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I’m the world’s slowest crafter when I’m not under a deadline. I have a few dozen friends and family members who are waiting on handmade gifts from me as we speak. My house is stuffed with projects lingering around the 50% complete mark. Luckily this Lion King Stool doesn’t take long to make. There’s a chance that the infant recipient might have it in his room before he leaves for college.
I found the Lion King receiving blankets at Walmart. You’ll only need one to upholster the stool. That means you’ll have three left over to add to your gift!
I’ve been planning a few chalk paint projects, so this seemed like the best low-risk way to test it out. I gave the legs a nice, even coat. As an afterthought, I threw some paint on the underside of the stool, too. As you can see, it’s a hot mess. The legs look great. The bottom of the stool? Not so much. Note to self: slow, even strokes when I’m painting things that people will actually see. Those legs, though… Chalk paint is actually really fun. And by fun I mean it’s easy to use and doesn’t require a million coats. 
It’s time to upholster! Trace and cut out a piece of foam that matches the top of your stool.
Now we’ve reached the staple gun portion of this project. Staple guns are just as much fun as glue guns, but with significantly less opportunities to burn yourself. Place a piece of batting down on your work surface, then turn over the foam and stool on top of the batting. Make sure everything is lined up, then staple into place on the underside of the stool.
When doing staple gun upholstery, always staple the center of each side first, then work out to the corners. More staples are better. Make sure you pull your batting and fabric taut, but not overly tight. Pull things too tightly and you’ll get a lumpy finish. Don’t pull things tightly enough and you’ll get wrinkles. I always keep a hammer handy to hammer down any staples that don’t go in completely flush with the wood. 
After you’ve stapled everything into place, just trim off the extra fabric. If you’re a type-a crafter, finish off with some ribbon. If you’re type-b, just leave it as-is, knowing no one will ever see it.
See? Those rough edges are totally hidden. 
And don’t forget to save the ribbon from the package. Roll up the three blankets you have left and it’s a perfect fit. You’ll have the cutest gift at the baby shower!