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Guest Project -- DIY Porch Swing Makeover!
from Jennifer Hadfield
on May 21, 2011
Hi everyone!
Today I'd like to share one of our most recent projects ~ our porch swing makeover!!
Built in 1961 and not kept in the best condition, our home has been a bit of a fixer-upper, porch swing included!
Here's what we started with when we first moved in....
?
Fast forward 3 1/2 years, andmy little guy has changed quite a bit, but unfortunately the porch swing had not! Since we were already in the process of repainting our shutters (which were also the country blue color), it made sense to give our porch swing a makeover too!
The first step was to take it down, clean it, sand it, and clean it some more.
I knew I wanted to cutesy it up a bit by stenciling on a phrase, so we removed two of the slats to be replaced later. Then it was time to paint! I had chosen the color "Lincoln Cottage Black" by Valspar. Weused our paint sprayer for a few coats and a foam brushto fix any runsand get all the other nooks and crannies that were hard to reach with the spray.
My handy hubby cut down the new board to fit, and once it was painted, measured out my chipboard letters for me!
What a great guy ~ he handles any project that involves my arch enemy: measuring.
My tendency is to just eyeball everything, so if it actually needs to look good, he measures it all out. I first traced around the letters with apencil, then overthe pencil with white paint, and then filled each letter in. I lost count ofhow many coats it took, but I think it was around seven, so a little time consuming, but not difficult. (Of course, those of you lucky ducks with a Silhouette could crank that baby out in vinyl in no time!!)
Once the wording was completely dry, and the new board was attached, we could hang the swing back up in it's rightful place on the front porch. I whipped up some pillows ~ I use the term "whipped up" very lightly...actually my sewing machine and I wereat oddsfor a few hours, but she finally relented, and we are now back on speaking terms. ?Anyway, I plan on eventually painting the front door red, so I used a fun outdoor fabric with some red accents and some red burlap for the pillows.
Since the pillows will be outside, I left the plastic packaging on the pillow forms to protect them from getting wet! Smart thinking, right? Well, they make a funny sound when you lean on them, but at least they look good! Plus, I made the envelope type closure, so I can easily take out the pillow form if I change my mind.
*One quick note ~ I do plan on adding a coat of clear poly over the letters to protect them a little from the elements. Although if I don't get around to it, we could always just say we were going for the distressed look.
So, there you have it, our porch swing makeover ~ I can't wait until all this rain stops so I can go relax on the swing with a nice tall glass of iced coffee in hand!
What a fun project Angie!!!
Check out how cute Angie's house is!
{Another favorite -- her Numbered Coat Rack and Laundry Room Reveal}
{How adorable is her Spring Burlap Wreath? Love it!}
{And check out Angie's 101 goals for 2011 - what a great idea!}
xoxo
PS -- It's Friday!!!! My favorite day of the week. I can't wait to see what YOU are doing!!! The party starts at 6 pm {MST}. I hope you will stop by :)
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About The Author
What do nearly a quarter of a million engaged DIYers, decorators and crafters do every month? They visit tatertotsandjello.com. They come for design inspiration, unique how-to projects, engaging linkups and interaction with the site's talented hostess, Jennifer Hadfield. As Jen puts it, "My name is Jennifer, but you can call me Jen".
- I love to do anything creative
- I like trying new things
- I love making something beautiful out of nothing
- I love remaking things into something better
- I love looking at something and seeing the possibilities
- I love my family -- thanks to them I am able to work on tatertots & jello!
- I love meeting new friends
I started this blog as a place to keep my creative ideas and projects. I love encouraging other people to develop their creative side. Anyone can be creative! I love the positive side of blogging and I want this site to help encourage people to be creative and be supportive of each other."
Jen's a gracious and friendly participant in many related communities and blogs. She and her stylish, affordable projects are featured across multiple sites and even on local television, with regular appearances on KSL-TV's Studio 5 morning show. While she features many of her own extremely popular, trend-setting projects, she also features many excellent projects from guest bloggers - and hosts an extremely popular "Weekend Wrap-Up" feature - with hundreds of ideas and projects linking up each week.
If you're interested in crafting, DIY, fashion and decorating, tatertotsandjello.com should be first on your menu.
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