Friday, July 22, 2011

Free Porch Bench

As an avid KSL buyer, I love it when I find something great under the "Free" section.  Last year I picked up a free garden bench that needed some TLC but had potential.  Yes, it took me a year to finally do something with it but the important thing is that I did  it. 

Here are some shots of the bench when I picked it up.

 As you can see, it needed some serious wood glue and one slab of wood was missing that my sweets cut to size and replaced for me.

I wanted this bench to still maintain its aged, weathered look. I used some of the leftover paint samples I had from painting my Master Bedroom and brushed on one light coat, allowing the wood to still shine through.  It was the perfect shade of light gray.


Lastly, I brushed everything over with a mixture of Annie Sloan Clear and Dark waxes.

The dark wax can be overwhelming when it's used alone, but when mixed with clear and applied to the high points, it creates the most perfect weathered look. 


I could hardly wait for the wax to dry long enough for me to set the pillows I sewed together in their new place. 
The bright and modern design on the pillows was exactly what I wanted against the aged and faded looking bench. 

The pillows were made from outdoor canvas material I picked up at Joann's.  The striped print was on clearance for around $4/ yard, and the floral print was a splurge for me at around $30/ yard, but I was willing to buy it on sale at 50% off, and purchased a very small amount by only using the expensive print on one side of each pillow.

With the addition of a new window flower box and my cute rug I told you about, my front yard is starting to look bright and summery. 





Now if only I had something like this to show for the back yard, I'd be really happy.


I'm sharing this makeover and tutorial with these inspiring beauties:


Tip Junkie handmade projects

The DIY Show Off




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UndertheTableandDreaming












Furniture Feature Fridays
Transformation Thursday







13 comments:

  1. That looks so great on your porch. I think every porch should have a bench or a swing. I have a church pew (very old and simple style) on my porch.

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  2. I bet your neighbors hate you for having the cutest and best decorated house on the block.

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  3. @Tyson

    Taylor, you are too funny! All of my neighbors have darling houses also. I just want it to be welcoming!

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  4. @Lynn
    thanks! I would love a porch swing also, but was worried about it banging into our window. Would love to see your pew! What a fabulous idea

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  5. First of all, thank you SO much for your oh-so-sweet comment about my new bedroom...it made my night and I'm going to sleep happy :). Second, I am SO GLAD to have found your blog! This project is great...I think you're gonna get featured this week! xo
    Stacy

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  6. That looks great. Love the weathered look. Cute pillow, too. Thanks for joining the party.

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  7. I can't believe your bench was free! What a terrific job you did on making it functional and beautiful! Those pillows are perfect on it!

    Coming to you from WOW at SSS, my linky neighbour!

    DD

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  8. Great job on that sweet bench, Taylor! You took a sad little bench and breathed new life into it! I'm anxious to try Annie's wax. Mine should be here by Monday! :) Any extra tips you could give on applying it?

    xoxo laurie

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  9. Lovely! And what can be a better price than FREE!! Visiting from Savvy Southern Style!!

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  10. OK, that was awesome. Want to tackle a crazy project together? I've been dying to making this table: http://www.faroutflora.com/2011/06/04/diy-succulent-pallet-table/ and I've found a whole bunch of free pallets. However, I think 2 pairs of hands are needed for the job... I bet we could knock two out in an afternoon. Let me know if you are game! Natalietippetsatgmail.com

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  11. I love the color you picked for the bench. The shade of light grey is prefect. I also love the pillow case with flowers on it.

    -Zane of ontario honey

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