Cover Me!

Oh how quickly the summer has come and gone! Well, it's not totally gone yet, and in some ways I feel like it never started because of all the rain and cloudy days, but that's really beyond the point. So with just a couple weeks left, it seems like the perfect time to do some final garden list checking and call this summer to a close.

As you can see, I've decided to resolve painting the table until next year, and only because I haven't fully decided what to do with it. Too many ideas, not enough decisions! Which left only one remaining item, the CANOPY!

Which originally made it to the list for two reasons, we wanted to use the table when it was too sunny and also when it's a bit rainy. But we also didn't want to always use it, which meant that it needed to collapse to one side, when we didn't want it. And though that sounds and looks like a simple thing, rigging it up so that it moves along the lines was a bit harder than I expected. Who knew you needed 4 ropes for something that looks like it only needs 3. Here's a look at my 4 rope solution. 

The biggest issues came from rope #1 and #4. #1's biggest issue was that it couldn't just share the line with #2 because of the angle of connection and the size of the fabric. Which I don't think I said I got from ikea for $20 each. 

The second issue was with rope #4, because the tension of the fabric meant that when it rained, the water poured down the back of the sectional. So I instead added some galvanized nails to the top of the fence to create tension points to hold the canopy back.

And then the simplest part was clipping the canopy onto rope #2 and hanging it over rope #3.

And voila! Done. And though it took lots of tries, it finally works the way we hoped, and it's perfect for hot summer days. Here's to hoping we have lots of those next year and that we get to use it even more! 

The final piece is that I use a collection of ikea kitchen clips to keep the canopy pulled into tension and to hold it while it sleeps. And yes, I do mean the ones you have at home to clip on chips to keep them fresh! Who knew they could work wonders in the garden. 

Baby Got Back - A Backyard Table That Is!

We love having people over, but our table situation wasn't exactly the most desirable. It was more like a game of tetris, with trying to fit friends and food on those small white tables. So, the table started out as a number 1 priority and since I'm man-handy (as we say amongst my friends) my first inclination was to build something. So, as per usual, I set off to find some interesting images and gather ideas! Pinterest to the rescue. And I came up with these.

What I discovered is that I like when the top and the base are different materials and show that difference. As well, I love the use of colour in the last option. But I was also keenly aware that I don't weld or do any form of metal work. And though I could put some wood together, a metal base would be a little bit more complicated. Then I remembered that we had bought our desk legs at ikea, and that I could probably use something from there. So, I headed over to the ikea website to peruse their desk bases. And low and behold, look what I found.

Which was perfect for letting me add my own top, and since it was metal it would be able to withstand the outdoor elements. Never mind the price! Totally worth it. And even getting 2 wouldn't break the bank at $40. So I picked them up and all I had to do was put them together. So in my usually disorderly way, I set up a little workshop and screwed them together. Super simple!

Once the first table was together, I laid out some 1 x 6's and used it as a work station to put the other table together. I also used the flipped over table as a measuring guide for my 2 x 4, which I planned to attach all those 1 x 6's together with. I decided to cut two pieces of 2 x 4, one for each end, and to a size that would fit within the frame.

I decided to screw the pieces together from the underside, as to not create any screw holes in the top itself. I also decided to go with (4) 1 x 6's and (2) 1 x 4's, to give the top a little more interest. But also, as I was attaching the 2 x 4, I really got a sense of how warped some of the wood was, so I decided to really inset one piece of the 2 x 4, and keep all the warped-ness (yep, that's a word) to one side. My plan was to later trim off that really wonky wood. 

But so far I haven't gotten to that. And I'm not actually sure that's what I want to do now. I think with another piece of 2 x 4 and some better securing, I might be able to straighten them out. Maybe I'm just dreaming. Here's what it looks like just completed.

And though it looks done, the table is still on the garden list because of it's incomplete top. I need to secure it again/better and then I want to add some sort of paint detail. Like the bright stripe in the pinterest image above. But I'm also thinking more about something pretty because of the rug pattern. Here's what it looks like now, with a little age. Oh how I love that grey tone it has developed. Now how to keep that and add some interesting design.

Any ideas, do you have any favourite patterns or stencils! I'd love to know.