Back Yard Upgrade: New Chairs

Have I said how much I LOVE THRIFTING!?!  I do.  There is nothing better than the surprises that comes when you enter a thrift store.  Last week I shared the amazing catering cart we found at the local salvage shop.  Well, a few days later I totally scored at Goodwill.

After taking the kids to the library we ran in to Goodwill which shares the parking lot! {heart} This particular day I was greeted by a variety of amazing outdoor furniture.  In the mix were 6 matching large metal chairs.  They needed pads and a little love but the price was right and they were totally meant for our pool area.

With our hot sun and dry air, well-made metal outdoor furniture is a must.  Wood dries out and plastic becomes brittle.  These metal chairs were perfect so I immediately scooped them up and brought them home.

If you follow me on Facebook you may have seen this sneak peek photo.  Hubby and I decided that freshening them up with a coat of oil rubbed bronze would give them the like-new look.  The finish was just a little weathered and faded but not bad at all.

Next step was finding the right cushions for the chairs.  I will admit, this part sort of broke the budget, coming in at twice as much as the cost of the chairs themselves.  We chose a great, super plush cushion-back combo from Home Depot.  They fit perfectly and look amazing.

 I took this photo after sitting there this afternoon watching the kids swim.  So comfortable.

 

They work well with the little side tables we picked up last year on clearance at Target.

 

I love that we were able to add 6 new, comfortable chairs to our backyard pool area.

The thrift store has totally brought new life to our back yard!  The additional storage is amazing and the new seating is so inviting.  Come back next week for a full tour of the back yard upgrade 2013!

 

Back Yard Upgrade: Catering Cart Makeover

This weekend here in Arizona we are under an Extreme Heat Advisory.  That means 110 degrees and higher for several days.  Having a swimming pool is critical in our attempt to stay cool.  Going in to this summer, we knew we wanted to make a few additions to our back yard to make it more usable for our family and for parties.

Our objectives for the back yard are as follows:

1. Storage/Bar Area
2. Comfortable and more seating
3. More table space
4. Create a purpose for west side of yard (currently a dirt patch, this will be next summer's project - need to save $$$)

Today I am very excited to share the results of our first objective - creating a storage/bar area.

For the past 6 months, we have been on the hunt for a piece of furniture to make over.  The piece needed to provide storage for towels, sunscreen, pool toys/goggles, etc.  It also needed to have a surface to be used like a buffet for drinks and snacks when we are out back.  We really thought we were looking for a dresser or buffet similar to the buffet we found for our living room.

Then one day, we were at one of our favorite salvage shops and came across this beauty...

Yep, an old beat up catering cart that reminded us of those that are used by the airlines.  It was sitting just outside the dumpster.  Had we not rescued this gem, it was going to the junk yard!  Nooooo!  We knew it was just what we were looking for - a conversation piece, a piece we could bring back to life and make our own.

This dirty, faded, sun worn, dried out, rusty cart with missing doors was a bit of a challenge.  It took a few attempts to take it all apart.  We broke a few bolts in the process but got it apart with the help of a blow torch to loosen a few rusty pieces.  After a lengthy pressure washing we were ready to go.

Since we immediately thought airline beverage cart when we saw it, we decided to go that route with an aviation color scheme.  We chose a dark blue for the shell - painting both inside and out.  We kept the metal pieces as is for an industrial feel.  We gave them a good clean and buff and reattached them with new hardware. 

We removed the broken door hardware.  With no doors on the piece we decided to create a simple roll-up dust cover for the front of the unit.  I went to my fabric stash and found the perfect orange and white awning striped outdoor fabric.  I love how the orange played off the blue. I sewed a simple curtain with pockets at the top and bottom.  Through the top pocket we placed a metal strip.  We bolted the curtain to the top of the piece.  The bottom pocket has a piece of dowel to add some weight and structure for when we roll up the cover.

 I added a couple of ribbons to hold the cover up when we were using the cart.  I plan to add a couple of pieces of Velcro along the sides of the cart to help hold the cover in place when not in use as the wind catches it and blows it around.

