Yesterday I promised to show you how you can bring inside decor outside. There are so many blogs showing you how to make your outside living area into an extended part of your home. The big craze seems to be to take drop cloths and turn them into outdoor curtains around your porch. I want to do this. Even if I only do it on one end of my front porch. Drop cloths are perfect for this....the rain won't hurt them and they give an inside homey feel to your outdoor space. That's a long term goal for me. I've looked at the bamboo shades and I know they have them for outdoors, but they are very pricey. I think working with a drop cloth I can get more out of my money and really enjoy full length "curtains" outdoors. Maybe a blog one day soon?
Anyhoo...I've always wanted a lamp outside. They have outdoor lamps that can resist the weather, but they are very expensive. I didn't need one THAT bad...so I've just always had in the back on my mind a lamp on my table on the front porch. Look what I found at Goodwill!
Perfect! It was marked $9.99 and after a little thought and a conference with hub inside Goodwill about this withstanding weather...he agreed to go for it. It's ceramic. The base is designed like bamboo...it had a green touch to it on the base and the shade....it was VERY HEAVY...it blended perfect with the house. I added the stone birds that I found at the dollar store ($1 ea) and then I had found at a local store downtown the rustic candle holder. It's meant for a single, narrow candle...but I thought the larger candle looked so much better. The green tin container is actually a citronella candle and wah lah...my table between my rockers was complete. This lamp has withstood lots of rain and battering winds over the last few months and yet it still stands unharmed.
This wall arrangement is a Goodwill find as well. This is next to my back door which leads onto the patio. I had always used something outdoor weather friendly in this spot, but with this container being $2 and the arrangement gently tucked into a bag for $.99...what did I have to lose? It's still up...withstood all the Georgia heat and rain we've had over the summer and looks great. Seriously? I can always replace the flowers and the container is here to stay.
Does my patio look like this now? Ummm...no. Thanks to the Georgia heat and humidity...it's a mess right now. These pics were taken during the Spring of the year. I enjoy working in the yard, but not during the heated summer months. I'm so ready for Fall...I've already started tweaking the patio again and hopefully I'll have it back up to par soon. I just wanted to show you how you can extend your patio. With our actual patio being very small, we decided to extend the patio to the left with some privacy fence panels. This gave us a grilling area and some privacy. It almost felt like an enclosed room. However...I didn't want to totally enclose the patio to give it a wide open feel to the back yard...so, on the right side of the patio we just extended the flower bed and added a nice bridge. With extending all the areas around the actual patio...it just made the patio seem larger.
This sitting area sits right outside the patio. Just another place to sit, relax and enjoy your time outdoors. Directly behind it you'll find a DIY fire pit. I would love to expand on this, but for now...it is what it is. Hub simply dug a hole in the ground pretty deep (oh what a day that was) and we headed to Lowe's for the stones to surround it. I'd really like to build this up...maybe one day? That was a big job. It's been a lot of fun of nights of smores over the open fire and it comes in so handy when you're pulling weeds to just toss them in the fire pit and burn it right there.
This area is located at the entrance of the back yard, right beside the gate. Just a nice touch and I just love the old chair. It was given to us by a good friend. I could paint it a color I suppose...but for now...the natural color just seems to fit the setting.
I wanted to show you this pic. See the tall iron candle holder? Kirkland's...I paid under $10 for this on clearance one year. Every year I just spray paint it black again and it looks brand new. You should see it at night! Really adds to the patio.
I found this decorative planter at Goodwill. I've had it for several years now and all I have to do is change the flowers out for the season. This is on my front porch. LOVE IT! Another nice find. You could use this planter indoors or out...it was just perfect for outdoors for me.
So there you have it. Some items that can be used indoors or outdoors. Also...how to make your outdoor living space a little larger if you are like me and stuck with a small patio. The great thing about some of these items...if they last you a season or two or three...you've had very little cost involved with it.
Now I'm really depressed at the way my patio looks after seeing these pictures again. So much clean up to do after the long, hot and humid summer. Fall is on the way and I'm feeling some mums coming my way very soon.
NOTE: The dates are screwy on my camera because I never set them back then...sowey!
So...it's Labor Day weekend and what do we have planned?
Let the painting begin! We picked up this paint last night at Walmart. Who knew choosing a white and black color would take so long? I mean seriously? How many colors of black and white are there? LOTS! Remember Hannah's desk...the one I've been saying I'm gonna paint...it's first and since I'll have plenty of paint left over...the computer desk it getting a paint job as well. Hub is so excited he could hardly contain himself. He knows he's the painter and I'm the instructor. What?!
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend while hub is laboring the day away! Heh.
Linking to these parties:
http://delightfulorder.blogspot.com/2011/10/delightfully-inspiring-thursday-party_19.html
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