Cassie Bustamante

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Dining Al Fresco and Summer School Course 2

June 14, 2012 by Cassie 35 Comments

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So I have an awful lot to pack into one post today.

First of all, you may remember that last week Tiffany and I kicked off Summer School: Blogging Etiquette.  Last week the subject was comments.  This week we are back with a new topic: traffic/following.  Hop over to Tiffany’s blog today to read what she has to say with commentary from me.  Hopefully this will help you learn more about gaining more traffic.

Also, I am over at Remodelaholic today talking about one of my most favorite and easiest products to use!  Hop on over to see what it is!

And now, let’s talk about some fun summer decor projects!

First of all, I have my “summer mantle” set up with the paintings Ali and I created while she was visiting.  Yep, she let me keep hers!  I also strung my white pom pom garland that I got from her shop.  Here is a picture of it all that I took on instagram.  And pardon the wires to the right- we plan on creating small built ins on either side, but for now, we will live with it!

Sunday I shared with you my summer goals as far as the house goes.  Don’t worry, I have not achieved one already. 🙂

One of my goals is to create an outdoor dining area on our porch.  I am hoping to find a long and narrow rustic farm table and pair it with some mismatched chairs.  For now though I went ahead and set up a temporary table.

I have a small old farm table that was the first antique purchase I ever made on my own.  Chris and I were living in Austin, TX, and my parents came to visit.  We took a trip to New Braunfels and I found this table at an antique shop for $93.  At the time I drove a VW Jetta, and this table fit in the trunk with the legs off, so I could take it home which made it all the more appealing.  It was already painted as is.

When we moved to Louisiana and bought our first house, my mom found a set of antique ladderback chairs and painted them and wove the seats for us as a housewarming gift.

This set travelled with us to our last home and we used it on our sunporch.  Here it is in that house:

When we moved here, we did not have a spot for this little set, so it has been stored in the garage.  Now that the kids are out of school, I really wanted a place for us to sit and have lunch on the porch.  So today, while they made “inventions” by stacking trucks outside, I pulled it out and cleaned it off.  Before I show it to you, let’s take a look at what I had on the porch in this area…

The dining area is going to be replacing the blue chairs.  I recently found them for a steal, but my kids have not mastered sitting in them.  They tend to sit on the edge and the chairs are not made for that- they can tip forward.  So better safe than sorry, and I want a dining area anyhow!  (And if you are interested the chairs will be at the barn this weekend).  I also found an adorable flower cart for $5 at a yard sale this past weekend, so that replaces the yellow bench between the chairs (which was only there temporarily anyhow).
Here is the new set up, again temporary, but this will work for us until I find the big table I need.  Don’t mind the chalk drawings all over the place!  Emmy likes to paint with her chalk by dipping it in water and the painting pictures on the porch. 🙂

Here is the cute little $5 flower cart.

I also clipped some flowers from our garden and put them in a vintage enamel piece for a little more charm.

And while I was doing that, the kids were doing this…. getting every single outdoor toy out!

I didn’t mind though.  Because it was the first official day of Summer break and they were getting along beautifully.  They were playing together, being creative together, digging in the dirt together….. it was nice to watch and listen.

And now we look forward to having many lunches and dinners outside on the porch, watching for bunnies and butterflies while we dine!

The Lettered Cottage

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Filed Under: Dining Room, Mantle, Spring, Summer

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Comments

  1. René says

    June 14, 2012 at 10:28 am

    What a great outdoor space! The table looks perfect there and I love the scenery! Wet chalk is the best 🙂

    Reply
  2. Sarah AKA The Thriftress says

    June 14, 2012 at 10:44 am

    I didn’t realize how wide the porch is. That table fits with so much extras space that you could definitely get a larger table! Have you thought about building one? Maybe using saw horses and old wood for the top?

    Reply
  3. Courtney says

    June 14, 2012 at 11:40 am

    Nothing beats sitting and eating lunch outside on a beautiful day…well except maybe eating breakfast and dinner out there too!!
    Just think, us Aussies do that 365 days of the year!! Just kidding! More like 364 😉
    Enjoy your new al fresco area!!

