Some Serious Stripping... and Refinishing Our Wood Patio Set

I did a lot of stripping during the past three weekends- paint stripping that is!  Any other kind of stripping likely won't be my cup of tea :)  but the project I took on almost a month ago was to remove the paint from our old wood patio set so I could get down to the natural wood then sand it, stain it, and properly reseal it.

I thought it was going to be a one weekend type project (and you'd think I would know better by now) but they never are, or maybe our expectations are just way off all the time?  But it wasn't as simple of a project like I thought it'd be, but I'm so glad to finally get this one checked off the to-do list!

I wish I had better before photos of it, but here's a look at the problem we were dealing with because some idiot thought it was a good idea to paint our wood patio set.  Sadly, I admit that I am the idiot that painted them :(  Alex told me it was a bad idea and he was right.

It didn't take long for the chairs to look weathered, worn, and have the paint just plain chip off all over the place.  We used them that summer (2012) after I painted them and when we got them out last summer I thought they looked terrible so I repainted them, even had to touch them up mid-summer.  So this summer when we got them out of storage and saw the same thing I decided it was time to do the right thing and strip off all the paint so I could stain, seal and protect the wood look.

I kicked off my project using my trusty belt sander along with 50 grit sandpaper....  and that step alone took like six total hours of work over two weekends.  That is the main reason this not-so-little project took so dang long to finish.  That much belt sanding isn't fun at all but it is the easiest way to cleanly remove paint from wood and then the surface is ready to stain and seal.  I have to say though that I think it made my arms a little buffer!? :) 

Couple things to keep in mind if you use a belt sander on wood: 

1. Always go with the grain direction on the wood, if you go perpendicular to the grain your wood surface will be very rough.

2. Keep the sander moving, if you hold it too long in one spot you will dig deeper into the wood and your surface won't be level.

3. Keep the belt sander away from metal hardware, your sandpaper will likely rip off the belt if you run into screws/bolts.  Honestly, it happened a couple times to me on this project, just kind of startles you and then you have to stop and get another sandpaper belt.

4. Use gloves and protective eyewear!  If your sandpaper belt rips, it will likely hit your hand so always good to protect them and for eyewear, I know I don't have official goggles on but sunnies worked for me.  Stinks if you get wood dust in your eyes because it'll stick around and annoy you for a while!

Anyway, I did the best I could getting most of the paint off with the belt sander but in the spots where I couldn't use the belt sander I used Klean Strip Sprayable Stripper to remove the paint.  It worked pretty well, you just spray, let it sit for ten minutes, then scrape or wipe off.  

After all of that paint removal effort, I couldn't get into all the nooks and crannies of the table and chairs and sort of said f*** it.  The natural wood surface was showing for the most part and it already looked worlds better so I was happy with it.  Sometimes you have to just make a call on what you can and can't do in a project and trying to get in between all of those narrow wood pieces wasn't going to happen and I was cool with that.

Done with paint removal, finally time for a new step!  Before I could start staining the wood, I used Mineral Spirits to clean off all the wood dust and other debris from the wood.  After that, I used Minwax PolyShades One-Step Stain and Finish to stain and seal the wood.  It's pretty simple to apply using a paint brush going along the direction of the wood grain.

Click here for more info on Minwax PolyShades One-Step Stain and Finishes

Since Minwax PolyShades is intended for indoor use only, I also used Varathane Spar Urethane since our wood patio set is outside.  Alex asked why I didn't use wood deck type stain instead and I honestly just didn't think of it but that probably would work as well.  Either way I think spraying the Varathane weather and UV protectant whether you use indoor or outdoor stain.

Click here for more info on Varathane Spar Urethane Wood Protectant

After that dried, that was it!  I moved the set back up to our deck so we could sit and enjoy it once again.  I know it isn't 100% perfect but I am sooooo much happier with the look now and I won't have to constantly touch up the paint :)  Glad I got it done in time for another family visit this weekend and for the Fourth of July!

We have Alex's parents in town for a visit this weekend, I hope it doesn't rain so we can sit outside and use it!

One thing I know though, if it does rain all weekend I can imagine they'll be a glorious MOA (Mall of America) trip in our future :)  It is one of the Twin Cities finest tourist attractions after all.  Works for me because I need to make a stop across the street at Ikea for my next project (a new look in our sunroom!).  Hope you'll stop back next week for an update on that too!   Have a great weekend everybody!

Veggies Growing & Our New Hydrenga is Blooming!

