Friday, April 04, 2008

CED 2008 ~ Shopping for Deck Decor

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Don't you just love unexpected finds? Don and I visited Home Goods again on Wednesday with all intentions of "just looking!" Upon arriving, we were unexpectedly surprised to find so many items that would work perfectly with the items we'd already purchased for our outdoor living space that our visit turned into yet another shopping spree!

Our first find was the acrylic chip and dip bowl and I was extremely excited about discovering it! I was happy that I had decided to purchase the tumblers in both blue and green because the chip/dip bowl contained the fishes colored in both blue and green. That little detail fell right into place perfectly for us and I didn't see any of acrylic tumblers left to purchase. I also fell in love with the fact that this set is so versatile--- it will providing us with so many options for actually using it. Chips and dips, chips and salsa, salads and dressings, veggies and dips, fresh fruit and yogurt for dipping into, yum! !! I can hardly wait!

Next, I stumbled upon the turquoise stoneware fish platter and the tablecloth clips. How adorable are those?! I already had a few of these green acrylic fish platters but I instantly loved the thought of mixing and matching them up a bit more. The tablecloth clips weren't actually a necessity, as I did have some that were a gift from my sister a few years ago, although these will match our decor. I instantly feel in love in love with these light turquoise scallop shell place mats and since I'd only purchased two striped place mats previously, I felt these would coordinate beautifully with them, and they'll be perfect for entertaining our family and friends!

Feeling that "guilty pleasure" feeling that I so often get, I decided perhaps we should venture over to check out the clearance section. Along the way, I found six chair cushions in the colors we'd previously selected and they contained the yellow that I'd previously mentioned incorporating into the color scheme! What were the chances of that? I was so stoked! Usually when I see chair cushions, I can only find enough for a set of four, so after quickly discussing that little fact, we decided into the cart they'd go.

Finally arriving at the clearance section, we noticed some shower curtains. We have often talked about a decorative rod and some curtains to our deck surrounding the jacuzzi, mainly just to soften up the space. Discovering them on clearance for $5 each, I decided to purchase two of them. My original idea, since they were a light green was that I could possibly dye them a bit deeper, lighter, brighter green but as luck would have it a few days later while checking out Rit dyes online, I discovered that they are 100% polyester and won't accept dying very well. Oh well, you can't win them all! I'm certain that I can come up with another solution; perhaps, stamping on some beach themed images, adding some appliqued seashells, or even ribbons and trims. Anyways, they certainly still have possibilities!

I also decided to purchase another bag of seashells and discovered yet another beautiful natural colored fish net filled with some medium sized white-bleached starfish! I could instantly envision them scattered around our deck on top of the table, added to our beach towels, in a vase containing sand and a grouping of candles. As I placed those in the cart, Don gave me that inquisitive look, you know the one that husbands give you, with a raised eyebrow, that says, "Is there anything else? LOL!

Well, yes, there is, or was... do you remember when I mentioned desiring a basket or some container to place beach towels into near the jacuzzi? Well, anyways, I did, so we ventured over there to look. I saw a large assortment of lined baskets and items that I could make work but either the color of the basket or the liner was wrong. I knew those could be revamped easily enough with a bit of spray paint and fabric but I was so excited when I discovered this wonderful blue and white striped beach bag. It was perfect! We can even take it with us on trips to the lake and on our travels!

Deciding I shouldn't push my luck too much further, we began the trip home. Along the way, we chatted up a storm, brainstorming all the ideas and possibilities I have envisioned for our outdoor living space. We discussed the possibility of white-washing the deck rail and fences, adding a mural, painting the deck boards, and Don actually seemed to love all of my ideas!
Upon arriving back in town, he even suggested that we stop at our Lowe's home improvement store to see what options we had available to us for creating a curtain rod to hang near the jacuzzi. Since there's twelve foot expanse of the deck to cover we looked at PVC pipes. Since the longest they come in is ten foot lengths, we purchased two in a 1" diameter and a coupling link. We found some silver shower curtain brackets that will hold the pipe and will need to get something that we can slide inside to keep the pipe from sagging. We discussed some possibilities for that and checked out our purchases. Arriving at home and while unpacking our newly found treasures, Don hugged me, told me he loves me, and filled with as much excitement as I was feeling, said, "We're going to have one "decked out - deck!" Now, I can only hope that our final results can live up to his expectations!

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