    Reply
  4. Courtney says

    June 14, 2012 at 11:40 am

    Nothing beats sitting and eating lunch outside on a beautiful day…well except maybe eating breakfast and dinner out there too!!
    Just think, us Aussies do that 365 days of the year!! Just kidding! More like 364 😉
    Enjoy your new al fresco area!!

    Reply
  5. Fiona, LilyfieldLife says

    June 14, 2012 at 11:49 am

    Cassie, it’s so rural and pretty where you live! Gorgeous!

    Reply
  6. Sonya Sosa says

    June 14, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    Cassie, I love your scenery. I’m almost a little jealous. Green, green, green everywhere! So pretty, I could sit on your porch forever 😉

    Reply
  7. The Bold Abode says

    June 14, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    It’s perfecto! Beautiful memories will be made there…

    Reply
  8. Lesley says

    June 14, 2012 at 12:12 pm

    You should do a post on the nature around you… Looks beautiful around your house. Got a chuckle over the dresser off to the side in the one pick out looking like you are about to stage it for a pic!!! lol

    Reply
  9. Suzy www.savedbysuzy.blogspot.com says

    June 14, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    It’s looking cute out there! My grandparents used to have those metal chairs. Have you thought about using an old door as a table if you don’t find the perfect one? My friend did this and it looks great.

    Reply
  10. lemondropdreams says

    June 14, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    You’re so lucky to have a nice big porch like that! Love your set up….I’ll come eat with you!!

    Reply
  11. Amy ~ "A Perfect Tin" says

    June 14, 2012 at 1:15 pm

    Love it! Wish I would have thought of using rubbermaids for outdoor toy storage. I just paid over $100 for one the big rubbermaid storage benches as an outdoor toybox!

    Reply
  12. Heather says

    June 14, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    The table looks great, Cassie. I can just imagine family breakfasts and evening snacks for two under the stars. Lovely.

    Reply
  13. All About Vignettes says

    June 14, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    Cassie that porch is huge. Even though I love the garden chairs and their color, the table and chairs look better there. And, much more practical for hanging out and having lunch.

    Reply
  14. Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says

    June 14, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    Sooo great! Smart to ditch the topsy turvy chairs for the benefit of the kiddos. 😉 And this set is great, made even better by the chalk paintings and scattered toys. Awww summer!
    I’m so looking forward to seeing you next week. 🙂

    Reply
  15. Ange says

    June 14, 2012 at 1:38 pm

    Off to read at Tiffany’s in a moment. Great dining space even if it’s temporary, way to use what you have! Love that the kids hauled all the stuff out….summer is here!

    Reply
  16. pam {simple details} says

    June 14, 2012 at 2:39 pm

    One of my favorite things about summer, eating outside! Great bargain on the charming flower cart!

    Reply
  17. Junky Vagabond says

    June 14, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    that’s the perfect spot for al fresco dining. The kids will fondly remember all the outdoor dining!

    Reply
  18. Tannis Bahrychuk says

    June 14, 2012 at 3:24 pm

    I have been reading your blog for a couple weeks and I just have to say that I am envious of your eye for the details. Super charming and I love the flower cart!

    Reply
  19. 17 Perth says

    June 14, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    The table looks great on the porch…not to mention that the view you guys have while eating on the porch is awesome!

    Reply
  20. Linda @ it all started with paint says

    June 14, 2012 at 4:45 pm

    I love that outdoor dining area … it looks so inviting with an amazing view!

    And good for the kids getting into summer break with such gusto!

    And your mantel is so sweet.

    And now I’m off to read your blogging etiquette series part 2 …

    🙂

    Linda

    Reply
  21. [email protected] says

    June 14, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    I love it!! I also love those blue chairs and would snap them up in a heartbeat if we lived closer to each other (I would also be hanging out on your porch every day but that’s another story). School break already, eek! We have a couple more weeks. Off to see your other tips!

