Front Deck Tour

**Welcome to the Front Deck! You'll find corresponding project links under each photo. Enjoy!**

Whoah... it's mid to late June? Stop it. I feel like I've been going CRAZY with projects lately... I don't know if it's the weather or the coffee I switched to, either way I love it.  I think I'd mentioned before how we were fixing up our front deck, remember the bird feeders? Well I think we're done-ish! I took a breather to get some photos to share, and heads up - most things you see on the deck are projects you can do! Of course...heh..

Here's the best angle:

What do you think? It's so bright in contrast with the forest background.  I know I'd said before that I REALLY wanted to do a large fake grass rug here (you know, the new stuff that's fancy) but it was going to be well over $300. And I'm not ready to spend that on fake grass.....yet. So this IKEA $30 outdoor rug was a much better deal...

I also see making a new fountain in our future (on the left there)... but for now I love the sound.

The deck before was completely empty. It didn't make for very cozy hangouts, but now we're out here all the time. Here's a progress shot actually, from when we first got the patio set:

Oh man those cushions were DRIVING ME CRAZY. So I covered them (with navy blue), since I couldn't find any new ones that I liked.  See how empty the pots are? This was right after I built a few of them, hint hint.... tutorial soon... They were pretty easy.

Here's the view when you first come up the stairs to the deck, from the driveway:

And a lovely close up of the cluster of miscellaneous pots and planters that help close in the back of the patio arrangement:

• Front Deck Details: DIY Pots & Planters

Isn't that tall plant awesome? It's an "Indian Rhubarb" but isn't edible.  It's also called an umbrella plant, I love it. I had wanted it to be somewhere in the yard to get really large & in charge, but Debby the Destroyer (Our deer visitor) decided she loved it as well.

I scored that orange candle holder at the goodwill - 50 cents! It used to be black. I fixed that...

Here's what I decided to use for little tables. I had been hunting the thrift shops for something I could fix up, but nothing worked. Then at the craft shop one day I saw these crates on sale for $6 each.

They WERE bright and new when I got them, and I knew just the treatment.  Remember the Antique Colorful Crates I posted about a bit ago? Yep. Now I have some too.

• DIY Antique Crate End Tables

The candle holder in the photo above was also a goodwill score. They were missing their glass, and completely covered in gross wax.  Which is probably why no one took them home. They looked about the right size for some IKEA vases I already had, and I figured if they weren't the right size that finding a clear glass vase to fit couldn't be THAT hard, right? Well good thing I grabbed them. After freezing the wax off it was revealed that I had just paid $2 for a set of Pottery Barn lanterns.  Sweet!

• DIY Pots & Planters from Thrift Shop finds

Upcycling thrift store salad bowls into succulent planters.  Don't those tiles look like Cheez-its? Mmm...

Here's the view if you're standing on the blue rug, facing the front door (or what has become the front door). Yes I know, we need a new light fixture, but that's what that one on the floor is. Waiting to go up....wanna do it for me? 

That rocker came from the goodwill too, it used to be scary looking.  We nicknamed it the Candy Corn Sunrise chair... haha, ridiculous.  I wanted an Ombre fade and when I was done we realized it kind of looked like Candy Corn. Still cool, but definitely candy corn.  I totally ran out of orange paint and had to finish with yellow at the bottom. Ooops... maybe I'll fix it. Maybe I won't.

• DIY Simple Raised Bed, on wheels....

This table used to be brass colored. I had a hard time changing it, because I DO love brass, but it just wasn't right out here. I loooove the navy! Now I just need the plants to get a move on and make this area look more full & lush. Yes, that's a colander.  Eventually a colander FULL of chives. (grow little babies, grow!)

Pottery Barn candle score #2 and a few upcycled planters...

 Strawberries on the way!  Forgive the blurriness...

We grabbed these lanterns from IKEA, they are such a good deal at $3.99, and used extremely strong outdoor double sided tape to secure them to the banister:

I think they ended up giving the patio a Moroccan feel, which was a total accident.  These combined with the bright complementary colors and oops - we had a Moroccan style patio. I'll have to run with that in mind as I fine tune the details here and there. Toss in a little gold, you know the drill.

Oh, then these of course:

• DIY Upcycle Bird Feeders

You can see more tutorials & tour links in my House Tour section.

So that's our patio! What outdoor projects have you been up to? I'd love to see them.  The warm weather makes me want to be outdoors 24/7. I'm writing this from outside right now... plus this is our first year "in the mountains" which is really only 15 minutes outside of Santa Cruz.  But wow, the weather is amazingly different. I was used to the fog rolling in at a moments notice, and hooded sweatshirts in July...not here. This is so different! 

Have a wonderful Wednesday everybody, thanks for tourin' with me.

-Jesse

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