Outdoor Lounge Part 1

This outdoor lounge is very sturdy but was drab, faded and dated.

I painted the timber in white outdoor gloss paint. Then my darling Mum took the feral covers off and replaced them with Calico. Boy typing it like that makes it sound like it was an easy quick job. Don't be fooled, those timber slats on the chairs took ages to paint.

I bought the calico as lining. There is special UV resistant fabric coming to cover the cushions. Those will be included in the Part 2 edition.  I have ordered the fabric from the USA and have to wait for it to arrive. But for now the calico looks much nicer than the old faded red fabric.

Mum's Patio Renovation Part 2

My Mum is on a roll with her Nautical themed patio make over. She has just performed her magic on a couple of chairs and an old table. I have seen better furniture thrown away at the rubbish dump but Mum was determined to bring new live to the items and save them from becoming landfill. Let us start with the ugly old chairs.

Mum removed the chair pads and recovered them in a nice clean fabric.

Next out came the paint brushes and suddenly they look worthy to sit on.

With the chairs finished it was time to tackle a very old metal table.

Mum sanded back the frame and got busy with her paint brushes again.

 TA DA!!!!!!  Now for a different angle.

Bye Bye Birdie

I love birds and living in the tropics we have such a beautiful variety of native birds that come into the yard everyday. With such an abundance of feathered friends in the wild, I hate to see birds in cages. I have seen photos of bird cages turned into planters and decided to try it myself. After all it is a much better use for a bird cage. This cage was a boring shade of brown.

 I painted the cage blue and I love the result. The cage will match something else I am working on. I think I might add a little plastic bird to go inside. I really wanted to put a maiden hair fern inside but until I can find one, I am just using a little fern.

An update on the outdoor pink table:   I'm going to class the pink table as a project fail. The paint has faded very quickly. So scrap any plans on using spray paint outdoors. I will be re-doing this with a tin of outdoor paint now. 

Mum's Patio Chairs

My Mum is very proud of her patio chair makeover. And she should be, she has done a great job especially considering how ugly the chairs were to begin with. We don't have a BEFORE photo of the chairs, but this is a photo taken after Mum had sanded the old peeling paint off.

After painting the chairs white, Mum targeted those sad cushions. The fabric is nearly rotten and the design reminds me of a cheap motel room stuck in the 80's. My Mum wanted to update the chairs to blend with her modern nautical theme.  Mum had new foam cut to size and then made new covers. I am impressed that she spent considerable time making sure all the lines matched up when the cushions were in place. I certainly don't have that dedication when it comes to cutting and sewing.

The end result is fresh and modern. The chairs are lovely solid timber and will last for many years to come. Yeah Mum. Well Done!

My $10 outdoor table

This table I bought for a bargain price of just $10. Obviously nobody wanted a dirty moldy outdoor table. My Mum described it as "hideous" which was a little unfair as it just needed some TLC. It was very sturdy and I didn't have to reinforce it or fix anything.

I sanded it back which improved its appearance 100%. I then used a primer in a spray can which was incredibly quick and easy. I then spray painted 2 coats of pink. It was the first time I have ever painted furniture with a can of spray paint. I actually like the result. It is actually a vibrant pink but my camera settings give a very disappointing photo of the results. Hopefully I can sort out the camera settings to take photos of the table with new chairs. 

It is a very pretty addition to the pool area. I can't wait to add a few chairs and sit out there with a refreshing drink when I am watching the children swim.

Update - I'm going to class this as a project fail. The paint has faded very quickly. So scrap any plans on using spray paint outdoors. I will be re-doing this with a tin of outdoor paint now.