Saturday, June 2, 2012

Spiffed Up Wicker Set

Do you want to know how I acquired the wicker set?  One day a couple of weeks ago I looked out my front window, and right there across the street were these two beautiful wicker chairs.  I knew these chairs, because they sat out on the patio of my neighbors back yard.  I loved them.  When I saw them at the curb I was shocked.  I went over to the front door, rang the bell, and when my friend came to the door, I asked her if I may have the chairs?  She said OF COURSE!!!  Take them!!!!  I carried them one by one to my back yard, almost skipping, I was so excited!  I had no sooner gotten inside the door when the phone rang.  It was my friend and neighbor Sue.  She said, " Would you also like to have the matching settee"  I ran straight back over with my wagon and brought it home.  She said they had gotten a new set of furniture and thought this old tired stuff had about had it.  I said, just you wait until I get it all spiffed up.  You will want it back!!!
I wasn't going to show it yet.  I had a set of old cushions that I put on it.  I will be shopping for new fabric to recover the cushions soon.  Have you priced the cost of patio cushions lately?  Wow, have they gone up!!!  I decided the old set I had will do just fine, especially after I get it recovered.
I used 10 cans of paint.  I still need more to get better coverage on the underneath side.  I think if I bought 50 cans, I could have used them all.  The wicker just seemed to soak it right up.  But it sure looks nice and pretty now.
In addition to looking for some pretty fabric to recover the cushions you see on the furniture now, I am in search of a wicker side table and a coffee table.  And then, when I know what the fabric looks like, an outdoor rug for underneath it all.   We spend an awful lot of time outside on this patio.  It has a solid cover, so the furniture stays well protected.  You can see the shade that is pulled down behind the chair. We get the afternoon sun so it can be very hot out here too.  We have another shade on the other side of the patio too.
We often have our coffee and breakfast here in the warm months.  And it is a good place to watch the activity in the pool.  There is a bathroom right off this patio which gets an awful lot of use.  I am standing in the doorway of the bathroom to take this picture of the length of the patio.
There is Geeps over there sitting in the new wicker, reading a book.  You can't miss him in that orange!!!
Oh, and that one piece of furniture in my previous post, the one that was yellow.....that isn't part of this set.  That is actually a piece I have had for about 15 or more years, and last summer I painted it bright yellow and put it by the pool in the summer.  So I just gave it a freshening coat of paint, and put it by the pool again.  I collect vintage sheets, and I had purchased these two remnants a while ago.  I had no idea what I would use them for.  But now I do.
They will be used to recover the cushion for this wicker piece.  It is the perfect bright orange and yellow.
Switching subjects now.  I have been wanting to get a clothesline.  I  had a retractable line that I used for many years.  I finally tossed it when I took down the fence by the outer patio.  I have been looking at different types of permanent lines to install, but I really didn't want it up all the time.  I wanted to be able to remove it when we had company or a party.  So I went in search of another retractable line today.  I went to Walmart because they had it on their web page.  But they didn't have it in the store.  So I went over to the hardware department and found something I thought would work great.  I bought two pulleys and a 100 foot length of line.   Greg installed the pulleys for me on the outside edge of the yard, behind the pool.  He put one pulley on the tall palm tree.
And one on an avocado tree directly across the yard.
We saw this type of line all over Italy.  They were strung across the streets from one home to another.    The pulley system works so great.  You can stand in one place, peg out a shirt, pull the pully sending it down the line enough to make room for the next item of clothing.  And taking it down, just as easy!
I like to wear an apron with large pockets for holding pins when I do this.  I also love this apron for  collecting eggs from the coop, or bringing in fresh veggies from the garden.
I can hardly wait to have my sheets line drying in the wind.  They are so crisp and clean smelling dried on the line.
I need a new clothespin bag too.
When I was putting the clothes out on the line, my daughter Erika said, "Wow, you and Dad have really gone green in the last couple of years!!" 
What are you up to this weekend?
XO  Kris

25 comments:

Gracie Saylor said...

Kris you did a beautiful job painting the wicker furniture! I like both the white and the yellow, and the sheet you found looks perfect on the yellow seat!
We don't have a clothesline yet, and we have so much rain, I am not sure how much use we would get out of one, but in the past I have especially enjoyed drying sheets outside!
Happy weekend(:
Gracie <3

Nicky said...

Fabulous, I'll bet your neighbour wants it back now :D

Between Me and You said...

FAB job on your wicker furniture - I have a couple of those chairs in the spare room - I never thought of spray painting them but now I will! I'm seeing polkadots on your furniture, crisp and fresh!My washing line is strung between two trees in my garden - does it damage the tree to screw the hook in like that?If not, I might consider stringing up a pulley too. You have a very lovely home.Have a great weekend.Jubilee Fever has struck over here but not so much in Scotland!

Petunia Pill said...

One man's trash is another man's (or woman's)treasure! I was going to say the same thing "Knitting Nix" said above! LOL Both pieces look gorgeous. In fact, your entire patio looks wonderful! Can I come over and sit awhile? Sitting outside is one thing that I DO miss about California. Here in Virginia, the mosquitoes are SO obnoxious and I just hate having to bathe in chemicals in order to enjoy an evening outside. Add to the mosquitoes the fact that the humidity is high most of the warmer months...that's no fun to sit in either! We have a beautiful deck - but we hardly ever use it. We've pondered having it screened in - but the price is too exorbitant for us right now...and probably always will be! My mind can conjure up the scent of clothes dried on a line! Hmmmmm, love that smell! And I love the idea of that apron you mention! I can hear the wooden clothespins rattling around in your pockets! My daughter and I purchased some eggs at a Farmer's Market last week. There's just no flavor comparable to fresh eggs! Loved this post, Kris! Hugs, Annette

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MommaGott said...

