2010 August 16 | Beneath My Heart

Happy Monday, Ladies!

I hope you had a nice, restful weekend. I would like to say that I did…but I would be lying…and that’s not nice.

I came down with a cold at the end of last week that zapped me of any energy whatsoever, so I apologize for not getting to share my “big” patio reveal with you on Friday. You must have been terribly disappointed. I know you were waiting on pins and needles! (wink)

I have mentioned several times that this patio has kicked my tail this summer. Well, it’s true.

I cannot tell you how many pillows and cushions I have purchased and returned because I didn’t like the way they looked with my patio furniture! If I had kept count, you would have thought I was verging on physco.

The problem began with our patio floor.

Do you remember our project at the beginning of the summer?

We turned our plain, ugly concrete patio floor into a beautiful (faux) tile patio floor by staining the concrete. Click HERE for the tutorial.

stained concrete tile

It really turned out pretty, so why was it a problem?

Because it ended up being a little darker than I had expected, and my black patio furniture tended to “sink” into the dark brown tile floor.

So after about 87 pillow purchases (and returns), and 2 rugs later, it finally started coming together.

Here is what my patio looks like now….

patio re-do

The rug from Lowe’s and the off-white pillows from Pottery Barn really made my black table and chairs “pop”. I love the way it looks now.

To add a touch of off-white to the other side of the patio, I added the coffee table from my guest house that I got at Goodwill for $6.50. If you want to see what it looked like before I painted it, click HERE.

The planter on the table was my mom’s, the red plate ($1.00) and the basket/tray ($4.50) on the bottom of the table were both from Goodwill, and the candle used to be my sister’s. She had it for sale at a yard sale, and when it didn’t sale, I took it home. :)

This coffee table has the same paint treatment as the buffet table that I painted last weekend. I think both pieces help to lighten up the patio even more.

If you want to see my buffet table re-do, click HERE. To accessorize this table, I just pulled things out of my house. The tall “wish” jar used to be on my piano and was purchased on clearance at Gordman’s last year. The pewter salt and pepper shakers were a wedding gift, the lantern I got last year at Gordman’s for about 5 bucks, the white bowl was a purchase from a flea market, and the faux green apples I got from Marshall’s last year.

I struggled with how to decorate the table. I wanted to make a beautiful tablescape to share with you, but I just haven’t had the time or money to put it together. So instead, I just got these beautiful mums from Lowe’s and put them in this adorable double galvanized planter that I got from JoAnn’s. It was regularly $19.99, and it was on sale for $6.50! Score!

The galvanized planters bring a little bit of a rustic feel, and I love it.

I call it my “touch of Layla” (The Lettered Cottage). :)

I am still looking for ways to create a beautiful tablescape, but for now I am enjoying the look of my mums.

My favorite addition to the patio was my hanging lanterns! I have had these lanterns a couple of years, so adding these cost me almost nothing!

I just got this idea this week, and I cannot tell you how much it added to this space.

They are so darn cute hanging there!

I hung them from some iron hooks that I got at a yard sale two summers ago. They were gray and rusty and only 50 cents a piece. I took them home and painted them black knowing that I would use them somewhere someday.

The hooks were originally a little longer…

But I didn’t want the lanterns to hang too far out from the post, so my sweet hubby cut the end loop off with his hack saw, and it was perfect!

It rained this evening as I was trying to finish taking pictures for this post. Here are some pictures of the candles lit in the lanterns…

I love looking at my little lanterns from my kitchen window.

The pillows and cushions in my wicker chairs and on the swing are from Garden Ridge…

In the late afternoon to evening, the sun beams down on the table area. It makes it absolutely miserable to eat dinner!

That’s why I need my drop cloth curtains to block the sun! If you missed my post about how I hung these curtains, click HERE.

It works perfectly and makes eating so much more enjoyable!

Some of you have asked me if the drop cloths will mildew when the get wet. The answer…idunno.

It has rained the past two days, and when the curtains get wet, I just pull them all the way out to dry. So far so good.

I think they will hold up just fine, but if they don’t, I will be sure to let you know. :)

(At least they wouldn’t cost much to replace!)

Just for fun, I wanted to share with you the “before” pictures from last summer and compare them to the “after” pictures now!

I really do love the way it has all come together!

My hubster even said that it is the prettiest room in the house! :)

I am so glad I was able to get it finished before a little get together I am having at my house next week. (BTW, if you live nearby, you are invited! I’ll tell you about it later this week.)

I have more pictures to share, but I will save them for another post. It is getting late, and I need my sleep!

Thanks for stopping by!