    Reply
  22. miss flibbertigibbet says

    June 14, 2012 at 5:52 pm

    That is going to look great Cassie! Good luck on the table hunt! you’re a handy gal…why not make a large topper for the table in the meantime?
    Blessings, Lorraine

    Reply
  23. Eclectically Vintage says

    June 14, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    Not the blue shell chairs!!!! Send them to me asap! They need to be reunited with their cousin, my vintage porch glider!

    You’re such a great mom – caring more about your kids safety. Me, I’d buy extra band-aids and keep the blue chairs (don’t judge)!

    But I do love the dining alfresco look.
    Kelly

    Reply
  24. Jessica @ Stay at Home-ista says

    June 14, 2012 at 7:52 pm

    I love eating outside, we just had to buy a giant umbrella to keep the sun off, since we don’t have a full-on porch:)

    Love the rub-n-buff ideas at remodelaholic, I knew I bought that tube for something!

    Jessica
    stayathomeista.com

    Reply
  25. Lisa at Shine Your Light says

    June 14, 2012 at 9:15 pm

    How fun is it to be a kid? That last picture made me smile. Your outdoor space is AWESOME – all that covered porch area?? I love the table there, it will be SO nice to eat dinner there. Maybe some of those cute strings of lights for the evenings? Enjoy it – the space and the kids being little!!

    Reply
  26. Ali Richardson says

    June 14, 2012 at 9:40 pm

    Loooooove it!!! SO fun! Too bad you didn’t think of it when I was there 🙁 haha. J/k of course. I was too busy eating candy and being lazy anyway 😉
    xoxoxo

    Reply
  27. [email protected] says

    June 14, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    love the series and the flower cart! Did you get an itinerary for Haven yet?

    Reply
  28. Kelly says

    June 15, 2012 at 1:27 am

    What a perfect spot for a breezy outdoor meal! And what is it with kids having to get ALL the outdoor toys out before they start to play with them? 🙂 Weston has to “see” everything before he can decide what to play with first.

    Okay, off to read the summer school post!

    Reply
  29. Catherine says

    June 15, 2012 at 2:39 am

    I love that setting – what a lovely gift from your Mum. And it looks perfect on your porch – we’ve just had a week of super rain (that’s rain from every direction!) so I’m very very green. With envy. Enjoy!

    Reply
  30. Carmel @ Our Fifth House says

    June 15, 2012 at 3:04 am

    Love this outdoor dining area! I’ll bring the sangria! 😉

    Reply
  31. [email protected] Charm says

    June 15, 2012 at 5:14 am

    Your family will enjoy so many wonderful meals out there and what a steal you got on that darling flower cart.

    Blessings,
    Linda

    Reply
  32. [email protected] Repurposed Life says

    June 15, 2012 at 1:10 pm

    ohhh, what a wonderful porch! I have flowers, but not so many that I cut them to display them. hahaha
    well, I did snip some hydrangea yesterday because they were laying on the ground.
    Love your flowers!
    the picture of the toys made me chuckle! hahaha kids!
    have a great weekend Cassie, see ya next week!
    gail

    Reply
  33. Alyssa says

    June 15, 2012 at 7:06 pm

    I love your porch!! Nice and big with lots of space for all of your fun goodies!! I have the world’s smallest porch, and it kills me!

    The flower cart is fab!

    Reply
  34. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. says

    June 17, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    I love eating outside and you have the perfect spot on that awesome porch! It’s going to be a great summer!

    Reply
  35. Kara @ June & Bear says

    June 17, 2012 at 1:01 pm

    you lived in austin! lucky duck. one of my most favorite places to visit—even if it’s scorching hot. love the table on the porch. i really must gussy up our porches asap.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Cassie!

I believe that you don't have to spend a lot of money to live a beautiful life and be your best self.  Here you will find budget friendly ideas to live happily, healthily, sustainably, and most importantly authentically.  We all get one chance at this life, and this ordinary girl plans to make hers extraordinary. How about you? Read more...
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Hi! I'm Cassie.

Mother, wife, shop owner, blogger, writer, incurable diy-er, furniture painter, coffee and wine drinker, friend. Seeking happiness and passing it on. Read More…

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