Can you believe how fast summer is flying by?  That really slow start to spring sure didn't help- speaking of that, did anyone else wonder how that would affect their plants/landscaping?  Maybe I am a weirdo because I did, but maybe it's because I didn't see our Tulips and Peonies earlier and instead they sort of came up with everything else.  I should have known though that nature would figure itself out and it did.  Everything around here seems to be growing like crazy- including the veggies in our DIY planter boxes! 

Some of them are even ready to eat!  I'm kind of shocked Alex and I grew something edible, you know like a farmer, LOL!  I'm pretty amused by it, and I've enjoyed calling Alex "Farmer Ted" (Sixteen Candles anyone?) every time he goes out to water the garden.  Naturally I had to make a visual... 

Alex didn't get the reference and that seemed to make it more fun for me :)  I know it's weird, but it still makes me giggle!
 
Aside from the new garden greens & farmer Ted thing in the backyard, I'm happy to share pretty pics of our new hydrangea shrubs in the front yard!  I had wanted hydrangea shrubs since the first summer in our house and this being our fifth summer I thought it was finally time!  I have to tell you though they had a rough start and long story short, a week after planting they looked pretty dry and another week later almost dead even though I watered them five days a week. Thankfully, I was able to revive them!

I learned is that they needed TONS of water! Hydrangeas are thirsty- especially when they are newly planted!  I watered them everyday, about 2 or 3 gallons (while reviving) and then went down to 1 gallon when they started improving.  It's a crap ton of watering compared to other plants but it's been worth it to me.  Hydrangeas just seem so charming, fluffy and happy! I'm loving this pretty addition in our front yard!

 

So what's growing and blooming in your yard?  Any happy hydrangeas? 
Are you enjoying home grown veggies too?

I'd love to know if anyone has fun recipes that they love to use for garden veggies, let us know!

A Trunk in Our Trunk

A tree trunk to be exact!  

Can't you tell that's a tree sticking out of our car?!?!

Over the weekend Alex and I went on one of our Home Depot Adventures in search of a tree to plant in our backyard.  You might remember that we lost a few in the May 2011 tornado, including this large pine (aka Mega Stump) that got completely uprooted...

Once we lost that we didn't have any trees in our backyard, wa-wa-wa. We wanted to get one planted after we installed our new wood privacy fence last fall, but worried it was too cold and late in the season to plant then.  Ideally we would have done it earlier this summer but never got around to picking one out until now.
 
We did a little research online regarding the kind of tree we wanted and settled on a Red Leaf Plum Tree.  We both loved the look of the purple leaves and it will grow to be 15-20 feet tall and 15 feet wide- making it a perfect fit for our yard and what surrounds it.  Even though I wish it were that big now, planting this cutie with Alex and watching it grow for years to come feels more special...

The 'stuffing it in the trunk' part of course didn't feel so special, especially when strangers walked by and looked at us like we were idiots :)  at least the idiots got the tree home safely and saved $$$ on renting a truck!

Once we got it home, Alex and I hoisted the tree out of the trunk.  Naturally, the next thing that happened was Sadie barking at it like crazy since it looked like a 10ft tall ghost.

After Sadie barked at the ghost long enough for it to turn back into a tree, Alex and I were ready to start digging! We had to use our hose to get the ground kind of soggy since it has been so dry and that seemed to help a lot.

When we Alex finished digging the hole, it was time to plant our tree!

All the action looked kind of like this...

Alex used three stakes and some rope to brace the tree and keep it straight as it grows.  So here it is!  The latest and greatest edition to our backyard!

I am looking forward to the cooling shade and beauty that this tree will offer as it grows.  I also feel proud and that Alex and I added something that not only we will enjoy but hopefully our neighbors as well or even a future homeowner.

What to you think of our new little purple beauty?
Have any extra tips for keeping it healthy through the fall and winter?
Lots of fun fall decor & event related posts coming this week, hope to see you again soon!

Our Own Little Outdoor Hangout

I got each and every little bit of my deck-decor put together... at last!  All together we spent about $65.00 on all the decor and flowers.  Thankfully we were able to keep our costs low by repainting our patio set, vertical planter panel, and small side table.  I also sewed four decorative outdoor pillows from an outdoor table cloth I found on clearance! 

Here's a look at how it all came together.  It's nothing fancy-pants or anything, but each little touch finally made this outdoor space feel like our own little hangout. 

