My Five Favorite Ways to Decorate My Porch & Patio

Hi friends! I think spring may have finally arrived in Denver and I'm itching to

get outside and get my porch, patio and deck spiffed up. 

For this month's My Five Favorite topic we're sharing our tips for decorating

our outside areas. I can't wait to steal some ideas from these talented ladies.

Our friend Kris @ Driven by Decor is up to her eyeballs in her awesome kitchen

 remodel and will be back with us next month. 

Lisa @ Shine Your Light

Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

Amanda @ Dixie Delights is the cutest little southern mama, with a knack for creating

a charming home, and couldn't be a more perfect guest host for this month's topic. 

I've always been completely smitten with her fabulous outdoor porch, isn't it

beyond stunning?!!! 

Dixie Delights

 Today I'm sharing a few ideas from a garden tour I attended last summer, as

well as some from my home. 

#1 ~ Add a Flag

Super simple quintessential Americana!

#2 ~ Bench

Not just any bench, but the perfect bench with personality that you LOVE!

 You don't have to sit on it, think of it as art! Did you notice the fun green one

 in the background? 

#3 ~ Oversize Pots

I love the statement of an oversize pot or two of them to define an entrance to 

separate spaces on a patio. Bonus - they're easier to water to water/fertilize than several 

small pots.    

#4 ~ Potting Bench

Our potting bench is more than a potting bench! It's been a hardworking buffet table

 or beverage server for years of entertaining.   

    

#5 ~ Umbrellas

My favorite way to define an intimate seating area and add a big dose of color or

pattern to fit your style. 

Be sure to stop by and check out my friends' ideas:

Lisa @ Shine Your Light

Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

Amanda @ Dixie Delights

You might like these previous My Five Favorites too:

Home Basics I Can't Live Without

 Biggest Bang for the Buck Home Projects

Organization Room by Room

 Christmas Wish List 

Decorating a Teen Room 
Beauty Products
Before & Afters You Can Do In a Weekend

Summer Accessories

Gadgets
Paint Projects
IKEA Items in my Home
Thrifted Finds
Valentine Decor
Home Organization Tips
Christmas Wish List
Recipes for the Holidays
Entertaining Accessories
Displaying DIY Artwork
Ways to Mix Metals

DIY Projects

Fabric

Decorate an Outdoor Space
Pillow Projects
Decorating for Spring
Decorative Accessories
Home Organizing Tips
Quick & Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas

Paint    

You can also find me on Instagram and Pinterest

My Five Favorites ~ Ways to Decorate an Outdoor Space

For our Five Favorites topic this month we're sharing our Favorite Ways to Decorate

an Outdoor Space. We had more than our share of snow in April and I'm jealous

 seeing those of you who got a jump start on your outdoor areas and gardens. I'm 

hoping to get out there soon and spiff mine up. I'm sure these friends have some

great ideas for me to steal ~ be sure to check them out!  

Kris @ Driven by Decor

Lisa @ Shine Your Light

Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

I'm so excited to welcome our guest this month Julia @ Cuckoo 4 Design is one of 

the most genuine and talented in our blogging community. I think she gets up an hour

early to leave kind comments on all the blogs! On top of that, she's an awesome mom,

 has a huge heart for animals, and is always the one caring for strays, too sweet!

Oh, and she's created an amazing outdoor space! Green thumb, maybe?  

  

Cuckoo 4 Design 

My Five Favorites

#1

Umbrella

I love to use umbrellas to define seating areas and give them a more intimate feel. 

They're also a great way to add a pop of color or pattern to define your style,

whether classic, coastal or preppy.

  

    

#2

Potted Boxwoods

 One year instead of planting pots of flowers I planted several pots of boxwoods

for our deck. I didn't think they would survive the Colorado winter and planted them

in our yard at the end of the season. I loved the classic formal look, I think I'll do

 it again this year.  #lazygardener

#3

Pillows

 What can I say?

 Nothing makes a statement like pretty bold pillows!

  

#4

Lighting

The possibilities for lighting are endless and the ambiance cant be beat. 

I haven't figured out a great plan for stringing pretty bulbs across our deck...yet.

 (This is the year!) 

I include lots of hurricanes for candles, lanterns, and oil torches.  

  

#5

Mirror

A mirror is a fun, unexpected addition that can offer a pretty reflection of greenery, 

or boring siding in this case.  Haha! :)

Be sure to put it in a space where birds won't run into it.

Don't miss these ladies' My Five Favorites:

Kris @ Driven by Decor

Lisa @ Shine Your Light

Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

Julia @ Cuckoo 4 Design

You might like these previous Five Favorites, too:

Pillow Projects
Decorating for Spring
Decorative Accessories
Home Organizing Tips
Quick & Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas

Paint 

BHG Refresh Magazine Photos

Hi friends, hope you had a wonderful weekend!
 It was gorgeous in Denver, but our forecast beginning tomorrow and for the week is rainy,
 cloudy and stormy - not good for photos for the One Room Challenge bedroom. I was
 feeling the pressure to finish up and get it photographed while we had intermittent sun this
 morning, and I'm happy to say despite a few hiccups, which I'll share later,
 IT IS DONE!!! And I want to move in!

Here is a sneak peek I shared on Instagram a couple days ago,
 it's the Anthropologie knock off dresser makeover we did.   

  

And, today I posted this pic of our yard on Instagram, which reminded me I'd been given
 the ok to share all of the photos from our Refresh magazine feature a few months ago.
Btw, the latest information about our interior feature is that it will be in the upcoming
Fall issue. :)  Still can't believe I just wrote that - I'm so thankful for the opportunity!

