New-To-Me Patio Set Re-do

My patio has really been the last thing on my list of things to do. I have found myself wanting to have a place to sit outside lately, so I figured I should break down and do something about it. So far, it's had one basil plant and one empty flower pot. Great decor, right? It's minimalist to the extreme. So anyways, last time I was at my Mother's house, I was eyeing all of the extra patio furniture she has.

Now admittedly, I'm not normally one to actually ask for free stuff. I love a bargain, but I won't come out and ask. But she just had some much extra patio furniture! I decided to break down and see if she would donate some to the "Make My Porch Look Pretty" foundation. Luckily, it worked! I inherited two chairs and a glass table; all of which needed a face lift.

Three cans of Rustoleum Satin Finish in Black later, here's what we have.

Before-

After-

Before (notice the rust...)

A close up....

And after-

Reinventing My Serviceware

So my Mother gave me this neat tiered serving piece from my Grandmother's estate. It's not really my style, but it was pretty none the less. A while back, I was inspired by another blog to use serviceware for everyday household items. I loved this idea, because I don't have a use for my serving pieces otherwise. I decided to put this one on my bathroom vanity to organize and display my everyday jewelry.

So I fell off the blogging wagon...

Time to get back on I suppose. Sometimes, I just don't have anything worth talking about. I have had a few decorating breakthroughs in the past few months though. I would like to share them, late as they may be.

First, my chair. I was very excited to have found this chair. I was at a consignment shop with my Mother looking for a 1950's era formal dress. Instead, I came home with a chair. I needed a chair (when don't we need a chair, afterall?), but I figured Jeff wouldn't be too thrilled about me spending money. I called him, and luckily I caught him in the middle of playing a video game with his brother. I have a feeling I could have been buying a car and he would have said "ok" to get me off of the phone. Oh well, his loss. Upon falling in love with this chair, I did not realize it's imperfections.

Once to honemoon period was over and I got the chair back to my Mother's house, I realized that I will eventually need to replace the legs. They're ok for now, but one day. It also needed new covering on the underside. Out came the staple gun and a white sheet. An hour or so, and a few iced teas later, it had a fresh underside and was vacuumed and febreezed!

Here's the chair right after giving it a facelift-



And here it is in the apartment. I loved this pillow on it. I wanted something to give it a modern edge; an Anthropologie meets Pottery Barn feel. The colors in the pillow match all the colors in the chair, so I felt it worked in an odd way.