Rustic Furniture Pro

Easy Breezy Strawberry Lemonade

I hope you are reading this blog while you are sitting outside enjoying the spring weather. You see, I believe that we should all be spending every second possible outdoors enjoying the beautiful spring weather. Now I know that we also have to take care of work, but seriously spend as much time as you can outside. During your lunch break go for a relaxing walk. When you get home eat dinner outside. Even on your drive home from work, try rolling the windows down for a change. Spring is here and we need to make sure we enjoy it and do not miss out on this amazing weather!

One of my favorite places to enjoy the spring weather is in my outdoor living space in my backyard. I have just created a really fun relaxing atmosphere and added in a few pops of color. This is a great place for me to relax and enjoy a good book, watch my dogs play outside, have a nice dinner with my husband or just hang out with friends. It is definitely where you will find me during the springtime.

As you know I have a lot of rustic furniture in my home and on my patio. I mean I love rustic furniture, so it is all over my home indoors and out. My favorite piece of rustic furniture on my patio is my rocking chair. It is a great place for me to go to and unwind at the end of a long day. It is also a great place to hang out on Saturday morning with my coffee.

So, today I thought it would be fun to give you a fun and easy recipe that you can enjoy with family and friends as you spend time outside with your rustic furniture. In my house there is nothing like a cold glass of lemonade. It is a must have for spring. So, today I wanted to share with you a simple twist of the spring and summer classic drink. I hope you enjoy and are able to spend some great mornings, afternoons and evenings outside with your family and this sweet treat!

Easy Breezy Strawberry Lemonade

Here is your list of ingredients:

• 4 ½ Cups of cold water
• 1 (10 Ounce) package of frozen strawberries, partially thawed
• 1 can of frozen lemonade concentrate

Instructions

• In a large, colorful pitcher mix the lemonade concentrate and water together. Stir well.
• Stir in partially thawed strawberries
• Enjoy with family and friends.

This simple recipe requires very little time and effort but will have a big payoff with your family and loved ones. So, this spring while you are enjoying your rustic furniture outside on your back porch, you can also enjoy a nice cold glass of Easy Breezy Strawberry Lemonade!

This fun recipe is courtesy of Kaboose.

Rustic Furniture Pro's Arabella Chair

The Rustic Furniture Pro team is all about meeting your rustic furniture needs. We will do whatever it takes to help you create the perfect home, ranch, cabin, lakehouse or outdoor living space. So, you can shop with us knowing that we will meet your rustic furniture needs. There are several ways were are here to serve you. Today I am going to focus on four of the ways Rustic Furniture Pro is here to meet your needs.

1. Will you be using your new piece(s) of furniture outdoors?

If you are using your furniture outdoors let one of our Rustic Furniture Pro team members know. If we are aware that your new furniture will be going outdoors we will prepare the furniture and apply a special outdoor polyurethane application to each piece. This application will allow for your finish to last outdoors longer. If you want to maintain the finish your furniture arrives with, then keep up with simple maintenance to maintain the rustic furniture’s color. You can apply more coats of polyurethane as the furniture begins to turn. So, next time you order from Rustic Furniture Pro, let us know if your furniture will be used outdoors. There is no additional charge for this service. We simply want your furniture to be the best it can be!

2. Do you like our custom stain?

Here at Rustic Furniture Pro, we pride ourselves on our custom rich brown stain. It brings out the variety of colors within the reclaimed teak wood and it highlights teak’s wood grain. We care about our stain so much that we take the time and care to stain each piece. Pretty much everyone who buys our rustic furniture is in love with the stain.  However, sometimes customers have a need for a lighter color teak or just simply want bare teak furniture. Whatever your needs are let us know. We are here to help!

3. Do you need customizations?

Sometimes we have customers who fall in love with a particular piece, but may need a few customizations to make it work for their home. For example, we currently have a customer that has fallen in love with a table. However, it is a bit too big for their space, so they have asked us to customize it. So, let us know what we can do to help you get the rustic furniture you want and love!

