I thrive on bargains and sales - Here's my experience - in the early spring (Pagancat can attest to it), Costco has some wonderful glazed large containers in the $50 range. If you have a Fry's marketplace near you that includes the home and garden dept (I go to shea and tatum) they have an extensive large container selection and they have periodic sales in the 20% to 25% range. An old standby is making the trek to Guadualpe. The main drag is called avendia de xxxxxx (i forget). The store is on the west side of the street, before you get to guadualpe road (south of baseline road). If you are buying several pots, make a deal, they never refuse. Also the Potted Plant in north scottsdale has a used plant sale once a month on a saturday and they are happy to negotiate a price for a used colorful large container.

Krylon also sells Fusion primer which I think is clear in color. Once you've sprayed your plastic with Krylon plastic primer, you can use any other spray paint over it. I LOVE Rustoleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover spray paint. On the front of the can it says 2 x coverage. I like it because it comes in lots of lucious colors both satin and gloss. I just bought a can of satin finish "aubergine". What a GREAT color! And, it's about 1/2 the cost of Krylon Fusion. It definitely does 2 times the coverage...a can of it seems to last forever. I have had mixed luck with it over-wintering outside on plastic pots here in wet, cold, rainy Washington State, on the plastic pots I DIDN'T prime with Krylon plastic primer. Things I DID prime with Krylon primer did just fine, and are holding up well. Locally, Home Depot sells it for something like $3.25 per can, Joanne Fabrics sells some of the colors for $5+ per can. Lowes doesn't carry it.

Sonicmom - The chairs feel like they did before they were painted. If you want smooth, start with a smooth chair (sanded if necessary) and apply maybe three thin coats of paint. If you want to decoupage, there will be raised areas and how raised depends on the thickness of your cutouts. If they're wallpaper they will be a little thicker but if they're tissue paper or napkins they will be thinner. CEFreeman, I have three terracotta pots I fill in the summer and keep in the garage in the winter. I did latex and spar varnish inside and out and they've lasted for years. The decorations on them I used acrylic craft paints. These were something I just threw together fast just to get some color on my porch steps. I'm thinking these would be a great Girl Scouts project for Mother's Day! The checks were done with a flat brush and the dots were done with a q-tip. I quit using the saucers because when it rained or I sprinkled they held water and were drowning the plants. Then I have two matching ones I painted the same and I think I did not coat the insides all the way -- trying to remember. They stay out all the time. They got wet and then froze, then thawed, then started to disintegrate. :( I need to replace them now but they each have plants in them and they're not small pots. The other mistake I made was hand painting a small detailed design on them. You can't see it from the street. Duh me. Anyone know what I should replace them with? I'm thinking plastic is what will endure the weather. Does this cracking up happen to all terracotta pots? I love that your creativity is going. Be sure to post pictures! Grlwprls - My neighbor lost her bird bath in the same winter I lost my pots. I'll tell her about your dad's secret, thanks! Thanks about the chairs, too.

tiffeslan, I have a baja shelf/tanning ledge on my pool that's big enough for two loungers. It's a new construction and our first year with the salt water pool. My first two concerns were ensuring that the lounger was all plastic so we wouldn't have to worry about corrosion and making sure that they weren't rediculously wide or heavy. I take my loungers in and out of the shelf area and move them to the deck area depending on if I want in the water or not at the time. I found a few options. Some that were $200+ from various online retailers ($300+ for same ones at my local outdoor/pool stores), or some basic white plastic lounge chairs from HomeDepot (Adams is the brand I believe). We've had them for about 3 months now and they're never covered. They sit in direct sunlight for about 13 hours a day right now. They're light so I can move them really easily, but heavy enough that they don't blow around in the wind (Oklahoma gets windy). Best part, they are cheap enough that if my kids tear them up I'm not going to be as mad at them as I would if they cost me $200+ each. You're thinking may be different than mine, but for the price they hit all the functions I needed.