I’d been scouring Craigslist for a small desk for my daughter’s bedroom re-do, but after three months of no-go and a birthday deadline fast approaching, I changed my plans last garbage day. With my neighbor’s blessing, I snagged her chair from the curb. It took about two hours to scrub and vacuum it clean. Then I repaired the loose wicker on the front legs, gave it a coat of white primer, and finished with two cans of Krylon Watermelon. (Still not sure about the monogram I taped off in the diamond pattern on the back of the chair — I was going for funky but think now it might be fussy. Thoughts?) Click to read the rest — and see the chair as it looked before Sarah’s magic!

For the chair seat and pillow, I found a yard and a half of fabric that picked up the wall and chair colors and the colors from the curtains. Total cost? $15.72 for three cans of spray paint and the fabric. (To be fair, I’ve been stocking my own sewing closet since college, so I already had padding and a pillow form.) I still have a few more things to get up on the walls, then I’ll share the rest of the budget-friendly refresh. — Sarah L.

The chair, before:

More from Sarah’s daughter’s room re-do: zippered memory pillow from a sleeper, easy DIY canopy bed.