Colorful Gardening

Progress continues to be made in my patio area. After completing the tiered veggie garden, the focus has been on just making things pretty. My most recent mini project is this ladder plant stand. I like having something tall to create a bit of a focal point - and it's certainly nice having another spot to perch flower pots. The idea came from this post over at Bits & Pieces... as soon as I saw it the light bulb went on! Turns out we had an rickety, old ladder sitting in our basement just perfect for refurbishing. With a single, rough coat of leftover turquoise paint from my laundry room project to give it an appropriately weathered look, I had a fun, no-cost piece of garden decor! 

Here are a view more shots from around the garden...

The duck planter was an 8th grade art project of my sweetie's... how cute is that?

The miniature metal wash bucket is a $2 Target find from the bargain bin at the front of the store. So perfect as a planter! Now I can't wait for the dahlias to really start blooming...

Here's my sneaky little Radius, posing as usual. And the table runner is only $3.99 at Ikea - you'll need two to make it across the table though...

A final addition to our upstairs deck - a graceful swan planter from the sale room at Anthro!

My Weekend Outdoor Project

I hope you all had a great weekend! It was sunny and hot here in Philadelphia, which gave me the incentive I needed to start on the patio and deck. Most of my time was spent painting the patio fence, which went from a drab untreated wood finish to a bright white. But more on that later, once I can get some good photographs.

A much easier project involved sprucing up our third floor deck. It's a small space, but a perfect one for my fella and I to sit, have a cocktail, and enjoy the city skyline. We purchased the Ikea andirondack chairs last summer, along with the colorful striped cushions, though they do have similar styles this year too.

I started out by painting the Ikea planter that I've had for years and years. I blended the leftover white paint from the patio fence with a touch of turquoise paint (Valspar "Bayside") that was used on the new laundry room walls to create a dreamy aqua. The little iron plant stand was found on the street in a set of three (the other two are downstairs) - I quickly coated it with white gloss spray paint to freshen it up. Then I filled the pots with white begonias and pink petunias!

Because the deck can be viewed through a French glass door at the top of our staircase, I wanted to add some playful touches that would be fun to look at all summer. So I dragged out some fun accessories to give the space life - the chrome lanterns are from West Elm and the ceramic owl planter is from Anthropologie.

And so, with a cool drink in a pear-print Orla Kiely tumbler (they finally re-stocked my local Target with all the Orla kitchenware!) and Sammy the greyhound by my side, the deck is finally ready for summer living!

So, were any of you lucky enough to spend time in the sun this weekend? If so, what did you do?

Wedding Pattern

What a cute set-up for wedding photographs. That fabric is from Ikea. Also, love the bride's brightly beaded necklace! I think it's great when couples choose non-traditional colors and prints for their big day. (Images via Style Me Pretty)