More patio progress!

My cushions came in today!  

Remember the Frontgate chaise lounge chairs I found in the trash?!  I haven't repaired them yet, but couldn't resist putting the new cushions on to see how they looked!  I need a little table in between them to hold my afternoon margarita(s)!

This is the bamboo dining set I bought on Craig's List for $45 and painted/stained.  I love the way the chair cushions look!

This is the Frontgate teak chair I found in the trash!  It needs a little throw pillow.  I found the ceramic garden stool at Big Lots for $15.

Now here's my next project....

Shield your eyes!

This is the settee I bought on Craig's List for $65.  I'm lovingly calling it my Holly Hobby couch.  Dontcha just LOVE that little ditzy floral print?!  Ha!  Rudy, our puppy, thinks it makes a really nice bed!

My dilemma is how the heck I'm going to recover this thing!  

It has a fabric back with curves behind the pillows...

...and across the back.

Mrs. FYN does NOT sew....yet.  I have a sewing machine, but still trying to figure out how to use it.  Any ideas for how to recover this thing with no sewing?

Also, should I sand and re-stain the wood finish or should I paint it?  White?

Patio Table DONE!

I finally have something to show you from my back patio project!

The patio table is finally done!  This is the bamboo dining set I found on Craig's list for $45.  I painted the chairs and stained the table.  

The glass top was found in the trash....FREE!

I had the Indian fabric and think it makes a cool runner.

I painted the chairs turquoise and after a spray paint mishap, this is the result.  I ended up going over everything with brown stain and adding some orange/bronze glaze that I mixed up with paint I had.  The color in the runner ties into the finish on the chairs.

More to come on the patio.  I'm working furiously this week so I can post more at Amanda's party!  Stay tuned...

Patio Progress

The patio makeover is coming along, slowly but surely.  In the meantime, I did a little mini makeover on my front patio with old things from the back patio.

No before picture, but it was empty.  We are fortunate enough to have a huge brick covered patio on the front of our house.  Ideally, I would love to find a big rustic bench, but for now this will do, especially because it was FREE!

This is the old furniture from our back patio.  We now have a nice sitting area on the front porch!

The metal container was a brassy delight found at Goodwill for $2.  I spray painted it espresso.  The rocks and that awesome piece of wood that looks like coral were FREE finds courtesy of the mountains in West Texas during our Spring Break vacation.

Coming soon....back patio reveal.  Okay, I know I'm a tease and I've been saying this for at least 2 weeks now.  I've decided I need an assistant.  Any takers?!

The first step is admitting you have a problem...

I'm addicted to Craig's List.  I've been checking it everyday, sometimes more than once.  I think I may need to get help!

I am looking for a wood framed settee for the covered patio makeover.  I want to paint the wood and recover the cushions in Sunbrella fabric.  I like the idea of putting non-patio furniture on a covered patio.  

So, here's what I found this morning...

I talked her down to $65.  Do you think it was a good deal?  Be honest!  

She listed it as an "antique" so I'm going to have to check that puppy out when I bring it home. I may not be painting the wood or putting it on the patio if it's worth something!

And now, just for some Tuesday laughs, here's some funny Craig's List ads!

Did they think that would get better offers?

I have no words for this...

Oh my!

Have a great afternoon! 

Patio "Vision"

I just completed my "mood board" for the patio makeover. It's coming along nicely and hopefully by the end of this week it will look something like this...

New Patio by kendall@digiteconline.com on Polyvore.com I found the cushions - Turquoise for the new "trash-picked" chaise lounges with chocolate quatrafoil print pillows.  Same print for the bamboo dining set.  What do you think?

I'm going to try to make outdoor "art" similar to the pieces on the right side of the mood board.  I'm thinking laminated scrapbook paper?

Painting, repainting and staining....how's your day?

I am in patio furniture Hades!  Good thing it's such a beautiful day and I'm enjoying the sunshine, all while cursing!

So I got the 2nd coat of turquoise spray paint (Valspar Mediterranean) on the bamboo dining chairs and encountered a problem...

Can you see the white spots?  It doesn't matter how many times I spray over it they come back.  Okay, so what does a girl do?  Ya just "go with it", right?

So, I went in to my painting tub of tricks and found some dark walnut stain, which I proceeded to wipe haphazardly all over the chair (you would be laughing at me -- I used an oven mit to apply most of the stain and a toothbrush to get into the nooks & crannies!)

And here's the result...

The chair I experimented on has a rung missing in the back....imperfectly beautiful, just like me, ha!

So what do you think?  Hot mess?  I think I may go back with some umber paint and really darken it up in spots.  

These chairs are going to look like they came out of an old, crusty barn when I'm done with them!

Oh and I ran out of turquoise paint (imagine that!) so I'm thinkin' I may just stain the table, to provide some contrast.  Good?  Bad?

And finally, I ordered the glass top for the table today and I'm still looking for cushions, but I'm thinking about a white background with a coral print or maybe even something very natural looking like burlap.  Leave it to me to do things backwards!  Should have found the cushions first!  

Oh and here's a funny sidenote (I think I'm rambling which is probably due to the spray paint fumes!) -- I went to Garden Ridge a couple of days ago to see about replacement cushions for my patio furniture and they had crap for selection.  So disappointed in them in the last couple of years!  I did, however, find a really cute bronze lantern for $12 and I got suckered in to buying 4 patio lounge chairs for $30 a piece!  Great deal, but the chairs look...well...like patio chairs and totally don't fit into the Indian/beachy/bohemian oasis I'm envisioning, like these... 

