I became "Operation Christmas" directly after Halloween ended. It is my absolute favorite time of the year. I started off building the fire pit for a Christmas party. Then I realized how this is perfect for future gatherings. Although I live in Florida (where cold weather in December is simply nonexistent), I still planned to sit by a fire and have a good time.
The total cost for my DIY project was $21.88.
I purchased the lights from Home Depot. Which was completely by chance. I had been looking online for weeks for the perfect set of string lights. Might I add, I refused to spend a ridiculous amount on lights that wouldn't work like I wanted or give the look I was going for. If I was going to use Christmas lights, I wanted the bulbs to be a little bigger than the small stem. Additionally, I am BIG on reviews. After looking at different types of string lights, I could not find anything within my budget or the look I was going for. I just so happened to go in Home Depot for another project and stumbled across this box of lights. In store, I paid $6.98 per box . Initially I purchased two and had to go back for another to fill the entire area. They are PERFECT for patio/backyard lighting.
For the fire pit, I was able to use some old recycled bricks I found in my dad's backyard! Although I wanted the bigger stone bricks for a fuller effect, these worked out perfectly and gave me the same result. Especially since they were...FREE.
Another item I scored from my dad's back yard were two-10 foot posts. These posts were cut and ready to go! This process required us to dig 4 foot holes in the ground to secure it. Instead of using four posts, I decided to use two posts and the two trees already in the back yard.
The Frame:
I found this old frame in my dad's backyard! It had so much dirt on it. I wiped it down, cleaned the glass and then prepared it for a remodel! I purchased some white spray paint to have a nice white finish, but decided to leave it brown.
My adhesive letters came from Target found in the Dollar Spot back in October. I scored those for .30 a box!
Originally I stacked the bricks on top of one another, but I knew I didn't like the way it looked.
This past weekend we tested out the new fire pit with S'mores! I am so happy with the end result. I changed the layering of the bricks (instead of stacking them on top of each other), added all three boxes of lights to the frame, and added the garland around the other post.
This project is one I plan to continue working on. I'll be sharing more updated photos in future posts!
