{Giveaway is Closed}
The Winner is: 139: Sharon Heinzel
There aren’t too many women I know who don’t love porches, patios, and decks. This time of year, outdoor living is at the tops of most of our lists, and furnishing an outdoor room can be fun and inspiring. It’s a great place to kick off your shoes and hang out and enjoy the sunshine and maybe a breeze. It’s no secret that I love outdoor spaces, and creating an inviting exterior room is at the top of my wish list. That outdoor room–my screened porch–currently looks like this. 
Porches are made for outdoor living and I can’t wait to start living on mine.
I can hardly believe another blessing that came into my life, and that was getting a $500 shopping spree at Pier 1, one of my favorite stores to shop for outdoor furnishings, stylish accessories and some really great entertaining ideas. I’ve been browsing this store for years, and they always come through in the summer with lots of bright colors and fun finds. You can imagine my glee at getting this opportunity.
I took my sis along to help me complete my little screened porch, which is rather sad-looking right now but has great potential for being one of my most favorite rooms in the new house. I can hardly wait to sit out there and sip a cold drink!
You all may remember how I bought some pretty resin wicker for the back deck when I was in Birmingham, and how much I enjoyed sitting out there. All of that wicker came with me to Georgia, just waiting for the perfect spot to put it all. When I get it into the screened porch at my new house, that is going to be one fun place to chill out. 
My first thought at getting this windfall was to completely finish off that cute little porch, and I believed $500 would do that. I started shopping online and saw a few things that caught my eye, specifically a pretty brown wicker rocking chair that I figured would tie right into my existing pieces. And it did! I met up with a consultant at my local Pier 1 (thanks, Allison!) and she helped me with my purchases. Let me show you a few fun things we saw in the store. 
These two pics aren’t the best (taken with my sis’s iPhone), but check out this hanging wicker swing at Pier 1. It was really comfy too. I decided against this one, but it was tempting.
There were plenty of colorful items to choose from, and I found just what I needed to complete my porch. I took along my existing cushions so I could coordinate it all, and Pier 1 had perfect colors to go with my fabrics. 
That’s the wicker rocker on the left, and I found a pretty coral/orange cushion that blended perfectly with my existing orange and white cushions. I don’t have all my pieces out in this pic, but I have a loveseat and another chair with this set (that you can see above on my old deck), so now I’ve got seating for 5 with the addition of the rocker. I can invite friends over! I already had the coffee table too.
Let me show you what else I added! The wicker rocker was on sale for $149, and I found out all of Pier 1’s resin wicker is hand-woven and very sturdy. Good to know.
I’ve been coveting a garden stool ($99) for-ever, and this pretty green one is perfect with my mix of fabrics. I also grabbed a green and white pillow ($24 on sale) for my orange cushion ($30) in the rocking chair, and that adds a nice pop of color. 
I also scored a beautiful tray ($35) on clearance that has all my colors. I couldn’t believe my good fortune in finding this piece. It will be perfect for holding drinks on the wicker coffee table.
I have two more finds that will look great on the porch: This tiled side table ($119) was just so cute (and hand-painted, by the way!) that I couldn’t resist it. It also brings in many of the colors in my fabrics. That large lantern ($30) will be nice with a large candle, and I just might hang it from the ceiling. It’s chunky and large! 
So, that’s how I plan to outfit my cute little screened porch, and you’ll have to imagine with me how great it’s going to look. I was SO excited to find all these pieces at Pier 1 to pull it all together. It’s going to be my own little retreat now. 
My sister’s dogs were over visiting; Buster says HI! 
This will be me in a few short months, when I’m kicking back on my newly beautified screened porch, enjoying the sunshine but out of the sun. I can hardly wait! A screened porch all cozy and casual is just my cup of tea. So Southern, and a perfect spot to entertain. I plan to do a lot of entertaining when I get in my house, celebrating with my friends. What do you plan to buy this summer to add to your outdoor entertaining?
And now for an exclusive offer for Southern Hospitality readers! Click here to get $10 off a $50 purchase at Pier 1 to help you achieve your own backyard makeover! This offer ends on 6/30/12.
For a chance to win a $100 Pier 1 gift card, visit the Pier 1 Imports website, www.pier1.com, and select 3 outdoor products that are on your “must-have” list for this summer and tell me in the comments why you’ve made those selections.
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/23 to 6/22.
Be sure to visit Pier 1’s brand page on BlogHer.com, where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
Have you been able to find Patio Furniture Covers for your Sunset Pier collection? I need some for the fall/winter and haven’t found a fit yet.
Thanks!