 So, the "I'm going to be lazy & not think" chairs are going back to the store tomorrow.  I'm such a sucker for a sale!  You?

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Patio makeover tease!

The patio makeover is getting off to a slow start.  It was windy yesterday so I couldn't do any spray painting (well, I could have but then my red brick house would have splashes of turquoise paint....not a good thing!)  

I started spray painting this morning and wanted to give you guys a sneak peek!  

The bamboo dining set will be TURQUOISE!  I appreciate everyone's comments and turquoise was the response I got most.

How do you like my spray painted grass?!  Oh Mr. FYN is going to love that one!  

I like the way it's turning out so far; this is the first coat.  At first I thought I wanted a lacquered look, but I kind of like the way the bamboo shows through the paint.

So, what do you think so far?

Patio update - look what I just scored on Craig's List!

I'm so pumped!  I was just browsing Craig's List for outdoor furniture for cheap and look what I bought!

Bamboo dining set for $45.  Okay, she's ugly in her current state but with a little paint, won't this be cool?

I'll have to get a piece of glass cut for the top and some fun cushions for the chairs.

I need everyone's opinions on paint.  

I'm going for a zen/buddha/indian feel on the patio.  The colors will be turquoise and burnt orange with hammered bronze accents.  Should I paint this set:

WHITE?

TURQUOISE?

BURNT ORANGE?

Keep in mind, the patio floor is stained pretty dark.

Let me know what you think!

The patio makeover is "ON" this weekend!

Good morning friends!  After some thought I've decided to take down my Trash Pickin Thursday party.  I am getting so busy with actual decorating jobs (yay!) that I don't have enough time to devote to trash picking consistently (*sniff sniff), but if you find something in the trash or rehab something you found, certainly post it to my weekend party, Shop The House Sunday!

It's FINALLY sunny and beautiful here in South Texas, so I'm itching to start my back patio makeover on Sunday!  So far, here are the elements I'm working with:

This Frontgate teak chair I found in the trash!

This really cute garden stool I found at Big Lots for $20

This little bistro table given to me by a friend (i. e. FREE!)

My patio set which is in need of spray paint (hammered bronze?) and new cushions.  I have a love seat, 2 chairs, 2 footstools & a coffee table.

I really wanted new patio furniture, but we're getting ready to put in new plank flooring (yay! It's finally happening!) so money is TIGHT, SUPER TIGHT!

So, off I go to try to make this hodgepodge mess into something great!  I'll be posting on the patio makeover soon! 

Another Decorating Dilemmas Party at Serenity Now - MY FAVORITE PARTY!

 

I was so excited yesterday when Amanda at Serenity Now told me she would be throwing another Decorating Dilemmas Party!  This is my ABSOLUTE favorite blog party ever.  Where else can you get free, unabashed decorating advice from fellow savvy, "full of talent" bloggers?  And of course, you can give advice on their projects too!  It's so much fun and I hope you'll go over and join the party.  

Okay, here's my current dilemma....

Spring is a comin' and my back patio is in need of some lovin'!!

(sounds like a bad country song!)

Here's what it looks like...

 

(sorry for the big white space on the right.  I took this photo last Spring before I really knew what I was doing!  Okay, I still don't know what I'm doing most days!)

I stained the concrete in 2 colors, a rust and black.  Then I painted the black border all the way around.

Here's what the patio looked like before...

(that's Mr. FYN in all his glory!  And my mom-in-law's weiner dog.  I love callin' them weiner dogs, instead of dauschands!)

 

So I think the concrete stain was a good thing, you?  

Okay, so here's where I need YOUR advice.

Goal:  To furnish & accessorize the patio and make it look LESS ghetto and MORE fabulous!

Budget:  Pretty much non-existent, but I'm savvy at cheap treasure hunting, repurposing, spray paint, etc.  Will probably have to buy a few things, but trying to stay as LOW as I can go!

Measurements:  24 Ft x 10 Ft.  (4 ft is not covered and is typically where we put the BBQ pit)

Windows to consider:  There are 3 windows to the left of the back door ( 2 are 3ft wide x 5ft tall & center one is 4ft wide x 5ft tall) and 1 window to the right (little under 3ft wide x 5ft tall)

What we do on the patio: Watch the kids terrorize each other play,  BBQ on the weekends, visit with friends after the sun goes down.  We really don't eat out there much because of the Houston heat & Texas sized mosquitos!

Theme: Anything goes.  My home is beachy coastal but the patio really doesn't have to relate!  I'm open for anything!

Furniture:  We actually have a really BAD aluminum patio set with loveseat, 2 chairs and coffee table out there right now, but I didn't take a pic because I swear it would break my camera!  The straps are so worn out that you almost hit the ground when you sit down.  I think they are bound for the trash, and are not "saveable"!  The coffee table might be saved.  It's just a basic rectangle with the tempered "wavy" glass (sexy!)  I like the idea of something that doesn't look like a set, but it needs to be slightly weatherproof.  Sometimes the rain in Houston is the "blowing sideways" kind!

We've also installed some very wide bamboo shades on the side facing the yard, since this picture was taken, to block the afternoon sun.

I truly appreciate your help and I'll give you my 2 cents on your dilemma as well!