4. Do you need some custom upholstery? 

One of the other things that Rustic Furniture Pro does for you is upholstery. I have clients who absolutely love the teak furniture but ask if they can get the chair, barstool, bench upholstered. We love upholstery at Rustic Furniture Pro as well. We are ready and able to upholster all different types of pieces within our line. So, feel free to ask us about upholstery options. With our custom upholstery, you can provide us with the materials if you have a specific fabric, leather or hide you want to use, or we can provide leathers and hides. When it comes to upholstery, we work with you to help create the perfect pieces for your home.

At Rustic Furniture Pro we are all about helping you get the rustic furniture you need and want. We hope you enjoy your shopping experience with us!

Well, it’s another snow day! I feel like a little kid who is missing another day of school! I have already been outside skating through the streets and now I am back in my PJ’s working from home. Sometimes snow days are just what the doctor ordered.

As you can probably imagine, I love rustic furniture, especially rustic teak furniture. I am passionate about Rustic Furniture Pro’s product line and I have several pieces at my own home for family and friends to enjoy.

As I have mentioned before, we only recently moved into our first home. We have been here a little over two years so there is still some decorating/painting/furniture purchasing to come. One of the areas that have not been dealt with too much yet are our front and back yards. When we first moved in we planted two oak trees in the backyard which made a huge difference and last spring I planted a rose bush. But outside of that, not too much has happened.

So, in an attempt to make the backyard a bit more appealing I have scattered about some choice rustic furniture pieces. I have four rustic chairs, two rustic coffee tables and a beautiful rocking chair (a favorite of everyone’s who comes over). In order to add some mood lighting to our backyard I also have two rustic lanterns. Whenever spring arrives I think my next purchase will be some rustic plant stands so I can add warmth and color to my yard.

There are people all over the US that share in the same appreciation for rustic furniture. Many of those people have some pieces outdoors. So, since the ground is covered with a wintry mix I thought today was a great day to go over how to protect your outdoor teak rustic furniture. Here at Rustic Furniture Pro we provide you with the highest quality teak furniture for both indoor and outdoor use. While most of these furnishings (with exception to some tables with planking) can handle all Mother Nature can throw at it, there are ways to help better preserve your rustic furniture.  

#1: When you receive your teak furniture it comes with a beautiful rich brown finish. If you want to maintain that finish you will need to keep an eye on your furniture. It is hard to say how much time it will take, but eventually your furniture will need a bit of attention. And by attention, we mean polyurethane. We suggest a high quality outdoor poly to keep your furniture looking great! When you see your teak furnishings started to lose a bit of their luster, simply paint on a coat of polyurethane. Once it has dried, following the instructions on the can and lightly sand the furniture and then apply a second coat. This is a small amount of maintenance that will help keep your furniture looking beautiful! If you like the grayish tones of teak, you can let the furniture weather on its own.

#2: When your furniture is not in use, bring in indoors or under a covered area. This will mean less maintenance for you and it will protect the wood. Right now since it is winter, all of my rustic furniture is kept under the porch away from snow and ice.

Snow in Texas!

Ok everybody its official we have had our first snowfall for the year! That is a huge deal because it’s Texas and we never get snow! All of the Rustic Furniture Pro team members had fun enjoying snow for a day. Another exciting part about the recent snow is the fact that it was my puppies’ first experience in the snow. Don’t worry I will be sharing photos for sure!

Since many of you readers out there are very familiar with snow and lots of it, I thought it would be fun to share with you what Texas snowfalls are like.

Here are some funny facts about snow in Texas.

Weatherman Freak-out

If we are expecting even the tiniest, shortest snow flurry, the meteorologists instantly begin freaking out. Suddenly the only thing on TV is weathermen warning us of the inch of snow we may or may not get. This may seem boring to watch, but everyone (me included) becomes addicted when Texas is getting snow.  

Dallas Becomes a Ski Town

When the temperatures drop below 50 degrees Dallas suddenly starts resembling a ski town, without the mountains, piles of snow and pine trees of course. Everyone starts busting out their ski clothes to brave the cold weather.

Closings

When the snow starts barely falling everything starts closing. From schools to businesses to church events, the city shuts down. Of course we don’t really complain about this, because who doesn’t want a “snow day”!