Hi - just wanted to say i have been reading your blog for a while and really enjoy reading what you write and looking at your pictures! I made your roast recipe in the crock pot with the hot peppers the other night and everyone loved it!

Heather - The Good Life said...

Your wicker looks great; actually looks brand new. Your patio is so inviting. My grandmother used to use her clothes line all summer and you are right, there isn't anything as fresh as line dried sheets. I can picture her out there now hanging the clothes out to dry. Happy Sunday Kris. Heather

corners of my life said...

Good job snagging that wicker set. I love those great "finds". I have that exact vintage table cloth (one of too many in our collections)and use it all the time.

Dawn said...

I think it is wonderful you could use the neighbors old set of wicker. Is she wanting it back now? I always buy my outdoor cushions at the end of the season when there on clearance for the next season. They are very pricey. I use a clothes line also, not to many do anymore. I love the money I save and it is enjoyable to me, a simple pleasure:)

Nicolle said...

My friend dries her sheets outside now too, and she says the smell is amazing.

Your wicker is so pretty. You did a great job making it look new. I love it. Wicker is so pricey, so you really scored. Cushions are expensive too. My mom was just pricing some out and she could not believe how high they were.

Anyway, I LOVE your porch. It's so pretty and inviting. I hope to have a beautiful outdoor area like that one day.

xo.

Anonymous said...

Oh Kris, the wicker looks great and the patio is inviting. I was already imagining sitting there with you having a cuppa and just chatting away!
Great clothesline idea. I don't hang many things out but I like to and some things just have to drip dry.

Debbie said...

I love the wicker set!! You did a great job with it...looks brand new. The sheet fabric on the yellow one is perfect!

When we were first married we lived in a little rental house that shared a little yard with two other families. We had washing machine hook ups in our houses, but no dryers. We had a large clothesline we all shared. (we had a schedule we all followed) I can't tell you how many times we have talked about missing that. The smell of the sheets drying in the sun in particular. When we finally arrived in our last home I told my hubby we HAD to have a clothesline out back. We rigged on up that was way out of the way and sight, but it was perfect. The kids all hung their beach towels etc. on it after swimming too as well as drying our sheets there occasionally. Can't tell you the use it had....ENJOY yours. :-)

Heather said...

Your back yard is gorgeous and so functional. I love it. Great job on the wicker. It looks so pretty and fresh!

Mereknits said...

You are so right your neighbor is going to want all that wonderful wicker back. I love your backyard area, I just use mine all the time. Even if it is hot outside I am usually out there for part of the day. I have been cleaning all my outdoor furniture to get ready for Mr. 18 year olds graduation party next Saturday, lot of work to get ready, but it looks so nice.
Hugs to you,
Meredith

Lauri said...

I've been thinking about a clothesline too. It would take only a minute to dry things in this Arizona heat. you've inspired me once again.

NanaNor's said...

Happy Sunday Kris, Today hubby and I went to Lowe's to look at wood for an overhang or a free standing gazebo. I think the cost is about the same but with a wood overhang at least it wouldn't blow away in our huge wind storms. I love your patio-it is so inviting! I love white wicker and wish I had some but I would need a place to put it.
Have a great evening.
Hugs, Noreen

Unknown said...

Yeah....laundry on the line. You both are going to sleep like babies tonight. Isn't it fun to wear a cute apron and hang the stuff out. It make a normal chore so much more fun to do.

By the way, great score on the wicker. It's a fab curb find.

Tammy said...

Love this whole post! Everything looks great!

Teresa Kasner said...

Kris, you rock. I love your energy and your "green-ness" and your place in paradise. You're a fave of mine! See you when I get back in 10 days!
((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Pam said...

You are so good about seeing the treasure in something someone else gets rid of. They look fabulous my friend.

My mom used to hang our sheets up outside but I have never done it as an adult.

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Wow Kris, what a find! so glad that you snatched it up before someone else did. It looks great out on the patio. I love the yellow chair also. I have loved wicker ever since I was a teen. I cleaned half of the garage while hubby went on a hike. I would have liked to go, but the knee is not good enough to handle that. Enjoy that cute new furniture.
Hugs,
Jann

deebriese said...

I love the new set. The porch looks like such a cozy area. I would always be back there. I would love a porch. I have the deck on the front of the house, but the mosquitos are soooooo bad this year due to mild winter I cannot sit out there at all! Great job girl.

Becky said...

Hi Kris.
I have been reading your blog for some time.
I decided it was time to let you know how very much I enjoy your writings on your everyday life.
You have a gopher and we have a family of skunks under our deck.
We have tried everything until we realized there was a family.
We are waiting for mama skunk to proudly strut her little ones out for a stroll.Then we will put flood lights under the deck.Hopefully they will move on.
I'm praying it works.
My retractable clothesline broke and after seeing your set up,we made a run to Wal-Mart yesterday.
Less than a 1/2 hour and less than $20..00 later,we have a clothesline.
I am doing linens today to hang out.
Like you I cannot wait.
Have a great day Kris.That is my daughters name by the way.Kris with a K.
Best of luck with that gopher.
Blessings,Becky

Unknown said...

Love the clothes line...I need a new one and this one sounds great. Love the yellow settee...the fabric just makes it! Gorgeous.

Debbiedoos said...

Kris you know I loves your wicker makeover. That cute round pillow is adorable too. Great color choices. I think we will do wine at your house tonight.