I’ve been meaning to write about this for a few weeks, but I kept hesitating because I wasn’t sure if my pictures were good enough. But, hey, let’s just DO this!
Before this spring, there wasn’t much on my patio. I live in an apartment complex and in the past, I’ve had some trouble when it comes to rules about what we can and can’t put outside.
The same year I moved in, they made a big deal about some colorful lights I had outside. When I turned to my lease, it basically said the apartment has the right to tell you what you’re allowed to have outside.
So, I ripped down my lights and only had a few plants on my patio. I had a foldable beach chair that I mostly kept in an outdoor closet. When I went outside, I would just sit on the ground and lean against the wall. It wasn’t cute.
But I have been on a bit of a mission to update my entire apartment on a budget. Since I live and work here, the way things look has become much more important to me. It makes me happy to see all of the fun things I’ve purchased!
As a single person, I always sort of had it in my mind that I would be decorating a house, or would do these types of things once I got married. But, neither of those things are in the picture for me and I have to make the most of the present.
So, I knew I wanted to update the patio sooner rather than later because I could work outside on nice days. My first purchase was a nice, comfy chair. I came across it online and waited a few weeks for it to go on sale. I ended up getting it for 50% off!
Shortly after my chair came in, I made a trip to Five Below, where I picked up a pale blue metal side table, an outdoor rug that has sort of an Aztec pattern on it, and a circle throw pillow that has bright citrus on it and Pom Pom trim — so fun!
I browsed the craft aisle and bought this kit that was basically rocks with metallic temporary tattoos. Sounds silly, but I loved it! I put on some music, sat outside, and decorated these rocks for hours. And then I put them in my potted plants and they are sparkly when the sun shines on them!
Each item was only $5, of course.
My next stop was Big Lots, where I bought a few new pots for new plants I was planning to buy. I already had a ceramic owl citronella candle, but they had citronella tea lights that I bought to “refill” the candleholder.
One of the projects I wanted to do was turn an old pot into a side table for my chair. The pot was a few feet tall, and the last two plants I had in it died, so either some sort of disease was living in the pot or it just had bad energy.
I spent a morning and scrubbed down the pot, let it dry completely, and then painted it with some light blue paint that I had leftover from another craft project. Earlier that week, I had measured the top of the pot and bought a perfect-fit tray from Home Goods that would serve as the top of the table.
I didn’t want to seal it shut, because I could use the inside for storage — I keep my candles, watering can and a plastic bowl for water for Blanche in there.
The table turned out great, and since I only had to buy the tray, it was about $15.
Finally, I bought new plants. Every year, I get more and more because all of my plants need bigger pots and then I end up with empty pots… so I added an azalea, catnip, Mexican heather, a barrel cactus, and zinnias to my patio. It’s a full house now!
On a random trip to the grocery store, I bought a $5 battery-operated fan to put on the table beside my chair. It has come in handy!
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve sat out there to do work, read, or just tend to my plants. It definitely look a decent amount of work to arrange everything how I wanted it, but it was worth it.
Blanche seems to love it, too. She spends lots of time snacking on catnip, rolling on the rug, and napping under the shade of the chair. Lucky cat!
So far, I haven’t heard any complaints from the apartment complex. I actually have gotten several compliments on my chair from neighbors and shared extra soil with someone also sprucing up their patio.
I love the chair so much, I might lug it inside during the winter months, but we will see!
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The Bitter Lemon 