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Heya! It's about that time that I share with you the other side of my patio, since I shared with you my "living room" portion last week :) I actually used to love this side....you know, back in the day before my dog broke my farmhouse table. Yeah. I tried to fix it multiple times, but then it just got too bad and I decided to take it apart. It was hard being that it was the first huge piece of furniture that I built..and I was about 7 months pregnant with my first when I built it. Kind of sentimental. So tearing it down was hard, but I decided that I'll be using the scraps to build a console table for my entryway hall. Here's what it looked like in it's glory days :) You can see the whole post on it here: 

Privacy Curtains: Tutorial

Well, here's what it looked like before this makeover a couple of years ago...and pretty much what it ended up looking like just before the table broke. Not so awesome and not very welcoming. 

The privacy curtains were still there, but the rug was ruined. The chairs were replaced with a bench that broke from the weather. The table was never used besides something to cut wood on. So...yeah. To say the least...I never wanted to be in the area. Oh...and you see that little area by the fence? Those rocks and dirt? Now imagine a place full of dead weeds. That was an overpriced landscaping job that went bad and never got fixed. Then the fence was put up, and now it's pretty impossible (just pretty dang hard and expensive) to fix it now. So, I have lived with that ugly...ugly eyesore for too long. I decided that since I can't move 30 giant boulders, I'll just cover it up :) Yeah, I know...one of these days we will have to figure out that side of the yard, but until then, I don't have to stare at it! 

....because I built this wall! This planter wall was the best idea (besides the privacy screens) that I've every done to this patio. I wanted it to go all the way up, but didn't want to block our beautiful mountain views, so I decided to do a little more than half way and make a planter out of it. I'll be sharing the tutorial on how to make this soon! 

And since my table was ruined, I really wanted a new one that I could enjoy actually eating at. That other table was maybe used twice to eat on. For reals. I'm ashamed to say that, but I never had the right chairs to fit it just perfectly, and it just didn't appeal to me. It didn't help that I had to over look a garden of dead weeds...So, I replaced the table with this five piece patio set!

Patio table and chairs: Amazon

And you know what, we have eaten at this table more in the past month than we have on our inside table. Seriously! Every day for lunch and most of the times for dinner. I was eyeing this table on multiple online sites. I ultimately bought it from Amazon (link here). I have nothing but good things to say about it so far! It's held up....and most of all, it has yet to be blown away from our horrendous wind! That was my biggest fear. I didn't want a glass top, but knowing that this came with one that could come off sold me. I wasn't planning on using the glass because of said winds, but I decided to put the glass on just to protect the table. I was super concerned that it would fall down with a wind gust, but it has stayed on so far!

 The chairs only came with a bottom cushion. That being said, I was thankful it came with any at all. Most of the sets I looked at didn't have them. I decided to throw some outdoor throw pillows onto the back to add more cushion. These are from Home Goods. 

And since my rug was ruined. Which was such a bummer....I really loved that rug. I decided to go for a smaller rug this year, just in case. I wasn't spending $200+ on a rug that might last 2 years. So, instead I found this one for around $40 on Target (link).

Rug: Target

I realized soon after buying this patio set, that I actually loved lounging in it too, so I bought this cute little stool. I have plans to redo it, but for now it's acting as a plant stand...and a foot stool when needed. 

Metal Side Table/Stool: Similar   and Similar

 I decided to dress up my privacy screen with some macrame. I feel like you should decorate your outdoors just like your indoors. Make it come to life. I bought these two macrame pieces off of Amazon (link) and hung them from the posts. They have actually weathered really well so far! I don't know how many seasons they would last being out here, but for the past month or so, they have been good! ....with all the rain and crazy wind :)

Macrame Set: Amazon

One of my favorite parts of this whole makeover, and this planter wall...are the lights! 

 I had to put some on here...just had to! The best thing about these are that they are solar...not need to think about it or plug something in.

Solar String Lights: Amazon

 I love being out in this space day in and day out. The weather is getting hot (finally!), so it's the perfect place to sit and enjoy it. 

I still can't believe that this space...

 Used to look like this! I know... I know, this was like 3 years ago, but still! 

