Our Renovated Backyard Patio and Porch

Well, it took two years, and it cost me a couple of vacations, but the backyard patio and porch are finally done!  Yippee!  The photo below is the finished product of our year long endeavor.

Before I continue, I'll give you a little back story about this space.  This patio was done once before, for my daughter's wedding.  She got married in our home and we had the reception on the patio (see this post HERE).  But the patio and white fence didn't last long, because groundhogs kept getting under the bricks and dug tunnels.  The panels also weren't treated wood (just the posts were) so they quickly rotted.  

BEFORE

The beautiful patio space which once held my daughter's wedding ended up being a place to store and chop wood.

You can see how the fence panels just rotted away and fell over.  A fence, or barrier of some type is needed in this space because there is a four foot drop off.

During

The first thing hubby had to do was order some fill level out the patio from all the damage the groundhogs had done.  He also dug down and put chicken wire along the edge to keep the groundhogs from digging under the patio.  It's been two years, and so far, no groundhog damage, so it worked.  All the patio bricks had to be pulled up and he made the decision to flip them over and use the flat side instead of the rough side.

Once the ground was re-leveled on the left side of the patio, he had to move all that wood!

Next, he built a fire pit.  I had a hard time figuring out why he built the fire pit first when there was so much more urgent work that needed to be done, but he said he couldn't arrange the patio bricks until the fire pit was in place.

 

He used a smaller red brick to create a basketball court.

He built an extended lean-too to keep the firewood dry.

We decided we really liked the view of the woods and didn't want to block it with a solid fence, plus, it is a great cost savings not to have a solid fence, so our new fence is just beams, cross bars, and cattle fencing.  

We did have plans to paint the beams white, but we never got around to it.  I'm kinda digging the natural look anyway.

Now the old porch was just a walkout but we decided since we barbecue out here and attract so many flies when we do, that we wanted to screen in the porch.  We learned from our first screened in porch (see that porch HERE) to have the lower portion solid.  We have a cat who destroyed the screens trying to open them.  With the bottom solid he can't do that much damage.

The solid bottom is metal, white on the inside, grey on the outside.

In the front of the screen porch, he built a raised bed filled with rock to solve drainage issues.  One of the reasons the old fence rotted away was poor drainage issues so after years of watching where the water travels hubby put in drains and spouts to carry the water away.

And here is the new raised bed filled with river rock.

The inside of the porch was chipped and faded paint.

AFTER

Now after hubby did all the hard labor, it was my turn.  I gave everything a fresh coat of paint.  We decided we really liked the black stain on the other screen porch we did, so we used it here as well.  It looks so much better with the floor black instead of red.  It provides such a nice contrast to the red and white.

There are stairs leading up to the garage.  We added a screen door there too.  It use to be open and then all these leaves would constantly come down the stairs, like a wind tunnel.  It made such a mess.  Adding a door prevents that now.

Sadly, I didn't buy any new patio furniture and just used what I already had.  I didn't think it was worth it.  It costs so much money and it doesn't seem to last long, plus, we really don't use this porch much, just a few times a year.  Our house has four porches, and this one is way in the back...it takes quite a long walk to come out here to just sit a spell.  My front and south facing porches are more easily accessible so that is where we usually sit.

Hubby built this table many years ago, but he added the benches this year.  The Tiffany light was given by a friend and hanging out in my closet for years, so we hung it here for decoration.  We could plug it in if we wanted light, but were not out here late at night, so we never needed to.

The view of the new patio from the screened porch.  So far Jackson, our kitty, hasn't destroyed this one.

My husband's new basketball court.  Even the little grandchildren enjoy playing on this one, I'm sure as they grow older they will really like it.

I'm not allowed to put flowers anywhere near the basket ball court.  My side of the patio is on the right, near the fire pit.  Next year we plan to put window boxes over the upper beam and I'm gonna grow vines that hang down.  We also have plans to add narrow flower beds at the base of the fence.

From this view, you can see the walking path into the vegetable garden.  

