Modish: Petals & Pedals: Getaway in your own backyard

Petalsandpedals_2

With car-free weekends, we generally stay within the 3 mile radius my pudgy bicycling muscles can stand. In car culture, that radius translates to very little movement, limited shopping, and more thoughtful outings. It also translates into lots of time enjoying the lay of the land, which is much nicer than holing up inside and cleaning all weekend. Trust me.

With the great outdoors on the brain, I've been following Pink loves Brown's Nicole as she adorns her new place. Her patio is nothing short of inspirational. It's equally well furnished for a dinner party or just soaking up the fresh air. She has an uncanny ability for bargains. Not all of us are so lucky. While drooling over her new patio, I've spent a little time thinking about ways to make my own yard more cozy. . .naturally with the time I'll have this weekend, a few D.I.Y. projects are not out of the question.

Though it would take some serious muscle to split a log yourself, a split log slab makes for a gorgeous Nakashima style bench. This version is a coffee table by hazelnut_spread via Casa Sugar, though I think it would suitably hold a couple people. The vintage style, sanded, beveled legs are available in the lumber section of big box hardware stores for a couple bucks each, or you can get hairpin legs for an even more polished look. She spent about $250 on hers, but with enough dedication and innovation you can find a slab locally from a sawyer for much less. In fact, we recently bought rough-hewn oak, found on Craigslist, for $2 a board foot. A not so expensive wood and metal outdoor table is available through West Elm, but you wouldn't be able to brag about that one being one of a kind, now would you?

Domino Magazine recently featured outdoor rooms, one of which included an extremely enticing a futon. Can you imagine an outdoor nap in such luxury? I think this pallet platform bed (found via Apartment Therapy, but I know I've seen it somewhere else. Anyone remember this so I can credit the maker appropriately?) is a suitable, extremely affordable version. Wooden pallets are generally free for the taking, this version looks like they used 2 to make it twin bed sized. You can sand them if you want a prettier product, then paint it up thick with white glossy paint, and get some heavy duty casters for a little extra height. Even if you don't have a thick cushion, just gather a bunch of sheets and fold them in a thick stack on top.

I love love love the hammocks at Lama Designs, as featured in Jena's post yesterday, and they would definitely be worth the nearly $100 price tag (still a bargain compared to lifestyle store options like Pottery Barn), but the description of it being a child's size makes me wary of it's ability to hold me and my honey. BUT! If I make one, it will be just the right size. Thankfully etsy's Storque has the details on how to make that magic happen!

Lighting is a great way to transform a space, and lanterns are the perfect way to delineate boundaries while adding a little extra mood. Restoration Hardware offers these gorgeous shiny options, but I like the hanging jelly jar votives via Martha, of course she would probably have the time to make individual citronella votives for each jar.

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.