I’ve also been consumed with creating an inviting backyard/patio space. Unfortunately, my backyard is only used as a pass through to the garage. It is part grass and part concrete and lacks shade. I would love to create an outdoor room to lounge and read this summer. The only thing is, my ideas are overly ambitious for the little time I would actually have to devote to such a makeover. I rather DIY then BUY but and given time constraints, the result is unfinished projects and untouched raw materials would be pointless.

In any event, as for outdoor furniture, I thought this lawn chair would be cool. I thought with cushions it would be comfy.

You can find the instructions for this DIY project here.

Or I would love to makeover some wicker pieces. Haven’t found any as of yet though.

I would also like to make some cedar planters like these

and stack them vertically on a ladder structure so that I could have more room to grow vegetables. It would look something like this.

Courtesy of Ladderallotments.com

As for my shade issues, I was thinking a huge cavalier umbrella like this one.

They are available at different price points, ranging from $500- $2000+. If anyone happens to have one they really happy with, please let me know.

Or another option would be sails. I could  it to the back side of the house and side of the garage. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. You can even create a layered effect when using more than one.

As with the umbrellas, there is a huge price variation among brands. This one is inexpensive and can be found here.

Then there is the concrete to contend with. I was thinking I would stain it. We had it replaced when we first moved in and it cracked soon there after. By the way, the only reason we stayed with the concrete was because No. 1 Son wanted to use his basketball hoop in the back yard. Let’s just say the hoop wasn’t used enough to justify that decision and now resides in a corner of the yard slowly rusting away. So much for asking for little people’s opinions on major decisions. I wished I would have went with pavers instead. For now, I will work with the cracks. I’ve seen some stain techniques on various design shows that incorporate/camouflage the cracks into a stained design. Here is an examples of one I found at Lowes Creative Ideas website.

Although I like this design, I would need to come up with one that had a  pattern similar to the veining in marble so that the cracks looked like they are intentional.

Will these ideas get executed? Sure would be nice, but I have to be realistic. Perhaps, over time. But now that I have documented them in this post, maybe just maybe, that will at least free up some space in my brain for other creative ideas.

Can you relate? Do you have too many project ideas floating around in your head? Any summer projects you can’t wait to start?

Linking to:

that gave me inspiration for my bench makeover

I gasp every time I look at one of her makeovers. If you are not familiar with her work here is a link to some of her before and afters.

I thought I would try my hand at the distressed look again. I picked up this coaster set at the Salvation Army store. I thought it would make a cute little storage box for business cards or small office supplies but after I got it home I thought I would continue with it’s intended use and give it a much needed update.

The original stained walnut finish typical of many vintage accessories was so dull and boring. I removed the hardware, cleaned it up and gave it a good sanding.

I painted it with antique white craft paint. After letting it dry, I sanded away some of the paint.

I cleaned the handle with a metal cleaner. I might have taken off the original faux brass finish along with the dirt but I l kind of like the coppery finish that resulted.

I stamped a fleur-de-lis pattern onto the cork section. It is slightly different on each coaster. I rather like that quality of hand stamped designs.

All I have left to do is a few coats of mod podge or water based polyurethane (not sure which would be better) for protection.

What do you think?

I have a ton of other accessories to conquer. And who knows, maybe, just maybe, I might go big and try my new found distressed love on a larger piece of furniture too.

I am sharing this post with:

There is so much pallet fever in blogland and the creativity behind these DIY design ideas blows me away. And the fact that it is repurposing what would be destined for the landfill warms my heart.

How about these lawn chairs?

Courtesy of DigginFood.com

Not up to DIY, you can always buy one from UncommonGoods.com Not sure whether these were made from different color pallets or they were painted, either way the color adds so much to the design aesthetic.

It folds flat for easy storage.

And take a look at this garden pallet plantern. How pretty is that paint hue?

Want to make one of your own? You can find the directions for this plantern at woodworkerinstitute.com.

Michael Janzen started a tiny house revolution with, you guessed it, pallets!

His website, tinyhouse.com includes “how tos” for building temporary and affordable small living spaces as an answer to natural disaster situations.

He has inspired an array of tiny house building and even sells plans for a solar model.

And look at this charming cottage like structure?

Courtesy of inhabitant.com

You can even incorporate pallets into you indoor decor as Donna of Funky Junk Interiors did recently.

She gives details about how she built this impressive pallet farm table desk. Definitely, hop over there and have a look.

