DIY: The Easy Way to Update Outdoor Furniture

I am on a mission to get the outdoor area fixed up. After being here two and a half years I think it's time.

Today I worked on the outdoor patio furniture. We've actually had this furniture for about 4 1/2 years. It's so comfy and I love it. But after years of rain and wear and tear the cushions have become dingy and dirty. I tried washing and scrubbing but it didn't get out the stains.

I looked into purchasing some cushions. I was looking at about $40.00 for new cushions for two chairs. So I thought to spray paint them....and at only $3.67 you can't go wrong with this option!

Sidebar: I spray paint everything and this project is the first one where I've had a hard time getting the spray paint right. If you plan on doing this, use several thin coats to try to get the paint even

So anyway, here is the chair before

You can actually see the water stain on the fabric. It was pretty plain too.

Here it is afterwards



And there you have it, a simple update. I bought some pillows to add some color to the chairs.

Spray Paint: Navajo White. Pillows: At Home (Formerly Garden Ridge). Chair: Big Lots

So what do you think? Have you ever used spray paint on fabric??

ON A PERSONAL NOTE: Being Laid Off, Graduation, and Finding a New Job

The last three month has been quite busy that has brought me quite a bit of change. Mid-way through February I found out I was being laid off from my job. My first thought was panic. LAID OFF?? Bills don't take a day off, so of course I was worried. After it setting in for a couple of days a sense of calm came over me. I was actually ok with it. I was still in school and about 2 months away from getting my degree. I have a wonderful support system so I thought I would be ok.

And guess what?? I was! I completed my Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing degree from Georgia State University and even graduated Magna Cum Laude!

The original plan was to be a stay at home mom for about 6 months and then to start looking for work. Well the busy body in me wouldn't allow that so I started job hunting. After several of resume drafts, phone interviews, in person interviews, follow-up emails and two rejections I landed a job... with a great company, doing what I graduated in: Marketing!






So I'm telling this long story to say....

Don't be discouraged by what seems like what may be a set back. Being laid off from my job was probably one of the best things that happened to me. Sometimes we get so complacent that we don't realize that there is something more, something better for us. ..and sometimes it takes a good push to find out.

During this job hunt I learned a lot about the do's and don't, what to do and not to do when looking for a job. So I will be sharing some of that information over the next couple of weeks.

Stay tuned.

MAKING MORE SPACE IN THE FRONT YARD

When I say we have been working on this forever.. I mean forever! We get all pumped up to get something done, we get it halfway done and then stop. We have been talking about fixing up the front yard forever. We started on this last summer and I think now I can say we are making REAL progress.

The first thing we tackled was the small yard space. We live in a somewhat new neighborhood outside of Atlanta....and a somewhat new neighborhoods means nice size house, tiny yards and being able to touch your neighbors' window. I wanted more yard space for my daughter to run around in, so that's what we started on...and we were able to accomplish that!

Our yard was a HUGE bush.. literally. Just bushes. Here's the view of the bushes on the top of yard near the street before we got to work.

Here's the same view after we finished. We can now actually see the front door now. Also, the little one has a little more room now to run around. I think it looks sooooo much better now.

So how did we make more space?? We simply took up some bushes and laid down some sod.

Here's the full view of the yard before

Do you see that little strip of grass and those millions of bushes?!

And here is after:

I LOVE IT!

We still have a lot of work to do on the grass, mailbox area, and patio. Now to work on those bushes by the front patio! Yes more bushes!

See the photos below to see the progress of before and after.

How have you created more space in your yard??