charlys-room: summer decor

Showing posts with label summer decor. Show all posts

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Front Porch Makeover 2014

Front porches. I love them and sitting on them is one of the my favourite ways to relax in summer.

You may remember how I decorated our front porch in this post from last summer.

I also love to decorate our porch for Christmas, Fall, and I have made painted plant pots and chevron stripe pots for it too.

It's a thing I like to do every year.

And I love walking around the neighbourhood and seeing other front porches too!

I always like to keep our front porch warm and welcoming as it's the first thing that guests to our home see as well. I like for it to feel like it is a room on it's own with an ambiance that fits the season. Whether reading a book, or just eating cherries from a basket...it is just a nice place to be to enjoy some quiet time.

This year's decor stemmed from these terrific chairs that I found at a yard sale for $15 each.

I adore that they are old, worn and the shape is beautiful.

So far, I have resisted the urge to spray paint them. I love their warm patina as is.

And what would a front porch be without some lovely plants and flowers to enjoy?

I picked up the wicker plant stand from a yard sale for $5 and I love the tropical feel it lends to the porch. I might spray paint it. Or not. I haven't decided yet.

I found this vase at Value Village for $4. It's great for outdoor arrangements and I like the tall shape. I definitely see spray paint in it's little future!

And the side table has plenty of succulents...the most popular plants on planet earth right now.

The porch is the perfect place for staying cool.

And I love how thrifted finds this year gave me a whole new look for not a lot of money!

And another thing I love about this porch? I often come home from running errands to find my daughter and her boyfriend sitting out here...hanging out and eating cherries.

They look so cute!

Do you have a front porch?

For more great ideas, visit these boards on Pinterest:

Awesome Curb Appeal

Fabulous Front Doors

Incredible Outdoor Spaces

Thank you so much for visiting!

This post is linked to:
The Weekend Re-Treat Party, I`m Lovin`It,

Tuesday, 22 July 2014

18 Beautiful Summer Projects

A few weeks ago, I co-hosted an Outdoor Extravaganza Party with a 5 other bloggers and we invited all of you talented bloggers out there to come link up your summer projects. After looking through so many amazing projects, I have rounded up a collection of all kinds of things that can be made-over, painted or created to make your house and yard look absolutely fabulous! There are still many weeks left of summer and lots of time to create something that will make you smile!

DIY Caddy Tutorial from My Love 2 Create

Potting Bench from One More Time Events

Vintage Metal Cart Makeover from Averie Lane

Easy DIY Chevron Stripe Flower Pots

Sprucing Up an Old Cooler From Pink Little Notebook

DIY Umbrella Planter from Confessions Of A Serial DIYer.

Live Succulent Wreath from All Things Heart & Home

Spray Painted Bucket Planters

How To Build A Potting Bench by Design Dreams by Anne

DIY Vertical Herb Pallet Garden by Pink When

Front Porch Makeover

DIY Restoration Hardware Planter Knockoff from Fisherman's Wife Furniture

$15 Outdoor Planter Box by Shanty 2 Chic

Deck Makeover

Bold & Gold Pots by The Sweet Escape

French Glazed Flower Pots From So Much Better With Age

Basket Flower Planters from Priscillas

Day Bed from Front Store Life

Did you find something to inspire you?

You can find more amazing ideas on these boards on Pinterest:

Pretty Gardening & Plant Ideas

Beautiful Curb Appeal

Fabulous Front Doors

This post is linked to:
Take A Look Tuesday, The Weekend Re-Treat Party, I`m Lovin`It,

Wednesday, 11 June 2014

A Beautiful Outdoor Oasis Party & Pier 1 Giveaway! #Pier1OutdoorParty #MC #Sponsored

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Pier 1 Imports. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and to thank me for participating.

Anyone who knows me knows how I love entertaining with pretty fresh flowers, easy food and yummy drinks. And with summer vacation for the kids arriving soon, I thought it would be so fun to gather together a group of 6 girlfriends for food, fun and laughter before we all scatter for the summer with various vacation plans with our families. Although the late afternoon sky threatened rain, {and it was actually lightly sprinkling when I took these pictures}, it did miraculously clear off and reveal some bright sunshine so that our Friday evening party could go ahead as planned...which made me super happy. And with help from Pier 1 Imports, I was able to create a beautiful, bright & comfortable outdoor oasis for entertaining friends.

Come and have a look at this lovely evening!

Our outdoor oasis included lots of cozy seating with pretty blue floral cushions.

And no party is complete without fresh flowers. I love big & bold vases and this large seagrass netting vase is gorgeous for showcasing flowers.

