Barstools on the cheap

I have had a huge problem finding the right barstools. What's the problem, you say, barstools are EVERYWHERE. Don't think I don't know this. But I have specific ones in mind. They need to look good (of course) but my space is small so they need to blend in a bit too. After countless months of searching I had decided simple white "saddle" barstools were the way for me to go. Who knew those would be so hard to find. Then I found some...
But these beauties are $89.00 each. That doesn't even count tax or shipping. No way was I paying that for something they could build on HGTV for $10. Then one rainy day while wandering through Bed Bath and Beyond I found these.

Notice that yellow tag in the upper corner, yes it says $14.99 EACH!!!! Buy me a can of spray paint and I'm set. There was a bit of assembly required, which can be problematic for me. But it was painless and easy.

Then came the priming. I did a darker color because I plan to sand some the paint away to reveal the brown underneath. Something I have come to discover the blogging world calls the "chippy paint" look.
Now let me tell you about a little device that changed my life. This spray paint nozzle gun thingy takes spray painting to a whole new level. You don't get it on your finger, your hand doesn't hurt, you can give a nice even spray, and you can even spray at an angle or upside down. The sneaky paint companies have now added nozzles like these onto the paint can, and they upped the price of the can from $3 to $6. Don't waste your money on something you'll have to throw away. Spend your money on the spray gun thingy (about $3.50) and transfer it when you need to use a different color spray paint. If spray painting your furniture is a huge part of your decorating skills (like me) you need one of these.

So these are the (almost) finished product. I didn't buy enough white paint, but by the time I figured that out on Sunday it was getting dark and the forecast for rain on Monday made me nervous. So my clearance barstools are hanging out inside for the next three weekends (with the Christmas ornaments I have for yet another project) since I'll be out of town and busy. Then I can give them their final coat of paint. Not to shabby for $14.99 a piece if I do say so myself.