Put Your Feet Up

Next door to us is a rather odd house.  The neighbour never ever EVER was seen.  For five years we lived here and only heard the occasional bang of the flyscreen at around 3am.  Ivy grew over the back door and the yard was literally waist high with weeds.  Not that it bothered us; in fact it worked in quite well with our particularly rowdy household. 

Then a few weeks ago there was movement at the station.  Suddenly I noticed one day the back door was open!  Then it stayed open for a few days and I started to get concerned - what if he was lying hurt or dead in there?  But the next day, when I was resolved to gather up my courage and knock on the door (can anyone spell Boo Radley?)  I was greeted by a couple of mattresses in the backyard (our fences are quite low so I could easily see the growing pile).  

Over a few days this pile grew and grew.  Then I met the owner - turns out he and the tenant had arranged for the house to be painted.  And then, a couple of days after that, the owner was notified that the tenant was moving out.  All we ever knew of him was that he kindly left a set of maracas and a tambourine on our front wall the day he moved out.  Obviously he wasn't hard of hearing and knew they would find a good home with us!

So once the owner let loose inside the house, there was a general throw-out.  And then, just last week, some items appeared that were quite decent looking.  Not our style, but a couple of bookcases, a desk, a little buffet and some loungechairs with these cute footstools.

Not having anywhere to keep the loungechairs, I left those to the footpath loiterers (like me) but I did nab the footstools.  They were faded purple, boring and stodgy but well made and sturdy.  And so it was that on the weekend I found the time to unscrew the legs and staple on some fabric of my choosing.  And, voila!  Transformation!

The other one I'm yet to cover but I think a funky purple floral flannel I have will do nicely and meet with a certain young child's approval.