It would be SO nice to have a screened porch. Oh, how I’ve wanted one, but it’s just not going to happen anytime soon (maybe never), so I’ve resigned myself to that for the time being. I’m going to talk more about outdoor living next week and how we can make the best of what we have during these hot summer months, but for now I’ll share what I found yardsaling this weekend to make not having a screened porch a little bit easier to live with.
I had thought about getting a nice market umbrella and figured they are expensive and I’ve just never committed to buying one and trying it out. So, when I stumbled on this nearly new super sturdy market umbrella in a heaaaaavy iron stand for $30, I figured this was finally my chance to get some shade on our deck without breaking the bank. And if I happen to run across a table with a hole in the middle and decide to bring it home, I’ll be set.
This one has a crank on it to open the umbrella, so it will only be open when we are out there using it. With our wind, which can be quite fierce at times, we have to be careful about putting anything up that might get tossed around by a brisk windstorm. I think this will do the trick and maybe now I can actually sit in these chairs and enjoy some shade and an occasional breeze. The umbrella is huge and shades about 1/2 the porch when it is up. So, YAY I’m very happy that I found this at such a great price. Now, I’m going to look for some better cushions than the old ones I had in these chairs to make them even more comfortable.
Ya’ll might remember we had a big discussion last year about those really cool gazebos that are all over the place with the fabric ceilings, but I could never figure out a really good way to make one of those work on our deck either, since the deck is just shy of 10′ wide and most of those are 10×10′ (at least the ones I like!). I had heard such horror stories about those too getting tossed about by wind that it made me apprehensive about putting much money into one of those, so this umbrella will be a good alternative for now.
I’ve found most everything I need for the Lovelady room redo, so that will be happening in the next few weeks and I can’t wait to share that makeover with you. It’s going to be an awesome makeover on a TINY budget.
Don’t forget to check out Garage Sales Tracker when you get ready to hit the road on the weekend. You may find some great sales in your area that you didn’t know about.
So, now it’s YOUR turn for the party this week! What have YOU found lately. Add your link to the Linky list and remember our guidelines for the party:
- Add your permalink to the link list, which is the actual post that you did for this party, NOT your general blog url. To get the actual post, after you publish the post, just click on the title and THAT will be your party post url. Last year, I can’t tell you how many links I had to fix. This year I might get mean & delete them, so PLEASE try to get the correct url in the first time! 🙂
- Please add my button to your post or blog OR at least link back to this post in your post. That’s all I ask. It’s common courtesy to link back to the person having the party, so that all of your readers can find it too.
- Please do NOT link to an Etsy shop or something similar (even if you think it’s a fabulous deal) or I will delete the link. This party is for sharing thrifty finds from yardsales, thriftstores, or something along those lines. If I see that your post is not really on track with this theme AND you don’t link back, I’ll delete your link. Sorry, but I’d like to keep the party consistent!
Let’s have some fun this week with the Thrifty Treasures party
Enjoy your new umbrella! It does make a huge difference. We have one and love sitting under it. I used to want one of those fabric covered gazebos too, but noticed that within one season they are shot. It’s been really sad to see the ones around our neighborhood take such a beating from the weather. It’s windy here too, and we have some very nasty storms in the spring and fall. They don’t seem to be made to take the weather.
Good luck finding your wicker- sounds like a great idea.
Great deal on the umbrella. You are right about the wind grabbing your umbrella. We had one once, a green one. One afternoon we went out to sit at our table, and the umbrella was missing. We looked everywhere for it; even asked the neighbors if they borrowed it. (Sometimes they did when they had a large gathering.) A week later we spotted it. It was lodged up high in the neighbor’s tree, not easily noticeable green on green. Hope you have better luck with yours. 🙂
Screened porches are nice…especially in the South. We are like you with a narrow deck that will not accommodate a gazebo. We had an arbor built over the main area with a ceiling fan to keep the bugs off. It does help us through the summer. Congrats on your great find.
That was a good buy on the umbrella and stand. I made the mistake of leaving ours up while I walked down the street to the beach for a bit. I came back to find my new glass table in a million pieces! A gust of wind just lifted the whole thing!
I have a gazebo..it has latticed wood on the sides. I have replaced the top twice, but it was worth it. I don’t like the newer ones with the metal sides. I got it at Sams Club a few yrs ago…12×12.
I wish you were near. I love wicker, the real stuff. It is a pain to paint every 2 years, but it looks so much nicer than the fake.
So if you lived near I would buy that wicker from you!
I just love your garage sale umbrella! What a great price! I have the table with the hole, but no umbrella! lol I do remember your post about the gazebo, I had one two days and it blew away! Loved seeing your porch, we enclosed a 16×16 screened porch, and hope to add another on the back of our Craftsman’s Bungalow. I sure miss it so much! I have a tiny porch on the back now, just enough room for two chairs! Can’t wait to see your makeover on your porch with the chairs and umbrella! Have fun sitting in the shade!
Hey, Rhoda! Congratulations on finding the umbrella! You know, when we lived in B’ham we didn’t have a screened-in porch, either. We did have a great table and umbrella, though, and I think you’ll love having that umbrella. It’s amazing how much cooler it is if you’re just protected from the sun!
You’re smart to keep the umbrella down except when you’re using it. I remember one particularly fierce storm when I thought our umbrella was going to blow away despite the fact that it was in a cast-iron stand. Alabama gets some fierce storms at times!
Hope you’re having a wonderful week. 🙂
Thanks so much for hosting! I am new to your party and your newest follower!!
~Morgan
Meet Virginia!
Meet Virginia!!
Meet Virginia!!!
Rhoda,
I love the umbrella! There is nothing better than some good shade in the summer time. 🙂
Enjoy!
Yes- great find indeed!!
Great find – I need to get my hands on a big umbrella like that myself now that we have a pool and can actually get use out of our back deck.
http://www.biglots.com/specials/item.aspx?cid=59&scid=214&iid=7253
Would this do?
Hi Rhoda,
It was good to see you Saturday at the Chelsea Park yard sales. You got a great buy on the umbrella. Yep you have to watch those umbrellas when the storms come with lots of wind. My friend and I did find a few good deals on Saturday. Have a great summer.