Wicker Patio Furniture Face-lift

My wicker patio furniture that goes under our gazebo really got damaged last year.  I decided to give the chairs and the table a makeover with Mini-wax Spray Wood Stain. 

Here are the results.  You know I am all about transformations and this one really did work well.  I love it when you can spend a little time and get great results.  A whole lot less expensive than purchasing new furniture that's for sure!

BEFORE

AFTER

Fresh new cushions and this will be a new set!

Transform something of yours today!

Ruthie

Branches and more branches

Table scape by Donna Karan

 House Beautiful Magazine 

Photograph by Trevor Tondro

"Wood, Stone, water, flowers - being surrounded by nature is always very grounding for me," says designer Donna Karan.

Wow, sounds like words that would come out of my mouth.  When I saw the above table scape I LOVED it because it was an extension of the post I wrote about a few weeks ago about nature.  Go here to read that post.  "The above tree looks like it is growing out of the table, creating a canopy.  Wood adds so much warmth" says Donna Karan

Donna paired these branches with a moss table runner.  It really softened all the wood.  The moss up in the branches adds so much drama too!

This neutral table setting is something that you can't mess up.  Adding white flowers really makes it sophisticated too.

Here are a few of my ideas that you could do to change up this table.

Use wrought iron silverware to add some texture and design.  These are from World Market

I love these linen napkins too.

Wooden square plate by "Noritake"

Square adds interest to the table.

Wouldn't it be a fun surprise to have this beautiful shell ring around the linen napkin.  Your friends could take it home afterwards.  It has an elastic band so one size fits all.  Places like Charming Charlies in Southlake has rings like these for a steal.

Using glass votives in different sizes with a soft cream colored candle adds great neutral ambiance.

Or what about this lovely concrete snail planter as your candle holders.  You could use several.

Lined up on each side of your branch centerpiece these cuties would be amazing.  Using them for your white flowers would be beautiful too.

Lilies are always a great choice because they are so fragrant.

If you didn't want to use "real" moss, you could use this tablecloth.  See this link for details.

Happy entertaining this Easter weekend!

Participating in Metamorphis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.  Check out all the great ideas on this blog.

Ruthie

Spring fashion is in the air!

Wow, what a wonderful day we had today at the Colleyville Woman's Club 2010 Fashion Show.  The theme was "Rhythm and Hues" and it was definitely that and way more.  This was their 25th fashion show so it was so incredible. Jan Strimple Productions did such a beautiful job with the models and the production itself with the music and lighting rocked the place down.    The clothing was from Saks Fifth Avenue Galleria store.  I'm definitely going to visit their store because I LOVED all their ideas for Spring.  Very sophisticated, colorful and classy!  Below are some of my snapshots, sorry for any heads that are in the way!


The amazing and fun part is that usually what is going on in the fashion runway world is what comes into home design as well (colors, textures, fabrics, accessories, etc.). Today we saw lots of vibrant colors! Makes me happy because that is what I love!

What little cuties! 

The table centerpieces were donated by "Out of the Garden" in Grapevine

and they did a beautiful job as usual with their floral designs.

We had a saxophone player that did an outstanding job!!!

The silent auction went well and all the tables that I decorated really turned out fun!

Since our colors were red, I draped this red fabric on the tables and it coordinated so well with the carpet.  Lucked out on that one!

Don't you LOVE this little golf cart donated by Lexus.  Some child is going to have so much fun on this!!

I added lots of diamond sparkles to make the tables look more festive.  They looked stunning up against the black tablecloths.

We had some great baskets and lots of decorating items to bid on too! 

It was such a fun few days.  Lots of hard work done by SO many.  I met some new friends and was so happy to volunteer my time.  The best part was that all the money that this organization raises goes towards charities and scholarships for many that are in need.

Thanks to all you ladies that welcomed me in and made me feel a part of CWC!

I decided to have some fun with the whole fashion theme and come up with some Fashion Show Centerpieces that I thought would be amazing "using what I have."  What do you think??

Happy weekend!  Shop til you drop then crawl!!

Ruthie