Crib turned Bench

When we converted my little girl's room, the front of her crib became the footboard and the back of the crib was the headboard.  The sides and bottom were not needed after the bed was converted.  A couple of years ago, when we got rid of the same pieces on my other daughter's crib, I realized that they might actually be useful.  I couldn't use the ones I'd discarded (different design) but I eventually planned to use these. 

So, here's what we started with ...

I removed one of the dowels and just slid the two side pieces together.  Then, we used brackets from the hardware store to connect all three pieces together.  Adding legs using large dowels, a couple of turnings for feet and more brackets and we now have ...

A bench!

This area is protected from the elements but the crib mattress is waterproof and the sheets are easily washable.  I just added some outdoor pillows and now its the perfect place to curl up on a summer afternoon to read a book.  The picture above the bench was $3.50 at a thrift store.  I just painted the frame grey.  The table to the right is the match for the other one that's now in my daugher's room that just didn't fit.  There's a leaf knob on my daughter's closet that I'm going to swap for that rose.  Perfect for outdoors!

You might also have gotten a glimpse of the mess the patio was in the first photo.  I admit that I neglected it for a good part of the summer but I finally gave it some attention.  I painted the floor, rearranged the furniture and added a new white umbrella.  The "coffee table" is something that I've had for ages and used to use in my living room.  I love it especially given the fact that its worn and rough and didn't want to get rid of it.  I'm glad I didn't.  Its perfect here and it provides extra storage.

I'm still debating painting the table and chairs.  It doesn't look too bad here, but its not looking so hot.  The table top in particular isn't exactly in pristine shape.  I think painting it would not only make it look better but pull some of the brightness out into the yard.  Maybe next year.

I've had this chair all over the house and finally brought it outside and added new cushions.  I added a candle to my thrift store birdcage and hung it here.

(The curtains were blowing because a storm was coming!)

Well, that's it for now for the patio.  Next on the list will be to finish my hallway project. 

Linked to Metamorphosis Monday!

Patio Clean-Up

My patio looked so good at the end of last summer after adding the potting bench and mosquito net Ikea curtains. 

I wish I could say that it was looking this good now, but the curtains aren't up yet, the patio floor finish was damaged by salt this winter, and pollen is coating everything.  Also, despite all the raking and sweeping, there seems to be neverending leaves everywhere.  I have work to do here and I'm thinking about more.  The finish on the table doesn't look so great these days.  Its so dim with the shade of the trees in the summer.  I keep thinking that the table is begging me for a coat of white paint ...  Hmmm ...

$1 Tablescape

I thought something like this would be nice for a summer evening. Its overcast here this morning, so the light is perfect. We have light on our covered patio, but there is only candlelight here. Nearly everything on the table cost $1. I always wanted a plastic set of dishes for summer (and for kids). I wanted white and finally found them on a trip to Ikea.

A breakdown:

White Bowls/Large Dishes - Ikea ($1)
Blue Swirl Cups/dishes - Michaels ($1)
Blue Trimmed Bamboo Placemats - Target ($1)
Shells - Dollar Tree ($1)


The birdcage was the big splurge at $2 and change from a thrift store. The beaded candleholders were leftovers from my wedding and came from Pier 1. I can't remember what they cost 5 years ago, but since they're recycled, I'll call them free. ;-) The little bird inside ...



... started out like this and got a spray paint makeover. (Dollar Tree - $1)





Its not so hard to do pretty on a budget. I'm dying to paint this table white. I wonder if I can convince Mr. T.

Check out all the other tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch!

Rug is here!

Mr. T called me yesterday to tell me that my rug had already arrived. He put it down for me and I just got home not long ago and saw it. I love it!



It does exactly what I hoped it would - break up the blue floor. Doesn't it make a huge difference compared to before?



Don't forget about the rug giveaway that ends Friday in case you haven't entered!

I had a great weekend with my girls. I got quite a few things in DE. I love shopping there! I'll share some of what I got this week, but I got a few furniture pieces that I need my parents to bring over for me (including a beautiful french desk!) that I won't be able to post until they visit.

Outdoor Rug Giveaway!

So, I mentioned a few days ago that when I was shopping for things to spruce up my patio that I hadn't had any luck finding a rug. I was looking for a plain light colored outdoor rug trimmed in either white or green to break up the blue stained concrete. As luck would have it, the night before I posted, I was contacted by CSN Rugs and after taking a look at their website where they have thousands of rugs in every style, size, material and color imaginable - Jackpot! Not only did I order this one for myself ... I can't wait to get it...



... but I chose this similar accent rug to give away to a lucky reader! It will be shipped free directly from CSN Rugs!



Rug Details:

Size - 2'7" x 4'11"
Construction: Machine made
Technique: Woven
Material: 100% Olefin
Origin: France
Collection: Weatherwise
Color: Cocoa

How do you enter? Easy! Just leave a comment. Post the giveaway on your blog (and post a second comment that you've done so) and get a second entry. The giveaway will be open until Friday, June 19th at noon when a random winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!

EDIT: PLEASE READ - Make sure that there is some way for me to contact you if you win the giveaway - either an e-mail address in your profile or within the post or if you don't want to post your e-mail address, e-mail me your entry. I have to delete comments without contact information. Sorry!

The Giveaway has ended. Thanks to all those who entered!

