Turn an old papasan chair in to a Canopy Reading Nook for the littles! {Sawdust and Embryos}

I definitely think there’s a connection between a creative personalities and hoarding tendencies. I mean, obviously there are different levels of hoarding, and some are downright unhealthy. I’m not collecting empty pizza boxes, all I’m trying to say is that… I SAVE STUFF for one of two reasons:

• It’s sentimental
• I’m going to use it someday. For SOMETHING

And I’m here to tell you that I always end up using things that I save. It just may take a few years for me to find the perfect use for it!

Take this Papasan frame for example.

I’ve had it since college. And I threw the cushion away a long time ago because my cat peed on it. So for years, I’ve had that frame… just lying around. I’ve rescued it from Nick’s ‘burn pile’ on many occasion. ‘WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO USE IT FOR? IT’S JUST TAKING UP ROOM’ he would say.

But the man-child has grown to trust my creative process.

And recently I thought of the perfect use for it. It would become a canopy ‘reading nook’ in the girls’ new room! STAY WITH ME!

To start! Chop it in half!! I used my RYOBI Reciprocating Saw and it cut through like butter. But you could use a jigsaw, circular saw, or… if you’re desperate… a branch-cutting shear. It doesn’t have to be pretty.

Then I primed and painted white, and recruited Nick to help me hang it using small L-brackets (that I also primed/painted white). We just held it up where we wanted it, made a mark on one edge, and drew a straight line with a pencil using a long level. Then screwed the brackets into the wall (on the two edges and the top/center beam) and into the bamboo using our RYOBI Impact Driver… and that thing is SOLID. Won’t need to worry about it falling!

I had one of those sheer mosquito-net things (also from my college days… HOARDER!) and I sliced an opening in the center of the back and laid it over my ‘Papasan canopy’. I just tucked the edges behind some of the wood slats of the Papasan. (you can see we left some space above the canopy… we did that so it would feel more cozy for the tiny humans. There has been talk of putting a long floating shelf above it across that wall. No decisions have been made)

My sister let me have her Papason to use the cushion on the floor of our canopy, and ironically…. her cushion came with the frame… which brings my hoarding papason chair problem full circle.

I also made some pillows using fabric from some shirts that haven’t fit me for years (HOARDER!) and followed Mandi’s pocket pillow tutorial.

And I strung some flower lights that I bought at a thrift store a long time ago… I KNEW I would find a use for them eventually (HOARDER!). Aren’t they the perfect colors though?

I was planning to stop here, but it seemed like it needed SOMETHING on top of the papason frame. I didn’t mind that the frame showed through the tulle, it just felt like it was missing something. I thought about making a bunch of large scale flowers out of coffee filters or some kind of similar madness, but then I remembered THIS. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

I used some RIT dye and dyed that thing pink, and laid it over the ‘dome’ of the papasan canopy. I feel like it looks like flower petals. And it makes me less bitter about all the time I wasted making that ruffle-y comforter that flopped.

Sorry, no tutorial on the ruffle-y thing. I just can’t go there. I CAN’T. But here are some instructions that are similar.

But I will tell you that this looks WAY more ‘floofy’ and over-the-top than something that I would normally design. But it came from things that we already had on hand… and I just went with it. And I love how it turned out. I mean, it IS for toddler girls. Me-thinks they’ll like it.

Here’s my best attempt at getting the other side of the room in the pic… so you can ‘orient yourself’

And here it is at night!

I know you may have a papasan chair lying around. Or perhaps you’ll find one at a garage sale or somesuch. They’re accessible is all I’m trying to say, so don’t disregard this tutorial just because you don’t have one!

And HOW SUPER CUTE would this be over a little girl’s bed? Somebody please do that asap, and send me pictures. You can have the other half of my papasan frame. :)

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