Our Backyard Sitting Area

Our very small backyard has had many makeovers in it's short life.  When we first moved here, the previous owners had a section in the very back, with lush plants, and was very well maintained and clean, with a big beautiful tree right smack in the middle.  Of course, we don't do high maintenance, so that section quickly got overgrown, and very messy...plus it was taking up a lot space my kids could use for playing.  So we proceeded to clean it all out, and just put mulch in it's place...that was also short lived, I couldn't stand how bare and out of place it looked.  After getting some sod put down, here is how it is looking now:

You can spot the new sod in the back...it's finally green!

Yes, umbrellas are tilted...blame it on the crazy windy weather we always seem to have here in TX.

Adirondack chairs  were given to me by a friend, and are currently under a makeover.

I should be honest, these pictures were taken a few weeks ago, before it started to get hot, and before the plants required daily watering.  If you saw them today, you would know how they don't nearly get the watering they so very much want ;)  As it is, I had to remove a big fern I had under one of the hanging baskets, because it did not make it.  

I decided since my backyard was starting to get in shape, that the little space of concrete we have needed a boost as well, so I decided to try a concrete stain:

Before

I hated it!!!  It looked horrible, and did not match the brick color at all.  Since I had to motivate myslef to start this project, I had to take advantage that I still wanted a change, and dragged myself out to Lowes again....and here it is after the color I ended up choosing...for the second time:

The dying fern is in the back ;)

So much better now!  The whole staining and drying time is so very quick, I think I may have to do this again in the future, such an easy project, with such a big impact.

So, I have a little confession to make.  We have live in this house for almost 3 years, and up until about 10 months ago,  I absolutely HATED IT!!!  Can someone really hate their house?  I know I did, but I have my reasons, the main one being I was not happy with the location (still not happy).  If you saw where  I live, you would think I'm crazy.  This area is pretty new, with loads of shops and restaurants, excellent schools, family activities, and low (or no) crime whatsoever.  But it has never felt like home. I don't know what it is about this area, that turns me off completely.  I tell my husband how I wish I could just put wheels under our house, and move it.   As you can tell, I'm still not wild for this location.  Crazy, I know.  So, I would really like to know, am I the only one who hates where they live?   Or do  I just need to get over my crazy dislike for this place?  FYI..I have lived in some shady areas before, and even those areas felt more like home to me than where I live now.  

Kristel

Our New To Us Re-upholstered Chairs

A few weeks ago (or months, my memory is scattered right now) I picked up these chairs at our local community garage sale...have I mentioned how much I love our garage sales?  People around here have the best stuff!!  Anyhow, I got them both for $40 total...yes it was a major score, but they sure needed to be re-upholstered badly:

They both had rips, and stains everywhere, and were basically in such a disgusting state, that I wouldn't let anyone sit on them (except for Gus, I can't quite tell him not to go on places, he doesn't listen).  Oh, and dog hair, you can spot some on the picture above.  Life got in the way, and they sat there for what seemed like an eternity, until I could take no more of them.  I purchased this fabric online, and got to work.  I could have just re-covered them, but we all know what a mess I tend to do to the sides, so I decided to try and re-upholster them using my sewing machine, and here are the final results:

Talk about fitting as much furniture as possible in such a small room ;)  As you can see, it was not the best re-upholstering job ever done by an amateur, but I was not about to spend an arm and a leg to get them professionally done, and honestly, unless you are on the floor looking for imperfections, they will not be the first things you notice (and if you ARE on the floor looking for said imperfections, then we will have a problem!).  I even fancied them up with some nail heads...also not perfectly aligned, but my swollen thumb was not having it any other way.  

Oh, and I couldn't possibly leave without giving a shout out to my two fabulous helpers...here is one of them lending a hand:

Or not!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Kristel

Linking To: Gingersnap Crafts, We are That Family, Savvy Southern Style, From my Front Porch to Yours, No Minimalist Here, The Shabby Creek Cottage,

The Accidental Rug

No, I have not fallen in a hole, although sometimes, I do feel like I live under a rock.  I have been doing a few things around the house, I just can't seem to get the motivation to actually take a picture of it, and post it, hope I'm not the only one who gets like this sometimes.

So, we recently purchased a new rug for our game room, we had no intention whatsoever on doing so, but were sort of forced to do it...thanks to our dear Gus:

Thank you very much!

We believe he may have done it when we first got him, he refused to use the litter box, and eat for the first two days.  I don't know cats, so I figured he was just great at holding it in ;)

Yeah, not so much!  Thankfully, he has not done it again (I hope).  I left the space bare for a while, but it seemed to bare for my liking. 

I decided to order this rug from Overstock.  I wanted a cheery color since this is where the kids usually hang out, but (and don't tell my husband I said this) I think it's a little too much for me...don't get me wrong, it's a nice, thick, soft rug, and the pattern is great, but the yellow is just a little too bright for my liking, of course, it would had been too much of a hassle to send back, so I kept it regardless.  I think once I have the ottoman that was there before, it won't seem so bad..oh, and for the ottoman, it was getting a makeover, with a fun modern fabric, BUT, it did not go at all with the new rug, and the pillow cases....Arg!  Now, I just need to find a simple, neutral (and cheap) fabric to re-cover it again.

