I recently talked about the importance of reusing before happening to recycle items of mine. And this is where it all began. I have a coffee table that I got at Ikea last year. It is not well put together, entirely made of particle board, and basically all I could afford. But as the year went on I started to realize I used the table more as a footstool than anything else. However, it was entirely uncomfortable but my only option. After a few hours of reading a textbook with my feet on the coffee table I realized how much I had hurt my ankles. I had a huge indentation that was red and sore. So of course my first reaction is to start googling ottomans. And to my surprise they are pretty pricey. Even the ones from Walmart will run you around $100, which is a lot seeing as to how that is two weeks of groceries of groceries for me and I don't want to buy more furniture. After googling many blogs and youtube videos I found a bunch that taught you how to reupholster furniture. I then further found some more on how to turn a coffee table into an ottoman.
From there I downloaded a few coupons and took some measurements of my table, grabbed my keys and headed to JoAnn Fabrics. There I bought Green Foam for comfort, thick white batting, a staple gun, and some thick canvass fabric that I found in the scrap section. In the end I ended up spending around $32 only. And if you add in the original price of the table ($19) I ended up with an ottoman for $50! That is dirt cheap, not to mention eco friendly, and I got to pick the fabric that matches my decor. About an hour later, and the major brute force done by my boyfriend since I didn't buy the best staple gun, I had a cozy, comfy ottoman.
So cozy that it got pinched!
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| THE FACE OF GUILT! |
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| Rights have been established and yes her paws are crossed |
Penny commandeered my ottoman within minutes of actually having it. She never once climbed on my coffee table, but the moment I put a piece of cozy fabric she went all Christopher Columbus on me and staked her claim on it. As I tried to shoo her off, a war of resources broke out. Her little canines started to flair, she bent in a crouching position, and started to growl. She refused to move. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. After about ten minutes of her running around from the couch to the ottoman and back and forth I gave up. Basically I lost to an 8lb dog. Every time I thought I got her off she would just hop back on and knock off the nice little tray with all the tv remotes and books off of it.
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| Guarding her territory during the battle |
Now not only do I not have an ottoman, but I don't have a coffee table anymore. Instead I have a puppy pedestal that she sits on since I moved it for her towards the window. When I had the blinds open she would lay on it and soak up the sun on her belly, so I gave in and just gave it to her.
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| Before |
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| After |
As the days grow colder I don't feel so bad for giving it to her. She needs sunlight and happiness in her life. So it got me thinking. What other things out there can you repurpose into pet furniture.
And I found a bunch of nifty things.
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| Desk Cat Station |
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| Upside Down Table |
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| Dog Food Risers |
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| Repurposed End Table |
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| Suitcase Dog Bed |
As you can see there are many option for repurposing for your pet, most of which are intended unlike my little mishap. But it goes to show you the adaptability of animals and green home innovation. There are always options for making your pet comfortable, and not all of them have to be store bought.
Friends Fur Ever,
Stephanie & Penny
-$22.01 +$32.00 (which I am using as positive because I ended up with an awesome ottoman/puppy bed)
=$9.99
Update!
The puppy relief station didn't work. She ate the corner off... Maybe it will start to work in the winter when she misses grass? Hopefully!
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