Category: Outdoor Makeovers

Beautiful Ideas for Outdoor Entertaining With Goodwill

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I love entertaining outdoors in the summertime and today I wanted to share with you some fun and frugal ways you can entertain utilizing items found at your local Goodwill store. Outdoor entertaining does not need to be expensive and many of the items found at Goodwill can be repurposed into great items to have on hand for outdoor meals and entertainment for your guests.

Here are just a few beautiful summertime ideas I have gathered to help you  make the most of your outdoor space with Goodwill! 

Update a Serving Tray With Washi Tape

One of the best arsenals in my tools for entertaining outdoors is utilizing serving trays for displaying food and bringing and taking dishes to and from our kitchen in the summer months. If you find a tray that is lacking that sparkle you want or you want to easily coordinate a tray with your dishes, consider giving it a beautiful update with a little washi tape.

Design Improvised offers this sweet and simple tutorial for creating a beautiful display for your outdoor table. The best part? This DIY isn’t permanent so you can change it with your mood or tablescape.

Add Mason Jar Twinkle Lights to Your Patio

Outdoor lighting can be tricky and expensive, but it doesn’t cost a lot to set the mood for your next outdoor gathering thanks to these beautiful twinkle lights in mason jars.

The Tinyprints blog shows you how to make these beautiful outdoor lights with just ribbon, tulle, mason jars (which you find at Goodwill!), and some battery-operated lighting. What a treat for the eyes this would be!

Host an Outdoor Movie Night 

Outdoor movie nights are so much fun and we have been among the privileged to enjoy beautiful summertime evenings at a friend’s monthly gathering in the summer at her house. There is something so nostalgic about an outdoor movie with your family and friends so I was thrilled to happen upon this beautiful diy outdoor movie set-up that actually IS budget-friendly.

June Bug Photography shows you how they created this incredible set-up on a small budget that is sure to be the talk of the neighborhood for your next cookout!

Dress Up Your Patio

Patio decorating doesn’t need to cost a lot and Goodwill receives many furniture donations that you could potentially use for your outdoor space. Don’t just think of these items as one piece, but consider the parts of the furniture items for your project. A pair of legs from one piece and a drawer from another, for example, can be painted into a brightly colored plant display that you could fill with colorful flowers or could be used as a herb garden on your patio.
An Aiming High Wife shows you how she created this beautiful plant display and she gives you some smart advice for weatherproofing this piece! 

Keep the Bugs Away 

Bugs can be problematic when dining outside so it is always nice to have coverings and solutions for keeping them away.  Earnest Home Co. shows you an elegant way to keep your food covered with just simple terra cotta pots and a little rope for a handle.

Since my son just did a science project utilizing a pot, we can scientifically say that this is not only a great way to keep food covered, but it also a great way to keep your food insulated (warm or cold) while dining outside.

Of course, keeping the bugs away from YOU is also a good idea especially when you have guests! Consider visiting Goodwill for a slow cooker and utilize this fun tutorial I put together for making your very own DIY Citronella Candles in your slow cooker for your own outdoor entertaining or use the gift tag I have created (Thanks for letting us BUG you!) to attach for an adorable hostess gift for summer.

I hope these ideas inspire you this year! Let me know what your proudest DIY moments are when it comes to outdoor entertaining in the comments below! 

Easy Tips for Making Over Patio Furniture

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The season for outdoor entertaining and eating is upon us and if you are looking to upgrade your patio set, you just might want to check your local Goodwill store. Today I wanted to share with you easy ways to update, refinish, and refresh an outdoor patio set into a set that is uniquely you with a few easy tools and strategies to help get you started. 
I, in fact, recently refinished my old set (pictured above) and have fallen back in love with it again, thanks to an easy afternoon of spray painting. 

Here are a few strategies for making over a set you might spot at your local Goodwill store.
 

Refinishing Metal Furniture 

Rusting on metal furniture happens and if you spot a set that looks a little worn in spots, a makeover transformation is easy to do and requires only an old cloth to wipe down the furniture, sandpaper, and spray paint (in any color you desire). 
Give your furniture a good wipe down to remove any dirt or debris that may be lingering from summers past. Use a medium-grit sandpaper to rub down any rust spots or imperfections on the furniture until they are level and no longer flaking off on the piece. Once the all of the areas have been sanded, spray paint the furniture and allow it to dry fully. I recently discovered a spray paint nozzle for recovering my furniture pieces and it really helps to coat the furniture evenly. If you plan to do a lot of spray painting to refinish your pieces, I highly recommend the small $5 investment to get a more even finish on your pieces. 

image source: The Homemade Diva

Refinish Plastic Furniture

Plastic furniture is one of the easiest types of furniture to update. There is no need to rough up the plastic with sanding, in fact, all you need to do is purchase spray paint that is made specifically for plastic (I recommend Krylon Fusion for Plastic) because it specifically bonds to plastic and requires no priming or sanding. 
I’m dying to score a few gently used Goodwill chairs to makeover for our back patio. You see, even plastic furniture can look trendy with the right colors and painting techniques. Stay up-to-date on fun trends, like paint-dipped furniture as pictured above from The Homemade Diva, for a fun splash of color on your patio. 

image source: Being Brook

Refinish Wicker Furniture

Perhaps one of the most intimidating types of furniture to many DIY’ers is wicker furniture. There is no need to be intimidated though because it is easy to spruce up and to even make minor repairs to. Look for a waterproof glue to fix any minor repairs and make sure that the glue has plenty of time to set (read the back of the glue bottle for specific times) before beginning your painting. 
After thoroughly giving the wicker a good scrubbing and air drying, spray paint your piece in several sessions of very thin coats of spray paint in your desired color. Try these spray painting wicker furniture tips from Rust-Oleum for refinishing your wicker pieces using their Rust-Oleum Universal spray paint line, that allows you to skip the step of priming. 

image source: 33 Shades

Recover Old Patio Cushions

Old patio cushions can get a new lease on life with fresh fabrics. If you have ever priced out new cushions at stores, you quickly realize that it would cost hundreds of dollars to get new cushions for all of your outdoor furniture. 
Did you know that you can actually buy weatherproof outdoor fabric at the fabric store? It’s a handy tip to have in your DIY arsenal for a couple of different reasons.  I actually used this material on my dining chair indoors to help with easy clean-up from spills and stains with two small kids. This same material can be used to freshen up your old patio cushions.
Although I am no seamstress, this tutorial from 33 Shades looks like a great one for how to recover old patio cushions. Next time you see these at your local Goodwill, consider trying this DIY to get new cushions at a fraction of the retail price. 

Have you ever made over patio furniture? What are your tips and techniques for this DIY project?