And I promise you the tutorial on this wall! It cost me around $100 to make, and is relatively easy! So, check back next week! :)

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 Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

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I think the one place in my house that get's trashed quickly is my patio. I'm sad to say it, but it inevitably does. I feel like it looks good for one year, and then the next it gets neglected. Then the following year I make it decent again, and neglected...you get the drift. I decided it was finally time to completely update it. My patio is quite large, almost 40' long, so I'm going to break this into parts otherwise you will be in photo overload :) Plus, they are two different completely areas anyway. Kind of like a dining room and living room. 

I'm going to start with the 'living room' section since that's the part I've been teasing and promising for awhile! Can you believe that it's just barely been good enough weather to get some pics out here? Between the crazy wind and rain, I'm done! I want summer!  

These chairs have been around for quite some time now. I'm actually surprised they lasted this long! They were a clearance find at a local grocery store (yes!) 10 years ago. Oh goodness and have they've seen some changes. They started off brown and green, then the sun turned the cushions purple. Weird. Then I tried some cheap ways to cover them. I then painted the frames two years ago a navy. I decided to go more neutral this year and get completely new cushions that will last! Here's a pic from a long time ago of them: 

I could show you all the iterations, but I won't :) If you really care, just search for "patio" or "porch" in the upper left corner :) 

Back to my current patio...as you can tell, I kind of went with a boho theme out here. This rug inspired everything. I found it at Home Goods. My other rug, which I looooved, got all ripped up from the elements over the past years. I was so sad to see it go, but realized that spending $200 on a rug every two years wasn't good, so I kept it smaller this year just in case. I could easily do $50 every two years....not $200.

Privacy Screen: Tutorial   Striped Turkish Towel/Blanket: Amazon    Edison Bulb String Lights: Amazon

 I added this macrame dream catcher here, because, why not? I just loved the look. You'll notice in my next post, I added more macrame to the other section of this patio :)

Dream Catcher: Similar

 The pillows are from Better Homes & Gardens. The texture of them is perfect! 

 I have become quite the weird plant lady these days. Some of them are still green and growing....somehow! I found these rattan lanterns at a local store on clearance. $7 for this one! I faux-aged these terracotta pots also, and this X table was a clearance find from Hobby Lobby.

Faux Aged Terracotta Pots: Tutorial    Rattan Lanterns: Similar

 I wanted to get a new coffee table for this area. The set came with one, which is in good condition....just super small and in need of a good sanding and paint job. The past few years, we had our fire pit out here...had to move it every time so it wouldn't ruin the rug. It was a big pain in the butt. Plus, ours rusted out this year....so, yay! New table for me :) I wanted to go a little out of the box, and found this half wine barrel planter at Home Depot. I simply flipped it over, and voila! 

 I usually have plants on here and iced drinks! 

 My umbrella stand was super hideous, so I took some wood and covered it (you can see the tutorial here).

Covering it gave me another place to put stuff! This big lantern was a steal from Burlington. The #7 buoy is from Hobby Lobby.

 I just love this angle. These curtains are for privacy and a sun blocker. I made this whole contraption a few years ago and haven't looked back. Not only do they work well for both the privacy and sun, but they just add the perfect interest and border for the patio. (tutorial here)

 I ended up throwing out the smaller table that was here before, and decided to go a little unconventional again, and made this cut log into one. 

 Here's another look at the space. Pretty much everything has changed in here since you last saw it except the frames of the chairs! 

Here's a good crappy before from a few years ago:

 I just love hanging out here now. It's so inviting. I actually just installed misters along the curtain rod for those hot days! (which I have only had to use once so far! Ugh.. again..summer better get here soon and stay!)

Here's a sneak peak at the other portion of my patio which I'll share with you next week! Eek!

Follow me on my social for sneak peaks, live videos, and fun new things that are going on!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

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I shared the outside of the playhouse with you last week, and as promised, today I'll be sharing with you the inside! It took awhile for me to figure out what I wanted to do with the inside. What kind of stuff to put in there and what not. I knew this was going to be open to the elements the majority of the year, so I had to make sure everything could be washed or sprayed down easily. And I had to make sure not to spend too much money on it just in case it got ruined quickly.