 This is what it used to look like after Alex rebuilt the top level.  Again, not bad or anything but it just didn't feel comfortable or cozy.

 The white pillows below are the ones I made from the clearance outdoor table cloth, such a smart score!  I sewed a 1" flange around each side so they wouldn't look like a plain white pillow insert. 

You can see where we placed those Solar Deck Lights from Target in the photo above. I LOVE those lights!  They have a nice more natural lit color at night, not the blue looking LED kind.  I have to give my brother-in law some oh so magical Hammers and High Fives too, he found a couple sets for us!  I was so excited since I can't find them at any Target nearby.

 For the planters, I removed the spruce trees added two coleus plants.  I found them at the farmers market and thought they were different and pretty.  Alex told me "they looked like a swamp creature" but I still think they are a fun alternative to flowers... and more practical than blue spruce pine trees, LOL! Had to throw that zing in there :)

 Our patio table and chairs turned out so nice after giving them a fresh crisp coat of paint!  I wish I would have painted them a long time ago, they looked beat up for so long and this was such an easy little update.

 I also got over to Home Depot to grab a couple colorful little flower pots for $1.98 each to add to our DIY vertical planter panel.

We still need to stain the deck of course, but that's a wrap on the decor for now!

Once I finished up, I took a look back at what I planned for and I think I stayed pretty close to my original inspiration. Although I still really want those pillows from Target... 

 Maybe next summer I can add some floor cushions?  I think those would be nice to have near the sitting bench or for star gazing at night :)

 Lastly, I just had to show you what was going on behind the scenes as I took pictures of the deck....

Oh you betcha Rocco and Sadie wanted to be out in all the action :) Lots of pawing and whining. 

The look on Rocco's little face totally cracks me up, he looks so determined in that photo.  I imagine he was thinking something like "I must, I must push this door open with my face!"



So what do you think of the deck-orating?

Do you think the coleus looks like a "swamp thing"?
What color should we use to stain the deck? I'd love recommendations!

Do your pets do silly things behind the scenes when you work on something too?!?

August Head Over Heels Friday #2: "DIY-ikea" Creations

As mentioned in a delightful little post earlier this week, my "DIY-ikea" was totally unplanned as it resulted from my HORRIBLE Ikea experience last Saturday. Since I couldn't take the Applaro Wall Panel home, I'm happy I was able to whip up my own version that provided the same function...

I am just Head Over Heels with how simple it was to make and with this completed, I'm pretty much finished with the last of my deck decor!  Here's a look again at my vertical planter idea and Ikea's wall panel that planted the idea (ugh, love a good pun).

Applaro Wall Panel: Ikea $39.99; with shelves $59.99

When I started thinking about decor for our newly finished deck, I had a hard time coming up with a way to decorate the outside wall of the house.  It's not like you can hang a framed photo like on the inside... although that would be kind of funny.  Anyway, the vertical planter was the perfect way to add some decor and I loved how Ikea displayed their panel with hanging planter pots (shown that way in the catalog, not online).

My line of thinking when making our own was that it needed the ability to hang little planter pots.  I quickly thought of all the lattice laying around our garage.  There was tons of it and I could easily hang plants from it!  DING-DING!  I grabbed a section, cut it down to fit from the deck to the top wood trim, and then spray painted it.  This is where my hubby jumped in to help :)  He pointed out that it needed a frame around each side in order to support the weight of each planter pot.... and unknowingly, he signed himself up to work on this project too, hehe!  Alex cut a piece of wood for each side and attached it to the lattice (shown with red lines below).

After that, I added one more coat of paint.  I decided to paint the lattice to match the color of the patio furniture to create a cohesive look with the accessories.  The last step was attaching the lattice panel to the house.  Alex used a concrete drill bit and created pilot holes for the screws first, then used screws to secure the lattice panel in place.

Once he finished, I happily added my little potted plants and squealed with excitement! 

 I used thinner metal pots/vases that I had from Ikea (they are kind of old),  I figured the lighter weight the better since I had to add a plant and soil.  To secure to the lattice, I used metal clips from an office supply store that had a small hook attached to them.  Who knew I'd use them for something like this but it worked!

This is how it is looking today, but I'm feeling kind of eager to add a couple more plants or flowers... it needs some more right?!?!  Keep in mind I am no expert on plants or flowers, so if they grow all crazy and huge I will move or adjust as needed.  The fact that I have had them for a week now and they are still alive is an achievement for me :)

What do you think of this DIY-ikea creation?!?!  Are you Head Over Heels for this one too?

