June 19, 2011

My Front Patio Transformation...... One Thing Leads to Another!


OK, how many of you have been down this road?  You take a few minutes out of your day to do one little thing and then one thing leads to another, and another, and another..

This is the story of how I got to this..
  

When I started with this?


It all began when I found out I was the lucky and excited winner of this enamel address sign from Debbiedoo's blog giveaway


I went out and put the sign over my mail box.  It looked mighty fine!  Then I noticed my mail box was looking a little worse for the wear!


So, I just spruce it up with a little paint 

Much better!


I stood back to admire my work and realized the front door was looking a little, well, black.  Not a problem, I just made a door hangy thing


Lookin better but, wait....Goodness I could not believe how much the chair covers had faded.


 Three years ago these chairs had bright pink flamingos on them. 

 Blame it on the blazing Florida sun!


OK, I got the chairs recovered, much better!

Oh no, look at this dreary little corner of the patio, wow those pillows have really faded


Then when I lifted that little wicker table the legs fell off LOL!   


I painted the planter with the mail box red paint and a new pillow


Ok, now we're getting somewhere!  

I need just a little somethin more


A little more red paint and a bright green watering can


Perfect!  

I'm done!


I admit, this is not the biggest or the best transformation on the web


But, for me, a girl who's blog consists mainly of white and soft pink, using bright colors was a real stretch!

I swear to you, I was feeling the spirit of Debbiedoo and nothing but color would do!


Let me explain, Debbie's blog is full of color, in her house, out of her house, and even the colorful way she writes her blog



So Debbiedoo, this one's for you! 

Thank You!

Happy Creating











59 comments:

Something Special said...

Oh it reminds me of a darling little French Bistro right in the heart of Paris! Love Love it!

Debbiedoos said...

awww...that was the nicest tribute to me ever. I love it Carol. You are going to smile every time you pull up to your house. Oh but wait a minute, what will the neighbors think? Love the sign too btw. Thanks Carol for joining in,

Vicki said...

It turned out great, Carol. Love all the colors.

Vicki said...

It turned out great, Carol. I love all the colors!

Rona Gregory said...

Love it Carol! Isn't it nice when you start one thing and it leads to something else and then you end up with something so totally 'new'! Love the bright colors too.

xx

PAINTORDIG.blogspot.com said...

So cute! One thing leads to another for sure! I love all of your fabric choices.

Sherrie said...

Love the color! Lucky Florida gals..you deal with fading and we deal with moss.

Anonymous said...

I think it looks brilliant and theres still some pink,, wouldn't be you without a little pink!

Trisha said...

It's fantastic! The colors are perfect...makes me want to come have a visit on your new patio!!

~Trisha

Vintagesouthernlife said...

Love it! It's so bright and happy!

Anonymous said...

I did alter my post, then I realized the comments would not match but I didn't want to erase things that my friends took the time to write,, I'm still making mistakes,, thank you for your kind words,,

Ruby Jean said...

All that is missing now... Is the French Waiter with the towel draped over his arm... :)

It looks like a French Bistro...And I would like to be the first to make my Reservations... : )

Love the Address Sign...And the spruced up mailbox is beautiful...

Thank you for sharing this with us..
Blessings

Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads said...

I know what you mean when you say one thing leads to another. Come visit our blog and you'll see that it happened to us, too! Your patio is looking great.
link #66

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

It turned out beautiful. I wish you were here to urge me on to do some of the same things!! We have the hot AZ sun and it destroys outdoor things!

Savannah Granny said...

Looks great and to think it all started with new house numbers. Love the colors. Everything looks so fresh. Come by and see my front porch redo. I felt the need to add new color also. Hugs, Ginger

Lizabeth said...

That's adorable- you really gave it a cute look. Love the cushions on the chairs! The watering can on the stool is too cute! I know just what you mean about one thing leads to another, but heck that's what keeps us going! Very colorful and cheerful! Kudos.. Liz

Dandelion and Daisy said...

I'll bet the whole neighborhood is enjoying your redo....it would brighten up anyone day!

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Your porch turned out so well, Carol...just charming...and I love the color!

Stampindamour said...

Carol-

Very nice transformation. Always enjoy reading your postings! :)

-pamela

Scarlett said...

It looks perfect! Great job. Scarlett x

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Hi Carol,
I always get so excited when I see you have a new post. Nearly tripped and fell getting here! LOL!

I love your charming home. You have made it so welcoming. Now that I've seen yours I need to go out and do something to mine. I have two enormous urns and I haven't put anything in them! I'm ashamed I've neglected it. Thanks for the inspiration.

I really love the little corner with the chair and table plus the way you've enclosed it with the fencing.

hugs
Sissie

Ricki Treleaven said...

ROFLOL it's all Debbie's fault! Your front porch is so cute. I love it. Your house is adorable, too! :D

Gina said...

Carol, everything looks great! You really perked up the front of your house by adding color. I know all about how one thing leads to another & I also know how Debbie is always "making" us do things like this. She's a troublemaker if I ever saw one, don't you think? LOL

Just kidding Debbie...you know I love you! :D

Sylvia said...

Hi Carol...I call that Give a mouse a cookie ..chances are he will want..syndrome....from the kids book. One thing leads to another. lol

It all looks very summery and cheerful...you did good.

Sylvia

Anonymous said...

love the pops of color but my favorite.......the black awning. :)

Vagabonds Mercantile said...

I really like it,love bright colors outside. I spruced up the back porch but it's not nearly as cute as yours.

Connie said...

It's beautiful and looks very "Floridian", sugar. Well, I like it..... :-)
xoxo,
Connie

Debbie said...

Love it all and especially those seat covers in the red. I also liked the way you walked us through this makeover adventure. That is exactly what happens to me.

