Getting It All Stained For Summer

Over last weekend, we had the kind of gorgeous spring weather that inspires thoughts of summer and spending more time outside. It's also the kind of weather that makes you look around outside and think of the projects that need to get done. One of my favorite gifts ever from the husband is the porch swing he bought me for my birthday a couple of years ago when I turned 30. It is a favorite place for us to sit, talk and enjoy the view. It's taken on some weathering in that time, but after a fresh coat of stain, it looks as good (or better) than new.

The husband has had the bench in the picture below since the early 90's, it was a gift from his parents. Though it's been through quite a bit of weathering, the husband was able to get the years of yuck factor off of it with sanding. Then I put a nice thick coat of redwood tinted stain on it last weekend...I like how it turned out! My garden is slowly coming together, now I have a classy bench to sit on while I watch all of my lovely plants grow! It's a good feeling to renew something you already have so you can enjoy it.Because the stain was already out and the brush was already wet, I figured it was also time to stain the two adirondack rockers that the husband made last summer. (The picture above shows one chair stained and the other still in raw wood - we put the chairs on planks so we'd be able to stain the bottom a bit more easily.) We'll be using the chairs on the upstairs deck that is off of our master bedroom. Up until now we haven't had any permanent furniture there. I'm looking forward to spending more time up there this summer. I've been thinking about getting some pillows made for those chairs to maximize the cozy, comfort possibilities...I can already picture enjoying a book and a cup of tea or coffee out there.