July 4th Yard Decor

Note to self: do not do this craft outside in July in Arizona. Besides my heat stroke, I had a fun time making this "dynamite" yard decor. Ever notice how outside decorations are so small (besides the big blow up figures)?? The scale of this project is quite large, so it will surely be noticed from people driving by!

You will need:

8 foot fence post from Home Depot (and a husband to cut it)

5 feet of thick rope (Home Depot)

Red, white, blue, brown, and clear spray paint

painter's tape or Cricut to create design

wood glue

a drill with 3" wood bit

3" screws

plywood

raffia or ribbon

1. Cut 8 foot post to 3.5, 2.5, and 2 feet sections. It would help if your husband could temporarily drill the posts upright into the plywood or else you will be holding them and trying to paint at the same time. 

 2. Figure out the design you want and start taping. I did stripes for one post, Chevron for another, and polka dot for the last. For the stripes, paint the whole thing white, tape with painter's tape, then paint with blue. For the Chevron, I painted the whole thing white. Then I cut out several zig zag strips (came with the cartridge that comes with the Cricut) and taped those to the post, then paint in between with red. For the polka dots, I painted the whole thing blue. Then I cut out a big circle and used the surrounding paper for my polka dot stencil. I free-handed a white border to make the red stand out against the blue.

3. Have your husband drill a 1-2 inch deep hole into the top of the posts. Squirt some wood glue in there and stick in your rope. I heavily frayed the ends of the rope that are hanging down to look like the dynamite is lit. 

4. Cut out a 2x2 foot plywood piece for the stand and paint it brown. Use 3 inch screws to screw them into the base from underneath. Tie some raffia or ribbon around them and you are done!

Halloween Yard Display

All decorated for Halloween! How about you? As I was shopping I realized that Halloween decorations have become so expensive. My daughter wanted some ghosts in the yard, so I wrapped my scarecrows in christmas lights and covered my them with an old white t-shirt and some "spooky gauze," which you can buy at the dollar store. I cut out black eyes with felt.

My finished ghosts. Cheap and easy and after Halloween I can simply "undress" them to create my Thanksgiving/fall display

Revive Old Patio Furniture

This post is nothing new. Many people have  painted their patio furniture to give it an update. My husband flips houses and found these chairs in a backyard. The Arizona sun beat them up pretty good. There were some hideous cushions also, but I will spare you the photos of them.

You Will Need:

Spray primer- 2 cans per chair

Spray pain- 2 cans per chair

Make sure you paint in a well ventilated area and wearing a mask would be extra safe. I primed each chair with thick coats, let dry for 15 minutes, and then added my color. I added cushions and decor I already had. Whats funny is the table base was free also from a house my husband had. He built and stained the table top. So this whole seating grouping cost me $20 in spray paint (minus the decor and we already had the wood and cushions)!! I suggest looking on Craigslist for some free/cheap furniture. This time of year is very popular for those listings. Good luck.

Harvest Outdoor Display

Here is a large fall outdoor display that looks very welcoming. You will need two hay bales from your local farm or dairy (mine were $5 a piece). They do have faux hay at Michael's, but they are much smaller. You will need an assortment of fall decor items: pumpkins, scarecrows, wagon wheels, garland, etc. Lastly, you will need some wire hangers that you can take apart and stick through the pumpkins to secure them to the hay. Real pumpkins would not need this but then you would have to buy new ones each year. Happy Fall!