Red, White and Blue Outdoor Dining

July 2, 2018July 1, 20182 Comments

Good morning! We celebrate our country’s independence this week! Do you have big 4th of July celebrations where you are? I’m not even sure what we are doing this year LOL! Last year, all of the neighbors were outside eating and having fun and then lighting off tons of fireworks. We didn’t even have to go to our city’s firework show because we had our own! We will probably do the same this year.

I set up this little tablescape on my back patio this week to celebrate the 4th, but it could be for any summer get together! I don’t have much red, but I was able to pull out a few pieces and it all worked together.

The red and white plates are actually metal. They are pretty cool! I layered my blue and white plates on top along with a blue and white napkin. I used a piece of red ribbon to tie it up and added a fun little pinwheel!

Seashells are the perfect summer touch!

I layered a blue and white striped runner and a red, white and blue striped place-mat in the middle. A few more seashells, candles and bubbles keep it simple.

We still have a lot of work to do in our backyard. We would like to replace the fence and add some plants around the edge. I would also like to paint the patio. I love using blue on the ceiling.

I made the farmhouse beaded chandelier and the recycled pallet table and they add the perfect touch to the patio. I used a dropcloth to make the curtains. Using clip curtain rings makes it easy to use any kind of material.

I can’t wait to spend some time out here when the evenings cools down.

Thank you for following along! I hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July!

sunshine-and-blessings-picmonkey

Green & White Striped Bench for Summer

June 25, 2018June 15, 2018Leave a comment

Good morning! It’s officially summer now! Are you enjoying some relaxing days or evenings! I like that it is light so late in the evening. It’s so much easier to get things done when it’s still light outside. I have a simple project for you today.

Our area has quite a few estate sales. A company comes into a house, pulls everything out of cupboards and closets, prices it and then runs the sale for 2 days. The items are usually higher priced than a normal sale, but if you go on the second day, everything is half off. That’s how I found this bench. There were actually three of them. I’m not sure what the owners did with three of them, but I only came home with one!

The top was easily removed by unscrewing the 4 screws. Then I painted it white.

I had this fabric for awhile. I think I made a pillow from it before, but had plenty left over. I plan to put this little bench in my laundry, so it could be a little bit of a bright and fun color.

I cut the fabric a little bit larger than the bench top. I folded over the edge twice to give it a clean line.

Next, came the stapling. I usually start in the middle of each side and then work toward the edges, pulling the fabric tight as I go.

For the corners, I fold the fabric in, kind of like wrapping a present.

Now that the fabric is on, I just reattached it to the base.

I took photos in my living room since my laundry room has no natural light. I love the bright green stripes!

It’s the perfect place to sit to take off shoes when you come in the door or to put down your packages.

It’s amazing how a little bit of paint and some pretty fabric can change the whole look of a piece of furniture! What projects have you worked on lately? I would love to hear about it!

Here are some items to create your own project!

Decoupaged Gold and White Flatware Box

June 12, 2018June 14, 20183 Comments

Good morning! Are you ready for summer? Do you have projects lined up to work on or are you just taking time to relax? I hope I can do a little of both. I want to thank all of you for showing up each time I post. I really appreciate all of my readers! I know I have been a little hit and miss lately, and I thought summer would be better, but it doesn’t look like it will be. Anyways, thanks for hanging out with me when you can!

I have had this project set aside for awhile and just couldn’t quite figure out how it was all going to work. Even now, I’m not completely satisfied, but it didn’t turn out too bad.

I received gold flatware for Christmas, so I needed place to store it. I had picked up the box at yard sale awhile back and knew it could be perfect. I had some gold polka-dot napkins I had picked up at the .99 Cent Store, some white paint, pretty fabric and some dowels I already had.

I painted the box first. I chose white, of course. I gave it several coats of paint. I decided to try to decoupage the top. I had some white and gold polka-dot napkins and I figured they would go well with the gold flatware. I hadn’t decoupaged before, so my first attempt didn’t go so well. You can see how wrinkly it is. I ended up sanding this off and trying again. The second time, I let the Mod Podge set for a couple of minutes before laying down the napkin, and that worked much better.

After the paint dried, it was time to glue the fabric into the bottom of the box. I measured it out by setting the box on top of the fabric and tracing it out a little larger. I knew I wanted to fold over the fabric to make a clean edge, so I added a little extra fabric.

Once I had the right measurements, I ironed down the edges to make them flat. I had some spray glue, but I think any glue would work. I would brush it on if I used tacky glue. I sprayed the glue onto the bottom of the box and carefully laid the fabric on top of it.

