The Patio: baby steps

Our patio was on next years project list to tackle. Although I dream of alfresco dining with a group of friends and lounging late nights with family it was not where our money would be best spent in the grand scheme of this ole' fixer upper. Fast forward to a quick jaunt over to Target and I came across this cute little stool on major clearance. They only had one so that night I headed out to another target to even out the pair.

That is when I not only found the stool, but four of these white metal chairs for $10.50! After having customer service do a search on where I could get more {mostly one at a time} my sister and I went to another three targets to find a total of eight. I was giddy to say the least. Although different Target's have separate clearance pricing, but none were over $17.00. Still a win since the ones I was originally eying were $85.00 each. Yikes. Maybe now just a pair for extra seating?

A couple of days later I had a what if I went to one more store and they had them too? The store was a little further out, but they had two more! Now I have a set of ten. The Mr is planning on building an outdoor table. Currently debating between 12 and 14 ft. I want to fit a mass of people you see. The tent is not always out there in case you were wondering. The kiddos and I had a little camping night over the weekend. Oh how I love our yard and the adventure that can be had here!

During one of our Target excursions I came across a three piece rope set that I have been wanting. Like really wanting. I swear it sold out within a week. I was bummed as I knew they would have been perfect match to our outdoor sofa that my papa made me. Did you recognize it with the new cushions? Well Target man Eric informed he found it in the back that very day, but no one knew how to mark it since it was label-less. Of course I knew exactly what it was and pulled it up on my phone. After checking the number it came to only $124! They are just as comfortable as everyone said.

My favorite new piece may be our modern fire pit. It was made by a friend and he is talking about selling a short run of these if they generate enough interest for $300 to Birmingham locals. Can you believe that! It is so heavy and substantial. It slides apart for easier moving though. It will patina overtime and should last for years to come. Every year we find ourselves buying a new one, because inevitable we would forget to cover it every time it rained and soon it would just fall apart. It was basically $150 a year going to the curb. This one now has the look I was wanting and the durability. Does it just not look perfect back here? Love the clean lines.

You can see the patina has slowly begun above. Cannot wait till fall and temperature drops to enjoy a good party out here. Below you can see the table that came with the three piece set and two more Target chairs. They were $30 a piece. Love the clean lines and soft color. Plus they will wash easily. The Mr's egg sits to the left so it gives a perfect spot to sit while he grills.

Of course final touches still need to be done. The table is a must and I plan on adding a few modern pots throughout. Plus the house planters will be filled with bright green ferns. Still a ways to go, but I am certain by fall this place will be ready for one heck of an outdoor party.

SOURCES: all furniture except sofa from Target clearance section | sofa cushions | outdoor lights | The Mr's Egg {best investment ever}

*FIRE PIT - Leave a comment or email me if you are interested in a fire pit of your own. Intro pricing for $300 is quite the deal. Birmingham locals only as they are too heavy to ship.

Looking Back...

I was going through some of my old images and came across these from two years ago. The shoot was for a Home Depot design challenge. It's amazing to me how much the kiddos have aged in such a sort amount of time. Well for that matter I can't believe how much I've aged either. Ha. Oh, how I miss my garden and am grateful to our renters who have kept it going. Some funny tidbits on behind the scenes of a styled shoot... It was so HOT that day, like miserably hot. You have to shoot a few months in advance so we were still in the midst of a Alabama heat wave. The sweater I am wearing was on a friend a few hours before. I liked how it was fallish, but I wouldn't die in it so she took it off and handed it over. My friends all thought it was hilarious that I was carrying a baguette for they know my gluten allergy would mean in no way it would make it to my table in real life. It does make for a pretty picture though. The soup was served cold. Who really wants soup in 100 degree weather? That pretty curl I'm sporting was actually a rat nest from wearing my hair in a bun so much. All in all though the "party" was a hit with the kiddos and we all had a blast doing it.

To see more of the shoot go HERE

For the table DIY you can go HERE

A Simple DIY & Another Home Depot Challenge

Today I am over on the Home Depot Apron blogsharing my next challenge, DIY outdoor games! I must say this challenge was REALLY quite the challenge since when we shot the DIY we were still living out of suitcases, hopping house to house. Our old home flooded and our new home was not ready for us. It was fun none the less and I am sure our game will bring us joy and sweet memories years to come. One of the biggest challenges though was not having any of my "styling" goodies with me. Everything was packed away and some stuff ruined. I knew the game itself needed "more" for the photographs. Yes, we did have a fun get together, but let's be honest the pictures need to look good too. HA. That is where a simple and inexpensive DIY picnic blanket came into play.

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I bought a 5x5 dropcloth from Home Depot and picked Martha Stewart Terra Rosa as my stripe color. The best part of using the drop cloth is that it is lightly lined with plastic on the underside so as in this case dew can not seep through.

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We used a small roller to first make the stripes. I used the fold lines as a guide. KJ then followed with a foam brush to fill in the missed spots. I did not want the stripes to be perfect, but to mimic one of my long time favorite tablecloths that is way out of budget.

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So simple really, but we have used it often since the original shoot.

Hope you will visit my Home Depot challenge! It was tons of fun.