A Recycled Outdoor Side Table

I was recently tempted to give a girlfriend a collection of pretty spray paint colours as a housewarming gift. Does any one think that that's a good idea or just plain weird?

  I just think that spray paint is a girl's best friend when it comes to decorating because with a push of a button, you can change anything. ANYTHING. And for the better.

Like this ugly old metal side table that I refreshed last year with a can of yellow paint.

Before, it was a big dose of ugly. Now it's a bright spot of pretty, don't you think?

I am seriously not joking. Look at what it was before. Ready to be kicked to the curb, don't you think? As I was explaining to my mom on the phone that I was going to paint it bright yellow, I could tell that she wasn't 'feelin it'. Until she saw the after.

A perfectly pretty side table. With just 1 can of paint.

I am using it as a little hostess station on our back deck. 

It hold drinks and snacks, but it could be an art station, a plant stand, a dessert stand, or anything.

And it even has a second shelf to hold needed items.

The lesson in all of this? Don't throw away that which can be useful!

Don't park it. Paint it!

Look around you and see what can be made beautiful again.

I am sure that you will find something that will make your yard lovely!

Don't forget that tomorrow is the 3rd Linky Party for 2014 Outdoor Extravaganza Link Parties and the theme is paint projects! We invite you to share and link up your wonderful 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

 Easy Chevron Flower Pots

Thank you so much for visiting!

 
This post is linked to:
Monday Funday, The Creative Collection, Our Sunday Best Showcase,  The Scoop, Work It Wednesday, I`m Lovin` It,  Inspiration Gallery, Weekend Retreat, The Party Bunch, Tatertots & Jello, Link Party Palooza,

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, 

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, 

A Fresh Bedroom Look For Spring

Aaah! Spring! Did we think it would ever arrive? I love when the days become filled with longer hours of bright sunlight and windows can be opened for crisp envelopes of fresh air. 

After months of winter...it feels so good to re-fresh the house some spring cleaning and fresh looks.

One of the things I turned my attention to recently was our bedroom. Completely ready to throw off the browns of winter, I wanted to go for something new for Spring. There is nothing like new soft bedding to crawl into at night in bright new colours. 

I have always loved blues, so I though I would return to those shades for a new look for Spring.

I'm not sure if it's because I am a Nova Scotian girl who grew up with the Bay of Fundy within a stone's reach, but I find watery blues and green so soothing and calm. 

And it was also a chance to bring out the afghan that my Grandmother knitted for me more than 25 years ago in my favorite colour...blue...of course. Although my grandmother passed away more than 12 years ago, I am so happy to have this beautiful treasure made by her.

I also decided to bring in some fresh tulips to enjoy while reading at night. Plus, it's so nice to walk past the bedroom during the day and see those lovely tulips.

I think having a calm and soothing bedroom is so important. Bedrooms can be a such peaceful sanctuary after busy or stressful day. I like to keep our bedroom clutter-free and organized so that it feels calm as soon as we walk in.

 I have never had white bedding before, so this new look feels so good!
And I never, ever put sheets or anything on my bed unless it has been washed in Sunlight Laundry Soap first.
I have very sensitive skin and when I wash clothing or bedding, not only do I want them to be clean and to smell great, but I want things that are gentle to my skin.
That is why I have used Sunlight Laundry Soap for 25 years.
When I first moved out on my own 25 years ago, I quickly learned that picking up any laundry soap was just not going to work for my skin. And I found that of all the brands that I tried, Sunlight-The Lemon One,was the one laundry soap that did not bother my skin and it has been my mainstay ever since.

I have used this brand to do my family's laundry since I have become a wife and mom too.

It's a brand that I know, love and trust.

Did you know that Sunlight-The Lemon One-is also hosting a great contest right now too?

When you buy any 2 Sunlight products, you could enter to win 1 of 10 packages of appliances, products or cleaning services for a year.

Learn more and enter by visiting HERE.

Disclosure: Thank you so much to Sunlight Laundry for sponsoring this post. As always, I only partner with brands and products that I use and love in my own home. And I have been a long-time use of Sunlight Laundry Soap.

Linking up with:
Tidy Mom, Tip Me Tuesday, Gingersnap Crafts, Savvy Southern Style, Show Me What You Got, One Project At A Time, Take A Look Tuesday, The DIY Dreamer, Inspiration Gallery,   The Party Bunch,  Super Saturday, Our Sunday Best, That DIY Party, Monday Funday, The Sunday Soiree Party, The Block Party,  The Scoop, Home Stories A to Z,