Patio Sprucing

So, after the potting bench addition, I decided to see what more I could do to beautify my patio. I've always wanted to hang curtains there, but they can get pretty pricey. I even looked into mosquito net curtains once and those were expensive too. On Sunday, when I went to Ikea, I found a set of two mosquito net curtains for $5.99! I picked up enough for my patio in addition to clips and some airplane wire hangers to put Mr. T to work getting them up. I'm really happy with how they look. I'm looking forward to closing it up and having a mosquito free dinner out there too!


I don't know why, but only recently realized that you could replace cushions on patio furniture! Of course, by now, everything is on sale so what I really wanted (blue/green stripes) has been impossible to find. After finding tons of brown everywhere, I finally found a set of 6 blue cushions. Out went the hunter green that came with the table and in came the blue! (Sorry about the weird lighting and picture quality. It was dusk.)



I also picked up the white lanterns (still have to shorten and paint the chains so Mr. T stops hitting his head).


I also put a bulb in the china cabinet/potting bench to see how it would look. So pretty! (Ignore the cord. I didn't have an extension cord for my experimental lighting.)


I desperately need to put down an outdoor rug to break up the blue stained floor, but I'm having the same problem as with the cushions. Everything is brown! I would like something lighter trimmed in either green or white. I'll have to keep looking.

The ceiling is in really terrible shape and we'd like to cover it with beadboard. Right now, we don't have the time, but someday!

Potting Bench Finished!

Finished! Just a reminder of what it looked like before ...



And, the inspiration picture ...

I'm SO happy with it! Here's what I did ...

- Purchased china cabinet at thrift store.
- Mixed paint I already had. I mixed a green gloss with white semi-gloss and honestly, the finish is great. Just a warning if you mix two sheens - Make sure you mix enough to finish the project because you cannot color match paint that was mixed like this.
- Disassembled entire unit and removed all hardware which was spray painted dark brown.
- Primed entire unit and applied 2 coats of paint.

That's it! Oh, and as you can see, the color is a PERFECT match to the inspiration! As usual, I panicked way too early because the paint dried darker than how it went on.

A couple of problems I had ...
On day 2, it started to rain ... and rain, and rain. The paint stopped drying so I literally had to just stop until the rain was gone a couple of days later. After that, it was fine.

Problem #2 ... That lattice was a MAJOR PAIN to paint. I used spray paint to prime, but didn't have that option with the top coats. I eventually realized that using a artists brush that was the width of the lattice was perfect and nearly eliminated the dripping problems I was having.

I haven't filled it with pots yet because I still need to have Mr. T make me some shelves because it came with glass shelves.


Speaking of glass ... I had to break out the glass from the 2 outer doors because it was impossible to remove it. I just covered the door with newspaper to keep the glass contained. The center glass came out without a problem.

I have put a few things in the drawers that we had in a trunk like gloves and gardening tools.





Part of the bottom will be for toy storage.



The basket we were using to store toys before we now will use to hold newspapers for recycling.


Mr. T was being a hater and saying I do a bad job painting. He made me feel kinda bad as I was working on this, but he had to admit that it looked great after I was done. He said that it looks so great that he wished we could use it inside. Vindication! ;-)

So, that's it ... or is it? I was so happy with how pretty this was that I decided to "beautify" a little more. I'm going to see what else I can do to spruce up the patio.

Potting Bench Progress! (and problems)

So, here is the thrift store china cabinet planned for a patio potting bench ...


Problem #1 - I didn't realize it, but the center doors are not removable. Not a problem with the bottom, but I would have liked to have the option on the hutch part. I did, however, find that there is a light on the inside of the hutch! Unexpected bonus!

Problem #2 - The glass is impossible to remove without breaking it. I'd hope to be able to keep the glass in case I wanted to ever use it as a china cabinet. Oh well. I guess I can always buy new glass if I ever need to. Then, I thought about just cutting the entire top so that its more open shelving and cutting the panels on the doors on the bottom and adding lattice so that its more like the inspiration picture. For now, I may leave it as is and think about cutting it up later.

So, I got to painting once my two monkeys were napping and managed to sand and prime the base. This brings me to Problem #3. I mixed up green paint I had with white, but I accidentally added too much white so I ended up with more of a minty green than the more mossy green I'd hoped.




The light was fading when I took the pictures above so its hard to see the true color. While its not what I planned, I think it does add some brightness to the always dim patio. I'm wondering if I could try a dark stain glaze on this. My last attempt at glazing was a failure, but I suppose if I don't like it, I have plenty of paint!

It is extremly humid today, so I may not paint but hopefully, it will be done (at least painted) by the end of the week!

P.S. New look for summer ... I'm about as indecisive about my blog backgrounds as I am about paint colors so I'm sure this won't last long. I keep considering getting a nice professional template, but I have yet to find something I can live with long-term. ;-)

Potting Benches

Over the weekend, Mr. T started extending our patio a little. It was an area under the overhang of our carport so plants didn't get any rainwater there. It was a sad place with unhappy plants, so we decided to extended the slates from the patio to that area and decided to put our gas grill there. After moving things around, the area flows so much better now.

I've always thought about getting a potting bench and now it seems like it won't overwhelm the space. I'm having trouble finding them. It seems inexpensive ones were everywhere the past few years, but not anymore. I'd love to buy an old thrift store item, but have no way to transport something that large. I have had fun looking around online for ideas.

This one is my favorite!

I like the use of the window on this one.


This is an old dry sink that was used as a potting bench.


I like the back of this one ... and the finish.


A more traditional bench. This one actually folds up!


Maybe I should just hold out and see if I can find an old piece of furniture so I can create something like the first one. I'm really in love with that one!