Making Outdoor Dining Easier…

June 2, 2011

I have been contemplating lately my consumption. And by consumption I do not mean food…even though I should probably be contemplating that as well. What I mean is my consumption of “things” My first tendency is to throw out the old and in with the new. Now mind you I am a very frugal shopper…I just tend to lean towards running to Home Goods, TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby when I need to satisfy my shopping compulsion a new decorative item or housewares. But, recently I have found myself at odds… well with myself. Because, I have found that my conscience has started to prick me when I pick something new up to purchase. “Do you REALLY need that?” “Could you make do with what you have?” “Could you adapt something and make it work?” “Could you re-purpose something that someone else ‘threw’ away?”

So I find myself more and more reevaluating what I already own and making more frequent trips to the Goodwill and local thrift stores. Sometimes I strike out..but sometimes I find the neatest things and finding those little treasures gets my creative juices flowing…like this little beauty for instance:

It was only $3.00 and I saw so many different uses for it! But it just didn’t quite inspire me in it’s current state. It whispered to me as I carried it up to the register, “Paint me white!” So I did.

Then it said to me…”Remember that adorable idea that Kristin had for making knock-off antique crates?” “You know the one where she stenciled on her wedding year?” “Yep..” it said, “I think I would look lovely with one of those painted on me.” And, since it asked so sweetly I had to comply.

First I measured for the middle and then lightly traced the letters and numbers onto the caddy. Then, I filled in the letters with brown acrylic paint I had on hand. I wasn’t worried about it being neat and precise, because once it dried I did this:

I sanded it all down, roughing up the edges to antique the stenciling and the edges of the caddy. I added a quick coat of poly-acrylic to protect it in case it gets left outside…that seems to happen a lot around here.

Then, my little caddy did a most amazing thing. It finally told me what it needed to be.

It wanted to make my life easier and hold all of our outdoor dining supplies.

Wasn’t that so kind of it? 🙂

I just love my new outdoor dining caddy. I have it all set up for the 4th of July but I can change the colors with the seasons. When we use and wash the items we just throw them back in the caddy and it sits on the buffet waiting to be carried out for another dinner on the patio! It is frugal, it is pretty and it makes me happy! A perfect combination!

Total Cost for outdoor caddy and accessories: $14.00

Paint Supplies: Already had
Caddy: Goodwill: $3.00
Napkins: Jo-Ann’s: $1.50
Cups: Dollar General: $3.00
4 Cloth placemats: The Dollar Tree: $4.00
Mini Salt and Pepper Mill: HomeGoods: $2.50 on clearance
Silverware: Already had

I hope this inspires you to keep an eye out for great items you can re-purpose and re-use!
Thanks for meeting me at the fence!

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