NEW PAIR OF WINGS

Helloooo!  I hope your weeks have been filled with only good things!   For mum and I it’s been a heavy, hard week.  All my plans to work on the project last weekend got waylaid when I got a sinus infection that went down into my ears and throat, so I spent the weekend miserable and sleeping instead of staging and playing with twinkle lights.

And then after several days of slowly weakening, Wednesday night our sweet 12 year old fur baby, Freddy Bear collapsed, she couldn’t walk or stand, she was breathing heavily and finally she asked us to help her lie on her side and within minutes she stopped breathing and she was gone.  It was a complete shock for us and our fur crew.  Mum and I were heartbroken, Fritz was so stressed he was making yelping noises and crying and everybody else was very clingy and subdued. Freddy was our baby girl. She was gentle and loyal, protective and shy, sensitive and irritating, a whirling dervish and a snoring dreaming sleeper, a big sweet girl with a huge personality and energy and we will miss her so much!

It seems like the whole 6 weeks have been like that, life explosions and lots of distractions, and you might think I should have said “no” to myself for taking on the ORC this time, but instead, I would like to say how grateful I am for the 6 week One Room Challenge. It kept me looking forward, planning and thinking of the future, even when it felt like my world was spinning me around and about to crash, it was something to look forward to.

And y’all I did get so much done!  All my sewing projects for this challenge got finished.  I purchased very few items for this makeover, keeping with my goal of using what we already had, and we have a comfortable, beautiful outdoor room that our whole family is enjoying!  So if I say to y’all that I’m so happy with how the project turned out, but not as delighted with my staging as I’d like to be, I hope y’all can understand.

My style has always been hard for me to pin down, and I knew this project would be a little bit boho, but it seems to me that it’s also become a little bit preppy, kind of Cali beach house, mixed with Lilly Pulitzer meets Makenzie Childs on a budget! How fun is that?! Haha!

Anywho, on with the reveal!

This week was all about finishing touches and details. I made a pink velvet cover for the old ottoman. I bought this fabric for last years fall ORC, but I didn’t use it then.  It was just perfect for this project though. Although technically it’s not “outdoor fabric” its 100% polyester so it should wear well and resist fading outside.  The new cover was so easy to make, its removable for cleaning and storage and it’s got the cutest fringe on the bottom too!

I went to a couple of thrift stores for retail therapy and found some pillow stuffers that were all polyester and would be good for outdoors and they were the right size for the little pillow covers we had.

At the thrift store I found a large plastic battery pillar candle and a cute wicker holder, some pretty black and white plates, a colorful scarf, table runner and a sweet little blue glass pitcher.

I also picked up some little pots of hydrangeas from our local Grocery Outlet and mum got a couple of new blue pots.  Everything else that was used we truly already had.

Staging started with the rugs. We pulled out the old 5×8 palm rug from the shed and since I decided to go more neutral in my bedroom, I decided to use my pink 3×5 rugs out here too.  They add to the boho flavor and help spread the pink around. I love the instant color, ambiance and comfort they add to the outdoors!

Lots of pillows and throws.  Turkish towels, round towels and comfy cotton throws add to the decor and are perfect for drying off just out of the pool.

The old dresser/buffet holds everything from extra towels, pool toys, and sunscreen, to pool water test kits and outdoor odds and ends.

This metal shelf I made last year from a rusty old metal piece I found on the side of the road, fits perfectly and adds extra buffet and drink bar space if we need it.  The hydrangeas and blue table runner in the dough bowl are the only new items here.  The big teal bowl was a gift from a friend, the MCM ceramic veggie plate, pier1 flower dishes and huge drink dispenser, were thrifted years ago, and they really add a lot of pretty color and interest to this corner as well as being perfect party supplies when we need them!

The many colorful pillow covers I made, bought, collected over the years seemed to all go perfectly with each other. I love color against a white background with lots of space in between, so your eye has a place to rest in between the pattern. So even though there’s a lot of color, there’s also a lot of white and that helps keep the space feeling fresh and light. Even the large rug has a wide open pattern.

This little area turned out so pretty! Only the pillow inserts are new/thrifted. The old chairs got a makeover last year with crocheted backs, my grandmothers little wrought iron table base with a left over marble tile as table top and preowned but never used candelier for lighting. It all just works together so well!

To tell you the truth, I’ve been afraid of these little pillow covers. The colors in them are so bright, almost neon pink and that’s why I never used them indoors. I was even thinking of not using them out here, but mum loves them! And they do go so well with mums gorgeous garden, especially so when the crepe myrtle tree just above them starts to bloom soon!

This glass table I liberated from our neighbor across the streets trash pile over a year ago.  It had lots of hard water scaling, but with some elbow grease its cleaned up well, its sturdy and in great shape.  My dream is a round pedestal table so that we can fit 6 or more chairs that all fit perfectly, but until then these old chairs with my liberated table will work just fine!

The ultimate question about any room and decor for us is: Is it washable, comfortable and durable for our whole family? The answer for this outdoor room is Yes!! Mum and I have been enjoying our coffee and breakfast out here for weeks now.  The cats especially love the comfy napping places.

As soon as we laid the rugs down Allie cat came to inspect and lounge. They are so soft and easy on barefeet, and they’re woven so they’ll dry quickly and be easy to vacuum clean. And the dogs have a place to lay that’s not on hard aggregate cement. I think a couple of pillows and I might even enjoy laying down on my stomach reading a good book!

We painted most of our metal furniture black to match the dining chairs and that has helped unify and make the spaces flow together.  In the future I might decide to paint the umbrella holders and grans table base black too. Keeping the cushions and covers white means this space can transition into any style!  Take away all the decor and it could become Mediterranean or even minimalist decor.

What would I add if I had more time?  Lighting.  I had some ideas for lighting that I never got to play around and experiment with, but that’s just a project for another day right?

And y’all know the pillows and towels and throws will all get moved and tweaked and switched around. The upper left corner of the yard has 2 cement pads that are in desperate need of make overs too and we kind of need an outdoor kitchen and barbeque area, so even though this makeover challenge has reached its finale the projects never really end.

Thank you so much to Linda at Calling It Home Blog and One Room Challenge.com for hosting this biannual event and letting us guest participants join in the challenge and link up together!  It’s a privilege to be a part of and its always a fun and fulfilling challenge!  And friends there is no better place to go for DIY and decor inspiration, so click those links and head on over!  I’m honestly telling you there are gorgeous makeovers and some amazing ideas so go check out the talented House Beautiful sponsored designers and the over 200 guest participants like me!

I’m headed off to take some more emergenC and get the house back under control. Then I’ve got some summer dress sewing projects to work on that I hope to share with you next week.

Thank you friends so much for stopping by!  Mum and I appreciate you more than I can say!  Have a great week friends!

Much love from Mum and Me.   oxo