Our Engagement Party!
We finally had it! It’s all over, even the cleaning up! It all went great, and we also wanted to thank everybody for coming and for the great gifts and cards! And, I have a few pictures to share!
The above is the general view of the backyard before the party. The picture doesn’t really do it justice. It was really nice, relaxing, and cozy. It was impressive for those who had seen our backyard a few months ago when we moved in!
The above is the table before all of the food. The vintage table clothe came from Fred and Ethels. The vintage letters are always hanging in our bedroom, and of course we had to have a big diamond! Isn’t that silverware bucket cute? My mom found us that. We also had some big dice (of course!) on the other end.
There were antique Ball jars scattered on the table tops and even in the grass that held candles for lighting up the night.
I love all of the paper lanterns. These were so easy, they had batteries! And, they were only a couple of dollars at the dollar store! They set a nice mood.
And at night everything glowed!
I hope some of these simple, but fun ideas help you with your next party. I loved them so much that I will use some of them for our casual BBQs and bonfires!
Fancied Up
We are just about completely ready for the party, but last night decided that the dogs should be clean and pretty too. After the bathing, brushing, and clipping, we thought Marley would make a pretty girl with red toenails. Have you ever tried this before? Yes, I am that cheesey. She is adorable but, man, was it work! 🙂 Check out our pretty dogs! And, have a great weekend!
Lawn Chair Paint Project
I got the new lawn chairs done just in time for the party. Remember these sweet but boring old fashioned lawn chairs we picked up?
Well, with some bright paint and a bit of handy work, they are now unique and look good together!
What do you think? I think pretty soon all of these random tid bits will come together!
Picnic Tables and Hammocks
We are getting there! Almost ready for the party! And, not to mention, an enjoyable and usable summer yard! I snagged this little red pillow and teal votive holder yesterday:
It feels cozy now. And don’t worry about that plant hanger behind the table. Something has a spot there, but I will show you in the party pictures. We also got the hammock in the mail and hung it the other day. If you have never relaxed in a hammock then you haven’t lived. This is the coziest spot in our home now! I can see that Tony will never get the yard mowed now! 😉 I also added a couple pillows there.
Also don’t mind the bushy, patchy grass. We are letting that grow as long as possible before the party so that the freshly planted stuff has time to get strong before all the company tramples it. The grass we planted just a few weeks ago has really taken off though! (Probably thanks to all of the annoying rain we have had!)
Look how long and thick some of it is already! And, see the spruced up chair in the background? I will post more on that project soon. The dogs also say hi!
One more thing we added over the weekend was a vintage fiberglass picnic table. My grandparents have had this table ever since I can remember, and now it is ours. But, it is sun faded and scratched. I am looking for a way to refurbish fiberglass if any of you out there have suggestions. I read that some people have had luck with Penetrol. I tried that last night. This did give it a great shine, but as far as bringing back color, I didn’t think it worked. Not to mention it would never bring back the one extra faded area in the middle! Here it is, and let me know if you have any ideas!
Sweet, huh? Don’t worry, the yard won’t be so stuffed full of junk when the party is over. The other picnic table goes back to the previous owner of the house. We are just using it for extra seating. This gorgeous guy stays! 🙂
P.S. I just wanted to say that Tony has put in many hard, hot hours cutting and dragging out tree limbs and overgrown “things” from this yard. Even though there are still some naked patches and unruly weeds it has come a long long way from the unusable yard it was when we moved in. Thanks Tony! 😉
Chair Love
I have been feeling a bit under the weather this weekend, so sorry for the delay in posting. We did make some more progress on the yard in preparation for the upcoming party. But, it is rainy now (again) so pictures will have to wait a bit. Instead, here is this weeks chair love. A Flickr find named Den Vorsitz, by David Fisher. Awesome!
Adorable Little Chair
Behold the new addition to the shop (or soon to be):
Isn’t he cute?? I’m not sure if I will remodel this little guy or sell as is. Any suggestions? I was thinking black paint and new cushion. But then again, I love the wood and the teal vinyl. Hmmm… Let me know if you have any interest in this oh-so-cute MCM chair (refinished or not) and I will keep you all updated on what I do with it!
I did end up leaving the chair as is after a good cleaning, and a girl immediately fell in love with it and snatched it up!
**SOLD**
Double Chair Love
I spotted this very gorgeous desk chair at Wide Open Spaces. It happens to be in a lovely photograph by Ngoc Minh Ngo, but look closely at the chair. Isn’t it beautiful?
The picture below that happened to grab my attention as well. The two chairs in front of the couch are the exact same as the chair we found months ago in the garbage!
A little bit of black paint on the legs and our chair is a copy! I’d still like any info on those chairs! See the photos (as well as other beautiful ones) on the blog here: http://wideopenspaces.squarespace.com/. See our chair in an old post here: https://makemineeclectic.wordpress.com/2008/12/12/our-officeden/ and here: https://makemineeclectic.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/name-that-chair/.
Fire Pit Finished
I picked up a few bricks yesterday and we finally got to work on finishing the fire pit. Yes, we are short by exactly one brick (not a bad guess!), but that will be taken care of next weekend. The bottom two layers which we laid a while back were now settled in mud and ash since we have been using the unfinished pit. After much digging and playing the mud we finally had them all arranged and neatly packed in. We cleaned out the bottom and laid a few rocks. What a difference! And, grass is poking up where we put grass seed already! We were so excited! Maybe there will already be some green out there in time for the party! I’m hoping it is strong enough be then so we don’t crush it all!
Yes, one quite obvious brick is missing! 😉
And here is the new chairs and table that we picked up over the weekend. They will be getting a special paint treatment…soon!
At first I was disappointed to not have found two of these style chairs that match, but we now think it will be fun to do them indifferent colors and embrace the uniqueness! (Plus, I couldn’t beat the price we found these for!)
Overall, it was a very productive and fun weekend. And, our softball team won our first game!
Mid Century Paintings For Sale In Shop
I went back to the thrift store and those paintings were still there. AND, they were 1/2 off! So, I snagged them and cleaned them up a bit. Now for sale in the shop! Check them out!
I think they would look really cute with the new roadside find chair!
Maybe in a little girl’s mid century room?
***SOLD***
Roadside Find
On a quick drive to Peoria yesterday to pick up some new lawn chairs I spotted the oddest, cutest little chair on the side of the road in Kewanee. On my way home it was still there, so I quickly threw it in the back of the truck and sped away!
It’s so ugly right now, but I think there is a lot of cuteness potential under there! That storage could be very useful too! Some scrubbing and some new fabric… maybe even some paint? Mid century lovers should love this one when its finished, so keep your eyes peeled because it will be another shop addition!
Make Mine Eclectic 
