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!

This year’s hostesses are (left to right):

Kristin from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tiffany from Living Savvy

Angie from Echoes of Laughter {That's me!}

Lucy from Craftberry Bush

Shauna from Satori Design for Living

Dawn from Inspired Living

And ALL of us are sharing amazing projects today! Please visit each hostess to see their creation!

I cannot wait to see ALL of your amazing projects!

To see more of my outdoor projects:
Spray Painted Bucket Planters

 A Deck Makeover

 Front Porch Makeover

 Hostess Station

Thank you so much for visiting!

This post is linked to: The Scoop,Tutorial & Tips Link Party, Monday Funday, The Creative Collection,  Our Sunday Best Showcase,  The Scoop, Weekend Retreat, The Party Bunch, 

Easy Chevron Stripe Flower Pots

The colours of Spring & Summer have arrived at our home, and I cannot wait to share this easy DIY Chevron Stripe Flower Pot project with you! Not only is it super easy, but with the addition of flowers...it will add the most amazing rainbow of colour to any space. I created this project to wake up the front porch so that it looks fun and fresh for the months ahead! And you can create your own rainbow of colour too....let me show you how!

I kept this project budget-friendly by using dollar store flower pots in an assortment of colours, along with some white spray paint and some adorable daisy-type flowers in shades of purple and pink.

And the magic that made it all happen....this Frog Tape in Chevron Stripe from Canadian Tire. It was easy to apply and the results were perfect. It also comes in Waves and Scallop too, so there are lots of options to create pretty pots.

Here's how I did it!

Supplies:

Flower pots {flat sides work best}

Frog Tape in Chevron Stripe, Scallop or Wave {from Canadian Tire}

White spray paint, or white paint and small paint brush

Flowers and moss decorations, if desired

To Create:

1~I purchased some colourful plants pots from the dollar store. Pots with flat sides work best for this project.

2~Next I added strips of the tape around the pot...making sure to line up the tape to make chevron stripes in widths that fit the size of the pots. For a bigger pot, you would probably want to add more strips of tape.

3~Next, I used white spray paint and applied 3 coats, waiting for each coat to dry.

{You could also use white paint and a small paint brush to apply the paint.}

4~And lastly, I removed the tape. Behold the pretty chevron striped pots. With the addition of flowers and moss decorations...they become a simple touch of beauty.

I created a group of three flower pots to grace the bistro table on our front porch.

After being blah and boring since Christmas, this porch really needed a little makeover.

I love the gorgeous colour that they add to this space and how it greets visitors coming to our front door.

The front porch looks amazing with this riot of colour and pattern.

It really makes me smile and energizes me to get busy with the rest of the our outdoor spaces!

Don't forget that tomorrow is the start of the 2014 Outdoor Extravaganza Link Parties! We invite you to share and link up your wonderful projects for Spring...be it specially crafted planters, colourful planters, 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 on all 6 blogs!

This year’s hostesses are (left to right):

Kristin from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tiffany from Living Savvy

Angie from Echoes of Laughter {That's me!}

Lucy from Craftberry Bush

Shauna from Satori Design for Living

Dawn from Inspired Living

And ALL of us are sharing amazing projects today! Please visit each hostess to see their creation!

I cannot wait to see ALL of your amazing projects!

To see more of my outdoor projects:
Spray Painted Bucket Planters

 A Deck Makeover

 Front Porch Makeover

 Hostess Station

Thank you so much for visiting!

This post is linked up to:
Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza, Inspire Me Please, Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons, I'm Lovin' It, Inspiration Gallery, The Party Bunch, Weekend Re-Treat Link Party, The Scoop, Tutorial & Tips Link Party, Monday Funday, The Creative Collection,  Our Sunday Best Showcase,  The Scoop, Work It Wednesday, The Party Bunch, 

Living Room Refresh For Spring

This week as I put away the last of the Easter pretties, I did some refreshing in our living room to give it some new energy. I love 'playing house' and moving things around. Sometimes moving decorative accessories like vases and adding fresh flowers can breath new life into a room so you are instantly in love again. For this round of refreshing, I decided to go around the house and pluck anything turquoise and bring it in the living room for a look that says "Hello Spring!".

One of the things that I adore in any room is a pop of fresh pink flowers. They bring a certain energy that plays nicely with almost any colour scheme. This ranunculus arrangement was a Homesense find and it has visited a few other rooms in our house as a decorative accessory. The turquoise tray was a another Homesense find, but was black and had a rather large rooster on it, so I up-cycled it with a two quick coats of turquoise spray paint.