The first big part was painting everything. I used Behr's exterior paint in semi-gloss in the color Swiss Coffee for the entire inside. Once everything was painted, I then added a stencil to the floor.  This stencil is from DecoArt and the paint is a dark grey that I mixed up, also in an exterior paint. I then finished it with a couple coats of polyurethane.

 I knew I wanted to add my kids "signatures" to the playhouse somewhere. I decided to incorporate them into the stencil itself. I have a hand print in each corner and they signed their names next to them.

 The ceiling ended up turning out better than I had planned. The staples we had used to put on the roof  were too long and went right through the plywood. It was a complete hot mess on the inside. To remedy this, I cut cedar planks (some of them parts of an old fence, some of them new) to fit in between the trusses. I then whitewashed them. I didn't want them all white, but wanted some of the wood character to come through.

 I hung a chandelier I found off the Facebook marketplace right in the middle. It doesn't offer any light or anything, but it does add a little bit of  glamour :)

 In one of the eves, I hung a faux clock that I made.

 I also added these wood corbels in the corners just to add a little more character. The curtains are grey ticking fabric from Hobby Lobby. I just hemmed all the edges then stapled them to the wood to hang.

 I made some bookshelves to hold books. Obviously, their books will look a little different than this :) That hanging plant can also be swapped out for some crayons. I totally had the intention of keeping them in there, but then I realized how tempting crayons are for kids in a huge blank space. We already had some problems with a pen finding it's way in there :)

 The other side is where the kitchen set is, so for the eves I hung a Fresh Baked Pies sign I got from the Target Dollar Spot last year. I added a little 'artwork' in the form of contact paper I found at my grocery story. For reals. I searched high and low on the internet for a kind I liked, and totally figures I would find one I loved while I was grabbing toilet paper. :) I placed the contact paper in painted frames.

 The "Home Sweet Home" metal sign was a clearance find from Michaels.

 This kitchen set was a Christmas present to my kids a couple of years ago. It got used, then forgotten, then used. And truthfully, it was just taking up a lot of space in my front room :) Plus, we had a dog kennel in front of it for awhile so I wanted to move it in here so it would get more time in the spot light. Seriously though, it will probably be kept more clean in here than inside our house. The pup slings slobber everywhere when he's in his kennel. I had to clean this thing weekly. Not going to miss that!

 This is from KidKraft. (link here). It's their vintage kitchen in white. I have also seen one in pink. You would be amazed at how much stuff fits in all these cabinets!

As for the "sitting area". These table and chairs are from Ikea. I painted them and added contact paper to the tops. I decided I liked the buffalo check fabric better and kept it on there as a type of table clothe.

 The artwork is from Hobby Lobby. I needed to find something thin enough to fit in between the studs, which was actually harder than you would think. So, I fell in love with these when I saw them, they were the perfect size.

 I've seen about 5 kids in here at once and there was plenty of room! I kept the space on all the other corners pretty empty so it wouldn't be too cramped. We have lots of neighborhood kids and I knew they would all be coming over to play.

 I did decide to add some solar string lights in here for some light. I just fed the line through one of the windows and have the panel outside on the side. These lights aren't very bright, but will give off plenty of light when I put up on the plywood on the windows during the winter.

 Now, of course, I would love for everything to be kept so nice and pretty with no color. Just white, black and grey. But, you know that doesn't happen with kids :) So, here's a few things that they play with in the playhouse.

First up, their dishes. These dishes are from Green Toys. They are actually food safe and can go in the dishwasher! They come with 4 of each of the cups, bowls, plates, and even knives, spoons, and forks. (click here for link)

 As for the food, I actually have a lot inside, but wanted a complete set outside. And ones that would wear well. This set is from Melissa and Doug. (link here) It's made of wood, so I'm hoping it will last awhile!

 And since this is their 'house'. Why not spark more imaginative play, right? This is another Melissa and Doug item (link here) that was given to them last year for Christmas. It was used, kind of. But, it has already seen so much more use since being placed in here. It's actually missing a duster, which I have no clue where that ran off to.

And that's it.....for now :) I think I might add something to one of the corners, like a reading nook or something. Still haven't figured that out.

You can find the outside tour and design here:

Links for things mentioned above (click on picture)

Melissa and Doug Cleaning Set

Melissa and Doug Wood Food Set


Green Toys Dish Set

Solar String Lights

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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