Outdoor Furniture, Patio Furniture and more!

I’ve given you two ways to throw a party for your mother on Mother’s Day.  But, perhaps you were really hoping to have something to wrap up and give her.  Understandable!  I still believe, though, that the best gifts are gifts with a lot of heart in them.

So, today I’ll be bringing you an awesome outdoor Mother’s Day gift idea: Painting a Mother’s Day Garden Bench!

Find a Pine Garden Bench: The best material for your garden bench will be Pine.  Cedar garden benches don’t take paint very well at all, neither will a Polywood garden bench.  Cypress will work, but a Treated Pine or Select Pine will serve you best.  Other than material, just find a bench that you think your mother would love.  Does she like to spend a lot of time outdoors?  A garden bench with a back might be the most comfortable.  Of course, there are a lot of benches with arm rests and nice deep seats for true outdoor relation.  But, if you think your mom might like something a bit simpler, there are plenty rustic garden benches.  Don’t forget, a lot of styles come with carved hearts or stars accenting the back—what a great way to show what you think of your mother!

Apply an Exterior Primer: The first think you will want to do is to apply an exterior primer.  The primer will ensure that your paint goes on smoothly, and it will help protect your garden bench from damage due to bugs or weather.  Apply the primer with a brush, and follow the grain of the wood.  It’s also important to choose a primer and paint that are compatible.  Most exteriors are either latex or enamel.  Either type of primer and paint will work, but it is imperative that they match!  Using a latex primer and an enamel paint, or vice versa, will cause the paint to adhere poorly.

Creatively Paint Your Garden Bench: After the primer has dried, this is a great time to get the whole family involved.  Try a few different colors, get the old clothes on, and paint the garden bench in the most creative way you can think of!  Maybe write, “I Love You, Mom” across the seat.  Or, have everyone make handprints all over the bench.  The sky is the limit! If she has a favorite poem, use a smaller brush to write it across the back of the bench.  Draw a family portrait of everyone all together.  If you’re truly concerned about your art skills, stencils can be purchased at an arts and crafts store, so you can decorate the bench with stenciled designs! Adding your personal and creative touches will make this one of your mother’s favorite pieces of outdoor furniture.  It doesn’t have to be perfect; it has to be from the heart!

Apply Sealant and Top Coat:  Again, after the paint has dried, you can further protect your bench by applying a clear sealant.  The sealant will keep the paint from chipping and other damage.  Then, if you wish, you can apply a top coat of clear gloss to give the garden bench a shiny quality.  The top coat isn’t necessary, but might be a nice touch if a shinier, glossier bench would fit your garden.

Position it in a Favorite Spot, Tie a Bow, and You’re Done: If you haven’t thought of this road block yet, you may have to find a bit of a creative spot to hide the bench while it’s drying.  Perhaps in your storage shed or other backyard structure.  Is there an untouched corner of the garage?  Perhaps you can take the whole project to an aunt’s, uncle’s, or grandparent’s house—then transport it once the whole bench is finished and ready to go!  However you chose to hide your surprise, you can bring it out once everything is completed and dried.  Position the garden bench in a spot you think she would love.  Or, place it among her other pieces of favorite outdoor furniture.  If you have a gazebo, pergola, or cabana, put it inside and decorate the structure for her big day as well.  Tying a colorful ribbon into a bow around the bench will be a wonderful finishing touch.  On Mother’s Day, simply lead your mother out to her brand new bench and enjoy one of her best Mother’s Days ever!

The best part of Mother’s Day is that you get to give back to the woman that’s always giving!  Creating a spot for her to both relax and be reminded of how much her family loves her is a wonderful Mother’s Day gift!

But, the big day is quickly approaching; so hurry up!

Hazel

Tags: backyard structure, cabana, garden bench, garden bench with a back, gazebo, Mother's Day, Outdoor Furniture, pergola, storage shed

If you think there’s no better gift than giving your mom a day at the ritziest spa in town, think again!  You can recreate the day spa treatment for your mother, and she’ll probably enjoy it even more.  Why? Because her family put the whole thing together!

If you have a gazebo with a hot tub in it, or even a sauna, you’re set.  Let your mom relax in the hot tub for a few hours—try setting up a cd player with some of her favorite music or buying her a book by one of her favorite authors.

But, if you’re not so lucky to have a hot tub gazebo, it’s no problem.  There are plenty of day spa treatments you can try.  Remember to start small; trying to plan way too much may be overwhelming and require so much planning that no one has fun.

