Budget porch makeover

A while back I purchased a patio conversation set at Walmart on clearance for $200 and a 5x7' outdoor rug for $30. I can't find the rug anymore but the conversation set can be found here. The conversation set was a good deal and it fit the space. I haven't touched our front porch ever since. This is how it looked the other day while repainting our front door. Its not in terrible shape but it has seen better days. I made those pillows with some clearance fabric I found at Walmart and some old flat pillows last year.

The other night, I went to Joanns and actually got a really good deal on fabric. Long story short, I spent $40 and will be making new pillow covers for the porch, giving our formal living room sofa a facelift, a DIY gift for our friends newborn baby son, and a pillow for our Emily. 

I bought a yard for each of the fabric below. The stripe and damask blue and white fabrics will be used to make outdoor pillows for our porch. The last fabric will be used to make two pillows, one for Emily and another as a gift for our friend. I also was able to snag 4 yards of super clearance dark brown chenille upholstery fabric to give my formal living room sofa a facelift. I spent $18 on four yards of that fabric. I'll have to do another post on the sofa another day. 

The real key to saving money with DIY projects is to use what you already have. I always recycle my old pillows and buy clearance fabric to make new pillow covers. Below are my old pillow covers that have been removed. I basically used my old pillows as a guide to cut the shape of the new pillow cover.  I sewed three sides shut, flipped the cover over, stuffed it, and sewed the opening shut. 

Heres the end result of my new pillow covers. I've been crushing on stripe pillows for a long time but haven't had the chance to make new covers for our pillow.

 

I also refinished the old stand I had hiding in the corner. I sprayed it with a fresh coat of oil rubbed bronze paint (same bottle from my door knob project). It went from an old rusty dusty, uneven colored stand to a nice new and shiny one.  

I also took my DIY tray from my odd niche and placed it on the table. I think it brightens the table up. I also bought another tray from Goodwill that I purchased and am on the process of making it over.  I never knew I had a thing for trays until I discovered how much fun they can add to a boring space.  I also purchased a clearance lantern from Target for $12 but plan to return it for something cheaper or brighter. I'm not sure.. I might be too lazy to return it so I might just keep it instead.  

Overall this makeover really cost me about $20. Lantern $12, fabric about $8 because I have more fabric for other pending projects. 

Review of porch makeover: Overall making new pillows really saved me a lot of money. Pillows can cost a pretty penny. I made a total of five new pillow covers. I really like the new color combination because it brightens up the whole space and it looks much more modern. Whenever I decide to make new pillow covers I always make a lot because I get lazy to bring out my sewing machine. I have a portable $40 brothers sewing machine. 

Heres a before and after