Creating an DIY Outdoor Mommy Oasis

Moms often put themselves last in the care hierarchy.  And yet– can you build a home without it’s foundation?  A tiered cake without the first layer?  A bridge without it’s supports?  Moms are the foundation, the supports, the humble bottom layer.  It’s important to take care of ourselves so we in turn can take care of those who depend on us.  But it can be so hard to find time to do that!  With that in mind, I set out to create a spot of my own outside where I can ‘escape’ during naptime or after I put the kids to bed.  A Mom’s Oasis, if you will- filled with flowers, new patio furniture, and a vertical herb garden trellis wall.  Soon, our boring old deck turned into an oasis of comfortable and beautiful outdoor living!

You may remember the vertical herb garden trellis wall we created on our deck last year.  Using a trellis to provide some shady seating, we had a variety of fresh herbs right out our back door and out of the reach of kids.  This year, setting it up has gotten off to a slow start because of our vacation, trip to Haven, and a few other factors.  The trellis wall became the wall of doom (look away!  look away!):

Yup– that’s what happens with a vacation and a week of rain collide.  Yuck.  It was time to fix it up and create a Mom’s Oasis with a little help from Kmart!

First, I browsed the selections of outdoor furnishings online in their beautiful #KmartOutdoor Living catalog.  The website also has a handy tool that tells you if the set is online only or available in stores.  I located the set I wanted and headed to my local Kmart to pick it up.  Since the theme is ‘mommy time’, I went solo to enjoy the experience.  Yes, friends, a solo trip to Kmart is indeed considered a vacation nowadays.  You can see the whole shopping trip here in my Google+ album.

 

I quickly found the perfect set of patio furniture– black metal frames, beautiful green outdoor cushions:

 

I found lightweight black urns on sale, grabbed some potting soil, and these cool outdoor solar lights.  The lights solve my problem of not having an outdoor outlet on the deck.

 

When I got to the register, the set rang up for over $100 less than I thought it would.  It was on sale that day, I could NOT believe my good luck!  While there, I signed up for the Shop My Way Rewards Program.  It took about one minute, and I’ll get rewards each time I shop at Kmart– starting with this purchase.  The friendly sales associate helped me locate the set and even put it in my car.  Best part?  It fit!

 

Home again, it was time to set it up.  It was a family affair.

After planting a few flowers, reviving the trellis wall, and adding in some outdoor pillows and accessories that I had on hand, it was ready.  Ah, naptime for the kids.  Mommy’s turn!

The trellis wall is my favorite part.  Here’s a closeup of the herbs and flowers.  They are planted in IKEA pots with IKEA hangers.  You can usually find the pot hangers in the kitchen organization section (in my IKEA, it’s upstairs near where they discuss the kitchen renovations).  They are originally supposed to be used to store and organize kitchen utensils.

Peaceful.  Pretty.  Perfectly ‘me’.

 

Hydrangeas clipped from the yard and place in a favorite bowl make mama happy.

As does sitting in the shade of scented herbs and beautiful flowers.

Can you believe the transformation?

On a practical note, the extra seating will be helpful for 4th of July entertaining.  On a not-so-practical note, I’m still stunned that such a great set of deep seating patio furniture was so inexpensive.  Here’s the view from my kitchen.  So lush and inviting, I can’t believe it’s the same deck!

Follow Kmart on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute deals and hear how others are using their Outdoor Living furniture to make their home a haven.

Mom’s Oasis Mission Accomplished?

Hm.  Just wait ’til naptime!

Here’s wishing all of you some Mommy Time of your own. And if it’s hard to find in your own home, come on over– fresh lemonade is here waiting for ya!

disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and Kmart. #CBias #SocialFabric