Patio Season {small updates}

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Roeshel

I love that the weather is warming up! We have a patio off of the back of the house which we utilize as an outdoor room in the spring, summer and fall. We spend a lot of time in this space, weather permitting. It’s not a pretty sight by the time winter ends. Blah! The Lowe’s Creative Ideas challenge this month is outdoor mini-makeovers. Perfect timing!

Trip down memory lane: When we purchased this house, we installed two sets of French doors. There were concrete sidewalks with ramps to the old ‘single’ doors. When we bought the house:

A few years ago, we installed a concrete patio…

but we never replaced the siding where the old ramps were located. (I also address the dirty concrete. Keep reading!)

I headed to Lowe’s with iphone pictures and measurements. The Lowe’s associates were super helpful in directing me to the siding supplies, advising what I’d need: a “J-channel” to match up/attach the vinyl siding. They even provided tin snips and a tape measure so I could cut it to fit in my vehicle.

Installing the J-channels was easy, just nail into place. Then we just a close-matching piece of vinyl siding (“heather”, also available at Lowe’s) and snapped it into place.

Finally! No more embarrassing eye sore of missing siding…it’s those little things that really bother the home owner more than anyone else, ya know and one that is so surprisingly easy and cheap, I’m wondering why we put it off. Hopefully with some age, it will blend in even better.

I moved all of the furniture and gave the concrete a good scrubbing (water + Krud Kutter). It cleaned off the surface dirt and mildew but not rust or grease. However, it looks a much brighter!

I used spray paint to freshen up some existing decorative accents, planters and a ‘grill cart’ and added some colorful flowers to planters and window boxes.

Some new things available at Lowe’s:

Outdoor area rug defines the cozy seating area…

Love this umbrella candelabra (misted with Rustoleum’s “Lagoon” spray paint to match other accents) and beautiful fat hanging flower baskets…

The sun sets on the other side of the house. Sometimes evenings are chilly. This wood burning firepit is perfect for a little heat (and roasting marshmallows)…

Cutest decorative owl candle holder…

When it’s warm and not raining, I start my day with a cup of tea here. When we entertain small groups and it’s warm, this is the party location…lots of family dinners/cookouts and since it’s right off the kitchen, hosting and clean up are super convenient. It’s also where we enter the house. Now it’s visitor-worthy, pretty and relaxing. C’mon over!

BEFORE

AFTER

More pics…

Next up for this space:

rearranging some of the furniture another time or two
pallet herb garden
canopied swing bling
patio pet bed
raised flower bed
grape arbor/gazebo path/patio is on the DIY list again (maybe this year?!)

Free Standing Pallet Herb Garden:

Patio Swing Makeover:

Sharing at Project Inspired.

See more fun DIY ideas at Lowe’s Creative Ideas, follow Lowe’s on Instagram, Pinterest and sign up for the Creative Ideas magazine and app!

*Disclaimer: As a member of the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Creators and Influencers network, I received a Lowe’s gift card to complete this project for a mini outdoor makeover challenge, however the tutorial images, instructions and opinions are my own.

DIY {half} globe light fixture cover

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Roeshel

DIY Globe Light Fixture Cover

After I completed the wall mounted-pallet shelf, I updated some of the light fixtures including the one in the sitting room…

Allen + Roth Edison Oil Rubbed Bronze

However, the glass on this specific light is very thin and it cracked during the final stages of assembly, just by screwing in the light bulb. The crack was located in such a way that it wasn’t safe. I feared the entire glass piece was going to come crashing down.

So, one rainy day, I gathered some supplies from around the house and created a new cover? fixture? globe? well, northern hemisphere at least.

Here is what I did:

Materials:

LOW WATTAGE light bulb
old globe (I have an addiction. I can’t pass up a globe at the thrift store, thus a collection on hand.)
craft paint (I had DecoArt’s Patio Paint/rich espresso on hand.) A high heat/temperature paint is a better, safer option.
double fold bias tape (Again…I had brown left over from a patio cushion project.)
hot glue
Sharpie
Edited to add: Flameproof coating

Tools:

Utility knife
Needle-nose pliers
Scissors
Glue gun
Craft paint brush

I started by disassembling the globe by gently pulling the frame from the north/south pole. My globe popped right out.

