Spring Time back patio updates
We are enjoying every second of spring time around Duke Manor Farm and this beautiful weather we have been having lately…although there is a freeze advisory for the weekend. I was at Lowes this weekend, and as tempted as I was to buy up all the pretty annuals, something told me to wait. I am glad that I finally listened to myself. So I went home and worked on my spring time back patio updates instead.
We love sitting or eating out here on the back patio. A few weeks ago I bought some cushions at Target. This year, I am going with an orange and navy color scheme. I have had this table and chairs for several years and painted it last year so it’s still looking pretty fresh. Since pollen is still rampant around here with stuff flying all around the air, I won’t permanently set up for a few weeks. Don’t want more to clean.
I also spent a fair amount of time updating all of my outdoor lanterns that have oxidized and faded severely over the last 14 years. I have been putting this off as long as I could and when the house got painted last year, it was painfully obvious just how bad they needed to be freshened up. It also seemed like one of those dreaded time consuming projects.
After hubby took the lights down, I took the glass out and wiped them down to get the dust off . I then applied two coats of oil rubbed bronze spray paint. Let them dry completely before putting them back together and putting them back up. Don’t they look amazing? Just like brand new again.
I know it would have been much easier to take down all the lights, and buy new replacements, but on a bright and beautiful Saturday afternoon, a couple of hours and a couple cans of spray paint, I know that it’s all worth the bucks that I am saving. Besides I need that cash savings for a new outdoor rug and an outdoor console table that I ordered for the space. Can’t wait to show you when I put it all together.
We also have been super busy getting our landscape beds freshened up around the house, pulling weeds and applying some new mulch . Never a dull around here…… and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
What Spring time back patio updates or projects are you working on?
grateful
for spring
I trimmed all the lirope out front and we need to get a truckload of mulch soon. Still have lots of cleanup to do. I have been waiting on the pollen to subside to dress up the deck. Pollen is better, but now the darn messy maple tree pieces are covering the deck. I sat out there yesterday and stuff was just falling out of the air. Soon it will be over, but I just hope the heat doesn’t creep in soon.
Beautiful Laura….Been out of town and now I think it is safe to take away all the coverings from my patio furniture due to the pollen….we are expecting freezing temps tonight, so I think I shall wait for the weekend to start fluffing the porches for Spring….
Looks good! Jealous because we are have very cold weather in Pennsylvania ! We did have a nice warm spell so my hubby and I build a fenced veggie garden with raised beds and cleaned out some flower beds but now we have retreated back inside! Can’t wait for planting weather !
Everything looks so pretty! The weather has been crazy around here…warm one day and freezing the next. It’s cold and windy now and will stay that way all week…so much for April in NJ! As soon as it looks like it will stay warm I hope to freshen up my deck as well. Things are messy out there!
Shelley
You are so lucky to be able to get outdoors and start your patio and yard work! I really love the colors in your new cushions. I’ve been seeing peach and orange in a lot of spring clothes, too. Ha!
We can get a few more freezes and the warm weather here in Illinois doesn’t really arrive until May. I’m thinking of a new rug for the patio and maybe cushions for our chairs…they are teak and fold up. And then the lakehouse—double duty!
Hope you enjoyed Europe…did I miss any good posts? We go to Vancouver in a few days. Sounds far but it’s only a 4 hour flight.
Happy Spring, Laura!!
Jane
Hmmm … Spring in Chicago is at least a month away. Maybe two. We had snow yesterday! But your patio is shaping up to look amazing! Can’t wait to see it all pulled together!
🙂 Linda
I went to a meeting last night and had to have some men help me open the truck’s doors because they had frozen shut. I don’t think Connecticut knows that it is spring. I so badly want to work outside but it is not in the cards. There are freeze warnings in effect for tomorrow.
We are going to have lots of spring projects around here, the first will be pressure washing winter off of everything.
Oh I think that the navy & orange will look amazing when you finish everything off outside! I used that same spray paint on an outside table that’s similar to yours! It turned out fabulous just like your outdoor lights! I love that stuff!!! Have a great day, Laura:)
I find myself bringing in more of the orange/blues into the house as well. I need to stop at some point!
We too hate that the intense pollen keeps us off our screened porch. We keep everything protected thru the Winter so it makes no sense to ‘open’ the porch until the pollen stops. My husband asks me every day when the pollen will be finished…….just in time for HOT weather.
I also meant to say, we have the same lights. When I use black paint & a sponge brush to paint the metal mailbox, I just climb up on a little ladder & paint the outdoor lights right where they are. My husband isn’t handy so I have to improvise to get things done.