Outdoor furniture transformation

So a while ago I was perusing thru Facebook Marketplace, my favorite thing to do, and found an old dated 1970’s or 80’s wooden furniture set.  I had been looking on Pinterest and was dreaming of a nice, chic & relaxing setup for my unfortunate and forgettable deck.  It had been raining cats and dogs for what seemed like weeks but couldn’t let this pass me by. So for $50, I took one of the teenagers and we hiked it up to Asheville NC in the truck. Tucked away in someone’s house was this old ugly set, but I knew it had potential to be what I had been wanting.

After sanding and sanding, for what felt like weeks, I was finally done and ready to wipe it all down with tack cloth.  And after waiting for more rain to pass and weather to finally clearup enough to paint, I went to work.
I have a paint sprayer that I absolutely love to use when I can remember how to use it, loaded $30 gallon of white high gloss outdoor paint and went to town.  I was able to paint everything in about an hour. Sure beats a brush, it would have taken me days and I would have lost interest, because I get like that sometimes.

 I then began to look for fabrics to cover the ugly brown plaid tweed cushions. They were in remarkable shape so I decided to use them and just go for a neutral color. I will change my mind 100 times in the process, so I knew to stick with something interchangeable. I had some turquoise side table from BigLots. The had a cool geometric shape and would pretty much  stay in fashion for a while. I used that color as an inspiration and bought a few yards of fabric for new throw pillows, but unfortunately I was tired of the color from last year. See I told you I change my mind a lot. So with my new ideas rolling around I waited for something else to hit me over the head for inspiration.

Last year at Bargain Hunt I had found 2 black and cream poufs for $7 each. SCORE!! Also in the bins were black and white outdoor pillows for $2.50. I grabbed 5 pillows, I mean who could pass that deal up??  About a month ago I found the matching outdoor rug for $10. SCORE AGAIN!! Side note...if you have a Bargain Hunt nearby, you have to go and check out the deals there! The look was still up in the air and I knew I needed more color. I’m all for neutrals, but it is so much better with some pops of color here and there, and I was looking for something soft to balance the stark contrast of black and white.  I went to Walmart and got 6 yards of plain twill cloth for $5 a yard, which is all my store had, I was going to make that stretch because I didn't want to have to match dye lots, ugh.. I already had threads and velcro, so I took 2 couch cushion covers apart and made the pattern.  Because I like to work assembly style, I cut out all the pieces, sewed all the velcro onto my closure patterns, pinned the side gussets and started sewing. I love using velcro instead of zippers, I hate having to change feet, because I'm a lazy sewer, LOL!

At Home has aisles and aisles of cushions, and after searching I found what I wanted. Soft pink & coral colors and 3 of them were on clearance for $7. It makes me happy when I get a deal! The bolster was $17 I told myself as long as it was under $20 I was OK. Now I knew what to do with the rest of the look. The lady I bought the furniture from threw in a small table with drop leafs, can’t get better than free!  The table top was worn but that wasn't a problem.  I took some gold paint and started to work. I tried to use the rest of the gold spray paint but had to work quick but ultimately I didn’t like the look, so I added some gold acrylic paint and did a dry brush and then softly wiped it down. Then I painted the legs white and added a gold trim. Remember the turquoise tables, I spray painted those gold too! I used about $15 worth of spray paint.

Ok, so I am stoked that everything turned about so amazing!! And for anyone keeping count, I have spent $162.50, not bad & although it took me a while to get it together, all good things happen to those who wait!!

And Kelly Approves

Hello Again, I'm Back!

Hello.. it's me...

I'm back from an unintentional hiatus, it seems life gets in my way and I sometimes have to remind myself to comeback.  So many things have gone on in my world and so many things that I have started and yet to finish, so I am hoping this will keep me going and culpable to my many irons in the fire.

The past few months I have been busy crafting some mad, crazy and absolutely ridiculous fascinators and hats for some outings with friends.

First was Christmas and the Second Annual 12 Pubs of Christmas in Matthews NC was underway & we managed to raise funds for the Matthews Helping Center while having an absolute blast.  I do believe next year I will make some more & donate more $$ to the next charity

Then fast forward to St Patrick's Day when I made some hats for the Charlotte NC Parade. I picked up some hats from the Dollar Tree Store and started adding ribbons, mesh, flowers, wire & of course shamrocks and came up with some really cute hats for the celebrations.

I loved using deco mesh and left over ribbons from Christmas to ad that extra bit of pop to the hats.  The hats were a huge hit and I already have a few extra orders for next year

Antonette added her flair of purple, because she is a purple girl and it's her signature color.  I have been thinking that maybe I should have a signature color, we will have to see

I'm back to work on my embroidery for a new skirt on a dance dress, next blog in the works!