There’s so much more out there but I’m sure you get my point. The ingenuity behind this type of sustainable, repurposed design is suggestive of how, perhaps we should better scrutinize what we throw away.

Have you worked any pallete magic of your own? What other thow away materials do you think we need to reconsider?

I am linking this post to:

Meet my “new” old chandelier. I found it at one of the many thrift stores I frequent. Although not visible in this picture, it was really filthy. I have since cleaned it up and now I am pondering how to update it and make it my own. I want to do something different, but I am not sure just what. Any ideas! Please send them my way. I could use the inspiration.

I am linking this post to Funky Junk Interiors:Saturday Night Special. There’s a chandelier theme party (scroll all the way down) going on and you’re invited too!

After that, I am heading over to:

When I discovered these wall unit sections in a thrift store they were in pretty bad shape. They are actually the orpahned side sectons of a three piece unit. The parent center section was nowhere to be found. As you can see, they had a rustic pine finish and stood unleveled. But that didn’t matter, because I had a plan to give them some much needed TLC.

First, I removed some of the trim top and bottom for a more clean look. I had to patch the half round trim that remained in a couple of places and add wood to the bottom to level them out.

Then, I sanded, primed, painted them white, replaced the back section, changed the knobs and added legs. That’s it! Little effort, big change!

I’ve been experimenting with merchandising the shelves with some of my favorite books, trying not to overload them, leaving ample space. Slowly, I am starting to get the hang of it. Some people have a natural eye for these sort of things. Unfortunately, not me, I have to work at it.

The bottom compartment works well for media storage, batteries, cameras, recharger cords, etc. Now my CD’s are easily accessible and all in one place. Yes, I still have CD’s! I have misplaced my IPOD so many times (hopefully not any more since I have a designated spot); however, I’m not good about keeping it updated. No. 2 Son talked me into getting and I Phone and have yet to load my music. I love technology, really I do, but a part of me likes being old school too.

Originally, I intended to place these wall units on either side of my sideboard in the dining room but they were just a tinsy bit too wide. So I thought I use them in the living room, flanking the piano instead.

I haven’t partied in a while so this week I am sharing this post with:

]]> http://www.thediyspot.com/2011/02/orphaned-wall-unit-sections/feed/ 13 http://www.thediyspot.com/2011/01/decluttering-and-organizing/ http://www.thediyspot.com/2011/01/decluttering-and-organizing/#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:30:53 +0000 The DIY Spot http://www.thediyspot.com/?p=1186 Since my last post, I have been on a mission. Decluttering and organizing, I am determined to rid my home of everything that’s not necessary or functional. It’s something about the New Year that gets one into an organizing mode. Holding on to last year’s stuff that has little or no value yet taking up valuable real estate doesn’t work for me. Being careful not to get overzealous, I am taking it slow, task by task, so that I don’t get overwhelmed or discouraged in the process.

I was inspired listening to Peter Walsh in a recent interview. He is an organizing guru who made several appearances on Oprah; however, I remember him as the decluttering expert on TLC’s Clean Sweep some years ago. He has written several organizing books, one of which“Enough Already” has been developed into a show currently running on the new Oprah Winfrey Network. What I like about him is that he examines the underlying causes of acquiring stuff that reac havoc in our homes. He describes himself as a minimalist, which I aspire to be. However, the creative part of me is in direct conflict with a minimalist lifestyle I yearn for. It is so easy to acquire stuff and supplies with future DIY projects in mind. I am convinced, however, that I can reach a happy medium that will allow me to live happily and comfortably within my square footage.

So my first order of business – declaring war on paper. There is just too much in and around my house. Mail (personal and business), files, tear sheets, newspapers, magazines, receipts and on and on. I thought the best place to start is the front door since that is where the problem starts. I want to create a place where everything coming in can be quickly sorted and organized until it can be acted upon. I found this great video from Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy that sums up exactly what I want to accomplish.

I plan to continue on my “use what you have” course to create my very own landing strip. I have something in mind but I thought I would search for other ideas as well.

And how about you? Is orgranization and decluttering on the top of your “to do” list? Any tips? What works for you?

]]> http://www.thediyspot.com/2011/01/decluttering-and-organizing/feed/ 2 http://www.thediyspot.com/2010/11/some-more-wreath-love/ http://www.thediyspot.com/2010/11/some-more-wreath-love/#comments Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:02:48 +0000 The DIY Spot http://www.thediyspot.com/?p=1150 It’s that time of year again! How can you not get inspired by all the DIY wreath designs floating around the blogosphere? But before I show you my design, last year I discovered these cute ideas. And below are some of the many designs that WOWED me this year.