Once the fabric was in, it was time to add the dividers. I used some dowel I had and cut it into 4 pieces which fit snugly inside the box. I put some glue on the ends of the dowels and then placed them where I wanted them to go.

I forgot! I also added some sparkly chipboard letters to the top of the box! I thought ‘SPARKLE’ was appropriate!

I’m so glad to finally have a special place to store my flatware!

It’s even pretty enough to leave out!

Thanks again for coming by today! I will keep on plugging along over here and hope you join in with me!

A Special Space in My Backyard

May 28, 2018May 27, 2018Leave a comment

Good morning and Happy Memorial Day! Today is the official kick-off to summer! I still have 4 days of school left, but we are definitely all in summer mode. To get prepared for some wonderful summer memories, I fixed up a small backyard space perfect for relaxing and enjoying the nights. I am so excited to share it with you!

Side note: My pictures were also featured by Serena Appiah from Thrift Diving. Here is the link if you want to see some other great yard makeovers. https://www.facebook.com/ThriftDiving/videos/1562465847212403/UzpfSTQxODQyODM4MTYzMDE0MzoxMTQ3OTQ5MzY1MzQ0NzA0/

I have this area in my yard that isn’t really usable for entertaining. It’s around the corner from the patio and is pretty narrow. So this is the perfect fit! First of all I had my husband build me this small structure out of 1 x 2’s. Funny thing- we used the basic idea from the cat hutches he built for the animal shelter! Hey, if it works! We did add a pitched roof on this one though. Here are a few of the pieces I hoped to use inside.

We ‘rescued’ the chair from a backyard at an abandoned house, Steve picked up the small heater at a friends house, the large stump came from a neighbor and the other pieces I already had laying around.

The picket fence actually came from my grandma’s property many years ago. Obviously, it needs some fixing up and refreshing.

For the roof, I used a large curtain I had from a sale many year ago. I believe it was a hospital curtain. The eyelets were only on one side, so I cut another strip of eyelets from another curtain and sewed it to the other side. I used some pieces of rope to attach it to the frame.

Progress! Here is some of the pickets reattached. Now it just needs a fresh coat of paint. I also cleaned out some of the weeds and added the walkway. I would like to add some pretty plants in front of the fence.

I gathered up a bunch of stuff I already had and picked up a few more things at thrift stores. I was originally going for more of a boho look, with lots of colors, but I ended up with turquoise. Big surprise, right?

The vintage brown bike in the first photos got a fresh coat of paint. Doesn’t it look pretty! I love spray paint! I added a faux succulent wreath to the handlebars.

I love the lacy curtain and the green velvet pillow.

I had these solar mason jars at the old house and reused them here. I actually had kind of forgotten I had them. I was cleaning out some cupboards and rediscovered them. They work perfect on the metal planter as a chandelier.

I added the chippy window to the back of the gazebo with piece of fabric over the top.

Ezzy loves the soft pillows!

My neighbor had this stump sitting next to the house and I finally asked him if he wanted to get rid of it. Yep! Sometimes you just have to ask! I found this cool yellow lantern at a thrift store. I love how big it is!

I added a few more green and turquoise items to the small table.

I had to add a pink flamingo!

I would eventually like to add some gravel to the floor, but I had this small scrap of carpet and decided to use it for now.

At dusk, I turn on some of the lights and it looks so pretty.

I can’t wait to be able to enjoy this special space!

That was a lot of photos! Thank you if you made it through them all! Do you have any special spaces in your yard? I would love to hear about them. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Casual Blue and White Beach Tablescape

May 21, 2018May 16, 20185 Comments

Good morning! I haven’t been here for a few weeks, so it’s good to be back! The end of the year school stuff is wearing me out! But I have a few projects I’m working on so hopefully I can get them done and posted in the next few weeks!

I am really looking forward to summer and my dining room table reflects that. I love the beach look, so I decorated around that theme.

Blue and white are the perfect colors for summer! I use it along with the turquoise that I love so much. Of course, lanterns make an awesome centerpiece, especially filled with pieces of driftwood.

I picked up these little glass votive holders at a thrift store for just .25! I added some sand and glitter around the edge and then placed a candle in a little more sand placed in the bottom.

I love the glass floats and have started a little collection of them.

So many of my items have been picked up from Goodwill, but are Target items. The placemats, napkins and navy blue bags were all purchased at Goodwill. I love that I can get new items for a fraction of the price.