I placed potted plants in the raised bed.  Whatever I put back here seems to grow really well, which is a shame, because hardly anyone sees these flowers.  I don't know why things grow so much better back here.  It faces east, so it gets morning sun.  I think most plants prefer to receive morning sun and afternoon shade.  Also, because it's completely fenced off, animals can't get back here to nibble...so I guess I do know why things grow better back here after all! 😂

And that's it folks! Our backyard patio and porch is finally done!  Whew! Glad that is over, now I can go on vacations again!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

How To Paint Your Own Vases To Match Your Rooms Decor

On Sunday I shared My New Living Room!  In that post I mentioned that I painted a clear glass vase to match the rooms decor.  Painting a vase is a great idea if you can't find an exact color match in the store.  All you need is a clear glass vase (I already had one in my stash, but you can find these for pennies at any thrift store) and a small bottle of craft paint.  I used craft paint I already had, but if you don't have any it is available at any craft store like Hobby Lobby.

The technique is so simple!  Just pour the paint INSIDE the vase, and swirl it around the bit to get all the sides well coated.  Next, turn it upside down and put it on a wire rack with the wax paper underneath.  In the photo below I did it wrong and the paint pooled out around the vase.  I quickly realized my mistake and put the paper UNDER the rack.

A lot of paint dripped out.  Being the frugal gal that I am, I scooped it up and put it back in the paint bottle.  The hardest thing about this project is patience.  It takes a long time for the paint to drip out and dry.  I'd leave it alone at least 24 hours.

Here's a very short video I posted to my Instastories.  Notice the wax paper is now UNDER the wire rack.  🤣

I do want to mention that this was not my idea.  I found it on the Health, Home, and Heart blog where she does a great photo tutorial for you to follow if you want to do one for yourself.  Check it out:  "Easy DIY Painted Vases"!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

How To Give Old Furniture A New Look With Chalk Style Paint

I do not like to paint furniture.  And frankly, I tend to not even like most painted furniture.  It drives me crazy when someone takes a beautiful antique and paints it.   But I had this old hutch in my dining room that's been bothering me for years.  I felt something had to be done about it.  It wasn't an antique.  It was a poorly made piece of junk I picked up at Goodwill for $10.00.  It's only redeeming value was that it had curved glass.

                          BEFORE                            AFTER

I wanted to paint this piece of furniture for two reasons:  1) It was already painted a high gloss dark brown and I didn't like the way it looked, and 2) Every piece of furniture in this room was also brown and I really wanted at least one piece of furniture in the room that was not brown.  I did not want to paint the table and chairs (way too much work), the other china hutch is an antique in perfect condition, that leaves the piano and the grandfather clock, neither of which I would ever be stupid enough to paint.

I've seen a lot of successful before and after furniture make overs using chalk paint, so that's what I decided to try.  Following the instructions, I first sanded my hutch so the paint would adhere better.  I used an electric sander but I made the mistake of having the wrong sandpaper loaded and I gouged the wood.  It didn't really matter, as paint covers a multitude of sins and I was going for the distressed look anyway, but as a caution to my readers:  use fine sanding paper!

I sanded outside on my back porch so I wouldn't get the dust inside my house.  It was a warm winter day (for us Wisconites anyway!).

Next, I put on one coat of primer followed by two coats of chalk style paint.  The instructions said only one was necessary but I could still see brush strokes after only one coat, so I added a second coat.  However, I should have only used one because it shows the distressing better. You want to see a little bit of the color underneath.  I ended up covering all the old color with chalk style paint.  They do sell decorative glazes to go with their chalk style paint.  If I had to do it all over again, I'd use the "Smoked Glaze" Topcoat, to add a little more interest to the piece.

The next day, after the paint was completely dry, I used FINE sanding paper (see, I learn my lessons) and I sanded the edges, hinges, and handle.  My husband thought I should have distressed it a bit more, but it's a very elegant room that the hutch is in, so I didn't want to overdue it.  Just like my jeans, I like them slightly distressed, not with huge gaping holes and rips.  😊

When I was done sanding, I vacuumed up all the chalk dust then I wiped it clean with a damp cloth and let it dry.  The last step was to add two coats of top coat, which is basically a matte wax to protect the chalk style paint.

