the table looks brilliant. Another thing which I can well imagine being priced very high in a certain kind of shop. Get making some more!

    I'm back after a little hiatus to move house - sorry I think I linked my home page instead of the actual post, but they are the same at the moment anyway
    x

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    1. Hi Lakota, thanks!

      Glad to have you back in the Magpie nest, I've missed you!

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  4. Ooh just seen you're a finalist in the Bibs for Craft - well THAT one makes sense!

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  5. This is so pretty. You're one very clever lady. x

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    1. Aww shucks, not really! Just hate waste. x

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  6. This is really fab and linen is much more practical too. Wow

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  7. So cute!! I love the tea towel idea!

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    1. Thanks Julia. Nice tea towels are wasted in our house - the dog eats them! So it's nice to be able to use one this way.

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  8. Fabbo make over and ingenious tea towel tip.

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    1. Thanks Fiona! It's a really good way to get nice fabric on the cheap and a much wider selection. I've got a Cath Kidston one waiting to go on my vintage kid's ironing board - next project!

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  9. I love the tea towel fabric, what a great idea to use it. They are a lovely company always fancied buying something from them, off to have a look, might treat myself.

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    1. Thanks A. They are really gorgeous prints, I love the Tunnocks Teacakes x

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  10. oh wow that looks amazing. You're very talented indeed!

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  11. Superb! Love it! What a talent! I will keep my eyes peeled now for a cable reel...

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  12. Hi Liz,
    Those cable reels are great. Like how you've spruced it up. The kids do love them. We had one at our local Placycentre, but I've been the mean Mum and put it aside, as its seen better days and no longer safe to play with. Am now on the hunt for one of a similar size.

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  13. Wow that's brilliant!! How do you come up with these things?

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  14. Using tea towels is a genius idea! Can you do me a Tunnocks teacake one? ;)

    Nothing to report for magpie monday this week but I did end up going back to the charity shop and getting my yellow table - not that it has anywhere to live yet.

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  15. Love these so much, I want larger ones for me in the garden xxx

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  16. Oh I love this so much!! Going to go hunting for a cable reel! :) x

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  17. I love the table, it would be great in the garden in the summer. My neighbour is a builder so I'll ask him if he's got any spare.

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