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

You were on a roll and look how pretty your porch is!! Oh yes, I know just what you mean. One thing always leads to another with me. Sometimes it takes just one piece of inspiration like your pretty house numbers.

Kathy said...

You made me giggle, not the best re-do on the web, I disagree...yours was dotted with whimsy and fun comments. I think the house sign is FABulous...and then what you have done...icing on the cake. Your patio looks like a nice place to relax, well if you can in the heat. I know this I am in La. and I barely go outside, you might call me a house dweller from May-Oct. Thanks for sharing with us...

Elise said...

Wow I love the flamingos! Altho you did a great job with the re-covering, the new fabric looks v pretty :)

Diann said...

All the new touches of color look wonderful Carol! Everything looks so pretty.

stefanie said...

its soooooo sweet!! I love the black canopy over your window!!!

Kim @ Starshine Chic said...

I love it!!! Made a huge difference.

Ido said...

It looks bright, summery, cheery, I love it!
XXX Ido

Ruffles n Raspberries said...

Great job Carol! I'm always trying to think of new ways to make our "typical" florida house unique. I think you nailed it!! (I actually thought it was a store front! LOL)

Very cute!
Sherri

Susan said...

Carol, your porch reminds me of an outside French cafe with the little bistro table!

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Carol,
I love the makeover and I agree that it looks like the outside of a French Cafe!! Adorable!
I know exactly where you are coming from...I call it the "Might as wells" or the Snowball effect. You know when a project get bigger and bigger like a snow ball rolling down the hill. Or when you do a project and you keep saying, We might as well do this and then we might as well do that!!
Funny how I think that happens with just about everything I do!!

Hugs,
Deb

abeachcottage said...

What a lovely porch! It looks so inviting, people walking by will surely be tempted to stop by :)

. said...

It is absolutely darling!! I love the bright colors! And yes, this how my tweaks go all the time. LOL

I wanted to answer your questions about my fence too. I'm not sure what it would have cost to install. I didn't get a quote. Although, now I'm curious what I saved or if it would have been worth it to just hire someone. My parents just had the back replaced on their wood fence and it was $3000. I would guess the back of their yard was about the same as my whole yard, so that's kind of how I'm gauging it.

And the auger, to be honest I'm not sure if would go through large boulders. It did go through some smaller rocks and concrete chunks in my yard and it cut up tree roots (until it got stuck, LOL). We got the smallest, one man, digger available. It might be that you'll need to rent a larger one that requires two people.

I don't think I helped, did I? LOL I'm sorry.

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Carol, one thing always leads to another and another. I was laughing and love your new fresh look. lucky you to win that number. Thanks for joining the party.

JudyBug said...

I started laughing before I was even halfway thru! It was like you were describing me in action as I go from one thing to the other. Your's turned out beautifully! I love it!

Thanks for your visit! I'm happy to be a "follower" of your blog!

Debbiedoos said...

Did I mention I really love the house numbers, that finally came? Looks great!

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Looks awesome girlfriend! Love the number sign and your patio is very inviting.
I hope we can find a "chick" sale too when you come to visit!
WOW...look at all those comments!
Warmly,
deb

kelly said...

The end result is lovely , Carol. It's nice to have a little makeover.

Kelly

Rebecca Nelson said...

I'm lovin it! I do!

YOU CANNOT HAVE MY CUBBY! :)

xoRebecca

SueBee said...

Looks great Carol! What a lovely place to sit and relax.
Hope you are enjoying this heat!
xoxo~SueBee

Angela McInnis said...

My favorite kind of project..the one thing leads to another type. BTW...I really LOVE the pillow fabric. Looks like little umbrellas! Good job!
Love,
Angela

Dee ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️ said...

I love all the differences you made.
I love the pop of red and your cute green watering can.

Dee
Your new follower

the old white house said...

This is what I call, If' you give a moose a muffin!! This happens to me all of the time. Right now I am looking for your tutorial on the melted flowers you put up a bit ago, but the only reason I am looking for that is because when I reached in my bag for my good scissors to make new curtains for the kitchen, I found the circles I cut out while at work last week and now instead of cutting the curtains out, I want to make a few new flowers! It's a muffin day for sure!!!! LOL
your patio looks so sweet, I love the bright colors! I'm with you though, I find I"m out of my element a little when I use them. I painted Hannah's room the prettiest aqua and she has yellow shelves and pink pom poms hanging from the ceiling and I love to go in there and take in a of the cheerfulness of it! xoxoxooxo

Linda said...

Carol- It looks adorable and sooo inviting! You know the process you were just refering to is what I call "the knee bone's connected to..."
You did a great job as always!.
Blessings, L

Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking said...

Oh it is so adorable!! The colors you chose are so pretty!!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Carol, I love the fabric you used and the colors do remind me of summer. Your patio and new address sign look wonderful.
xo,
Sherry

laxsupermom said...

Love all the changes! A coat of paint does wonders to freshen up everything, and I love the fabric you chose for the seats! Thanks for sharing.

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Hey, great changes, I love them...good job! I love paint, boy, it changes everything!! I also love the colors you've chose for the fabric, it sure looks like summer! Getting back to the Anthony trial...we have in Ecuador, CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN in Eng. and Spanish and of course, my very fav channel FOX NEWS! Cable and Direct TV. There's hardly anything I miss about the USA, as I am American myself and I want to know the latest on my country! Thank you for sharing and for asking. Thank you for the sweet comment on my dishes. Hugs, FABBY

Shabby Soul said...

I think it looks super! Sometimes color is a good thing!

Sherry said...

I love the transformation and a little bright color makes it fun!

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

This is so pretty, Carol! The front of your house looks like a European cottage! Love the table and chairs set and the look your awning gives to the whole scene.

Emreen said...

Love the pink chairs and the green watering can...!!!