Footstool or Ottoman?

C’mon in and put up your heels, boots – it’s summer so it could be your flip flops – up for a few…let me tell you about my new In.fat.u.a.tion! Wanna cup of black tar – oops! - Coffee?
I mean it…I have become almost OBSESSED (even DREAMING about it!) with turning anything and EVERYTHING I come across into a footstool. Or is it an ottoman? Or footstool? Or ottoman? Augh!


Footstool: a piece of furniture, the purpose of which is to support one's feet. There are two main types of footstool, which can be loosely categorized into two categories, those designed for comfort and those designed for function.

do you see it there? the little tiny thing...how cute is THAT!

Ottoman: a piece of furniture, a padded, upholstered seat or bench having neither back nor arms, often used as a stool or footstool, or in some cases as an improvised coffee table. An ottoman can also be known as a footstool, tuffet, hassock or pouf ([1]). Some ottomans are hollow, in which case they are often used as blanket boxes.

Yep…a red.neck girl from Texas - who really loves Wikipedia ;-) - actually had to look up the difference between footstools and ottomans………..I’m cringing – please don’t tell my mama ‘cause she thinks she raised me better than that!!!

It all started on a hot spring day…
It’s Texas, that could be a “hot winter day”, “hot fall day” or a “stinkin’ wretchedly hot humid disgusting summer day” – but nope, it was spring.

Walking through the antique mall where red.neck Chic is live and in person (yep - i have my duct tape roll there too!), there they were. A hideous, yet charming in their own way, set of naugahyde covered, 1970 somethin’, Ethan Allen stackable footstools. After a second, third and fourth look the wheels on the bus in my head were spinning out of control! Of course I had to load them up and haul them home! The possibilities were endless!!! I could recover them in this, I could recover them in that, I could mix up this and that…endless I tell you! THEN! To make matters worse – a couple of days later I had to pull a u-turn (oh….like I don’t ever do THAT!!!) because there they were – a ray of bright and shining light beaming down upon them – calling my name (I will confess, there is a vast amount of various things that call my name) – ANOTHER set of hideous, yet charming in their own way, set of naugahyde covered, 1970 somethin’, Ethan Allen stackable footstools. Yeah, they are stripped down, re-painted/stained and awaiting their formal wear in my la-boor-a-tory (bwoo ha-ha) now!!!

Here is the first set all dressed up and ready to go! The top one started out as a throw pillow and table runner – topped off with a belt buckle! The second one was a DIFFERENT cowhide covered footstool (not an ottoman!) and the third one was a black leather jacket – I even managed to keep the pocket!



Of course, I had to do huge amounts of research (I mean, really, the possibilities are ENDLESS!) and these are some more gorgeous specimens that I have found!

Gorgeous roses - I might would have to leave this one AS IS! Imagine that!!!

Is that...gel in the middle? Who thinks of things like that? ;-)

Dear old Martha even tells us how to make a set!

I had never given footstools OR ottomans too much thought prior to my freakishly hot spring day find, but now I will confess that I am the proud owner of 2 sets of stackables, and a whole pile of other assorted objects that are heading in the “put your feet up on me now, you won’t regret it” direction! Does anyone know how to drill through a bowling pin?

Well - I’m off! Gonna have to drag my flip flops off the footstool they are propped on and get busy! I have a show in a few weeks and I’m thinking I better get some more things made! Think anyone has ever made a purse you can put your feet up on? Hmmmmmmm……………

‘Til next time! Happy Junkin’ – don’t forget to stop and put your feet up for awhile!!! Do you have a footstool or do you have an ottoman? That is the question...

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee

:-) robelyn