Without breaking the bank!

I was trying to explain to my husband the concept of bringing the comfort from the inside of the house to your outdoor space, he wanted to know if I planned on moving the couch as well. I think he is starting to get the concept.

I have been ooing over the large outdoor area rugs, giant colorful umbrellas and beautiful sets of outdoor furniture. Besides the great color and style, these fancy pieces can also add some flare to your checking account. So here are a few cost conscious ways and a couple of finds to add a little pizzazz to the plaza.

Go bold with color, mix and match patterns and designs. Outdoor pillows add some comfort for your back and are pleasant to the eye.

Target // 15.00

My Goodwill find, a couple of bright pots to spark up the neutral colors on our deck. By neutral I mean all brown.

A table runner, smaller (much smaller) version of one of those envious area rugs. I like to think it has the same effect, just not underfoot and scaled down a bit in size and price.

Serving tray, classy and yet very practical. Come summer, my husband and I eat a lot of our dinners on the deck. A tray comes in handy while serving up outdoors.

Crate&Barrel // 19.95

Making old new! When we first got married we rented a small one bedroom apartment for a couple of years leaving us with only enough room for a small table with two chairs, so we finely dined at a card table with folding chairs. When we bought our first house, my husband’s brother and sister in-law gave us their old dining table and a couple of chairs they were able to salvage after over a decade of use and five kids.

My husband refinished the table, sorry no before and after pictures and he would have to explain the steps. I was able to get a couple of mismatched chairs from my mother in-law that had been sitting in her attic for a few decades. With a little inspiration and some help from a friend to get started, I embarked on the project of bringing color to the dining room.

Step 1:  Sand down the chair using a medium grade sandpaper. I just did it by hand, enough to smooth it over and take off loose paint.

Step 2:  Apply a coat of primer spray paint. One coat should be plenty depending on the quality of the primer.

Step 3:  Color! I chose a robin blue spray paint (needed a little encouragement from a friend to go with something so bright)! I used Krylon, it’s an indoor/outdoor spray paint made for wood, wicker and metal. It worked great and covers very nicely.

Step 4:  Distress. Depending on how much of a worn look you want will depend on the grade of sandpaper you use and the amount of elbow grease applied.

               

Step 5:  Apply stain. I used a darker stain, as I wanted to tone down the brightness of the blue and bring out more of the wood and brown hues. I made sure to only dip the tip of the brush into the stain. Also, I blotched it on a piece of rag once or twice to get the excess off, this helps to prevent too much stain being applied. I used Miniwax Wood Finish.

Before…

And After!

 

We have decided to add a little extra storage to our lives, since when we bought the house all of our closets just had one rack.  Aaron went around and added some more shelving including a higher shelf to most of the smaller closets, which is a great storage spot for seasonal items or the items we continue to hoard but don’t want to face on a daily basis!  We are also hoping our family will grow by leaps and bounds someday and nothing like being prepared when we need the extra space.  So I guess this makes us hoarders and preppers?

Before…and after…