DIY: Natural Lighting

When I arrived home from work today, I was astounded by what I saw on my back porch. While I was away, my handsome, talented, strong and very manly husband had been building mama a rustic chandelier! It is very similar to something straight out of West Elm or Pottery Barn...

We were recently discussing the fact that we wanted a new light for our new back porch. Originally we had red lanterns hanging above, but after one good rain the color dye faded and we were left with ug-o shades. So since then we have just the bulbs hanging- not so chic. Erik's first idea was to weld an iron sphere that we would fill with bulbs for an industrial/modern light. Going with that theme, he decided to do some landscaping and lighting at the same time. He went in our overgrown back yard and cut down some hearty vines and wove them into the glorious sphere you see below for $0, yes it was absolutely FREE:

{ Doc & Uga love it too. }

All he did was cut the big vines first and he used some zip ties to make 2 circles. He put one circle inside the other and then used smaller vines to add more shape to it. Again, when discussing the iron idea, we wanted to paint it a fun bright color, but now I definitely want the rustic texture of the wood. I'll use twine to wrap around the zip ties to conceal them. As far as wiring goes, we are going to use big bulb string lights to fill the interior. I CANNOT wait to have it hanging on the porch. I'll keep you posted...

P.S. Did I mention how AWESOME my husband is?

P.S.S. And how I want him to make me 5 more?

Curtain How-To

Outdoor curtains are EXPENSIVE I have learned. Most run about $40-50 for a panel which, when I needed 4 for the deck, was out of the question. This is how it came to be that I make my own. That's usually how I end up doing most of the projects I do- I see what it costs to buy outright, I am astonished, I then make my own. Some people call it crafty, I say that I'm just cheap.

I searched online and found a site that sold outdoor fabric and found the white I wanted. (I'm not posting a link because I didn't have the best buying experience and I don't want others to have one either- use Google people!) I ordered 12 yards to make 4 panels that measured 88" after hems. I had to roll out the fabric on my bedroom floor to cut the panels. I added 6" (a 1/2" top and bottom flap, and 4" top seam, and 1" bottom seam) to the 88" for a total of 94" raw material. Then hemmed the top and bottom per the specs. Now why a 4" top seam you ask? Because I decided to use grommets to hang the curtains.

I found these awesome plastic grommets from Joann's that were perfect. Plastic so they wouldn't rust and there were a bunch of finishes to choose from. The directions said that a 4" seam worked best.

**Note: Always check specs for hardware before in case they ask for things like this!**

Next I measured out the placement for the grommets. With 6 per panel they worked out to be 7 1/2" apart. I then marked the center of the grommets and used the included stencil to make cutting guidelines. So easy!

Then I carefully cut out the centers and put the two plastic grommets one on top one on the bottom and they simply snapped together. The greatest grommets ever!

Once all the curtains were finished, Erik hung the 1" dowel rods, that I stained to match the porch, and I put up the new crisp, white panels. I also made tie-backs with extra fabric and tinier versions of the same grommets.

Now we have all the privacy we need, along with a cabana feel of the beach, nice.

When the Cat's Away...

 
So... long time no posts. I know, bad blogger, but I really needed some 'me time' as my sister would say. With the school year coming to an end and all that entails, -until you teach you will never appreciate summer vacation as much as I do- I was in serious need of some R & R. But alas I return with lots to share!!

As promised way back when, the hus and I have finally started, and almost finished our lovely back deck pergola. Here is the sketch for the project, courtesy of yours truly (Art teacher, remember...):

This is what our deck looked like before on any given blazin' hot Georgia day:

 

{ Don't you just love how many of our neighbor's homes you can see...}

Not only was it murder on your sweat glands, but our bedroom that looks out onto the deck is a good 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house because of the sunlight coming in. A pergola would not only give us a nice chill spot but also a cool nest to sleep in.

Our Pergola How-To

1. Take off railings in order to replace yucky posts with more support and height.

2. Add 8ft. 4x4' posts and reattach railings.

3. Screw backer boards to house, cut decorative ends to beams and attach to posts.

4. Fill in the rest of the beams. Add louvered beams for added privacy and more shade.

Here is what we have at the moment. We are still going to add smaller cross beams to the top and I have 12 yds. of outdoor fabric to create even more privacy. More pictures to come...

But tell me: How do you think the Husband did on his first big carpentry project??

I'm biased but I think it's pretty awesome.

Outdoor Structures

{ courtesy of HGTV.com }

As the Georgia sun heats up, I can't help but think about summer vacation- only 15 days away! I also can't help but think about how blazing the sun is on our back porch. The front porch on our craftsman style home is shady and a perfect spot for breakfast or a glance at a magazine. But the back porch is not covered except for our umbrella and is in direct sun almost all day. The husband and I have been talking about the possibility of building a pergola. I'm not a big fan of the European style ones with the ornate wood-carved edges. I like simple-duh, and clean lines. 

We are thinking of a pergola similar to this one, but may put the slats on a 45 degree angle.

I like the modern feel of this one.

{ courtesy of flickr.com }

I would also like to add curtains like these from Pottery Barn to add softness and even more privacy- from our porch we are in view of 8 of our neighbors, I like them, but it's a bit much.

{ courtesy of PotteryBarn.com }

When we get a sketch I'll share but until then I would like to be lounging under this one...

{ courtesy of vagabond.com }