Free Stool Makeover {Screen Porch}

About 2 years ago, I picked up some free stools from another member of my local moms' club.  Although I had originally planned to use them pretty much as is, I decided the style was not exactly going to work with the porch.  The new rug sealed the deal since I was evicting the color red from the porch.  

I started picking at the wicker covering and it was not coming off easily.  I gave up and let them sit on the porch for a while.  Finally, I ordered some outdoor-friendly fabric to cover them.  The base was a bit of a mystery, but I finally just decided that spray paint wouldn't hurt it so I went for it.  

They are currently hanging out next to our cart.  They can be pulled into the sitting area and used as a seat or footstool, or they can be pulled up to the table and used as another seat.

Not bad for $15 worth of fabric and a can of spray paint we already owned.  

Screen Porch Rug

This post is really long overdue but I have vowed that I will catch up on about 20 posts that are half-written, half-photographed, or just not started.  Here's one.  It's not exactly a project although finding this rug was a job and a half.  I really wanted a new rug for our porch.  {Handy Hubby groans knowing that this means that a new rug is coming soon. } The rug we had out there was about 6 years old, and had survived many winters on the porch as well as the home renovation.  It was in surprisingly good condition but I was done with the tan.  Fortunately I was able to sell it for a good price (further justification for a new rug…Sorry, Handy Hubby).

I originally saw this rug that I LOVED in April and loved it but not it's $400 price tag and it was out of stock most of the times that I clicked lovingly over to my bookmarked site.  {insert sad face}

I was cheap and wanted to find a better deal - it's the porch, not my family room. Well, $400 is probably too much for even my family room.  But, I digress.

Then, while sitting on the beach in the Corolla, NC, I was cruising a Joss & Main sale and… HOLLAH… there it was!  And in stock and $195!  Score.  I purchased it as quick as my fingers could fly over my phone keyboard.  The rug arrived soon after we got home and I was throwing it down within minutes.

I have to say it's AMAZING to walk on - so soft and you would never guess it's an outdoor rug.  The colors are gorgeous and it really makes our porch extra special.

Terracotta Pot Makeover

It's kind of like makeover month here.  Or maybe not.  I don't know.  This is a project from early last fall that again... I never blogged about.  But here it is now.   You'll have to wait until Spring before you see its final location (mostly because I have no idea where it will go!).

We have a rental house next door that is always a lucrative source of dumpster diving glory.  The rent is high so the people that live there generally have nice stuff and when they move they have a limit on how much they can take when they leave (generally high ranking military, diplomats, or other government employees). So they often leave nice stuff!  Last summer was no different and I found this sitting out for the trash after they moved out.

There was certainly nothing wrong with this piece and I know it probably came from Africa (likely from Kenya our neighbors' last post) but it was not going to work in my house.

So I gave it about 10 coats of white spray paint and it looked like this for about a month.

And then I decided to paint it with some blue paint I already had on hand (I think it was from our powder room) and came up with this design.

I actually really like the result but it looks best from a distance.  You'll have to use your imagination or stand on the other side of the room while you look at your screen.  I think it will end up on our screen porch but not sure where yet.  Perhaps inspiration will strike this spring.

Watching Paint Dry {Screen Porch}

This post is about as interesting as watching paint dry.  Get your "pin it" buttons ready! Unfortunately, not all home improvement projects are glamorous or life changing but some things just bother me and this is one of them... I hate the contrast between pipes, wire molding, and anything else not black or brown against brick.  Drives me batty.

This is a good example...

That wire molding drove me crazy every time we sat down for dinner...

Until I painted it.  Now I feel better...

More on the lantern chandelier here.

Keep the Door Open {Screen Porch}

This is quite possibly the best weather DC has ever seen in July and August.  A perfect 78-83 degrees with no humidity - no joke.  My Maine-weather-loving friends would not believe me if they were not here to experience it themselves.  For the past 2 weeks, Handy Hubby and I have been saying "Can you believe this weather?" no fewer than 3 times a day.  One morning I went out for a run and barely broke a sweat - not because I am in awesome shape (I'm not) but because it's actually COOL in the morning.