Snowmen Pop Up

One of my favorite parts of getting snow in Texas is the snowmen that start popping up everyone’s front yards. What is great about these snow men is that it takes all of the snow in the yard to make one. So you have this small snowmen surrounded by grass.  

Roaring Fires

When temperatures drop below 50 everyone starts their fires to stay warm.

It’s time to Ice skate

Then there is the ice skating. As a little girl my sisters and I used to hose down our concrete patio and try skating on it. Obviously we never got the ice thick enough to use real ice skates so our shoes had to work instead.

Well, I hope you enjoyed some fun facts about Texas snow days from Rustic Furniture Pro. I also hope you like the pictures of my pug pups in the snow. They absolutely loved the snow. It was precious to see them bury their faces in the snow and also try to eat snowflakes right out of the sky.

Hopefully we will have some more snow days here in Texas this year, but for now we will have to wait and see!

Pug Pups First Snow

Hides make the perfect rugs!

I will admit it. I love to decorate, and I mean love to decorate. I am one of those people who are constantly rearranging my rustic furniture and accessories throughout my home.  I cannot tell you the number of people who tell me that whenever they come to my house it always looks different. To some that may sound weird, to me it’s a huge compliment.

I am always looking to see how I can redecorate to make a room look better. How can I add more interest to this corner of my space? How can I enhance the wall space or make the bookcases more interesting? I also love to decorate by seasons so keeping and updated look helps. Right now I have my winter pallets out of light blues, whites and blacks.

Lately I have been on a lamp buying spree. It seems like I can’t get my hands on enough lighting. I do not like overhead lighting so I am moving all of my rooms to lamp lighting instead. None of my bedrooms have overhead lighting but instead they have lamps that fill the rooms with soft, flattering light. I have gotten to the point where I can’t really fit any more lamps. So now I recently moved on to something new.

My next obsession was picture frames and rustic art. There really is nothing like adding artwork and photographs to your home’s walls. I recently went on a frame shopping spree and got all of these beautiful, large frames (that were on sale) to hang throughout my house. I cannot believe the impact that these frames have had on the rooms. There is so much more interest in the rooms and I was able to draw the eye around the whole room by accessorizes some of those bare spots on the walls. My dining room also underwent a huge transformation by simply hanging a large mirror and two large prints. After living in my home for a little over a year, it is really coming together and starting to feel like a home that truly reflects my personality.

Ok, so I took care of the lighting in my home and the walls. Now I am on to my new obsession with are rugs. Throwing a rug on the floor dramatically changes the look and feel of the room. You can create different ‘rooms’ within one room by the addition of rugs. In order to accent my rustic furniture, I have decided to purchase hide rugs. I already have one black and white cowhide in my media room and now I am crazy about hide rugs. I know I have mentioned this before but I have two small puppies that are still in the major chewing phase. They spend a lot of time in our media room since that is where the dog door is and they have yet to destroy my hide rug. Hide rugs are extremely durable (of course) and you can vacuum them. Since they are natural you don’t have to worry about being delicate with them. Now I am searching for some white and cream hides with a few small spots to place under my rustic coffee table in my great room. If you are like me and love rustic furniture, then you definitely need to look into hide rugs for your home.

Beaver Creek Vacation

Winter is in full effect and I am sure many of you enjoyed a beautiful white Christmas! A little while back Rustic Furniture Pro began talking about great vacation spots that appeal to those of you who truly appreciate and love rustic furniture. The last place we suggested was Telluride, Colorado. It is a beautiful quaint ski town that will make for the perfect rustic get-a-way. You can read more out our first rustic vacation spot here!

Well, since its winter, it’s only appropriate that we continue to travel around the mountainous land of Colorado. This time we are headed over to Beaver Creek, Colorado. I have had the privilege of visiting Beaver Creek a few years ago with my family for a ski vacation. It was an amazing trip and it was such stress relieving place with all of the beautiful and relaxing scenery.

Beaver Creek is a beautiful quaint town nestled within the mountains and lined by aspen trees. This little town has been extremely popular to skiers of all kinds.  The mountain offers various terrains for all types of skiers from first time skiers to experts. The town also offers a lot more than just skiing. Beaver Creek has beautiful resorts, excellent dining, a fun nightlife atmosphere, relaxing spas and of course lots of shopping! So, if you are looking to escape work for a while, think of taking the family to Beaver Creek for some great rest and relaxation.