The inside of the hutch was already painted white so I didn't have to do anything with that.  I loaded the hutch with my vintage peach lustre ware as I thought it would be so pretty for spring.

Since the walls are ultra white, I painted the hutch "Aged Grey" so it would stand out from the wall a little.  It turned out a little lighter than the paint card.  I wish I would have chosen "Country Grey", as it's a little bit darker.  However, I LOVE the way it turned out.  I love that I finally have one piece of furniture in this room that isn't brown.  And, I think the chalk style paint really suits this piece of furniture much better than the high gloss paint job it previously had.  Now I'm tempted to tackle my table (at least the top as it's all scratched up anyway).  What do you think?

In the picture below you can get a better idea of the distressing.  It was super easy to distress as it's "Chalk" paint.  When I was done sanding, the table top and my hands were covered in chalk dust.  It reminded me of my childhood school days when I had to clean the erasers (yes, I'm that old!).

There are many varieties of chalk style paint on the market.  I used the Rust-Oleum brand.  I bought a quart, which was way too much.  I think I only used 1/8 of what was in the can.  These are the two products I used:

I am absolutely thrilled with my "new" piece of furniture that only cost me $20.00 to update.  I already had a brush, sanding paper, and primer so I did not count that in the refinishing cost.

So what about you?  Do you like chalk painted furniture?  Have you ever painted furniture before?  I'd love to hear from you!

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

The Big Beauty Room Reveal Is Finally Here!

 It all started back in January with a post titled "My Normal, Boring Daily Life".  Now, four months later, it is finally totally and completely FINISHED!  Yes, the time has finally arrived.  My new "Beauty Room" is complete.  The last decorative item has been placed.  No more painting, sewing, or hunting for decorative pieces.  It is finished!

Now my regular blog readers know exactly what I'm talking about, but any new readers that have stumbled across this post may be slightly perplexed so I will first do a quick summary.

My son moved out of the house last August.  His bedroom had not been touched since he was a little boy and it really showed signs of wear and tear.  It needed to be redecorated for aesthetic reasons, but we weren't quite sure what to do with it.  Since it's a very tiny room, at first I was just going to make it a walk-in closet.  But my children wanted to keep a bed in the room for visiting and my husband thought removing a bedroom would lower the resale value of the house.  So then I decided to make it a walk-in closet/bedroom.  That did not work out because the bed took up so much space, there wasn't much room left for shelves and clothing rods:  one side of the room is a large window, another side a closet, leaving only a small wall for shelves.  And that's when I discovered THE BEAUTY ROOM concept.  Believe it or not, prior to this redecoration project, I had no idea such rooms even existed.  But it was the perfect solution to my small, unused room in my house.  I could still use the room as a guest room, but I had an extra closet for all my clothes, and a pretty place in the house just for me!

Now with the exception of the bed, all these pictures will be 'AFTER' pictures.  If you want to see 'Before' or 'How-To' posts, here is the list of links to everything I have been posting since January.

The Beginning:  Tearing the Room Apart
Getting Somewhere:  The Drapes and Flooring
Making Progress:  Bed Construction and New Furniture
Personalized Art Work For The Room
How to Make a Customized Floral Arrangement
A Custom Made End Table
Handmade Pillow Case and Duvet Cover
How to Make a Pillow Sham
How to Make a Bed Skirt
How to Make a Bow Pillow

And now, without further ado, lets begin the tour of my new beauty room!

This is the only wall space available in the room.  We decided to put a cozy chair in the corner with a end table.  I selected inspirational wall art that had something to do with beauty to coordinate with the theme of the room.  Plus it's great motivation when getting dressed for the day!

The space above the moulding was long and narrow and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to hang some of my hats.

 I found these pretty silver hooks at a home improvement store and had my handy-dandy husband make some wood blocks to adhere them to.