This was featured on Design Sponge and designed by Amanda of Ruffled. Can you believe this is made from repurposed dry cleaning bags and a hanger?

Here, Elsie of A Beautiful Mess puts fabric scraps to good use.

And Danielle of Take Heart decided yarn is no longer just for knitting and crochet.

As for my simple, fun and very green design, I was inspired by a bag of shreaded junk mail. Laugh if you must, but I just happen to see the potential in everything.

So one day after a rather long shreading session, I began to admire the texture of the shreaded pieces.

I thought, how about making a wreath using a plastic styrofoam form and spray adhesive?

You might be wondering why this one is broken. Well, No.2 Son says he had nothing to do with it even though I saw him playing with it earlier. Nothing a little masking tape won’t fix.

It was so simple to make. Here are the instructions:

1. Working in small sections, spray a plastic styrofoam wreath with spray on adhesive.

2. Dip into a bag of shreaded paper or sprinkle and pat the pieces in place. You might find it necessary to spray the dipped section ever so lightly to keep the outermost shreaded pieces from falling off.

3. After completing a quarter of the wreath, I would stop and let it dry completely for at least 1/2 hour before continuing to avoid previous sections from falling off.

4. Once completely covered you can stop or add additional layers to create a thicker and more substantial wreath.

5. Add a bow and voilla! A wreath made form shreaded paper! Quick, simple and fun!

Note: You can add an accent color to your wreath by shreading a desired color of paper. As you can see, just to add a slight hint of blue, I shreaded and added a couple sheets of blue paper to the mix.

What do you think? Are you inspired by any of these design or others you found in the creative blogosphere?

I am sharing this post with:

The DIY Club: DIY Living Party,
Between Naps on The Porch: Metamorphosis Monday,
Dittle Dattle: Amaze Me Monday,
All Things Heart and Home: All Things Merry & Brite Week 4,
Faded Charm: White Wednesday,
Shabby Chic Cottage: Transformation Thursday,
Saturday Mornings,
Funky Junk Interiors: Saturday Night Special and
Domestically Speaking: Countdown to Christmas Party

]]> http://www.thediyspot.com/2010/11/some-more-wreath-love/feed/ 15 http://www.thediyspot.com/2010/10/frames-and-stripes-for-now/ http://www.thediyspot.com/2010/10/frames-and-stripes-for-now/#comments Mon, 18 Oct 2010 01:02:19 +0000 The DIY Spot http://www.thediyspot.com/?p=1102 Hope you enjoyed your weekend. I love Fall! Changing colors, falling leaves and cool temperatures. The only thing I don’t like is what follows. Cold temperatures, inclement weather and shoveling snow. Oh well, not going to think about that just yet. I am going to stay in the present moment and enjoy the here and now.

Had a great time today particiapting in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Queens. My friend, Andrea, who sadly lost her sister Marcia this year, invited me to join her team and I graciously accepted. You can read more about it here. It was a huge turnout and a beautiful “feel good” day and it was nice to share the memory of her sister with her and her family and contribute toward “making strides toward a world with more birthdays”.

And lest importantly, but deeply gratifying, I finally got a chance to embellish my striped wall. It took awhile, but I amassed a collection of oval frames from various thrift stores; they are so much harder to find then their rectangular counterparts. At first, I was going to do all oval frames but later decided to mix them up. This is how they looked before.

After spray painting them glossy white, I first layed them on the floor along with my upcycled mirror and tested it out with a paper arrangement before hanging them on the wall.

I used Command Picture Frame Strips to hang them instead of using nails; that way I can change the design and not have to worry about repairing any holes. It’s a velcro adhesive mix that works fabulously. Love them! And here is how it turned out.

Here are some closeups.

Each frame is uniquely it’s own with plain, flat, rounded and detailed surfaces are now married by color. I especially love this one, although small it has a mighty presence.

And the little detials on this one demand a little more attention.

I am quite satisfied, but knowing me, I might will most likely change or rearrange them whenever I get in one of those redesign moods.
What do you think?

I am going to hop over to a few DIY parties mentioned below. Care to join me?

First stop is Funky Junk Interiors: Saturday Night Special. I am really late for this one, but there is a special section devoted to frames (be sure and dance your way all the way to the bottom). Then it’s off to Between Naps on the Porch: Metamorphosis Monday, Domestically Speaking: The Power of Paint and Mustard Seed Creations:Furniture Feature Friday.

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