We created a few adjustable shelves for the unit.  I then hit the dollar store and found the perfect baskets and tubs to store items on the cart.  I was so excited to find our colors. 

 The best part about this piece is that we rescued this forlorn cart and turned it in to an amazing gem.

I'll be back next week with part 2 of our back yard update.

Curb Appeal: Outdoor Lights Refreshed

Nothing is better than a fresh coat of paint to bring new life to something that is old and worn.  Last year when  we had the exterior of our house repainted it became evident that our light fixtures were showing the effects the Arizona sun and elements.

Since I have proven to my husband the wonders of Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint, this was the natural fix to our faded, dirty and tired lights.

This was such a quick and easy fix I often wonder why it took us so long to do it.  As you can see from the before pictures, the metal and paint was faded and starting to get a dirty, uncared for patina.  What you can't really see, is how filthy the glass was.

We simply took down the lights and gave them a quick wipe down with soapy water to get the dirt off.  Then we used some rubbing alcohol to do a final cleaning to remove any oils, etc. My husband taped off the electrical components.  A couple light coats of ORB gave them an instant freshening. 

 

It immediately looked so much better.  Note:  We have a couple different types of fixtures.  The ones on the garage have 2 smaller lights while the one by the front door has a single, larger bulb.

Here is a side-by-side comparison.  So much better.  I love how the fixtures have a new glow to them and how the glass now sparkles in the sunshine.

While we were at it, we also gave a fresh coat of paint to the doorbell plate which was a horrible gold color and the frame to our house number.  I love how now all of these elements match.

 

Such a quick and simple project.  It only took a few hours and the house looks so fresh.  I love it!

Dive-In Theater

Summer is in full swing and we could NOT wait to start the pool party season.  This year we decided to put a huge twist on our pool party...our very own dive-in movie theater.  This project got my husband very excited and before I knew it, he had hit the hardware store for all of the supplies.

The beauty of this fun addition to our backyard...it was under $40!!!!  A few PVC pipes, connectors, grommets, zip ties and a simple canvas drop cloth.  We were in business.

Now, the process was quite simple but the design could use some fine tuning.  As you can see from the photo, we placed a few grommets around the edge of the canvas painters tarp and created a frame using PVC pipe.  We placed a support down the middle to help with stability.  The bottom of the legs has a T-bar connector.  Since we placed it against the wall, we only used one pipe pointing away from the wall.

This screen and design is most definitely a work in progress.  It works and we are having a blast but it is amateur for sure.  Here is what we have learned (so far)...

It must be almost completely dark before we start the movie.  We have a pretty good, professional projector but it still needs to be dark.  You also do not want bright light behind your screen.  It is probably best against the house or a large wall or hedge.

Stability is a concern with our design.  With even the slightest wind, the screen is not self supporting and would likely take flight with a strong gust.  To deal with this, we placed the screen against our back wall and used cement pavers to hold the base.  We also utilized bungee cords to hold the screen against the wall.

The bungee cords have created another issue due to the flexibility of the 3/4" PVC pipe.  We are still working to address this issue.  Our plan is to put a metal pipe "inside" the PVC pike to create more stability.  As the bungee pulled on the PVC pipe, it began to rip the canvas where the grommets were placed.  I will update following our next dive-in movie to see if this added stability worked.

The movie set-up is quite easy as long as you have access to a projector.  Our set-up includes a projector, a DVD player, and a stereo receiver with speakers.  The projector is something that my husband purchased several years ago to do seminars for work - he normally is using it attached to his computer for PowerPoint presentations.  Eventually, we would like to place permanent wires/speakers around our pool but for now, we run wires and place speakers on each side of the pool.

We have had a couple of parties so far and are having a blast.  With guests watching the movie both in the water and on deck, everyone has had a blast.  So far all of our movies have been family friendly but we look forward to a few action films too!

What are your movie suggestions for our Dive-In Movie Theater?

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