The Most Incredibly Affordable Outdoor Barn Lights!

<center></center><div style="text-align: justify;">I really wanted some chalky black outdoor barn lights for the back porch and around the rest of the house. I was going to have to order about ten lights, so paying $200 each or whatever was not going to happen!</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><center></center></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj15at1EMzVj41ZTb4q0uc7QW1Bw9FP3UW3RKXxmer5sKAVDqEIz40l-Ei5zcllavCPTBB3q6D7Y0RpbBQRrqsic89W3sQnsIJXHXsj7tYA02Kz9zStWhfh0XUSwQkx0kgI8gQn7pLbfQFE9eIAcwENvMMum-ul5v78dmp7VtLNsWQ2KBloh1EkkonnOUA=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" photo 31XFUCyqtpL.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/31XFUCyqtpL.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">It looks like the price moves around a bit (I think shipping is free now), but I found these American Fluor Barn Lights on Amazon last month for only $35 each!! I was a little nervous they would look and feel cheap, but they are the real deal barn lights! Nothing fancy and built to last! Apparently you can get them at feed and tack stores for something like $25! I've heard Menard's has them for a similar price too.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/3.jpg" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The parts are incredibly well-made and beautiful. The inside of the shade is white porcelain and the outside is galvanized metal, so you'll probably want to paint the outside like I did, but it's super easy. I just put the shades face down on a drop cloth and sprayed the outsides with Rustoleum's flat black enamel. No tape necessary! I actually like that I wasn't paying for an exterior finish that I would have wanted to change anyway. The perfect base for a DIYer!</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/2.jpg" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Do you have any favorite barn light sources? These were far and away the best deal I found, especially with such a large shade (14"!!).</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5747.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_5747.jpg" /></div><br /><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fi224.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fdd246%2Fjkomenda%2Fjkomenda014%2F31XFUCyqtpL.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj15at1EMzVj41ZTb4q0uc7QW1Bw9FP3UW3RKXxmer5sKAVDqEIz40l-Ei5zcllavCPTBB3q6D7Y0RpbBQRrqsic89W3sQnsIJXHXsj7tYA02Kz9zStWhfh0XUSwQkx0kgI8gQn7pLbfQFE9eIAcwENvMMum-ul5v78dmp7VtLNsWQ2KBloh1EkkonnOUA=" -->

The Most Incredibly Affordable Outdoor Barn Lights!

I really wanted some chalky black outdoor barn lights for the back porch and around the rest of the house. I was going to have to order abou...

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Trimming Boxwoods and Progress on the Back Deck

When last we left off with back deck, <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-balcony-floor.html" target="_blank">it looked like this</a>. (Yeah, we lived with that astroturf for the past eight months. Yikes.) This post has <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/08/our-quick-and-easy-outdoor-lighting.html" target="_blank">a wider shot</a> of the roughly 7x20' space. It's small, but there's plenty of room for a round table and chairs and a grill. So with the warmer weather enticing me with promises of barbeques in my near future, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00376WU2U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00376WU2U&linkCode=as2&tag=littgreenote-20" target="_blank">my new shop-vac</a> giving me the necessary boost of courage, I pulled that nasty astroturf up, scraped up the flaky glue and loosened concrete with a planing shovel and a wire bristle brush. Then in was time to vacuum.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_2485.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/IMG_2485.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Some of you guys had questions about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00376WU2U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00376WU2U&linkCode=as2&tag=littgreenote-20" target="_blank">shop-vacs</a> since I mentioned mine in <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-surprise-in-vestibule.html" target="_blank">this post</a>. They are very, very powerful vacuums that you can use to suck up anything - water, spilled paint, sand, sawdust, rocks - and the mess deposits into this big rolling bucket that you just dump out when you're done cleaning. But the filters are pretty basic, so I wouldn't recommend using them in your home for regular cleaning. They're almost too powerful for that. But they're amazing for messy outdoor projects. This is after literally one swipe of the shop-vac:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_2494.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/IMG_2494.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And here's what the floor looks like now. I scraped up as much of the glue as I could for now. We might still rent a wire brush drill bit to clean it up more, but the concrete is a little fragile, so we'll probably just skim right over everything with a fresh layer of concrete <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-balcony-floor.html" target="_blank">before I paint</a>.</div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0251-1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/DSC_0251-1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 3DSC_0267.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/3DSC_0267.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I also picked up some new boxwoods for the back deck recently. Two big ones for <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/09/fig-trees-mums-and-boxwoods.html" target="_blank">the matte black  planters</a> I bought at Target last summer. And two smaller boxwoods for these new urns I picked up at Lowes last week. I love the chalky black finish!</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: start;"><center></center></div><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2IMG_2276copy.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/2IMG_2276copy.jpg" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I used <a href="http://bit.ly/XGCKH6" target="_blank">my favorite pair of pruners</a> to trim up the new plants. </div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0271-1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/DSC_0271-1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0280.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/DSC_0280.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I rounded out the big ones and squared off the smaller ones. I'm hoping they fill out this spring so I can shape them a little more.</div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0222.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/DSC_0222.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 11DSC_0242.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/11DSC_0242.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I love seeing the shot of green outside the doors in <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/04/new-living-room-rug.html" target="_blank">our living room</a>. And I love that the green is <i>not</i> astroturf. :)</div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 1DSC_0239.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/1DSC_0239.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 1DSC_0228.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/1DSC_0228.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div>

