Backyard Pergola Reveal

So every blogger out there seems to be posting all their fall decor, and I'm still talking about my backyard!  To be honest, I'm not quite ready for fall, and I always find it hard transitioning from my favourite season, summer, to fall... hey life goes too fast, why rush it?

So this space (which is half of our back deck) all started to transition last year when I purchased a pergola from Home Depot which we are extremely happy with.  Then this year I picked up these striped cushions from the Superstore and painted these very basic brown cushions.  I've had great success at the Superstore...we got our patio set from there a few years ago, and most recently these black metal side tables.  They were $10 each on clearance.....wow!  I'm sure I'll bring them in for the winter and use them somewhere in the house.  I like to use as much of my outside furniture inside over the winter.  Like my ratan chairs, I always bring them in and use them in living room.  Oh and I move the lanterns in for the winter too.

My original thought was to buy three side tables and then stagger them as an alternative to the original coffee table that I got with my patio set...which is a little too ordinary and boring for me.  But I'm eclectic and also don't like everything to be so new, so when I put them in the space I actually decided to use a bench from my picnic table set as the coffee table.  Then I moved the coffee table to the side for extra seating (see below) and placed my seat cushions and roll top cushions on top for extra seating.  I actually really like this look and it mixes it up a bit. Also the seating is quite low so the eye continues into the garden.  I love to use things in an unexpected way...which is also why I use my birdfeeder as a planter (see below).

One more thing I did this year to the space was replace my curtains that I made last year from drop cloth.   They had a plastic liner which I thought was a good idea at the time but turns out it wasn't, because it held in the moisture and blew in the wind (what was I thinking?).  So this year I made more curtains out of a drop cloth without a plastic liner and I like them a lot better.

The jute rug seen here is actually from my dining room.  I just propped it with this one to see if I liked it...and I do.  So now I'm on the search for an outdoor one.  I found one at Lowes in the spring, but when I went back to the store to purchase it, they were sold out. :(

Hoping to get a few more nights on this back deck before the cold comes. 

Quick Fix for Old Faded Outdoor Cushions

Hey I'm back....I've taken a little time off just to relax and enjoy the summer.   Hope you're all having a good one.  We're currently experiencing a heat wave, but other than that we've had great weather here (just north of Toronto).

This post is for all of those who have tired, old worn-out cushions on their outdoor furniture.  That's what these white cushions once were.

 If you follow me you know that last year I purchased a pergola for the space, and a few months ago, got these amazing striped cushions. Problem was, the cushions on our patio set (also from the SuperStore end-of-the-season sale a few years ago) were originally dark brown and had faded.  I was never a big fan of the colour, but liked the style of the furniture and it was on sale.  Anyway, I was looking at them one day and thought, how do I change the colour to white without slipcovering (too expensive) and without buying new ones (hard to find the exact size and not in the budget).   Of course, my go-to is always to paint the fabric (I've done this before here and here) so I had some latex paint left over from another project and decided to try it...AND it worked!   Now they are a little crunchy but they look amazing, and I couldn't be happier about this quick fix.  They're also super water proof now so that's a bonus.   Hey, it saves me buying new ones or having slipcovers made.

Here's the crazy ugly before pic.  (Oh and the floors have to be repainted too...I need to find a really durable outdoor deck paint).

More of my backyard/pergola updates coming soon...have a great day!

(This post is also for Rana my crazy friend/follower who had worn out canvass runners. She remembered my post about painting fabric and painted her sneakers instead of throwing them out.  Glad I inspired you Girl!)

Garden Update & Summer Nights

You know Fall is coming when you see that first Fall Aster bloom - and mine did.  This summer it's been very cold here (north of Toronto) so most flowers are not quite as big as they usually are and some are coming out much later.  Below is a pic of my first Rose of Sharon budding.  These are usually in full bloom by mid July and it's now mid August, and I only have a few blooms.   I have lined the fence around my garden with Rose of Sharon, so they should look pretty spectacular when they do come out.

Here's a wide shot of my garden. As you can see, no blooms against the fence.

In other garden news, I found a "light" for my pergola.  Actually, it's a huge metal sphere/globe that I found at HomeSense, and I just put wire around it to attach it to the pergola. 

It's very cool!!

At night when we sit out back, I put a candle in it - love candles outside on warm summer nights (not that we've had many)!

Have a great weekend!!!!

Pergola Progress

Sorry for the delay in my posts this week.  I've been a little under the weather.  I'm feeling a bit better today and wanted to update you on our pergola which is now up and we're loving it!!  What a great purchase this was from Home Depot.  Most people like the Gazebos but I'm not a big fan of them.  Although we have quite a small back yard, the space actually feels a lot bigger now because of the pergola and garden.  Similar to designing inside, when you take a small space and make the eye look vertically and horizontally, it gives the illusion of a bigger space. 

 

I bought 2 drop cloths (below) and made them into curtains. I draped the drop cloth over the pergola with an overlap of about 8", measured it and then cut the drop cloth. The edges are sewn, so I just used fabric glue to hem the cut edges.  I then cut adhesive Velcro strips in to 2" sections, folded the top over about 8" and stuck the Velcro to the drop cloth.  ( This isn't the first time I've used a drop cloth for something other than it's purpose.  I've also painted and used a drop cloth for art).

I really like the weave of the drop cloth.   It looks like linen.  The down side is that the one side has plastic on it to make it waterproof.  I thought this would be a good idea because I was putting it outside.  However, the plastic doesn't allow for the drop cloth to breathe and therefore, it blows in the wind.  I don't think I would buy this type of drop cloth again for this purpose, but I still love the look.

  Hopefully I'll start feeling better soon, so I can look for outdoor pillows, lighting etc. 

Summer Curtains

Just got these crazy new Ikat curtains for my dining room at Fabricland.  I also got the grey velvet curtains next to them at the same place a few years ago.  Where else can you get lined velvet curtains for $30.00 a panel?  I love to lighten up the space during the summer months, and changing out the curtains is an easy way of doing this.  Come to think of it, my black bedroom curtains are from Fabricland too.

And on a completely other note, I finally got my pergola up  and it looks amazing.  

I'll have more on that later.

Pergola Purchase

   I finally bought a pergola!! I talked about my backyard and maybe getting a pergola here  and I'm happy to say I did it.  I've always wanted a pergola in my backyard so I was very excited to find (and purchase) this one from Home Depot.  I bought the outdoor loveseat and chairs a few years ago from the Superstore, so now I just have to get some accessories.  I love ferns, climbing vines, white drapes and lanterns so this is the look I'm going for.  I would also like a chandelier and I might just use one I already have.  

Because I'm a visual and love gardening, it's very important to me to see my garden from inside my house.  I also like to be in my garden and prefer low decks or patios.   I'm thinking of putting the pergola here (above) if it doesn't obstruct my view of the garden too much.  Since my dining room is grey and yellow, and this is the door you have to exit to get outside, I want to co-ordinate the outside with the inside. I haven't quite decided on a rug or cushions.  I'm going to have to get a rug because the paint is peeling which  I'm not too happy about.   I just painted it two years ago:(  This will be a Fall project (or maybe even Spring).  

I like elements of all three of these spaces.

 via

via Pinterest 

 via Pottery Barn

Apparently this pergola takes about 4 hrs. to put together so I'm going to have to get someone to help us.  
I'll let you know how it goes.  

You can see more 
of my pergola inspiration here.