You know, there is something about escaping to the mountains that just really lets you unwind. I don’t think there is anything like curling up beside a roaring fire while watching the snow fall ever so gently outside. There is nothing like walking out in the early morning where everything is quiet and at peace while the sun comes up and creates a shimmering snow-scape. One of my personal favorite things to do while in Colorado is to get in the outdoor hot tub while the snow falls down. Since I am from big city life, I love to walk around the quaint town of Beaver Creek and enjoy all of the cute shops.  

There is something else that draws me to places like Colorado and that is the people’s love for rustic furniture and rustic décor. The little shops are full great rustic pieces from small accessories to big rugged pieces of furniture. Then when you are walking through the town you can see pieces of rustic furniture scattered throughout whether it be on the front and back porch, out in the yard amidst the snow or in a local rustic restaurant.

Beaver Creek, Colorado is a great place to escape to and relax. I hope that sometime during this year all of you are able to get away from work and spend time with family and friends vacationing. If you are looking for a place to go check out Beaver Creek!

Photo thanks to Beaver Creek at beavercreek.com.

I was sitting on my couch this morning drinking my vanilla flavored coffee with my legs propped up on my coffee table. Things I noticed: four neatly piled stacks of unread mail, a few coupon clippings which I will likely never use, one bright pink bottle of nail polish, and three remotes used only by my husband.

It’s embarrassing to say the least. I don’t know about you, but the coffee table can easily become the junk table if you aren’t careful. After looking at mine this morning, I figured a blog was in order about coffee tables and how to keep them clutter-free.

At Rustic Furniture Pro, our rustic coffee tables are sturdy – you can certainly prop your legs up! They are water resistant, meaning that you can say goodbye to those pesky water rings. And they are beautiful, which leads me to my first tip about keeping your coffee table clutter-free. Buy a coffee table you WANT to show-off. If you love the way it looks, you will automatically want to keep it clear so you can enjoy its beauty.

Next, every coffee table needs a few cute coasters (even though the teak does not need to be protected – they are still fun to have!). I personally like seasonal coasters. It is an easy way to add the spirit of the season to your home without breaking your wallet.

Also, your rustic coffee table should have a focal point – and it shouldn’t be the mail! My older sister keeps a beautiful vase of flowers on her rustic teak table. And you want to know the trick? They’re fake! She has a lot going on as a wife, mom, and full-time designer. So she cuts corners by heading to find the perfect fake arrangement each season.

Finally, if we are talking rustic coffee tables, we have to talk coffee table books. My mom always keeps books about flowers on her coffee table. They are enjoyable to thumb-through and make sense for her lifestyle, after all, she is a florist. My advice: pick coffee table books that represent WHO YOU ARE. If you’re a cowboy, pick a photo book about rodeos. If you’re a dog lover, have a book about dogs. Let your personality shine on your coffee table.

Now, I am off to take my own advice, clean up my rustic coffee table and add a little personality to my room!

Rustic Chairs: Generations of Seating

Remember when you were a little kid? Remember how big the world seemed? You could easily crawl under your grandparents’ coffee table or slouch down in a chair at dinner when didn’t want to eat your broccoli. Now, picture that coffee table or that chair, where is it? Chances are, those pieces of furniture are long gone.

Someone broke the coffee table from getting too excited while watching a football game. That chair had one too many people slouch in it, and the back broke. I don’t know about you, but those pieces were a part of my childhood, and I can never get them back.

My grandmother recently gave me my favorite piece of furniture from her home – a small white chair that had a fold out leg rest built in. Her mother brought it over from Ireland in the early 1900s, talk about some history! I am thrilled to have it in my home, and every time I look at it, I can see myself sitting at her table as a young girl eating her famous vegetable soup and tapioca.

Sadly, furniture isn’t made in a durable fashion anymore. After a few years of wear and tear, a chair is placed in the trash, forgotten. Furniture doesn’t last for generations anymore, it lasts for a time and then is forgotten. What does this mean? It means that the majority of children today won’t have a keepsake chair like I do.

