Outdoor Oasis!

What a glorious weekend we have had here in Ontario, nearly the perfect weather….hot but not sweltering during the day and then a nice cool sweater wearing evening! In my books, that’s the perfect day! We spent so much time outside with the puggers, we’d all fall into bed at night exhausted from all that fresh air lol!

Of course, all this lovely weather brings with it the inevitable garden clean up and all the yuckiness that entails…in case I haven’t said it a 100 times before, gardening is not something I enjoy…at all lol! Thankfully, my husband is willing to take it on so all that is required of me is the weeding, which is still a lot but compared to all the rest of the stuff he does, I consider myself lucky! Now don’t get me wrong, when it’s all done, I love to admire it as it looks amazing, it’s just getting to that point that annoys me lol!

So the daunting task of cleaning up the flower beds began this weekend and since we recently had new sidewalks put in from the road and all around the house, this year’s cleanup has been more extensive to repair the areas around the sidewalks that were left, ummmm, I cant think of a better word than ‘damaged’ by the cement workers. Obviously it’s not a malicious damage, they were an amazing group of workers and our sidewalks are beautiful, they just don’t do the cosmetic fixes leftover from their work….and yes, that’s where Jeff comes in handy again lol!

While they were doing our sidewalks, they noticed the large crack that was running through our front porch and suggested fixing that while they were there. They fixed it by adding nearly a foot of cement on top of the existing porch, raising it to level with the front door! Go ahead…ask me how many times I’ve stumbled, expecting to step down lol?!?

So now I have this beautiful grandiose front porch and every time I come home and see it, I couldn’t help but feel like it was so bare and sad looking! I used to have a cheap little Ikea bistro set there but the darn chairs were so tiny and uncomfortable, no one ever sat out there! I felt like I wanted it to have a homey/comfy/cozy vibe where you could actually sit if you desired, tucked away from all your troubles, so to me that means a big, chunky comfy chair with cushions you just sink into! The only other criteria was “inexpensive” so I headed off to FB marketplace to see what treasures others were discarding and I quickly hit the jackpot, and ended up with 2 chairs lol! They didn’t come with any cushions but we all know that wasn’t a problem lol!

These are what I got, and the funny part is that the lovely gentleman we bought them from said they were from a set, so why they are different colours is beyond me lol, but they’re exactly what I was hoping for! So there’s the dark one sitting on my porch, just waiting for some cushions, which I was excited to start making! Jeff has already claimed the lighter chair as his for sitting around the fire chair so I will use up the outdoor fabric I previously used to recover our outdoor furniture so they all match but for the porch chair, ohhhhh boy, I really stepped outside of my comfort zone lol!

Digging deep into my stash, I found the upholstery canvas remnants that I purchased from Fabricland almost 6 years ago! Even when I bought them I was wondering what was going through my head, they are so far away from colours I’m usually drawn to but I loved them so much, I couldn’t help myself! Are you ready for this…I really hope you’re sitting down lol!

See!!!!! I told you!!! So weird to me still lol, even when I was pulling them out I was wondering if I’d still love them….and I did! Also, mix-matching patterns like this in one project is also way beyond me but in my minds eye, they match perfectly! Hopefully I still think so when I’m done lol!

As I always do, I headed over to the amazing Sailrite website where not only do they have amazing tutorial videos, including the one I used, How to Make a 30 Minute Box Corner Cushion, but they also have a Fabric Calculator that is the most helpful resource ever, it takes away all the math you need to do! I can’t say enough good things about this company and all the information they are willing to share in their videos, it’s just awesome! I’ve never used their sewing machines but they sure look incredible in the videos!

So after a short period of time, maybe a bit more than the suggested 30 minutes, my cushions were done and I’m happy to report that I’m completely in love with how it turned out!

Omg…..isn’t that fun? I’m just loving this combination, it’s just so fresh looking, and excuse me but just look at how straight those lines are lol!!

For the back cushion, I did the exact same construction method as the seat cushion but instead of using a piece of foam, I stuffed it with Poly-Fil and I’d say I’m not quite sure I’m happy with the outcome. It’s a little too fluffy, it feels like it’s not substantial enough because while it’s soft and cozy, it provides absolutely no support which, I think if you were sitting there for a long period of time, may become uncomfortable. Jeff sat in it for awhile and he came up with a great solution. He thinks that if we get some 1″ or 2″ foam and insert it into the back of the cushion cover and then put some of the Poly-Fil on top of it so that’s what you’re actually leaning against, you’ll get the soft cushion and the support! He’s a clever guy, I’m thinking he has a great idea so we’ll get some foam and give it a try!

Do you have any other suggestions, or do you think his idea will work? I’d love any and all suggestions!

I’m looking at this picture thinking to myself that there’s something missing? What if I was sitting out there and it was chilly out….I’d absolutely NEED a matching Minky blanket….right?!?

Well, I’m thinking it’s time to go and try out the chair, Jeff just brought me home an Iced Coffee so I’ll sip that and take in the world around me, all from my front porch! Cheers!

Shawna