Re-decorating, Re-using, Re-finishing, Re-vamping my outdoor living space!

So last week I was enjoying a drink on my porch with a buddy and he said that if he lived at my house he would spend every minute on my porch. That got me thinking, although it was a decent space I really could liven it up and use it more to my advantage.  So I took what I already had (fully enclosed, a big comfy chair, an old ottoman, some blinds, patio lights, a small plant stand and the beautiful outdoors) and added just a few elements for under $40 to amplify the outdoor beauty of my home.

First thing you have to do is find what do you NEED to fill in the area. For me I knew a decent sized table and a chair are a must; as well as, adding some color.  I knew that I had a very limited budget for this project and my favorite store is Pier1, so instead of spending a fortune I went to P1 for ideas and NO SHOPPING!  Instead of buying the chair and table I wanted for $175.00, off to Goodwill I went and found the key element to my porch, a small end table for $10, but given it was a yellow sticker, I got the table for only $5!  I spent the rest of my day searching  3 Goodwills, Old Time Pottery and 3 other thrift stores for a chair. Finally, I found one that matched the feel of my original Pier 1 chair I purchased 7 years ago...at Big Lots. Seriously, I used to make fun of my Gramma all the time for shopping at Big Lots, now I give her props.  I found a dark colored outdoor chair for only $18 and knew I could finish the look I wanted for cheap.

~Instead of spending a ton on decorations for my outdoors I searched my house for items unused.  I found an old Blue/Green/Beige tapestry in my closet and three pillows stored away that matched in a mis-matched way and voilia!  I turned my Mom's old ottoman that I had been using for a bench into a swanky paisley lounge couch.  While at Big Lots I also searched the clearance aisle and found some cute candles in cylinder tins for only $2.

~To add a bit more lighting without spending a fortune I used  an empty blue wine bottle, stuffed it with a 35 light strand of Christmas lights I had in the basement, bought copper wiring from Lowes for about $4, wrapped it around the bottle and made a hanging light in under 20 minutes.

~Finally the last step of my adventure was refinishing the table from GW.  I went to Menards (best prices around) and got an 8oz jar of stain for $4 and a quart of DutchBoy Exterior paint which had been previously mixed and returned for ONLY $1 (mixing my own color would have been $16).  Refinishing furniture scares the hell out of most people, but it is so simple! 

• 1. Sand all surfaces, in direction of the grain.
• 2. Using an old rag (washcloth in my case,) dip rag in stain and rub on all HARDWOOD surfaces in the direction of the grain.
• 3. Using a clean brush, paint the laminate surface of the table.
• 4. Let table dry. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until desired density of color is achieved .
• 5. Drink a beer. 

So there it is...

$ 5.00   Table from Goodwill
$18.00  Chair from Big Lots
$ 2.00   Candle from Big Lots
$ 4.00   Copper wire from Lowes
$ 5.00   Stain and paint from Menards
$34.00  New Outdoor living space!