But, that can be changed. At Rustic Furniture Pro, we believe in durability. We pride ourselves on selling pieces that last, that can have generations of seating. A rustic chair made of teakwood can last decades upon decades, meaning that your great grandchildren can have a keepsake from you.

So, try out some of our beautiful rustic chairs; it’s a purchase that is functional but also builds memories. Years from now, you still sit in the same chair your daughter sat in for her third birthday, your son sat in for his graduation celebration, your husband sat in the night of his 50^th surprise party, you sat in while pregnant with your first child.

Instead of your furniture being fleeting, choose pieces that are timeless. Let our rustic chairs become a part of your legacy. I feel closer to my great grandmother when I see her chair from Ireland. Just like me, your great grandkids can feel your warmth and joy each time they sit in that beautiful memory-laden chair.

Rustic Benches For Your Home

What pops into your mind when you hear the word “ rustic bench?” Maybe you picture yourself having coffee on a crisp fall morning while sitting on a bench. Maybe you picture yourself sitting down to a lovely Thanksgiving feast at a dining room table; in place of chairs, you’re sitting on a long rustic bench. Maybe you imagine sitting in a park with your loving spouse, closely cuddling… you guessed it… on a bench. Or maybe you’re like me, and you’re suddenly getting an itch to watch Forest Gump, after all, he is sitting on a BENCH!

Remember when you were a child and imagination was the greatest thing since sliced bread? Your imagination could take you from a rainy day stuck indoors to a fabulous day riding a unicorn across a rainbow-filled sky. (OK, maybe that’s just my strange imagination).

This fall, let’s bring back our childhood imaginations. Whether your home is western, contemporary, country or eclectic or lodge, a new rustic bench may be the ticket to your imaginative success. A bench adds something to your home that most people don’t know how to get – it adds flare!

Let’s use our imaginations… right now! Imagine your back porch adorned with some beautiful rustic benches. Maybe you’re imagining something Western, something that will catch your neighbor’s eye. Try out the Dakota Wheel Bench.

Next, imagine the Bardean Back Bench. It can stand alone in your living area, on your porch or in your dining room for added Thanksgiving and Christmas seating.

And if you’re looking flare, I have to mention the Crescent Bench. When I look at this piece, my imagination takes me to a beautiful master bathroom. I can see a few, soft white towels stacked on it and maybe a candle or two. The functionality of a bench coupled with the beauty of an art piece… my, oh my, how I love decorating!

Take a look at Rustic Furniture Pro’s unique rustic benches, and let your imagination run wild!

I love teakwood. I am just going to put it out there. It’s more like I am obsessed with teak. I work with teak furniture all day, my office is full of teak furniture and when I go home I am greeted by more teak on my back porch and in my living room. The next piece of furniture my husband and I are looking at is the Bardean Table which is pretty much my favorite piece from the entire collection. Ok, so its pretty obvious that I love teak furniture.

I have spent a lot of time working hands on with teakwood. One of the things that Rustic Furniture Pro is so proud of is our teak stain. Unlike other vendors we exclusively use an oil based stain which brings out the beauty of teakwood.

I thought I would spend a bit a time today discussing why we use oil over wax for our stain.

Reasons Why We Don’t Use A Wax Finish on Our Teak Furniture

1.)    Wax stain is meant for indoor furniture only

2.)    Wax stain must be maintained frequently

3.)    Wax stain leaves residue

4.)    Wax stain wipes off on clothing

5.)    Wax stain doesn’t fully bring out the beauty of teakwood

Reasons Why We Use An Oil Based Stain

1.)    Oil based stain can be used in indoor and outdoor applications

2.)    Oil based stained pieces require little to no maintenance indoors and for outdoor furniture, additional coats of stain can be applied and preferred

3.)    Oil based stain leaves a beautiful smooth finish

4.)    Oil based stain will not wipe off on your clothes

5.)    Oil based stain enhances the teak’s wood grain and color variations

It’s not hard to see why Rustic Furniture Pro uses only oil based stains on our furniture. So steer clear of the wax finishes, you may be getting into more than you bargained for.