Breakfast on Our Vintage Inspired Outdoor Room

The weather has been so uncooperative here we haven't been able to enjoy our outdoor rooms like usual. If it's not windy and stormy it's hot and steamy. Nightime hasn't even given a little relief for the heat......until a few days ago that is, the evening brought a little respite and we were able to sit a spell. Excuse the pics these were taken after dark,

Go ahead have a seat. The chairs...you've probably seen before.....are retro rproductions. I know they're a little worn looking, but they are supposed to look old. Surprisingly the patina is under the finish of the metal, so the rust isn't flaking....hope it stays that way, but if not..out with the trusty spary paint can ;) The little metal table is a 40-50's find and it's topped by a vintage embroidered bridge table cloth.

This is a closer look at the table. Those are french knots and satin stitches! Just click to enlarge any of the pics for a closer look.

As I've said before a blank wall is my canvas. Can't stand an empty wall, soooooo

I fill it up! This metal flower cart is from Publisher's Clearinghouse..of all places. It holds all kinds of vintage finds, but on the bottom shelf is a wonderful 40's ceramic planter of a squirrel on a log. It has a detachable base of brass filigris.

Sorry for the darkness. If you look in the top right corner of the photo I have a set of 1960's CopperCraft birds. If you don't remember, CopperCraft was a Home Shopping Party back in the early 60's. My Mom had one of those parties when I was around 10...no these aren't from that party..these were found at an antique mall for $5.00 a set!?

This pic is from last year. This part of the wall hasn't changed much. There are the birds and on the left is a wonderfully rusted wrought iron and hand-blown amber glass candle lamp made in Mexico back in the 50's. I found it stuck in the In-laws basement. Jim's other 8 Bros and Sis's thought I was nuts wanting that

'old thing', but now when they see it on the wall, they laugh, they can't beleive it fits right in.

Here's a better pic of the wall over the flower cart.........The hurricane lamp is a 1960's blue glass..it matched the blue Ball jar that hold citronella tealights. The Brown Tranferware is from the 40-50's. Made in England, it is a souvenir of Lincoln's Birthplace. Alas, it had a chip and a crack, well......for a $1 I added a floral design over the chip and I don't notice the crack ;) the little cup on top of the books is it's match. I found that in Kentucky for another $1. The two new floral prints are from the 40's thier 'new' frames are 50's

Here's the porch swing with it's new Throw. I know I showed a throw in the Wedding Ring pattern in a previous post, but I had to take it back to Wal-Mart.....the sewing was a little wrong...so I exchanged it for this one. I think I like this pattern better on the porch anyway.

The 'coffee table' is a modern nesting table of tubular metal and fiberboard. I whipped out Jim's trusty staplegun and some 1960's ticking and broadcloth and it covers that right up. The apple basket is a Christmas gift. I thought at first the muslin and tatted edging were old, but my MIL said no, but it reminded her of things I had around the house. The Train lantern is new too. My parents picked it up for Jim since he loves trains. And, see that  little Cruet with the flowers...well, that 1960 calico and gingham cutey was a set on a wooden holder in an antique shop in Indiana......I looked at it..walked away..and you guessed it..the other cruet fell to the floor. I think this little guy pushed the other so I'd have take him home, but it does match the throw.

This pic is trying to show our newest lighting by the swing......2 more large Train Lanterns. but they are finished in a rusted patina..yea....we found those a few weeks ago up in Northern Ohio Amish Country. There is another in the first pic you see  over the table with the cloth. When lit they give off quite good lighting, and being citronella oil, we have no bug troubles.  By the by have you noticed that wasps and mosquitoes are out this Summer a lot...at least not around our house...and I think I figured out why. We've had a lot of Wasp Killer Hornets around lately ( they look like a cross between a horsefly and a hornet to me) and Bats. The park near us..across the road actually...has had a push to bring in more bats to the area....it must be working, at dusk we see a whole bunch of the little guys doin acrobatics catchin thier dinner. It's all good to me..as long as I don't get Bats in my belfry, LOL, with the woodpeckers thinking our cedar siding is one mother lode of tree...but that is another post.

This seating area is across from the wall. The table is a 1960 find it has silver metal that matched the retro chairs perfectly and redwood. Of course I cannot have any room without my aluminum. The bowl is a very abused peice of Rodnet Kent Tulip pattern that I fill with fruit, or I take a clear bowl with chips and put inside it for serving. An Ivy tealight holder was another Christmas and an Aluminum coffee pot and creamer sugar are finds from the Longest Yard Sale a while back. Believe it or not they were found at 2 separate dealers mile apart! Of course my Pigeon Forge Pottery Bears are front and center and a wicker and aluminum basket I found at Home Goods is filled with very old (almost 20) gourds to round out the vignette.