I'll take the rest of the Deck-orating afters tomorrow morning when I have some pretty sunshine to work with!  Can't wait to share, have a great weekend everybody!

Click here if you want to see Week #1's DIY-ikea creation: Ladder Shelf Turned Bathroom Towel and Storage Rack.

Patio Furniture Refresh & Outdoor Decor Shopping

My big goal over the weekend was to get going on our "deck-orating" project.

One of the to-do's I haven't mentioned before was to fix up our little Ikea patio furniture set.  Here is a photo of the set when it was brand new in the summer of 2010 (we talked about it the first time we fixed the deck shown here).   Don't you just love the color and wood finish???

We sure did and it was nice to enjoy that lovely new set that summer. 

Sadly, our set was ruined the following summer due to the May Tornado.  Not sure if the set blew off the deck or got knocked under the giant pine tree that fell in our yard.  Either way, it ended up under that giant knocked over pine tree.  We actually didn't even know we still had it until we started cleaning up the tree when Alex got to yell, "I found the patio set...under the tree!"

As you can imagine, it didn't look the same at all after that :(  That nice wood finish got all chipped and scuffed up after getting tossed around in 120 mph winds and dragged along the concrete under a big pine tree.

With all the other little deck updates, our patio set needed some attention too!  All it took was a little bit of sanding (thanks to nature for already roughing up most of it) then I used Rustoleum's Espresso spray paint to give it a fresh start.  I debated sanding more and then staining the wood but I am happy with the darker solid color of the furniture and it also won't clash or contrast with whatever color we stain the deck.

Aside from painting the furniture, I did a little outdoor decor shopping.  Most of the retailers I went to had their seasonal outdoor selections on clearance which sadly meant there wasn't much left to shop.  Thankfully, I was able to score two sets of the Solar Deck Lights I wanted from Target!  I wish I could have gotten more to put on our fence as well!  If anybody out there spots them in the Twin Cities area let me know :)

My other lucky find ended up being these outdoor pillows from Home Depot, just  $8.00 each.  I liked the stripe and color on these, but I am still bummed that Target no longer had the pillows I really wanted :(  I was trying to avoid going to the fabric store to make some of my own but I might just have to now?  Maybe I can at least make two more that coordinate with the HD pillows but in a larger size?

So, not as much gathered as I had hoped but at least we got to a bunch of much needed (not-so-fun) yardwork.  Alex also ended up fixing the stairs to the lower level when he began adding lattice on each side of the deck.

A couple more pillows and plants and I think things will be wrapped up here!

If anyone has a good online site for finding outdoor decor this time of year PLEASE let me know! 

I had no idea it would be so difficult, garsh!

Yep, garsh :)

Deck-orating Ideas

Get it?!?  I get a kick out of a good post title, hehe!  Anyway...

I've been thinking about some "deck-orating" ideas for our newly finished deck.  I loved all the suggestions some of your posted in the comments which helped me come up with this inspiration board! 

Planters, Side Table, Solar Deck Light Set, Outdoor Pillows: Target  |  Outdoor Floor Cushions, Floor Mat: Ikea  |  Vertical Planter: Grandin Road



I'm thinking all we need are some decorative outdoor pillows, an outdoor rug, side table, solar lighting, planters + flowers, and (maybe) a vertical planter.  It would pull together a nice look for the deck right?  I know this late in the summer I might not be able to find those exact pillows and cushions, but I'm really loving the idea of a traditional awning/ cabana stripe style.  It is totally classic!

 Even doing my Google search for stripe patio images I found that the patio featured on the show Dallas had that classic awning stripe look...

Yep, weird connection to make but most of you might know I love my strange TV shows.... past and present!  Maybe that means it is meant to be (with my own personal twist on the classic of course)?We will soon find out! 

What do you think of the deck-or ideas?

Have you created a vertical planter or used one? What are the positives & negatives?

Are you having a hard time finding patio decor this late into the summer?

See you Friday for another Head Over Heels Friday July DIY decor & gifting edition!

The Deck Is Dun-Dun-DONE!

Take a look at our backyard deck refresh! 

Alex slaved away at it while I was in Michigan, then over the Fourth of July, and finished it up on Saturday!  We still need to stain it (ugh and pick a stain), but man it feels good to have the boards leveled out and railings.  It's a WHOLE deck now!

