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Yesterday for lunch, we barbecued for the first time this year. It was so good we grilled again for dinner! This was the scene.

Ah, those leaf plates. I’ve had them for years and I still love them. It was Brandon’s idea to add them to the table, and a good one at that, though somewhat surprising (because he hates them!).

We need to get out there and clean up the garden. I ignored it last year (excuse: I had a baby and a toddler), and this year things are bad out there. It is, however, much easier to overlook the garden being overgrown and overtaken by weeds if your peonies are in bloom.

A patterned tablecloth probably helps too. This is the same one I used for Eleanor’s birthday party, but I think I like it outside even better.

My family always used paper plates and plastic cups and cutlery outside, but I like to use our regular dishware. We do use plastic/melamine plates and cups sometimes (we did for dinner yesterday), but I still like those better than disposables. Plus the wind doesn’t toss a real plate like it does a paper one.

How do you set the table outside? I like to set out stacks of plates too, and let everyone help themselves, buffet-style.

Eleanor was so excited about being able to eat outside. I think we all were.

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© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as First Barbecue of the Summer | 39 comments

Thank you all for voting for your favorite finalist in the Social Space Makeover Contest! After a lot of drama in the end, and a lot of data crunching this weekend, I can officially announce Heather as the first place winner. Today, I’ll be sharing the custom design board that she has won. And after resolving some issues with the voting data, the second place actually goes to two winners: Lisa and Mary Sue. They were only six votes apart out of thousands, and in my book that’s close enough to call it a tie. They will each receive a $100 gift card to The Home Depot, courtesy of the American Express Membership Rewards program. Congratulations to all three winners!

Heather’s Winning Entry:

Help! We’ve been remodeling the inside of our home for the past 2 1/2 years but have totally neglected the outside of our home – including our front patio that has a lot of potential but is just barren and boring! When we had our daughter Zoey 10 months ago we really stopped all work on our home and now that she is getting close to walking we want to spend more time outside with her and entertaining friends and family but have no place suitable to do so (our backyard is even worse than this, with a death trap back porch!) […]

• Heather’s blog post
• Heather’s original entry

Here’s how I’d use Heather’s 150,000 Membership Rewards points to redo her front patio.

Heather and her husband, Mike, are handy and they’d like to build a custom bench for their space. They may also replace their existing firepit with something custom, but I included a ready-to-go option in case they want to go that route. They’d like to change the exterior of their house to be yellow and gray, but Heather tells me that they’re saving up for a big siding replacement job. When they’re ready, I think they should go for it and paint their door a cheery yellow, like my friend Erin Loechner did. I’d set aside $400 to use at The Home Depot for materials and paint.

I would add a sleek table out there with six colorful chairs (in a green/yellow color that isn’t a perfect match for a yellow door, but that goes well). Tubtrugs are inexpensive and perfect for corralling toys, holding drinks for a party, or even as big planters. The solar lights are the only thing in the design plan not available through points, but they’re so good for the patio that I had to include them, and then cute accessories from west elm finish off the space. And plants! I can’t advise as to what’s good for the area, but I’d be sure to use some of that Home Depot money to add some greenery out there too.

Heather is free to use her points as she wishes, and I’m looking forward to seeing what she does with her space. Congratulations again to Heather, and also to Mary Sue and Lisa! Thank you, everyone, for following along with the contest. I hope you’ve enjoyed it!

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as Social Space Makeover Contest Winners | 24 comments

Three men in full protective gear came to prune that bitty little tree. Poor tree. I tried to secretly take their picture from the kitchen window, but I grabbed my camera a little too late and only got one guy as he was leaving. Hi, guy.

The arborist that came out thinks that the tree will bounce back and look fine in a couple of years. I’m just hoping it makes it through the winter.

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as We Trimmed the Tree | 18 comments

The Backyard, September 2008

The Backyard, June 2011

The peonies used to be out front. There were four of them when we moved in, but they weren’t getting enough sun so I decided to move them to the back. In the process, the four peonies accidentally became 12, but forging ahead, we planted all 12. Now, for about five days each June, my garden bursts with peonies. My favorite flower.

I would love to make some changes and additions to the yard, but that’s pretty low in my priorities right now. Enjoying the garden though, that ranks quite a bit higher.

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as Peonies | 56 comments

Only a third of the tree has leaves. It was a birthday present from Brandon in 2008, and I wanted to see it grow to full-size. So sad!

Brandon thinks it can be saved, but I’m less hopeful. There are deep fissures on the trunk in several places. The neighbor said that I should just chop off the dead parts and keep the rest of the tree, but I think that would look awful. No more awful than the jungle of weeds beneath the tree, but theoretically I can get rid of those. You know, if I actually had time these days to garden.

Maybe it caught some sort of tree disease from my other neighbor’s dying redbud? She has one against the fence that used to shade my egg chair.

The Backyard, 2008

It hasn’t been doing very well for the last couple of years. (The bush next to the egg chair however, that is thriving. Along with more weeds.)

The Backyard, 2011 (The egg chair's cushions are in the wash.)

Do you think we can save it? I want to replace it with a different tree as soon as possible if it’s a lost cause.

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as Our Eastern Redbud is Dying | 38 comments

My thoughts always turn to outdoor spaces the minute the weather starts to warm up. We’re still a little chilly here in Chicago, but it will be nice out soon enough.

I imagine this as a tucked away corner in a lush garden, up against a wall covered by plants growing in wooly pockets. The bench looks weathered and modern at the same time, and I’d use a ceramic garden stool or two as extra seating or a place to set a drink. Candles in lanterns overhead and an outdoor rug define the space and add to the traveled feeling.

© 2011, published by Making it Lovely as Well-Traveled Outdoor Space | 15 comments

Brandon’s response: “I don’t hate it.”

Score!

© 2010, published by Making it Lovely as Woodpecker Door Knocker | 51 comments

My fourth and final project for Better Homes & Gardens can finally be revealed! I decorated our front porch for Halloween with 2D and 3D spooky crows on twisted branches. My porch is up against the other three bloggers’ projects, so please vote for your favorite at bhg.com.

In addition to the crows, several rats can also be found cavorting about. Even Bernard the monkey (I picked him up on clearance over the summer at Z Gallerie) has found a small furry friend.

The project was pretty straightforward, but here’s how I did it…

Supplies

• black construction paper or poster board
• scissors
• pencil
• transparent tape
• large branches (the gnarlier, the better)
• black spray paint (optional)
• fake crows
• wire (if your crows do not have it already)
• planters and bricks/rocks for bases

Instructions

• Sketch a barren tree and a couple of crows onto your black paper.
• Cut out your shapes and affix them to your door or window with transparent tape.
• If you need to darken your branches, spray them with a bit of black paint and let them dry.
• Fill your planters with rocks or bricks and insert your branches.
• Perch your birds in the branches and secure them with wire (my birds’ feet had wire built-in for this purpose).

I also took off our screen door (it was blocking the view of the silhouetted birds), and I made new curtains for the front door and window.

Remember, you can vote every day until Halloween for your favorite project at bhg.com. Now I can’t wait to answer the door for the neighborhood trick-or-treaters on Sunday…

© 2010, published by Making it Lovely as Spooky Halloween Front Porch for BHG | 40 comments

© 2010, published by Making it Lovely as Front Porch Sources | 22 comments

We really like spending time out here. Eleanor and I start out most mornings by sitting on this side of the porch, watching neighbors and cars go by.

Some of the ferns are a little out of control…

But it makes the porch feel lush and green.

Tomorrow, I’ll post a design board with sources listed for everything.

© 2010, published by Making it Lovely as The Front Porch as it is Now | 32 comments