 I  rounded up some turquoise pillows from some other rooms and added them to our brown leather sofas to lighten things up. And the two turquoise vases on the round table were Goodwills find that cost just $5! I love finds that are not only gorgeous, but also budget friendly!

Among, all of the pops of turquoise in this room, one thing you may or may not have noticed is the box of tissues from Scotties new Designer Series Tissues.

I love the fresh designs of these boxes because they blend senselessly into the decor.

And with Spring allergy season here, there will be some coughing, sneezing and watery eyes in our house, so a box of tissues in every room is a must for my family.

This new,  limited edition of Scotties Designer Series tissue boxes were designed by internationally-renowned Canadian architect and interior designer Dee Dee Taylor Eustace and include a design tip from tip from Dee Dee on the inside tear tab of each tissue box.These boxes are fashion-inspired  and add the perfect touch of softness to any room...as you can see how a box blended so easily into our living room refresh.The designs come in three new fashion forward designs:

-Stylish black & white for a sophisticated and timeless classic look.

-Grey tones with bright accents that bring architecture to life.

-Cool blue tones with an iconic design that will fill rooms with colour and elegance.

I love how the sleek design of these tissue boxes become a part of the decor rather than something that doesn't look like it belongs. And my living room? I love the touches of turquoise! It makes the room feels so airy and inviting!

How about you? Have you refreshed any rooms for Spring?

Looking for more Living Room ideas?

Feel free to visit my 'Living Rooms To Love' board on Pinterest HERE.

Disclosure: This post was generously sponsored by Scotties. As always, I only partner with products/brands that I love and use in my own home. All opinion are my own.

 

This post is linked to:
Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza, Inspire Me Please, Inspiration Gallery, The Creative Collection, Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza, Block Party, Monday Funday, Our Sunday Best Showcase,  The Scoop, Tips & Tutorials Tuesday Weekend Re-Treat Link Party, 

Outdoor Christmas Decor

Despite the snow that we have had for a week now, I put on warm boots and a coat and got outside to do some outdoor decorating on our front porch for Christmas. It was so nice to get some fresh air, however brisk, and creating a new vignette for a new season always makes me feel warm inside. Creating vignettes is one of my  very favourite things!

I started by creating this table vignette with some natural elements combined with a pops of red. This is my second year of decorating in red & white {after years of decorating in blue & green} and I am still loving it. This year I invested in a few new pieces, like this red lantern, to help along the red colour scheme. And I also did a major makeover of another piece...which I will get to in a minute.

 I could not help but snatch up the bit of 'Canadiana' with the moose pillow...such a fun graphic to have  for Christmas. And the black & red plaid throw is from The Bay during the last Winter Olympic games in Whistler a few years ago. The pillow and the throw go so well together.

 I find the first rule in creating a cozy vignette is to create a sitting area that looks inviting and warm...easily achieved with a pillow and throw.

 And here is the big makeover project that I tackled: I gave this wreath a completely new look.

  With new red flowers, gold accents, gold lotus pieces and new red ribbon, it has become something new and lovely that I am very happy with.

And our porch is looking very comfy and ready for sipping some hot chocolate now, don't you think?

This week I will be sharing indoor decorating inspiration, along with some other Christmas fun! 

I can't wait! 

Thank you SO much for visiting me and allowing me to share all this fun with you!

If you are looking for more inspire ideas, don't forget to visit these boards on Pinterest:

Christmas Decor

Christmas Mantels To Love

Christmas Food Ideas

Wishing you an inspired day!

Linkin' up with:
StoneGable, Take-A-Look Tuesday, HomeStories A to Z, Time To Sparkle, Show Me What Ya Got, Tuesday Talent Show, Wow Me Wednesday, The DIY Dreamer, Savvy Southern Style, The Inspiration , IExchange,  Inspire Me Please, I`m Lovin` It, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, Inspiration Gallery, Fabulous Friday, The Frugal Girls, Link Party Palooza, Uncommon Designs, Craft-O-Maniac, Block Party, The Scoop, Super Saturday Show & Tell, The Party Bunch, Sunday Best Link Party, Inspiration Monday, Made By You Monday, Metamorphosis Monday, One Project At A Time, Party Junk, Christmas Wonderful Link Party, The DIY Showoff, Get Your DIY On,