In case you are wondering about what or why we changed it, lets look back.  The first time we redid our deck was in the summer of 2010.  The boards were rotting and spaced too far a part (even little Sadie got her paw stuck between them once, so sad!).

Alex tore it a part and added new boards that were spaced appropriately along with a new lower level.

 After that this was kind of how it looked ever since.  We hoped to have added the railing and stain last summer, but the tornado wrecked those plans (still breaks my heart seeing our backyard with those trees and shade).  Then over time we started to notice a problem with our first redo...

The boards were popping up unevenly as the nails loosened up.  It didn't take Alex long to figure out that he should have used decking screws instead of decking nails (remember we aren't perfect, learning as we go!).  He also determined that we needed additional support joists on the old frame. 

 So Alex started tearing up the deck again....

Deja vu?!?!

 Alex figured he should flip each board since they were faded before screwing them in. If you look closely you can see one of the additional joists he installed.  One things for certain, we will have to be more timely with staining this time!

After getting the base set, he began to install the deck railing.

 Alex picked the railing style knowing that the only thing I was against was the plain skinny railing sections that you can buy at Home Depot.  He picked up some 1 X 6" wood and created this on his own.  I think he did a fantastic job and I love the style!

To give the deck some flair he also built two wood planter boxes and a bench.  Yep, always above and beyond (even though it means more cursing and time in the hot sun, LOL!).

With the bench and planters in place the deck was done!  Hooray!

I'm loving this improved space right outside our door, just feels cozier!  Heck, maybe now we can finally enjoy our yard this summer?!?

Here's a closer look at the finished planters and bench. 

Hmmm... I am sure there's ways to decorate the deck and bench right???

Alex already said that I can remove those little trees (because they'll one day be full grown blue spruce trees) and add some pretty flowers so I might do that this week!

  Woo-hoo!  Well, we can almost check that one off of our Summer Plans list (still need to stain), but I love it!

What do you think of the deck? 

What kind of fun outdoor decorations should I add?

Decorating in the outdoors is still kind of foreign to me, if you have ideas let me know!

A Tale About a Fence (and the Before & Afters!)

It has been a long haul completing the install of our new wood privacy fence, but thankfully, it's finally done!  The last step was putting up the two entry/ exit gates.  Both were placed in the same location as the gates from the old chain link fence.  We have one gate near the front side of the house along the walkway to the backyard, and the other is near the garage door.

Alex used extra fence panels to create the gates.   He just measured out the length we needed for each gate and cut the panels with his circular saw.

Once the panel was cut, he brought it over to mark the drill holes needed to hang it from the hinges.

After marking the correct spots, he pre-drilled pilot holes for the screws.  Then he grabbed his screw driver and attached the hinges to the post.

After that I had to help him hold up the gate in order to add the screws through the hinges and into the wood panel. So, I don't really have pictures of that step since I was holding up a big gate, boo!  But after that we installed the other gate with the same steps and the fence was complete! Yippee!!!!

Now, ready for the 'before' and 'afters'?!?

I am super excited to show you! HOWEVER, in the process of looking back at older posts for pictures, I realized that a whole lotta stuff worth mentioning happened in order to get us to the completion of our new fence. Especially since we never planned on in the first place, mother nature made that decision for us.

So, let's take a dramatic stroll down memory lane...

In the summer of 2010, I snapped this supermodel photo of Alex while he and I were working on gutting our super f-ugly backyard.  See that big 60+ year old pine tree back there?

Well, fast forward to spring of 2011...

On May 22nd, something VERY unexpected happened when an F2 tornado came through our neighborhood.

So, that big ol' pine tree did this...

KABOOM!

I still can't believe how many mature trees were just plucked up like that, roots and all.  Makes you think about how powerful and scary a tornado can be!  Still miss all those beautiful trees :(

Anyway, once we were able to clear that remains of the big old pine tree (FYI insurance doesn't pay for tree removal from your property, only if it lands on your house), we found our old ugly chain link fence crushed underneath it as well as pulled out of the ground by the tree roots.

Fast forward again to September.... and yes, we had to live with a busted fence for 5 months, which wasn't fun with two dogs.  All goes back to the insurance and recovery process, it IS NOT a fast process.  They should call it the "the insurance and painful/ stressful recovery process", at least people would know what to expect! Okay, okay, back to the fence. 

Alex and I decided that instead of replacing our busted chain link fence, we would *upgrade* it to a nice wood privacy fence!  In order to offset the increased cost of the wood fence, we took on the removal of the old chain link and installation of the new fence ourselves.

