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 – all opinions are my own.

Why a Mini Backyard Makeover?

While we’re still waiting for summer to arrive here in Seattle, and most of us are doing that waiting inside and undercover. But not my mother, she loves her outdoor living area, even in the rain. Her beloved gazebo fell victim to the weight of a heavy snowfall this winter. Her outdoor furniture was left uncovered after the gazebo crash for the wet winter and spring.

The gazebo was hauled off a few weeks ago, but the mess it left behind was overwhelming, so my sister and I conspired to do a mini backyard makeover for her. Granted, my idea of a “mini” makeover consisted of washing the patio and buying mom a new chair for reading outside.  My sister, Judy’s idea was to invite over tons of help to dig up part of mom’s yard and add 2 yards of gravel to provide a new seating area, pressure wash the patio, weed the flower beds, plant all the planters, and more.

Mini Backyard Makeover – Planning and Shopping

To get the makeover started, Judy, her husband, and I met at our local Kmart to do the shopping. We’d checked out the selection ahead of time on the Kmart website so we had some ideas about what we’d be looking for.

Judy uses the Kmart Circular Catalog to read up on the products

Judy uses the Kmart Circular Catalog to read up on the products

We loved all of the Jaclyn Smith Patio sets (which are on sale right now) but my mom’s two existing sets could be salvaged by cleaning, so we decided to get her a reading chair. We chose a fabulous outdoor Lazy-Boy recliner which is the perfect showcase piece for the makeover. My mom loves to read, and she loves her recliner inside, so this was a fabulous choice.

Judy checks out one of the Jacklyn Smith patio sets on sale at Kmart

Judy checks out one of the Jacklyn Smith patio sets on sale at Kmart

Getting all the accessories together took us awhile, and we were probably in the store 2 hours. Thankfully the Kmart employees let us be, and we made use of the space to lay out our accessories until we had it just right. (Check out all our shopping trip photos and designer choices in the Kmart outdoor décor and furniture section on Google +)

#cbias First we go shopping. Judy fell in love with these little animals - not our taste but so "mom."

Judy fell in love with these little animals – not her taste but so “mom.”

We tried out several sets of accessories including patio umbrellas and rummaged around the store to find some fun and interesting accessories. I think our final color scheme turned out fabulous, and it looks great with her house color and design.
As we hauled our very full cart to check out the employees had already retrieved our boxed chair and had it waiting at the registers for us – I love great customer service! At checkout I completely forgot about the Shop Your Way Rewards program – I could have earned some serious points with this purchase had I remembered my card! I won’t forget it again; that’s for sure!

Mom’s Mini Backyard Makeover – Before and After Pictures and more! (Video)


Check out more “after” and in progress pictures here.

It Takes an Army of Friends

 

#cbias Digging, scrubbing, hauling, fixing, and having fun were the order of the day!

Digging, scrubbing, hauling, fixing, and having fun were the order of the day!

On the day of the makeover, we kept mom locked up in her house with a sign to ignore the noises in the backyard and then a small army of friends and family worked together – probably about 40 hours of manpower total – to make over the backyard. We dug, scrubbed, tossed, hauled, and worked like crazy but we had a great time. Even the neighborhood kids helped out and with the spectacular weather it made for a fabulous event.

Surprise Mini Backyard Makeover – Mission Accomplished!

This sign my sister put up cracked me up - she knows mom well! :)

This sign my sister put up cracked me up – she knows mom well! 🙂

While we put the finishing touches on the makeover, my brother-in-law worked on grilling up some dinner to celebrate the end of the very long workday. With dinner ready and the makeover complete, we finally invited mom out to see her new outdoor room. Yep, she cried, I’d say that we did a good job.

 

Project Costs

Our final shopping list included the Lazy-Boy recliner, side table, patio umbrella, two sets of lights, yellow pillow, green throw blanket, two decorative statues and the umbrella stand. Total price about $500. We added two yards of gravel ($64), $50 of new flowers,  and lots of elbow grease.

Tada! The surprise backyard makeover - after pictures. #cbias

Tada! The surprise backyard makeover – after pictures.

I’m thinking that now that mom has the best patio on the block she should host a 4th of July party….that is if Mother Nature blesses us with some sunshine!

I’m still sore and tired from our adventure, but it was fun getting to hang out with friends and family. I’m so very grateful for all the help – you guys are awesome!

So what do you think of our makeover? Do you have a family member who deserves a backyard makeover surprise?

Mom's Kmart Mini Backyard Makeover - Before Picture

Mom’s Kmart Mini Backyard Makeover – Before Picture

#cbias The "after" - Mom comes out to see her surprise mini backyard makeover!

The “after” – Mom comes out to see her surprise mini backyard makeover!

Shop the Kmart Circular for Savings

Check out the 6/24 Kmart Social Circular for more great outdoor living sales – everything you need for your patio or to barbecue including lawn furniture, patio umbrellas, and more.

 www.KmartOutdoorLiving.com is your one-stop shop for inspiration, new products and savings to make your dream outdoor space come true!

www.KmartOutdoorLiving.com is your one-stop shop for inspiration, new products, and savings to make your dream outdoor space come true!

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