The 2020 Deck/The PInterest Challenge

Welcome to the Pinterest Challenge for the month of May. I love Pinterest Challenge day and I hope that you do too.

I want to give Cindy from County Road 407 a big thank you for hosting each month. 

She is such a wonderful hostess and has the cutest houses.
If you are coming from Thistle Key Lane, welcome. Don't you love Michelle's blue and white decor?

Our inspiration this month comes from Bria Hammel Interiors. 

She shows off her front porch  for the summer of 2018. 

Oh, 2018, those were the days weren't they?

Key elements to this look include:
Comfortable Seating
Cushions
Rug
Plants Galore
A View

I got out onto the deck and cleaned off all of our seating. The loveseat and coffee table were new last year. The other low slung chairs were $5.00 garage sale finds many years ago. They are still our favorite chairs. We just replace the cushions as needed.

. 

We switched to a black and green color scheme last summer and I love it.   

Inside pillows come out on pretty days. The deck is covered so I don't worry about fading.
We got the Sojag cover last year from Costco. It's been a fabulous addition.

We have a rug which anchors the seating.
 This rug from Lowe's has held up over the course of the last year.
I'm surprised since we left it out over the winter but I'm very pleased about it.

Our deck is loaded with plants. I tried to utilize every inch of sun and every available pot and container. 

The garden has been such a respite for me during our SIP order.
I felt a measure of control by growing some tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce as well as flowering plants. I didn't have any control but I felt better. Ha!
Our yard is heavily shaded. The only really sunny spot is on the deck. We used one of our large stock tanks as a planter for the tomatoes. The lettuce has been cut back. The tomatoes are going crazy.
I just love how it looks.

One of the best things about our backyard is the view.
Our house backs up to undeveloped park land.

We have lush green woodland instead of houses behind us.
You would never know we are smack dab in the middle of suburbia.

The shed is getting a makeover this weekend.
I'm so excited about it. It's not going to be a "she shed". It's going to be a "she's not scared to go into it shed".

That is all for now.

I hope it's deck weather where you are.
Stop by and see Cindy with Cloches and Lavender. You will love her gorgeous deck.
Be sure to visit my other friends on the tour.
Katie

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

The Great Deck Refresh

Hello, Friends.

We had some issues with our deck furniture. It was probably 10 years old or so. My favorite seat was sagging pretty bad. The cushions were very faded again.

I'd recovered these cushions 4 times or so already and I didn't want to do it again.
If I'd taken the time to make piping, I might have liked my crafted cushions better than I did.
I was lazy.

White drop cloth cushions was my favorite option and it was cheap to do but they mildewed over time.

The blue and white pillows on the white cushions was my favorite look.
When I was over bleaching the white drop cloths, I recovered the furniture in navy outdoor fabric.

It faded so quickly.
I sat on the right side of the love seat. The webbing underneath was sagging so we decided it was time for a new set.

We put that by the curb as well. The set was gone within the afternoon. 

We went to IKEA. They didn't have anything. Then we went to Home Depot.
We found this adorable love seat and coffee table.
The cushions are a light gray. I have options again with regard to contrasting fabrics.

We didn't get the club chairs and ottomans this time.
Bill likes to sit in one of our five dollar garage sale chairs.
They got new cushions and a coat of spray paint.

If you have been around Let's Add Sprinkles for a while, you know that I was marginally famous on the internet for our stock tank pool.

I love a quick dip in my pool to cool off during the summer. Drying off on the deck usually follows. Our deck gets afternoon sun. We had a cantilevered umbrella to give us a little shade on our deck. 

It was a good umbrella but it only worked in two spots because of the wind. 

There is quite a slope behind our house and the wind just whips up that slope. 

If there was any breeze to speak of, opening the umbrella was not an option.
In addition, the stand took up a lot of room because of the concrete pavers required to keep it in place.

I never loved the terra cotta fabric but it was the best option at the time. 

It was pretty faded after the last six or so years and it was getting very difficult for me to open by myself.
I told Bill that I thought it was on its last legs.
He put it by the curb. Our stuff is usually picked up by neighbors or resellers that scour the neighborhood.

In March we started replacing deck boards so that the whole thing could get a new coat of stain.
It really needs to be stained every spring but it didn't happen last year.
Bill replaced the boards. I did the staining.


One evening we were at Lowe's getting top soil and seeds. We walked by the gazebo and Bill asked if I thought a gazebo would work on our deck.
I could briefly hear angels singing.
I said I'd love a cover!
We went to the internet and bought this cover from Costco.
It arrived in two big boxes.
The directions said to plan on two people and an eight hour build.
It took us 10 hours to put it together.

We dealt with rain, a missing part that had to be shipped from Canada, more rain, possible hail, tools and fittings that drop in between the deck boards.

This was a challenge but it was so worth it.