(click here for the link to installing the fence panels)

PHEW!  After all that drama, stress, manual labor, and planning we now have a beautiful fence!!! We will still need to stain the wood next year.

Take a look at these 'before' and 'afters' from inside the yard looking out.  This is where you can see what a difference the fence makes for our yard and property!  Keep in mind, we live within the city limits in an older home, so our lots are small and we have an alleyway behind our house/ yard.  The 'before' was taken on the 4th of July in 2010, it was kind of the only picture I had showing the fence, alley, and our neighbor's houses/ garages (so ignore the game of ladders that is going on).

AMAZING right?!? Alex and I for sure think so!  The privacy is a vast improvement, especially when your neighbors are in a pretty close proximity.  Not having to look at the alleyway is also a big bonus!

Here is a look the other way, and the only good 'before' I had was from when the guys were cutting up the pine tree after the tornado.  You can see our next door neighbor's home/ yard, and the one next to them.  Again, not bad, and we like our neighbors, but everything is just very open.

Ahhhh!  Again, more privacy! Even though we are in our 'urban' setting, it feels more private now, like we have our own little oasis!  Also, that fence is just nicer to look at anyway than the chain link ever was! I also love feeling more secure when the dogs are running around in the back yard with the taller privacy fence.

We have enjoyed a couple bonfires in our newer yard and the fence really did change the feel we have when we are hanging out back there.  Less like you are out on a stage where all can see you kind of thing. 

As I mentioned before, we still need to stain the wood which will happen next spring.  I also really want to get outdoor string lights to hang along the fence so it will look cute at night!  Sadly, might have to wait until next spring too when it warms up again.  I can't wait to enjoy the yard then!

The End

Cast:
Evil Villian.... Tornado
Hero.... Alex
Helpless Princess.... Carla

errr... well I felt like I needed that after this LONG tale about a fence.  I hope you enjoyed the journey with us!  See you tomorrow for Head Over Heels Friday!

The Cutest Thing Happened In Our Backyard...

Baby Bunnies!!!

Everyone all together now, "Awwwwww"

Our pup Sadie was the one who discovered these little guys in our backyard a few days ago during one of her potty breaks.  She kept digging her nose by our fire pit and was making really goofy howl-y type sounds.  Alex and I walked over to see what the problem was.  Alex pulled Sadie away and then when I saw something moving I freaked out!  My first reaction was that it was a rat, or a mole, or who knows!  Then Alex took a closer look and confirmed....

Baby Bunnies!!!  They had cute tiny round bunnies ears and their eyes weren't even open yet!  We are pretty sure there are just three of them.  It was impossible to get a good picture of all 3 since they just sort of popped up out of their nest and went right back in, but this was the best photo.  I think #3 was camera shy.

They were so adorable I just wanted to pick one up, but my 'I lived on a farm so I am a wildlife expert' husband reminded me to leave them alone (aside from photos of course).

After a quick trip outside their nest they hopped back inside their home.

And of course, Alex and I being the dorks we are, we had to name them :)

I hope I can get a few more pictures of Flopsie, Bopsie, and Hopsie once they get bigger or when their eyes are open.  Who knew we'd experience nature up close out here in the urban jungle?!?

Hope you enjoyed this full day's dose of cuteness!

Name That Flower!

Well, you all know that this little Dutch Colonial is our first house right?  Along with our first house we got our first ever yard to care for.  When it comes to the inside of our house, we totally know what we are doing...  But when it comes to the outside, we still don't really know what we are doing (I'm sure our neighbors love that, JK!). 

Thankfully, the previous homeowners did do a lovely job landscaping the front yard.  Throughout the spring and summer we get to watch a variety of perennials bloom.  Now that we are in our third summer in our home, I thought I should find out what exactly is growing and make myself a little landscape plan for our front yard.  Maybe next spring I will be able to do a better job keeping an eye on these flowers and maybe even add a few more? 

Let's take a look at these beauties... and I hope some of you out there can help me figure out their names!  I know a few thanks to the help of my expert gardener pal Dean (Hammers and High Fives Dean!) but not all.   This is where "Name That Flower!" comes in!  Where you see a blank line with a number is where I need help with names- are you in?  Let's get started!

Earlier in the summer these ___(1)___ popped up.  Some type of Iris?

Just behind those were Baptista.  Love the color of these!

