Creatively Re-purposing Salt Tubs {Chairs for the Barbies}

 I didn't manage a re-purposing series in June as life was simply to busy but I am trying again and I think it will go well. We are trying to clean things out to get ready for our move and we are also working to make things to enter in the fair so we are hoping to make a lot of projects this month.

  As I was cleaning out our craft cupboard lately I discovered a whole lot of salt tubs. Finding 10 or so in the cupboard really makes it look like we use a lot of salt! Or that I never throw anything away! Maybe it is a little of both - but whichever I do not plan on moving any empty salt tubs so if they want a future life they will need to be made into something soon. :-) As far as using salt I do have the one excuse that we buy very little that is pre-made and already has salt in it.

   Today I thought I would share one of my long time favorite ways to use up salt tubs: Making Barbie Chairs.

Both Megan and I made one this afternoon. We pulled some barbies out of their tub to give them a try. They seemed to like them too.

Here is my general method for making a chair (Megan used her own method but I didn't document it):

 1. Cut the top off and then part of the side off like shown above.

 2. Find some fabric that will fit all the way around the tube with some excess on the ends and as you go around.

 3. Cut it as shown and hot glue the fabric on the back.

 4. Flip the fabric over to the front of the chair and carefully glue around the edges - working to fold in the raw edges.

 5. Glue the fabric around the front and tuck excess inside.

6.  Cut out a square of circle of fabric larger than the area where you need the seat. Wrap it around some padding of some sort.

7.  Tuck it into the chair and glue in some places to make it stay.

 Megan left more cardboard exposed and had fun decorating with denim strips and other things. She also made a little pillow to go in it.

 The back view of the chairs.

 It is really an easy project and they are quite sturdy. We have had chairs like this that lasted for years. What is also neat is that they really do work well for the barbies. So many chairs barbies fall out of easily but not these. You can use any fabric scraps you like.

 What would you do with a bunch of Salt tubs?