I love keeping the windows and doors open in this weather.  Of course, the weather has come with a nice breeze - thus causing said doors to slam shut at any given moment!  We have been known to use shoes, small trash cans, and toys as doorstops, but we have never had an official doorstop.  When UncommonGoods offered me this rope door stop from their home decor collection, I just could not say no! (See more of their great home decor items here).

When it arrived, I used it right away to hold our screen porch door open while we ate dinner out there.  It worked perfectly - I love the nautical look and it is genuinely heavy - perfect for holding an outside door open. 

I love that it has a large "handle" that makes it easy to grab and move, or I just roll it with my foot to get it out of the way.

This would make a perfect housewarming or hostess gift.  They have a lot of great gifts under $50 (check them out here).  I also love a lot of their wall art pieces here.  I'm sure I'll be back to do some more shopping in the future!

Note: This is a sponsored post.  UncommonGoods provided me with their products but all of the views expressed are my own.  

Hanging a Hummingbird Feeder {Screen Porch}

About 5 years ago, Handy Hubby bought me a hummingbird feeder for Mother's Day.  I had wanted one for a while to hang outside our screen porch.  Of course, at that time, our screen porch looked like this...

Notice the missing pieces of trim that we never finished... woops.  And now it looks like this thanks to a major renovation...

So... I finally asked Handy Hubby to hang it up.  

We used an iron plant hanger from our local hardware store and hung it up.  I mixed up some sugar solution with this recipe.

So far, no hummingbirds but hopefully we'll see some later in the summer when it's not as hot as the sun.

Backyard Landscaping - 4 Years

Although the east coast rain cycle has caused a lot of havoc in a lot of areas, in my backyard, the rain has been welcomed.  Here's how our yard looked 3 years ago, about a year after planting hydrangeas near the back of the house and screen porch.

Here's how it looks now...

I guess I no longer need to worry about covering those air conditioning units - naturally screening is doing its thing!

On the back of the screen porch door, I added this door basket (found here) filled with some nursery plants.  

I'm not sure I have ever showcased that back door, but it's a great area now.  In case you are interested, here is the light that I eventually chose (it took a few tries to get it right).  I wanted a "dark skies"light so it would not bother our neighbors but I wanted to be sure the steps were well lit for my friends when they leave after a couple of glasses of wine!

Last year our garden gate looked like this -

This year it looks like this -

The hydrangeas are again the big story of this before and after.  I also added a metal basket onto our side gate.  I think it's actually for Christmas but I've had it for years and never used it before.  I almost tossed it in the yard sale pile but thought of this space.  Why not?

I also finally found a climbing hydrangea that I hope will eventually climb the arbor over the gate.  Hopefully this does as well as the other hydrangeas.

Hope you are having a great day!

Bar Cart {Screen Porch}

We have LOVED eating on our screen porch for the past two summers.  It was so worth the effort.  I found that we needed a place to store placemats, and have an extra area for food, drinks or whatever else didn't fit on the table during dinner.

I came across a used office utility cart for $20 and picked it up, not knowing where it would land. Worst case scenario, it would be good storage in Handy Hubby's workshop or in the garage.  I put it on the porch so I could dust it off and it ended up just staying there.   

               

This is just a lesson in not taking things necessarily for their intended purpose, but to try to see past their "title" to what they could really be in your home. 

Now I can't wait to have a little dinner party so we can really put the cart to good use!  Have a great weekend!

Screen Porch: Lantern Chandelier

A few weeks ago, my parents were in town on their way home from their Florida refuge.  Virginia is the perfect stopping point for a second night on the road on their way back to upstate New York.  I'm lucky to have a handy dad (and a Handy Hubby!) so I like to have some little projects to keep him occupied.  He's in high demand so if he has idle hands, my neighbors swoop in and steal him for projects - no joke.  It happened last weekend!

Since redoing our screen porch, I had plans for a chandelier over the table.

Isn't this table calling for a chandelier?  I did not have wiring installed for this purpose but I did have high outlets installed in two locations to cover this eventuality.  Last year, I looked on and off for several months for the perfect chandelier but no dice.  Finally, I was on One Kings Lane one day at the tail end of last summer and came across this lantern in their "downstairs" clearance.

Sorry for the bad picture!