Along our walkway were these Peonies.  I love Peonies! They are so full and dreamy, I wish they lasted longer, I miss them!

Just recently, these Shasta Daisies bloomed on the opposite side of our yard.

Neighboring them are these Black Eyed Susans and....

Cone Flowers, they indeed attract a lot of birds, bugs, and butterflies as it says in their description!

Now that the Peonies are gone, nearby their old location are Bee Balm.  Is is just me or does they look like they could be a character on the Muppets? 

By our porch sit these ___(2)___.  I thought they might be Joe Pye Weed?  Or White Snakeroot?  Or is this just a weed that looks kind of pretty?  I really don't know!

All along our walkway are these ___(3)___, tons of them!  I feel like it might be Loosestrife? 

Lastly, I caught this Tiger Lily that was just starting to bloom.  I think we are going to have a whole bunch pretty soon!

So that is what's been 'growing' on in our front yard! (ha, get it?).  I'll be sure to share more images if we see more flowers pop up (if they do that this late in the summer?  See, I really know nothing about gardening!).

Were you able to recognize some of the flowers numbered 1-3?  I'd love any help with the names of these beautiful flowers (thought this would be way more fun that spending hours googling flower images)! 

Please help me Name That Flower!

The Morning Glory Story

It dawned on me when I created our House Tour page that I never showed any after pictures of the left side of our Ugly Yard Overhaul.  The biggest change was planting morning glories back in June to grow into the ugly (but convenient when you have 2 dogs) chain link fence.

Here is the before picture of the left side of the yard.  We had to remove 5 large bushes along with several plants and a lilac tree.  We laid grass patch down where the plants were removed.  All we wanted was a grass yard so the doggies could run around, who knew that would be so hard?  Since we live within the city in an old neighborhood, that is the alley you see behind our yard.  We planted the morning glories so they could grow into the fence and make it look pretty along with hiding the alley from view.

I'm kicking myself for not taking afters in the summer when the yard was lush and green, but here is the after (with some fall leaves).  It took about 3 or 4 months of growing, but those morning glories took off!!!  We now don't have to look at the concrete alleyway or the chain link fence, so much better!

The little flowers that bloom along the fence are so pretty. There are tons in the morning (hence the name) but a few will last throughout the day.

Yard After: Right Side

We started redoing our yard at the beginning of May, so it sucked up about 2 months of work for us, and it was the hardest project we have worked on so far with the house, this one was HUGE! Here is our first yard blog:

/hammersandhighheels/2010/06/operation-ugly-yard-overhaul-part-i.html

So again, here is the before:

And After! Crazy how much hard work it took to just have grass in our yard! The dogs love it, no more woodchips or plants all over the place and in the way, and our neighbors were so thankful we did an overhaul on this eyesore!

Now facing the house, the yard before:

And After! Ahhhh, so much better! I can't wait to plant more flowers and get the lattice up on the deck!

The Deck is Done! well... almost

Our goal was to have the deck completed by the Fourth of July since we had family coming to visit, and we did reach our goal... minus having the lattice up all around and applying the wood seal/ stain (which we have to wait until next year to do anyway). We started the project in this blog when we had to tear apart the old deck:

/hammersandhighheels/2010/06/our-deck-redo.html

So here is the after:

Here is the patio set we got on clearance at Ikea, it is has nice features, the chairs recline and the table folds in half (as shown), and I picked up some patio pillows at Target, I love them!

Here are the stairs that connect the two levels

And this is the top level, we aren't complete here either, we would like to add a bench around the border instead of a railing so it would feel a little bigger and add extra seating, we (Alex) will probably do next year.

And in this picture you an see more of the new yard! We still can't believe we have grass on that side of the yard, it was a disaster before. I will post a new blog on the yard 'after' next.

I have also had a lot of fun adding flowers to the yard, still working on keeping them alive though!

Our Deck Redo Continued! Lower Level Construction Included!

After we took the original planking off the upper level of our deck, Alex started putting the new boards down that we picked up on our huge Home Depot Adventure.

Then... FINALLY! A real deck with normal spacing! So exciting!

With the first level complete, Alex began framing up the lower level...

And here is Alex in process.... happy face!!!!! HAHA! But seriously, he is doing a great job getting the lower level completed. Maybe he is making that face because he has quarter sized blisters on his knees??? Could be!

And adding the stairs between levels.... so far looking good! Next blog will be the finished product!

"Honey, I think this brick is loose!?!?!"