I also chose a globe that wasn’t in the best shape, so the north and south hemispheres just pulled apart. (Cut seam along the equator with a utility knife if needed.)

Next, using a Sharpie, I traced the fitting (or draw a circle the size of where the globe will be held into place on the light fixture).

I used a utility knife to remove some of the map/cardboard and discovered a metal circle underneath. I was able to remove it with pliers. Then cut away the rest of the cardboard/paper with a pair of scissors.

I painted the inside of my globe and let it dry (well, sort of. I may have been too eager to move on to the next step)…

Then attached the bias tape around the perimeter with hot glue.

Since I was impatient with waiting for paint to dry and had a little “oopsy”…paint on the bias tape, I used a Sharpie to create a design to distract from the accidental smudge. Imperfection adds character.

Ready to install.

Heading to the basement: This is also the path to the basement and I can breathe a sigh of relief that the cracked glass isn’t going to hurt someone when it comes crashing down or that it’s no big deal if my 6’2″ husband carrying a ladder accidentally hits the globe. I kept worrying he’d ‘ding’ that thin glass on his way through…now, it’s okay.

It fits with the style of our sitting room too…

Easy enough. (Would also work as a lamp shade…decorative only.}

Mystikit: Purchase the materials and tools needed to make this half globe light fixture cover.

*more DIY projects in this space:

*This light shade is mainly decorative. In our home, it is rarely turned on for more than a few minutes at a time. Please do your homework and consider safety in your own home before using a globe as a light fixture.

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DIY Challenge: bookcase to free-standing small pet gate/display sign/game score keeper

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Roeshel

I was recently invited to participate in a fun DIY challenge created by HomeTalk and Wayfair. A little DIY + creativity turned a bookcase into a free-standing gate with chalkboard for multi-functional use:

free-standing gate for small pets
free-standing sign for parties and yard sales
free-standing game score keeper for outdoor family games this summer

The challenge: Get creative! I chose to turn the Furinno pine 3 tier bookcase from Wayfair into something new according to a specific theme (geometric pattern, incorporate rope, or black & white). I chose the black & white theme.

I started by giving the pine bookcase pieces and a thrift-store wooden calendar holder a coat of white spray paint (Rustoleum Satin Finish).

I used FrogTape to protect the frame of the wooden calendar holder and gave it a coat of chalkboard paint along with the “bookend” pieces that came with the bookcase. Allow to dry and remove FrogTape.

Rather than attach the 3 fence-like shelves to form a book case, I attached them to the bookcase end pieces using 6 hinges (I also used shorter screws where needed). I set it all out, measuring and marking with a pencil for equal placement of the hinges on both sides.

Then added the base bars according to the package instructions.

I attached the chalkboard with screws (from the back side) to the center of the gate and seasoned the chalkboard (season: rub side of chalk over entire chalkboard surface vertically then horizontally and erase with a felt eraser or dry soft cloth/paper towel).

I still need to fill, sand and paint some of the manufacturer’s pre-drilled pilot holes, but loving it’s function for keeping the new dog away from the kitchen and out from under hubby’s feet when he’s cooking. I specify small pet because this likely won’t keep a large dog from jumping over or moving it since it’s not locked into place. However, our standard ‘baby gate’ is only 23″ high. The center panel of my DIY free standing gate measures 32″ tall.

I understand that pets can’t read! lol But it helps the person who moves the gate to pass through know why it’s there.

Even the back side is pretty…

It will double as a free standing sign for parties, picnics, family reunions, yard sales (or even a menu board when entertaining)…

Where did the chalkboard bookend pieces come into play? Washi tape and a Sharpie were used to add numbers to the top two rows of the gate (chalkboard markers don’t smear)…

The bookend pieces slide along the numbers to ‘keep score’ for outdoor games.

Thanks to HomeTalk & Wayfair for inviting me to participate! The bookcase made this a pretty easy DIY project which will get a lot of use!

Linking up to Funky Junk Interiors.

*I was provided with the bookcase and a $25 Visa gift card for this project.

*This post was also brought to you by FrogTape. FrogTape provided by Shurtech. The opinions are completely my own based on my own experience.

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Category Archives: Favorite

Patio Season {small updates}

DIY {half} globe light fixture cover

DIY Globe Light Fixture Cover

DIY Challenge: bookcase to free-standing small pet gate/display sign/game score keeper