Plant Containers

• Wood chests are wonderful planters if you drill a few holes in the bottom.antique box image by Salem Alforaih from Fotolia.com
  
  You can use just about anything as a plant container, as long as it can hold water and has proper drainage. A old colander is perfect for succulents if you line it with moss, fill it with sandy soil and make a color bowl with interesting specimens---then use it as a centerpiece inside and outside. A weathered, narrow crate looks beautiful when filled with herbs and placed in a kitchen window for easy clipping. Chipped enamel pitchers also look lovely with plants spilling out of them like water.
  
  

Vintage Fabric

• Whimsical, colorful vintage fabric will cheer up ordinary patio furniture.vintage fabrics image by bright from Fotolia.com
  
  Vintage, brightly printed fabric is perfect for indoor pillows, or with a little weatherproofing, outdoor cushions. Look around your local flea market for a few yards of cotton fabric or barkcloth with colorful patterns or interesting designs. Old sheets work great as well. Wash the fabric in cold water a few times to get out the musty smell. Stitch up some basic square pillows and stuff them with pillow forms that you can purchase at your local craft or fabric store. You can also buy iron-on vinyl, which makes the fabric completely waterproof and perfect for outdoor chair cushions or tablecloths.
  
  

Furniture

• Stained wood chairs are perfect for outside, too.chair studio isolated over white image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
  
  As long as a wood piece of furniture is painted or stained, it will survive outdoors in temperate weather. Dining rooms look cute when you surround your table with mismatched vintage chairs, and you can do the same things outside on your patio. Vintage chairs can double as side tables or plant stands, too. Often patio furniture works just as well inside and vice-versa.
  
  

Entertaining

• Baskets are wonderful for serving bread, crackers or even drinks if lined in plastic.Wattled baskets and bags image by Yury Shirokov from Fotolia.com
  
  Using glass items on a patio is never a great idea, but you can find plenty of great vintage dishware in tin, bakelite or melanine that can be used indoors or out. Chipped tin mugs and pitchers are fun and brightly colored. Tin trays with floral patterns and whimsical designs are abundant and inexpensive at local flea markets, as are melmac or melanine plastic plates. Buy them in different patterns and shapes to mix-and-match for a funky, artistic effect.
  
  

Lighting

• These look better the more weathered they become.Hanging Buckets image by Dawn from Fotolia.com
  
  Just as almost anything can be used to hold plant, lots of items work well as candle holder. Old chunky wooden table legs are perfect as pillar candlesticks when sawed off and lightly sanded. Tin trays look wonderful as centerpieces when filled with candles of different heights and textures. Fill vintage pails or tin lunch boxes (with no lid) with sand and plant tapered candles in them.