Yep, that was a quote from Alex as he pulled on a brick that looked loose and then... CRUMBLE! The whole corner just fell apart, we knew the corner was in rough shape when we bought the house, one of those things we should have written in the deal to be fixed, but since we asked for so much else we thought we could wait on this one. Turns out, when brick and mortar isn't looking good, best to do something about it right away because it is brittle stuff when space gets between it.

Unfortunaletly for us, this happened when we were in our house for about a month, so we were already deep into our rennovating, and this was one type of repair Alex could not do. So we had to shell out money to get this fixed ASAP. The work was done very well, so we were happy with the result, it was a bummer it was expensive to fix, but it looks so nice now!

Our Deck Redo

Since our 'Operation Ugly Yard Overhaul' is nearing completion (I hope), we decided it was time to start a new project in our backyard. Our deck has been a problem that we have known about for a while, the wood was untreated and left outdoors for who knows how long so it became rotted and warped, so it was time to tear it apart! Here is a photo of Rocco on our deck, the wood is green and rotting...


Another huge problem, the spacing of the boards, over an inch!!!! Our poor little pup Sadie got her whole paw stuck in one of these cracks one day, and just cried and wailed! It was terrible, it gave us more motivation to fix the problem ASAP.

We began by taking down the vinyl deck railing, which I must say, isn't very high quality stuff, I would never use this in the future, it came apart all the time and was squeaky.

Then Alex had to unscrew all the boards and take them off. I carried them away, didn't use the drill!
So now we have just the frame and are ready to get new boards! We are planning on doing a two level deck, so this deck will be level with our house and we will have stairs leading down to the lower deck. I can't wait to have more room to entertain! But for the upper level, Alex is going to build in a bench at the boarder instead of having the railing all around, I think it will be perfect! Can't wait to show the afters!

The Worst of the Yard Work is Over! Lets go Reward Ourselves!

Three weekends of back breaking yardwork can drive you really crazy, the days seem to go by too fast and feel like a complete waste, then by the time you know it, it's Monday again. So the month of May zipped by, and at least we have the hardest parts of fixing our yard over with, so we thought we would quit working a little early and reward ourselves for the hard work!

We decided to go to Pyscho Suzie's Motor Lounge in NE Minneapolis, so some goofy drinks and trashy tasty food! Here is Alex with his booze infused tiki drink!

And me with mine! Nothing cheers you up like a drink in a tiki head cup, just fun! Psycho Suzie's patio is pretty awesome as well, great place to kick back, prices and the menu are fantastic! I even got a mini pinwheel in my drink!

Operation Ugly Yard Overhaul Part III: Clearing the Left Side

Well, we tackled the right side, cleared it out, and planted some grass, so now that we had to leave that side alone, we got hard to work on clearing the left side. Here is a before photo, there were 5 large bushes, you can only see 3 in the photo, and then behind those is a Lilac tree surrounded by other random plants (again, the previous owner really liked to plant things). Remember, our goal for our yard is to have it open and clear, just grass so our dogs have space to run and play.

Dig, dig, dig, baby dig!!!! Lots of digging, and Alex got to use his axe and sawzall quite a bit to get those bushes out.

Then the Lilac tree, we told our neighbors we were pulling it out and they were happy to take it off of our hands.

Pull Alex, PULL! It didn't help I was taking his picture and yelling at him, can't use much strength when someone is making you laugh :) But I shut up and he got it pulled out in one piece.

And it was free! Hot supermodel pose Alex!

Last step for now, we added what else, top soil to the spots where we removed plants, then used Scott's Patchmaster to grow grass in the empty spots. Now, time to wait and water!
We recently purchased some morning glories and planted along the chain link fence too, because, lets face it, a chain link fence isn't very appealing to the eyes, but at least it allows our dogs to play freely, so hopefully they grow in quickly! I will post photos of that soon!

Operation Ugly Yard Overhaul Part II: Top Soil and Planting Grass!

I couldn't believe it! Finally time to plan grass! I never thought I would see the day! So once we got home with all of our top soil, we had to open and pour out the soil all over the yard. Here are the stats: 58 bags of top soil = 2,320 lbs of soil, so we had just over a ton of soil in our yard... boy that was fun! Here is what it looked like:

Then we grabbed our rakes and spread the soil to a nice even layer to support healthy growing grass.

Next, Alex spread some seed all over, we used Scotts Shade and Sun mix since our yard is mostly shade after 12pm. Now, it was time to wait and water!