A couple facts: I love elephants, and I love projects. My neighbors across the street were in the process of moving a couple months ago, and I spotted a little chair with an elephant on it in their driveway with their stuff they were having picked up for charity donation. I sent her a quick text and asked if I could have it, and then sent my kids over to pick it up.
It was an adorable little metal chair, with peeling white paint, some rust, and a faded seat. I knew I could bring it back to life and that it would be perfect for my daughter to lounge in on the deck.
I started working on it by taking the seat off (there were 12 screws holding that tiny seat on!) Next, I sanded the areas that were rusted, and then primed it with a spray primer for metal. The trim on our house is a light tan color and I wanted something that would coordinate with that. The fabric I picked (Outdoor canvas fabric from JoAnn Fabrics. Normally $19.99/yard, but it was on 50% off that week) was a mix of turquoise, tan, and white, so I went with an Almond color for the metal part of the chair. I sprayed two coats and that was that.
I decided to use the existing seat for the chair and just cover it with new fabric. I laid the seat on the fabric and just eyeballed how much to cut out. Getting it back on the chair was tricky, and would have been easier if I had a couple extra hands to hold the fabric tight, while I screwed the screws back in. No such luck on the extra hands, but I made it work.
I think it turned out great, and my daughter is thrilled to have her own little chair to sit in!