These colored glass candle orbs and barn wind chime hang over the table and............

a set of these 1940's plaster pansies hang on the posts on either side.

The temps and humidity have broken for a few days now......woohoo!

We can have a weekday breakfast on our porch swing before we leave for work...........................................................

This morning we're using graniteware bowls, Onieda stainless spoons. The berry bowl filled with blackberries and raspberries is a 1940's  Calico Fruit lidded dish..I'd love to be able to tell you the Maker, but it's been long ago worn off.  The Strawberry sugar bowl is part of a cream and sugar set also from the 40's. I just found the vintage Amber milkbottle and the Frosted Flakes box was a collector issue reproduction I got at the grocery store several years ago.

 

This is my vintage inspired outdoor room. I'm glad you stopped by and sat with me a while today.

I hope my outdoor room has given you some ideas for your own and, yes, I do add seasonal accents all year round and I'm always adding things. LoL I'd love to add a ceiling fan and rug...some type of blinds on the swing side so that when it rains it dosen't come in on you........I've got oodles of ideas, but I enjoy doing it little by little.

I'm hoping to show you my Kitchen porch sometime soon.

This week I'm going to be linking into Etsy Cottage Styles Vintage Alphabet party, Sue's Rednesday/Wednesday at It's a Very Cherry World and Sue at Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday.   Let's take a stroll over thru here and visit all the other wonderful blogs.

Etsy Cottage Style           It's a Very Cherry World        

Between Naps On The Porch 

I'm also joining Tara at Graphic Designs and all the participants at the Blog Hop. Grab the link and code below if you'd like join in.

I'm back.....

.....Here we go. A nice glass of iced tea. Um..so refreshing and nice breeze going. Someday I'm hoping to get a fan for out here. That'll really make it cool on sultry days. Hm, the old aluminum coffee pot, yes it works..at least that's what the guy said that sold it to me at a booth in Kentucky on the Longest Yard Sale route a few years ago. For $5 I didn't really care I love the Bakelite handle and the filigrees design etched on the front. A ways down the road in Tennessee I found the creamer and sugar that matched. They make great citronella candle holders, don't you think? The Aluminum bowl is a Rodney Kent Tulip pattern, but it was so stained in the bottom that I just keep it out here to hold fruit sometimes. Aren't the trio of bear cubs cute? They are from the Pigeon Forge Pottery. I collected them over the years. That is my fav place on earth. When I started going down there River Rd. in Gatlinburg was partially gravel..lol..thats been 45 years ago!! We still go down as often as we can, but I still love the countryside more than hanging around the city.

That bottle on the table over there was hand-painted at a shop located in a log house between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg called AuntieBellum's...I'm not sure if they're still there..a resort cabin place moved in across from them..so they could've gobbled them up. Yes I do have a lot of candle holders out here and I usually have citronella torches too. They keep the mosquitoes and pest away very well.

My Mother-In-Laws old

Oil lamp is filled with citronella oil too. The fragrance?

Well, there's mint all around in the beds and Chameleon plant too...no..oh...it's the lemon thyme in the teacup there on the stack of books.

See right there in the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative teacup and saucer. It matches the plate hanging behind the lamp with arrangement on it. They were both $2 finds..one was chipped and one cracked, but they work fine outside. Yes I leave that old watercolor botanical print all year round. It doesn't hurt it at all. I change it out at Christmas and winter though.

Here you get a better view standing here.

The little ceramic squirrel on a log is my vintage planter it sits atop a brass filigree base. Right now I have faux violets in it, but in the fall I fill it with nuts...somehow I go out and mysteriously..one by one....they go missing...one of these days I'll find the little thief.

Yes, you've noticed. I have a problem with bare walls...can't stand 'em. They're like a blank canvas waiting to be filled. Yes, those geraniums are so pretty and so easy to care of...fooled ya didn't I..hehe..they're fake. For some reason anything planted in the plastic pots die. They dry out so fast and I thing the plastic heats up in the sun and cooks the roots, sooo, I "planted" faux geraniums. Those birds..I can't remember where I found those, but they are Coppercraft wall pieces. I don't know if you remember the home parties women used to have thru this company, but they carried beautiful home accents , serving pieces, and jewelry. Mom had a home party when I was really young, but I remember those pieces. These were a steal at $3 for the pair. Isn't the Amber glass and rusted wrought iron candle pretty? At night it gives off the most wonderful glow. No, that is not Jim's catch of the day. That is our 'Big Mouth Billy Bass' and it is my one piece of funky junk that makes me smile. I have no idea why..it just does. Would you like another glass of tea? Aw...you have to leave already? Wish you could've stayed longer. Well, next time you stop by, we'll do lunch out back on the kitchen porch. You bring the cupcakes.