Thanks for stopping by.
Katie

Linking to these fine parties.

Sunday : Life and Linda Lou Lou Girls  Snickerdoodle Sunday  Sundays at Home  Silver Pennies Sunday  Bluesky at Home The Fabulous Party

Monday:  Our Home Away From Home  (Mondays @ 8) Stone Cottage Adventures Monday @ 5:00
 Dwellings The Heart of Your Home  Oh My Heartsie Girl  A Stroll Thru Life Monday @ 5  Inspire Me Monday 
Busy Monday Amaze Me Mondays    Over the Moon Linky Party Merry Monday Linky Party ,  now Bimonthly, open for 2 weeks Creative Mondays   You Are The Star Blog Hop Metamorphosis Monday Heart and Soul Link Up  Project Inspired Weekly Link Party Celebrate and Decorate  Make It Pretty Monday

Tuesday:  Mike and Jan Show ( Tuesdays)  Tuesdays at Our Home  Let's Party!! Tuesdays with a Twist 
Reader Tip Tuesday Party  Keep in Touch Party

Wednesday: Beautifully Made Link Party Fluster's Creative Muster Wednesday's  Ducks In A Row 
 DIY By Design  Talk Of The Town At Knick Of Time Review, Chews and How Tos  Simple Nature Decor 
Waste Not Wednesday  Style Showcase  French Ethereal  

Thursday:  A Day Of Small Things (Thursday) Vintage Charm Home and Garden Party Thursday  Inspired Creations  Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop   Imparting Grace  The Homemaking Party  
French Country Cottage (Thursdays @3)

Friday : Friday Features Linky Party Funtastic Friday Friday Favorites  Home Matters Linky Party
   Flaunt It Fridays Sweet Inspirations Link PartyHealth and Home  (Fridays at 6 am)

B4 and Afters (Fridays @ 7)

Saturday

 Saturday Sparks
 Pink Saturday-Anything Goes!!

Christmas Deck 2018

I just want to say thank you for pinning. I appreciate it.
Last Monday I went to Joann's to get some fleece. I wanted to have some throws for the two porches. 

The fabric cutting consultant, told me to be careful because of the bad weather that was coming. I didn't know about any bad weather. 

It started raining that afternoon and it rained for 5 days. It was a cold and constant drip that seemed like it would never end.  

My new throws were kept inside until it stopped raining. 

That is my quick drought stopping tip. Go buy throws for the outside. 

I'm kidding. 

It takes more to end a drought. You have to wash your car too. 

Eventually, the back deck got styled and I was able to take some pictures. 

I've been drawn to items that have a vintage flair. If you were alive in 1983, you might remember the duck and goose craze. It was our first Christmas and ducks and geese were everywhere. 

When I saw this darling at the produce store/garden nursery, he hoped into my cart. He got a wreath of holly for his neck. 

Stop it! What a darling! 

He's sitting on the school house desk. It's pretty perfect out here. It only needs protecting from the rain. 

The pansies are flourishing. They will last until June. It's one of the things I love about our winters. 

The greenhouse has been calling for lights since we put it up two years ago. 

It started clouding up as soon as I got these pictures taken. 

We might get snow. 

Wouldn't that be fun? 

Katie 

Deck Refresh

We have had some beautiful weather the last few weeks. 

 I had some time to give the deck a refresh. 

 We cleaned out the garage last Saturday. 

These darling green pots were on my potting bench. They were calling to me and I knew that they were a good jumping off point for the 2016 deck color scheme. 

 

 The basics on the deck were in good shape. 

 The blue sofa fabric was new last year and it has held up amazingly well. 

The Ikat accent pillows could not take the relentless Texas sun. 

A trip to the fabric closet and another to Joann's yielded some fun accent fabric. 

 Our favorite 60s groovy chair needed a new cushion. 

It came from Lowe's. 

Green and blue and white is fresh and a little unexpected. 

 

 Bill made the trunk. It stores the extra propane tank. 

The top just needed a little wash of white to freshen it up.

Last years blue and white stripe on the club chairs didn't fair well at all. The white immediately didn't look so white after just a few weeks.

Deck 2015

 I flipped some of the cushions over and recovered the rest. 

 Fortunately Joann's had the blue outdoor fabric in stock so I didn't have to start from scratch. 

This fabric hasn't faded at all in a year.

We are growing tomatoes for the first time. The scraggly plant is cranking out wonderful mini tomatoes. The two other plants haven't done a lot yet.  

The red shed still looks fantastic. 
 

I'm wild about the bird fabric. It just ties it all together. 
Pop in to Joann's to see if they have it in your neck of the woods. 
It is just darling. 

That's it for now, Sweeties. 

Have a wonderful day!

Katie 

Linking with,
Savvy Southern Style
Essence of Home 
Thoughts of Home