Over the weekend, I spent a few hours working on some minor and inexpensive updates for the backyard. Nothing really fancy, just small touches here and there. But it was worth doing every single bit of it as my backyard is now unrecognizable!
I washed the outdoor table and chairs with mild soap and applied some oil onto the table’s teak wood. Teak tends to get a grayish color after a while, which is also nice, but I prefer the rich brown and shiny finish. The oil is easy to apply but it does take a couple of days to penetrate into the wood completely. Refinishing this table immediately made a huge difference!
These iron lanterns were originally black and I painted them some years ago a light green color. Recently, I found out that they turned rusty from being forgotten out in the rain. So, with a wire brush, I scrapped away all the rusted parts, sanded them to even their surface, spray painted them with an anti-rust primer and finally spray painted them in a dark flat blue color. I took out the glass parts from their sides, removed the melted candle that was all over them, washed the glass parts before putting them back in place, and finally added new unscented white pillar candles.
To add style and more color, I made a couple of comfy pillows. Honestly it didn’t take me more than 30 minutes. Just so that you know how easy it is to make them, I will say once again that I have almost no sewing expertise: my only sewing projects are on this blog and you can count them on one hand.
Each pillow was simply made of two pieces of outdoor fabric sewed together on their three sides. The fourth side was partly machine sewed, too; I only left an opening to insert an outdoor pillow and then closed the opening by hand.
Remember the succulents I bought a couple of months ago for my kitchen? It’s getting warmer inside the house, so it’s a good time to replant them outdoors. I bought a couple of more other varieties and planted them all together into a ceramic pot that I recently got at a garage sale for $6. Love it!
I removed and washed the covers of these inexpensive cushions that we’ve had forever. They’re white so they have a few pros: they never fade from the sun, they can be bleached so they will always look clean after a wash, and they can easily be matched with any kind of color (that’s why I like white!). They’re not made for this kind of chairs since they have ties that would normally attach in the back. I turned the cushions around and made a bow on the front handles of the chair since there are no back handles. The cushions are now stable and the bows are even cute hanging from the front!
From all the jobs I did, I have to admit that getting rid of the rust on the lanterns was the hardest of all. But the anti-rust primer and the fresh coat of paint were so much more inexpensive than buying a new set of lanterns, sot it was totally worth it!
There were so many and pretty outdoor fabric patterns to chose from for my pillows, but I decided on this blue and white one for being so elegant. It turned out that the fabric also dictated the blue color of the lanterns.
A nice backyard is not only to enjoy while being outdoors. From inside of the house, I can’t help but admire the new setting.
My garden table was surely a mess, but one thing that always looks nice year round in the garden is the large planter that was once a fountain. (you can see it in the back of this picture and in some others, as well). It’s placed by the french doors, out of the family room and It’s always filled with flowers that I renew at the beginning of each season. I enjoy taking care of them every few days so they last for months.
I think my favorite of all these updates is this ceramic pot. It can go anywhere in the garden, but right now I like it on the table. It’s easy to move around when we ‘re in need of more space on the table since it’s so light. And when the plants outgrow the pot, I will be more than happy to replant them in a bigger one!