 We picked up this pretty ornate silver and crystal wall organizer/hanger at Kirklands.  We thought the design went perfectly with the room and that it would be great to display some of my favorite necklaces.

This is the view of the room when your standing in the doorway and looking to your right.

 I've been hinting about my new amazing day bed for months, and I'm so excited to finally reveal it!  Wa-la!  Here it is!  Isn't it gorgeous?

 The bed was a design that my husband and I worked on together.  I first looked on Pinterest for ideas, and then we talked and came up with the design that incorporated their ideas, but fit the awkward space in our room.

The room has angled ceilings, so after building a wooden base to fit from wall to wall, my husband then built the shelves to fit the angled part of the ceiling.  The shelves were built not just for decorative reasons, but also because the the space was a little longer than the mattress and it needed to be filled in.  After the shelves were constructed, he then built a frame or faux wall, around the bed. I then painted everything with a high gloss white paint.

All the bedding was custom made by myself.  We hung sparkly, sheer curtains inside the frame that can be open and closed for a more romantic feel.  We found the wrought iron piece at Kirklands, but it was originally black.  We spray painted it white to match the room better.

Under the bed there is room for 10 under-the-bed storage containers.  I put items in here I don't wear often or have way too much of...like tee shirts!

Every tote is well-organized and labeled so I can find items easily.  I also roll my items to keep wrinkles at bay and also so I can fit as much as possible inside every tote.

I know I said the room was finished, and it is, but I'm still looking for more little treasures to put on my shelves.  I don't want to just buy anything to fill the space.  I want it to have personal meaning to me as well as functionality.

Many of my readers know I just returned home from a trip to Las Vegas where we stayed at the Flamingo Hotel.  Well in a gift shop inside the hotel they sold these beautiful hand-blown glass flamingoes.  I thought it was the perfect souvenir, for it would not only look great in my new beauty room, but it would remind me of my trip...plus, I really do love flamingoes!

The book is just a notebook, but I loved the gold embossed title...it's so me!  And again, the pink and black colors with the picture of the Eiffel tower made it the perfect accent piece for the room.

What's a beauty room without beautiful flowers?  I made this arrangement myself and you can see how by clicking on the link above "How to Make a Customized Floral Arrangement".

On the bottom shelf I placed a gorgeous shell shaped pink bowl I found at HomeGoods along with a vintage purse and pink women's bible I already owned.  I found the gold 'A' at T.J. Maxx.

 When the shelves were put in and the bed was complete we felt something was missing for the wall space above the bed.  We then began our search for the piece that would complete our bed nook and tie everything together.  This wrought iron piece from Kirklands did just that!

As I stated earlier, it was black so we spray painted it white.  It could have worked if we left it black because there are some black accents in the room, but I just thought it looked better white.  Always remember when shopping for items for your home, if you find something that you think would look great for your space, but it's not quite perfect, you may be able to alter it to fit your space better.

Here is the opposite set of shelves.

I found these pretty jeweled boxes at Ross. I store my headbands inside of them.

The middle shelf holds an empty Sephora Bag.  I thought it went perfectly with the theme of the room, and it costs me nothing (well, other than the $50 worth of make up I bought inside!).

I also have one of my personalized art work pieces on this shelf, along with a pretty silver bowl from T.J. Maxx to hold more headbands.

This "Dream" metal piece I found at Michaels.  I thought it was the perfect sentiment to put near a bed.  I then completed the vignette with a fashion book and a candle.

The bottom shelf I'm still working on finding items to place there.  In the meantime, I just filled it with some Vegas souvenirs.

 This is a close up of the sheers that hang by the bed.  They have pretty silver sparkly threads woven through them.

And here is a picture of how we hung the sheers.  A silver curtain rod was placed behind the cornice.

 And for those of you who want to see and know more, we also made an 11+ minute video.  The beginning of the video is a bit dark because the light from the window hits the camera, but when I move away from the window, you will be able to see everything more clearly.  I also show the INSIDE of my closet in this video and explain how I organize all my clothes and cosmetics.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!