Making it Lovely

Tag: Outside

  • Outdoor Dining Chair Options

    Outdoor Dining Chair Options

    Now that the weather has (mostly) warmed up, I’m eager to get to work outside. I’m still looking for a matching set of dining chairs for the backyard. I would love to own any of these, but buying eight of them would be pretty pricey:

    Here’s what we’ll likely end up with:

    I haven’t sat in the Blankö chair (my IKEA doesn’t have it yet), but Brandon and I both like the simple lines of it. I’ve considered the Urban chair before, but I always think it looks a little funny in person. Maybe out of the store and in the context of my garden it would look more stylish? They look sharp in this photo that ran in Blueprint:

    Which chair would you choose?

  • Evergreens Needed

    Evergreens Needed

    I took a photo of our snowy backyard this morning, and I’ve been using it to plan for some new additions. The garden has come a long way since we moved in three years ago (it was essentially a blank slate), but it is still lacking the year-round color and structure that evergreens would provide.

    Evergreens Needed

    I don’t know which evergreens to use, but at least I have an idea of where I want them to go. I love mountain laurel, but it’s not available here. Rhododendrons don’t grow well in my soil. Arborvitae, pine, yew, and juniper seem so common and boring, but I suppose that’s because they thrive in Chicago. I do like boxwood, but as someone warned me when I planted them, they are “going to bite it”. I didn’t heed the warning and indeed they aren’t doing so well (yet I want to add another?). I still have about two months before it will be warm enough to actually plant something, so I have a little time to figure something out.

  • How My Garden Grows

    It seems that spring has finally arrived in Chicagoland. I did alot of work last year to the garden, and I’ve been eager to see how everything would look now. How big will the plants be? Will everything come back, or will some plants not make it? Well, so far things are looking good.

    Firewitch:
    Firewitch

    Anemone:
    Anemone

    Karen Azalea:
    Karen Azalea

    Ivory Halo Dogwood:
    Ivory Halo Dogwood

    Hostas, boxwood, and tulips:
    Hostas, Boxwood, & Tulips

    I’m not sure how much gardening I’ll be doing this summer, but I did buy two giant green planters from IKEA and a sky pencil holly from Sprout Home.

    Sky Pencil Holly

    I think I’ll put the holly against the back of the house (seen here, last summer):
    Another Little Garden

    I wanted to put the planters on the front porch, flanking the door, but Brandon thinks they’ll be too heavy once they’re filled with dirt. Our porch is pretty old, and he may be right… I’m not sure if it could support the weight. I like them though, so I’m sure I can find a spot for them somewhere.

    Hooray for spring and all its renewed greenery!

  • Up for the Challenge: Part Four

    It wasn’t easy, but we’ve finished the front porch for the Better Homes & Gardens 48-Hour Challenge! The whole project was completed for $500, using materials exclusively from The Home Depot.

    Front Porch

    Painting the porch rug freehand while very pregnant was a little harder than I expected, but I’m beyond thrilled with the way it turned out! That and the hanging divider that we made really personalize the front porch.

    Front Porch

    Brandon spray painted the table and chair set that we bought pink. The set was nice enough on its own (it was a dark brown/gray color), but you know I just had to bring some pink in somewhere. And again, it helped to personalize the design a bit more.

    Front Porch

    Such a cheery spot for lunch…

    Front Porch

    The extra two chairs from the set are over by the front door. And I love that lilac between them, but I’m planning to put it in the side garden at some point because it’s supposed to grow to 10′ tall.

    Front Porch

    So there you have it — the finished front porch! At times I wondered how we would get it done, especially as the baby’s due date came and went, but we did it. Soon you’ll be able to vote for your favorite project (and I can only hope that it’s ours!). In the meantime, be sure to check out everyone’s finished projects and read more about our experience working on the front porch at BHG.com.

    Front Porch

  • Painting the Porch Rug

    Here’s how I spent my Saturday afternoon…

    Painted Rug in Progress

    There’s me, the round little roly-poly VERY pregnant lady, painting the porch. Aye, my back hurts! And please note that the Chicago weather is NOT cooperating with us. I’m wearing a shirt, a hoodie, and a big bulky sweater — it was only 45 degrees out.

    To be fair, I must let you know that Brandon, his sister Jessica, and several other people have offered to help me paint. It had to be me though because I was painting the pattern freehand. I couldn’t just pick stripes or a checkerboard pattern that someone else could work on for me, now could I? No, that would have been too easy, and of course I’m all about making things difficult as can be. ;) The pattern was inspired by a rug from Urban Outfitters, and also the flower petal patterns my grandmother used to draw.

    Painted Rug in Progress

    Brandon made some excellent progress today as well. Our table and chair set has been painted!

    Spray Painting Furniture

    We still have a few things to do for the front porch, but they should go fairly quickly. And as I told my mom, we still have time because the baby isn’t due until Tuesday and I’ve instructed her to stay put until then. We have too much to do before she arrives, and our doctor will be out of town until Monday night. I’m sure the baby will listen, right?

  • Chain Link Cover-up?

    Last year, Brandon and I talked about doing something to screen our backyard from the alley. We have chain-link fencing, which of course offers no privacy but we’re not going to replace it anytime soon. The stretch of fencing we’re most concerned with is the section by the parking space in this sketch:

    Long-Term Backyard Plan

    I went to IKEA not long ago to check out their summer line and I liked their wind/sunshields, but I couldn’t think of a use for them. Today I suddenly realized that they may work well to cover the fencing.

    DYNING wind/sunshield

    The other idea we had was to use Put-in-Cups to create a pattern. They could be very cheesy (I know), but I think they could also be very cool. Check them out here:

    Put-in-Cups

    Nice, right? We had also considered fence slats as another option. When I talked about wanting to do something to the fence last year, a lot of people suggested woven willow, reed, or bamboo panels. I’m sure that would look good, but I like the idea of doing something more graphic. Everyone hates on chain-link but I really don’t mind it. I think it could be an opportunity to do something kind of fun…