Like A Boss

Ever have one of those days where your productivity surprises even yourself and at the end of it you just feel like a boss?  You feel surprised and impressed with yourself that if you could you would do this?

Cause that's what happened to me yesterday evening.  After (not quite) this dance move I then made a, probably, less than stellar decision for my life but we're going to stick with the positives today.

One of my best friends and I are planning a party for this coming Saturday, as in tomorrow, and until last nights success, my backyard was bare bones and would have been a bunch of guests standing around until we eventually got tired and then went inside not taking advantage of gorgeous weather.

In addition to this, I'm best at getting those "wish list" projects done when there is a deadline looming - who isn't? So in addition to wanting to purchase some seating I also have a list of builds I want to do for the yard. Here's how it went down.

Yesterday, after a full day of work, I make the decision that I'm gonna pull the trigger and buy some of the home depot plastic adirondack chairs but to do so I need to borrow the larger car from my parents. With SUV in hand I head to the mecca that is Home Depot.  I love this place.  I love that there are always loads and loads of men who work construction (=strong), and there are aisles and aisles of projects to be done!

On the to do list yesterday?

• Get the chairs
• Complete a seating ottoman-like thing out of pallets

Not too crazy but also in the end a tight squeeze even in the big car.  When I get home and get my spoils unloaded to my garage/workshop I just dive right in.  The best part is this productivitiy spills over into unfinished projects that have been living in there too.  Check out my finished products, the patio still needs a bit of glossing but it's better than the nothing it was before!

 

This is two pallets that a friend generously suffered splinters to get me that I have screwed together and then add caster wheels to the bottom.  Yesterday's project was the top cushion, which will be predominantly outside.  I used a piece of foam from home depot that I sawed in half and then with adhesive spray stuck the two halves together and a piece of melamine board to the bottom.  Next came the "upholstery" which is actually a 5' x 5' canvas drop cloth with a plastic lining, pulled tight and staple gunned to the board.

Here's a picture of it on the patio with my new chairs!

By this point I'm  starting to lose daylight but I've been storing/helping with a rocking chair upcycle project with my friend.  This beauty originally had beat up raw wood and some horrifying fabric covering some really rough woven wicker.  We painted it this lovely gray and on another productive evening I cut out all the wicker.  And last night inspiration hit!

This is the same friend who just got married and had been receiving all her registry gifts from Crate & Barrel ho include crazy amounts of their high quality ribbon on each and every box.  As the resident crafter of the group I took the ribbon home, not knowing what I might do with it.  The plan is to add batting and fabric but we needed some support for this and last night the yards and yards of Crate & Barrel ribbon did just that!

 

Now that these projects are done I feel more ready for the party tomorrow.  Please kindly ignore that fact that I have definitely not cleaned my house yet and will obviously be doing so tomorrow in the moments leading up to guests.