Trimming Boxwoods and Progress on the Back Deck

When last we left off with back deck, it looked like this . (Yeah, we lived with that astroturf for the past eight months. Yikes.) This post...

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Vintage Lounge Chairs

<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%203/DSC_0243.jpg" /></div><br />My sister's in town and I was so happy to have her company for a last minute working road trip. We stopped to do some antiquing - and look what I found today!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%203/DSC_0260.jpg" /></div><br />These vintage wire lounge chairs have so much potential and they were a steal. I'm so glad I <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/10/new-balcony-chairs-from-fab.html" target="_blank">switched</a> my balcony plans at the last minute and went with these <a href="http://fab.com/sale/11664?utm_campaign=littlegreen&utm_source=mediakix&utm_type=p&utm_medium=blog" target="_blank">Blu Dot chairs</a> for around the table. These loungers will sit in a pair on the other end of the balcony. Maybe the <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/09/major-yard-progress-pavers-and-planting.html" target="_blank">faux bois side table</a> between them?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%203/DSC_0253.jpg" /></div><br />I'm not a fan of the ecru paint color. It's chipping and rusted over a bit anyway, so I'm thinking I'll strip these down and see what I've got to work with. I'm sort of hoping I can leave the metal unpainted. (maybe just sealed to prevent rusting?).<br /><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%203/DSC_0237.jpg" /><br /><br />I'm already brainstorming cushion designs. I have a really fun one in mind. I just need to do a little research on the type of foam/fill I need to buy for outdoor use. Have you ever made your own outdoor cushions?

Vintage Lounge Chairs

My sister's in town and I was so happy to have her company for a last minute working road trip. We stopped to do some antiquing - and lo...

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The Yard - Advice, Please?

I hate showing in-the-rough before pictures without having some pretty after (or at least during!) shots for you, so I've been hesitant to share any photos of the brownstone. Those bachelors have not been so tidy! I could really use your help though. (and to make it clear - this is not our stuff. We haven't moved in yet)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_4952.jpg" /></div><br />I would love to be a really good gardener, but honestly, I have no idea where to even start. When we were first married, we lived in Arizona and our yard was mostly gravel and just a small lawn - totally minimal. Since then we've lived in places with no outdoor space. I haven't had the chance to learn about plants and yard care/design. I'm SO excited to finally start now.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_4974.jpg" /></div><br />We have an upper and a lower deck, both are about 5' deep and 20' wide - not super huge, but just big enough for a small grill, a table and four chairs on the upper deck (which connects to the living room). I'll probably put a small seating area on the bottom deck too (which connects to my office), but I think mostly that area will be for outdoor toy storage. I haven't figured that all out yet.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_4953-1.jpg" /></div><br />As I look through Pinterest and my inspiration folders at brownstone yards, it seems like a lot of them have stone or brick pavers. When we first walked through the house, I thought those flagstone pavers should go out immediately in favor for just grass (right after that astroturf gets pulled up off the deck! yeesh!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_4973.jpg" /></div><br />But now I'm worrying about mud. Maybe putting down (prettier) pavers is the best idea?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/142989356889387262_XK4BL5Lz_f.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/11540542765306373_BKkflS6D_f.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/cynthiarowley.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/37788084342908597_BLyAgL04_f.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/140104238377806987_e1dtFgds_f.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/thomas-obrien-long-island-patio-domino-magazine1.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/149955862562839532_JmqMT84v_f.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Okay, all you yard experts - help! What would you do with this space? Ideas I'm bouncing around - a tallish hedge along the back wall for added privacy, some flowers and/or vegetables planted along the sides (I want to take out all those low bushy trees to the left).  Raised garden beds? Maybe a teeny tiny playhouse or a covered sandbox? The yard itself is 20' wide x 40' deep (this is a shot from the upstairs landing).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_4845.jpg" /></div><br />Any thoughts?<br /><br />

The Yard - Advice, Please?

I hate showing in-the-rough before pictures without having some pretty after (or at least during!) shots for you, so I've been hesitant ...

Read more »