LOAD Day 16 - It's not Pottery Barn but it'll do!

Okay - fair warning - this is a really long post! Skip down to the bottom
if you are just interested in the layout supplies. : )

Last fall we had pipes break and flood the lower level of our house. This
resulted in all our furniture being piled up on the outside patio and in
our garage. Some of it went to the dump, some went to be recycled, some
was donated to a couple of groups that would rework it and use it. That
left us with the 6 person sectional that had been in the living room. It
has been sitting in the garage and on the patio for several months and
really driving me bananas.

Well, I love to flip through designer magazines that showcase backyard
patio furnishings and decor. I would love to have the place to have some
of the items I see in the magazines and dream of some day carrying a
tray of goodies and drinks out to my family to enjoy on our fou fou fancy
patio.

So, when I woke up from a 'patio dream' the other night I realized
I had the makings of a fairly decent arrangement piled up on the patio
and in the garage! All I had to do was clean it all off and add the striped
WalMart rug I saw while checking out in the Garden Center.

Yesterday, I cornered my Husband and explained what I wanted to do and
how I wanted to move everything around and he nodded and um hmm -ed
me and then got caught up in the computer he was working on. So, no joy.

This morning, I decided I had waited long enough. I was super sore from
jogging this weekend but even with my feet hurting I was determined to
get some work done on the patio.

Well, we moved the swings (adult & child), broke down all of the empty card
board boxes for the recycle bin, put away all of the kids toys that were under
the boxes and furniture (I guess they got stuff put on top of them when every
thing was being rushed out of the flood waters.) and swept and swept and
swept piles of leaves.

I had gotten about 2/3 done when Husband steps
outside and says "You want me to get the blower out?" Of course, my first
thought is no, because that will just spread all of the stuff I have already
swept up. But he proceeds to get the blower out and turn it around so it
actually sucks everything up! Wow! He cleaned up all of the leaves and
even mulched them in half the time it took me to sweep! It was awesome!

So then we unrolled the carpet (its only 5ft x 8 ft) and moved all of the
sectional pieces around. The table top on the ottoman is the leftover
piece from a friends new kitchen counter where the sink was cut out. She
gave it to me as a craft board and I have used it that way for years but today
it became a wonderful table top for the patio!

Even though the weather here was chilly the kids were tickled to be the
first to try it out. They decided to have snack and work on their homework
on the patio. When one of their friends came over, they all immediately
went back out and visited on the sofa. Just exactly what I had envisioned!

Well, it may not be Pottery Barn or any of those other fancy designer
patios but it definitely works like I want it to and I don't have to worry
that the kids will tear it up or mess it up! Love that!

When I read the challenge from Lain this morning I knew my little known
random fact was my love of designer patio 'outdoor rooms' and I had to
make a layout about that. That spurred me on to get the patio done
so I could take a couple of photos for my layout. Mission accomplished!

Here are the supplies I used to make the page:
Moon Pie patterned paper - Pink Paislee
Mesh tube ribbon - Castaways (like Goodwill but local)
Brown rub-on alphabet - October Afternoon
Ivory Alphabet stickers - Creative Imaginations
Flower - Prima Swaney Collection
Aqua card for title - Prima flower packaging
Journal card - Jenni Bowlin
Black ink - Sharpie

Day 16 uploaded and done. Thanks for hanging in
there and reading through all of the details! Don't
forget to leave me a comment (click on 'post comment'
below) and let me know if you would rather I just
display a page with supplies or if my ramblings
are okay. LOL! : )
See you tomorrow!
xoxo
Csmoferret