Saturday, April 7, 2012

bright and cheery color "pallet"

Have you seen the website called "Better After?" You MUSt check it out! It's a wonderful site that shows before and after shots of things have been recycled, refurbished, up-cycled or just plain re-done! Such an inspiration for any creative mind.

Of course I've been doing just that for my own apartment patio the last few weeks and with a little help from my sweetie (the Fox), we've created an oasis for us to enjoy!

My color palette includes aqua, red and yellow and has been super fun to put together. You've already seen the re-do of the chairs, so let's start with a few of the accessories.

Feast your eyes on this little devil. It's a pot I found on the side of the road! Just in time for my patio! (Excuse my floor - it's impossible to keep it clean due to the canopy of trees overhead.)


After a coat of paint and some red plants to spruce it up, it looks like a brand new pot! I would like to add little red dots around it, but for now it will do :). And the best part is that other than the cost of the paint, it was FREE!

Next, are some lanterns I bought from the Salvation Army for .99 cent each. I removed the glass from each of them and sprayed them the same color as the pot. At night, they are super cute!


They were cute black, but I thought a different color will make them pop! Sure enough...they did!

Those are really the only two items I "re-did." Everything else was just bought from thrift stores, hobby lobby, goodwill or yard sales.


The Total Reveal!

I live in an upstairs apartment with a great patio, but the privacy wasn't really great. So, after some internet searching, I got the idea for a pallet wall from where else, but Pinterest? I'd seen pallets used for all kinds of things like coffee tables, benches, shelves and everything else you can imagine, but I thought a wall of pallets would be the perfect thing for my patio.

Earlier in the month, The Fox and I had originally decided to build a bench out of pallets, but once I found the chairs, I really didn't need any other seating at the time. But we couldn't let the pallets go to waste, so why not use them for my pallet wall?

It took a little creative thinking as to how to attach it without damaging the patio, how it could be wind proof, and what would be the best design.  But after talking out the options, we found a design that did 3 things! Created privacy, was decorative and proved to be functional!

So, without further ado...

BEFORE: (it's kinda dark, but I think you can see it...):


DURING:


AFTER:

Isn't it colorful?? We had a great time putting the wall together and of course I always have fun accessorizing :). Here are a few other pics...

I used the top sections of  the pallets to plant a very small garden. I added some lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and boxwood basil. I'm really excited about using all the yumminess it produces!









Fun? I think so! I can post pictures of creating the wall, but for now, I thought I'd dedicate this post to the fun stuff! Decorating ;).

Of course my other side of the porch looks like...


But we're workig on that. I found an awesome wicker loveseat on the side of the street with the above planter and I'm planning to paint it up as well! I'm excited, so stay tuned!!

Night all!