First, create the spa space.  If you have a gazebo, pergola, or other backyard structure, decorate it with flowers, streamers, and maybe even balloons.  That way, when you pull her outside, she’ll be wowed by all the decorations!  And, to make sure she knows it’s a trip to the day spa, set out candles, bowls of potpourri, and even hot tea out on your picnic table.  Also set out some of her favorite fresh fruits and juices, or even little breakfast pastries or scones with jam.

A great home spa project can be a pedicure or manicure.  Fill a large bucket with warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of bath oil.  Put your mom in the most comfortable patio chair you have; whether that be a chaise lounge or an Adirondack chair, just make sure it’s one of her favorites.  Have her sit with her hands or feet (whichever she prefers, many hardworking moms might not be too keen on everyone touching her feet!) in the warm water for at least 20 minutes.

After that, dry her feet or hands with a nice soft towel and apply a sweet smelling cream based moisturizer or lotion.  This is the tricky part: a lot of salons will clean, clip, and do general nail care.  But, again, some moms won’t exactly be eager to have her family chipping away at the dirt under her nails.  And, after all, this is a day for mom!  So, you might want to scale back a bit and skip right to the polish.

If you know her favorite color (and you should!!), make sure you have a nail polish in that hue!  Do two or three thin coats, allowing the polish to dry between applications.  Try your best to not to get any on the skin around the nails, but keep a damp tissue near by just in case.

Having you spa outside will make splashing water or spilling nail polish a non-issue.  It will also allow the polish to dry faster in the open air!  Remember, don’t concentrate too hard or try to make it perfect.  You’re pampering your mother to say thanks, and part of that is just spending time with her! So, if an 8 year old daughter doesn’t have the perfect polishing techniques yet… it doesn’t matter.  It’s all about getting together and having fun.

So, though your outdoor day spa for mom might not be as refined as the swanky places, she’ll know all the thought and hard work you put into it.  Plus, spending time with her family is always the perfect gift.

Tags: adirondack chair, backyard structure, chaise lounge, gazebo, Mother's Day, pergola, picnic table

In case you forgot, Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9 this year.  But, don’t worry, we’ll be doing several posts on Mother’s Day activities on the blog to help you prepare for the big day!

A packaged gift is wonderful, but sometimes planning a day of fun can be more enjoyable for the whole family, and mean more to your mom.  Don’t worry though; you don’t have to break the bank to show your mother that you care.

Since spring is upon us, how about planning a big backyard Mother’s Day bash? While she might be expecting breakfast in bed, drag her out from under the covers (after you let her sleep in a bit, of course!) and pull her outside.

Set a picnic table with all of her favorite breakfast foods.  She’ll love the time outside with her family.  Try picking wildflowers or buying flowers from a nursery to decorate her mother’s day picnic table, along with cards, notes, and little fun gifts around her seat.

If you have a pergola or gazebo, decorate it with streamers, balloons, and handmade paper chains.  Dressing up a place that she already loves and making it special will be a wonderful way for the rest of the family to spend time together, and will let her know how much you love your home!

She might be overwhelmed at just this gesture; but your day isn’t over yet!  Make sure that she doesn’t touch ONE dirty dish, and instead let her relax in her porch swing or porch glider while you whisk away all of those used plates and silverware.

And now, you can let the games begin!  Plan a big backyard game in her honor.  Whether it be soccer, touch football, quoits or horseshoes, croquet or bocce ball, just make sure it’s one of her favorites!  Having the whole family play together will be a memory she’ll never forget.

Now… one word to the wise:  As a once rather rambunctious, but always well meaning child… the entire game will not quite have the same effect if you start fighting over the game, the rules, or the score.  Remember, the only winner in this game is MOM.  So, just relax and have fun!

After the games, let Mom have a break.  Work on doing the dishes and other chores around the house and tell her to relax in her hammock.  If you have a chaise lounge, bring a magazine and some lemonade out and let her lay back and spend her special day as nature intended: in full repose!

This is just one of many ideas fit for Mother’s Day.  There are hundreds of ways to let your mother know how much you love her, just make sure you pick the one that’s right for her and your family.

Happy Mother’s Day Preparation!

Hazel.

Tags: Croquet, gazebo, hammock chaise lounge, Mother's Day, outdoor games, pergola, picnic table, porch glider, porch swing, quoites