Joy!!  I ordered it and thought I would figure out the rest later.  It did not have a light kit and was made for a candle. I knew I wanted a regular light though.

In the fall I picked up a paper lantern light kit at Target on clearance for about $5. It included a light kit and a long white cord.  I also picked up some rustic looking manila rope at my local hardware store.  I knew my handy dad could make it work.

Fast forward to May and I show my dad my purchases.  He puzzles about it for a bit and asks about any leftover chain we might have.  We're borderline hoarders so of course we have some chain - several styles actually.  I chose the one I liked the most.

Next step (happened while I wasn't home) was that Handy Hubby and my dad rigged up the light.  My dad rewired everything so we have a separate switch for the outlets (it's the bottom right one now).

Here's how it looked the next day (it was a late night light hanging!).

I loved the overall effect but the details weren't there.  The light bulb looked horrible and the chain wasn't ideal but it was free so I could not be too picky.

Then a few days later, I remembered my original rope idea. I had intended for the light to be hanging from the rope, not a chain originally but we worried about stretching and longevity.  Then I had a brilliant idea to wrap the rope around the chain.

I started at the bottom and worked my way up just wrapping the rope tightly as I went.  It was a little unwieldy and slightly dangerous since I was on a ladder and the chain was long but I survived.

I also added an Edison bulb.  I found them at Home Depot and it was about $9 - so worth it. 

Here's the final result...

And a before and after...

  

It really finishes the room.  The porch is pretty much done for now.  I have added a few small pieces which I'll share soon.  In the mean time, I am struggling through the last weeks of the school year.  I have a ton of stuff to post but just haven't had a moment to do it!

Screen Porch: Landscaping

We had some final landscaping done around the screen porch. First though we had to get some leaks in our sprinkler system fixed. Not surprising after a big project.  Things were pretty muddy and gross along the side of the porch.  Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the flood when we turned on the sprinklers!  Fortunately our sprinkler company came right out and fixed it up for free! 

Next up our landscapers came in and cleaned up the mess made by the flood and some general clean-up around the porch area, including lifting up the stepping stones which had literally sunk under the mud and dirt so you couldn't even really see them!  They also did a little grading away from the house and re-mulched.  

After all that was done, I went ahead and divided some day lilies and peonies that I already had growing in other parts of the garden and planted them along the edge of the steps and porch.  I am hoping this will be an amazing "before" picture next year!  The door mat is from Target - it's so cheerful and cute!

Here's the view from the gate to the backyard. 

My favorite view is this one from the front yard into the backyard.

 The plants next to the porch were also plants that we already had or which were given to us by a neighbor who was doing some "de-landscaping" in their new backyard.  LOVE free plants!

Hoping they get enough water from the sprinkler system to keep them alive during this mini-drought.

It's really coming together now both in and out.  A few more changes to come.

Screen Porch: Side Chairs

I scored a couple of nice side chairs which checks one more thing off the list of things I'd like to get for the screen porch if I stumble on the right things at reasonable prices.  I wanted 2 additional chairs which we could use for additional seating in the couch area of the porch but which could also be pulled over to the table ends for additional seating at dinner time with friends over.

After looking all over the place and finding chairs that were too large, too brown, too small, armless, etc., I finally found what I was looking for at BJs Warehouse!  Who knew?  The added bonus is that the chairs are stackable which Handy Hubby will appreciate when we "winterize" the porch MANY MANY months from now.

The cushions were previously used on my dining chairs which are a little high to use these cushions. I liked them so I'm glad they worked with these chairs because they are the perfect colors and I didn't have to shell out an extra $30 for two new cushions.

Last weekend I snuck out for a little yard sale-ing.  Yard sales pretty much come to a halt here after July 4th so I have to cram it in now!! One of my finds was this fake lavender plant for $2.  Perfect for my black thumb.

We are enjoying the warm days her win the D.C. area.  My son LOVES this sprinkler fire truck he received for his birthday!!  Great gift idea if you are looking for a toddler birthday gift for this weekend!

I owe you an update on the master built-ins.  Hopefully I'll get around to that this week!

Linking up with:  Southern Hospitality Porch Party, Thrifty Decor Chick