Our yard today

If you'd like to read about the photo shoot and the wonderful ladies who made it all
happen you can get the details here.
These are the raw photos (no editing) that were selected for the magazine.

 Our front flagstone patio.

 One of our three window boxes in front.

A bell at our front door was a souvenir from a trip to Europe.

 I plant the urns and window boxes with Kimberly ferns every year,
$13 from Walmart.

   A fountain in our front yard was a gift from my parents years ago.

 The fence and gate to our back neighbor's yard are original to our property from 1938.

This pretty bamboo set was a Craigslist score last year.

Our girl Rio! I repurposed an old work bench I found in the garage when we first
 moved in, and now use it as a potting bench and beverage station for get-togethers.  

 We love our hammock for lounging, reading and napping, and wild
swinging is always a hit with kiddos.

Hope you enjoyed the photos, I'm glad I was able to share them for
everyone who didn't get a peek at the magazine.

I'll see you on Wednesday for the One Room Challenge Reveal!!! :)

we stained our deck black

Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful long weekend, we said farewell to summer at a

 fun family BBQ with tennis, volleyball, horseshoes and lots of food!

I shared my favorite dessert that's always a hit at get-togethers on Instagram.

Before the snow starts flying I thought I'd share our deck makeover. :) If you

remember back in June we were waffling and finally decided to take the plunge

 and stain our deck black. 

If you're interested in the stain details they follow the pretty pictures. :)

I gave this old potting bench a makeover a couple years ago, you can also

see a before of the deck here, too.

I brought my favorite taxidermy outside for the summer, she got spiffed up with

ivy and Japanese anemone blossoms from our yard. The oversized lantern is

great in the evenings, I found it and the taxidermy at Homegoods. 

  

I haven't told you about a Craigslist score I found a month or so ago, a vintage

rattan set that I'll be using on the deck. Here is a peek at one of the pieces. The original

box cushions are in amazing condition, I'm thinking of having them recovered. I was

trying out a couple Ikea pillows, they fit perfectly, but aren't as cushy. The set has a

large sectional with a ton of options for rearranging the seating, you know I've been

playing with this for days. :)  

Onto the black stain...we love it! But, it's definitely more maintenance than a

wood color stain. We haven't noticed that it's hotter than what we previously had.  

  As far as fading in our intense sun, and how it holds up over the winter, we'll have to

 let you know next year.

We read reviews until we were thoroughly confused, you can find as many

 good reviews as bad for every product sold. We ended up choosing Benjamin Moore's

Arborcoat Semi-Solid Stain - Black and Arborcoat Protective Clear Coat. 

After completely sanding our deck boards we applied two coats of the semi-solid

stain per manufacturer's instructions and one coat of the protective clear coat.

Here a few items that may be an issue if you're considering black stain.

As you can see debris from our trees lodges between the boards.  

The stain settled in some nooks and crannies and screw heads in the wood, those areas

 are lighter. 

This is what it looks like after a rain and a golden retriever...

We remedy that by hosing it down and going over it with our sponge mop which easily

 glides over the smooth boards. If we hadn't sanded them down I doubt that this would be

 a good option, as ours was rough and splintered here and there.

Bottom line: After two months and a lot of rain and paw prints we're still loving

the contrast with our white siding and black shutters. The extra maintenance is

manageable, (and would certainly be easier without a dog) the durability is yet to be

 determined, we'll let you know how it holds up. 

Also, a reminder to stop by and visit two of my favorite inspiring blogs,

 Shelley @ Crazy Wonderful and Becky @ This is Happiness

are both sharing on the Tour through Blogland today.

      

  

black deck...we're going for it

It's been over three weeks since I mentioned we were almost finished prepping our

deck and we'd decided on a new look, a solid stain.  Well, several rainy days delayed 

the start of our makeover and gave us a little more time to ponder our decision. You

 won't be surprised, we changed our mind and are going in a different direction and

 I'm so excited!!!!

We're going with black. And, yes we've considered: It may retain heat and be hot,

it will most likely fade with the intense Colorado sun, it will take extra care because it's

 going to show doggy footprints and debris and we're still going for it. First we tried a

 light gray sample and it didn't do it for us. I was drawn to black from day one and we

 painted a small sample and knew the second we saw it.  

Take a look at some of our inspiration... 

 houzz.com

 justagirlblog.com

 House & Home

 roomzaar.com

 juliawylie.com

 
 Jason Colon

We've decided on a semi transparent stain, here's a sample on our deck. We
were ready to start this afternoon as another rain shower put a damper on our project
 but the forecast is looking good for the next couple of days!

Black stain - would you, could you?
Or do you think we're crazy? :)

the next project...

I'm so glad we only have four more days till the weekend! :)

We spent a good amount of the long weekend working in our yard, and 

prepping our deck for re-staining, when we weren't dodging thunderstorms.

We did fit in a fun graduation celebration, and an outing downtown for dinner

as a reward for our hard work. 

    

With the Colorado sun and snow our deck takes a beating and has to be re-finished

about every other year, we've always gone with a transparent stain, but are opting for

a new look this year, a solid stain.  

BEFORE: ALMOST FINISHED WITH THE PREP

A few of my blogging pals have inspired me to give it a try...

check out their newly refinished, beautiful decks and fun Instagram feeds, too! 

Lisa @ Shine Your Light on Instagram

Rene @ Cottage and Vine on Instagram

Summer @ Simple Stylings on Instagram

A multitude of colors are available which may pose a problem!

I might be brave and go with something unexpected, hold tight and I'll let

you know in a couple days.  

If you've tried a solid stain what did you think?