I served one of my favorite summer time drinks....basil watermelon lemonade in these great acrylic stemless goblets with turquoise straws. This lemonade is such a refreshing change from the usual.

And I served lots of finger foods: veggie crudites and dip on platters, with some gorgeous paper napkins and paper plates, which make for fast & easy cleanup for a busy hostess.

And I love serving some of my favorite crispy crackers in a basket bowl with cheesy dips.

And to finish off, I offered lots of colourful fresh fruit with a cream cheese & yogurt dip in a pretty yellow bowl.

And no party is over without some yummy cream puffs!

It turned out to be a perfectly beautiful evening with lots of hilarious stories and uproarious laughing.

I love hanging with friends. And outdoor parties are the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of summer after a long winter.

As a busy mom, it is sometimes hard to find time for a little fun. But with summer here, I really have to look no further than the pretty outdoor oasis that is my back deck. And with friends, easy food and drink, there is no place I would rather be on a warm summer evening!

To help you celebrate summer, Pier 1 is giving 1 lucky reader a $25 gift card {across multiple blogs}so you may enjoy your own outdoor oasis!
To Enter To Win A $25 Pier 1 Gift Card, you must be 18, live in Canada and leave a comment below telling me you would like to buy for your outdoor oasis. Please make sure that there is a valid email attached to your email. Giveaway ends June 16, 2014 at midnight EST.
Good Luck!

Would you like to see more ideas for creating a beautiful outdoor oasis?

Check out my friends' lovely parties:

Satori Design For Living, AKA Designs, A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, Fynes Designs,
Brooklyn Berry Designs, Inspire Me Heather, Suburble.

This post is linked to:
Work It Wednesday, I Gotta Create,, I`m Lovin` It, Inspiration Gallery, Weekend Retreat, The Party Bunch, Tatertots & Jello, Link Party Palooza, Monday Funday, Under The Table & Dreaming, Time To Sparkle,

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

5 Tips for Creating A Beautiful Outdoor Space

Hello sweet friends!

We just celebrated the Victoria Day weekend here in Canada, and that meant that many of us were busy planting and getting our outdoor spaces ready for summer weather. I love, love, love this time of year and I spent the weekend planting flower pots, washing outdoor furniture and creating a beautiful outdoor space for us to enjoy for the next few months. This space becomes our summer hangout for the summer where we like to enjoy a drink, share a meal or entertain, and I want it to feel and look fabulous. So, I thought I might share some tips with you for creating a beautiful outdoor space that doesn't require spending a lot of money.

1~Get out the flower pots from the basement, garage and storage room and plant as many as you can with small plants, medium plants, large plants and as many varieties as you like. Add them to side tables all around your space. They add so much colour and texture and the effect is beautiful! {They can also help to hide a multitude of sins...like old paint or faded cushions.}Spray paint old pots if you need to freshen them up. I painted the yellow pot and the purple pot to give them a new look. Which brings me to:

2~Arrange pots in groups of 3, and use different sizes and different types of flowers for an interesting look. You can also throw some fake plants in that you might already own. They still look wonderful!

3~Use a few large flowers pots to define spaces. I can only budgeted for 2 of these large pots this year and I used them to define our upper deck from our lower deck.

You can also add some interesting texture to pots by adding things like sticks, grapevine balls, glass ornaments, etc. Goodwill and Value Village are full of these things for a great price.

You can also add flowers to rustic baskets. Grab some baskets you have indoors and bring them outdoors, or look around for cheap used baskets. They look so pretty! I picked up this rustic basket from Goodwill for a mere $3.00!

5~When entertaining, grab a vase, pot, demi-john, mason jar or any glass vessel and add flowers for the table. Flowers look amazing on tables...whether inside or outside.

And where possible, use real glass dishes for entertaining. The sparkle of real glass dishes when used outside is so lovely.

And when having guests over, serving a little dessert and fruit along with a large picture of a cool drink is something that is always warm and welcoming.

I love having a pretty outdoor space to welcome family & friends in summer. After a long winter, ther is no better feeling than getting outside in an outdoor living/dining area. It is my favourite place to work, read, visit and hang with my family.

Don't forget that tomorrow is the 2nd Linky Party for 2014 Outdoor Extravaganza Link Parties and the theme is decorating! We invite you to share and link up your wonderful projects for Spring...be it specially deck decorating, flower bed design, or paint projects that give your home even MORE awesome curb appeal! We are looking for ALL of your creative projects so we can have the BEST Outdoor Extravaganza party ever!
And the best part? Your projects will be seen across all 6 blogs!