He is very lucky he's cute!!!

Little hairball!  I recently picked up at my neighborhood garage sale two of these little beauties:

And the price....$40 for both...score!  Now, I just need to recover them, as the fabric it has right now is filthy and torn in many places, I won't even let my kids sit on them, that's how disgusting they are.

I have to say, I am loving this neighborhood garage sale thing, we have one twice a year, and I love to go driving around looking at what goodies I will find....like this one.  

Any similar garage sales around your neighborhood?  Or is scouting more your thing?  Would love to know what tricks you use as well.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Kristel

A Steal of a Find

Happy weekend everyone!  So glad it's Saturday already, this past week, I had to get up earlier than usual to get my kids ready for school and or doctor's appointments.  It's always a nice treat to be able to make it to 7 in the morning, without any interruptions, like cats, dogs, and yes, little girls who are ready to be on the go (for those of you without kids, please enjoy your sleep now).  

I made a quick stop one day this past week at Target, and as usual, I strolled the clearance isle.  I don't usually get anything, but just love to look around.  This time, I happened to stroll, not once, but twice, and good thing I did, because I was able to find this little stool on my second stroll,  just waiting for me to grab it and run:

My supervisor was on hand ;)

I didn't even know where it was going to go in the house, but I knew that at $7.55, it really did not matter.  I love the legs, and the color of the stain, but the fabric, not so much.  Nothing wrong with the pattern, the colors are just way off for me.  I had a stack of leftover fabric from my living room curtains, and wanted to re cover it in that:

Looking much better now, but it was still missing a little something.  I had a few furniture nails on hand, and decided to use them:

I placed them an inch apart.  Took me a while to get the hang of it, but once I did, it was a breeze to do, of course, it did not help that I had to keep them from being stolen by a certain little someone every now and then:

These two have become a team of sorts:

You watch my back, I'll watch yours.

Weird pets!  Anyhow, here is the stool (or small bench), all done up after my little makeover:

Love this fabric, and from the e-mails I get asking me about it, so do others out there.  I purchased the fabric a few years ago from Tonic Living, but I do know they still carry it.  The name is Sweet William in Teal.  

Love that I now have more places to throw things on when we first get home, since it's right next to the garage door and front door, or to sit on as well.  I have caught our dear Charlie sitting there once in a while too, I believe he thinks he's human sometimes ;)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Kristel

Sharing at: Skip to my Lou, DIY Showoff, Between Naps on the Porch, Twelve o Eight, Sweet Little Gals, Home Stories A to Z, Today's Creative Blog, Cozy Little House, The Farmhouse Porch, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Funky Junk Interiors,

Our New Living Room Rug

Hi everyone, hope your Easter weekend went well, I seem to constantly be taking breaks from the blog lately, sometimes, life gets in the way, and the blog gets pushed way back and forgotten for a while, and although I do not post much, I am always checking up on everyone out there, you guys have not been forgotten (especially if you are on Instagram ;)

So, this is the story of the long awaited for rug, that I ordered back in January.  I knew it was on backorder until March, but I was pleasantly surprised when it was sent out for delivery in early February.  Well, something happened to my dear old rug when it arrived in Dallas,  the bulky, and heavy (100 lb.) 8 by 10 rug disappeared, and was no where to be found...I really find that hard to believe!  I have always had a pleasant experience with Ballard Designs, but after this ordeal of a mess, I was left feeling a bit disappointed with their refund/exchange process.  Basically, UPS did a tracer on the rug, and Ballard's would not/could not give me a refund or exchange until the tracer claim was closed.  Did not matter that it was 100% not my fault, or that I wanted to replace it with another one of their rugs.  Extremely disappointed indeed!   After about what felt like weeks, I got my refund, and what did I do next...ordered another one of their rugs (really, I never learn) thankfully, this one I did manage to get, but I think it will be a very long time before I order another bulky item from them again.

Anyways, the rug is extremely well made, thick, and although it has a slight odor (as most natural fiber rugs do) it is not too offensive or strong.  But what I really love, and the reason I decided to re-order from them again, is that it has a latex backing, which is great for hardwood floors.  It is also very soft on the feet (and paws apparently). 

Here are a couple of pictures of the rug in the living room:

The two picture behind the couch will be getting a change soon...I want a gallery wall back there, just debating weather I will be re-using the current frames, or picking some from Ikea instead.  

Our entry side table also got a bit of a change along the way as well:

And because he is now 100% comfortable being around the dogs now (actually, he bosses them around a bit) here is Gus, photo bombing:

Excuse him, while he grooms himself ;)

Our very naughty kitty has truly made himself at home, just look at how I usually find him sometimes:

Crazy Cat!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Kristel

Sharing at:  Gingersnap Crafts, We are That Family, Savvy Southern Style, From my Front Porch to Yours, No Minimalist Here, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Craftberry Bush, Funky Junk Interiors, DIY Showoff, Sweet Little Gals, Between Naps on the Porch, Home Stories A to Z, Today's Creative Blog, If it's not Baroque, Cozy Little House, The Winthrop Chronicles, The Farmhouse Porch, Hope Studios, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style,