.Balcony photos: Before & After.

About a month ago, I blogged about the balcony makeover contest at our apartment complex.  Whoever has the winning balcony will receive tickets to see the Dayton Dragons baseball team!  I (with the help of Scott) have been decorating and planting flowers on our balcony, and we have created a cozy outdoor oasis for our apartment.  Here is what we had to work with:

BEFORE

 

AFTER

      

{We used red, teal, and beige for our colors (inspired by Martha Stewart kitchen) - an adirondack chair is perfect for reading and we love our beige chairs when we want to go outside and eat.  The red/white cushions came from IKEA at $1.99 each (bargain!!) and the beige/white cushion came from Goodwill.  The clay pots were my mother's and the large red pots are from IKEA (they were actually waste baskets and Scott drilled holes in them so they could drain water...I think they really work as pots!)}

 

{The plants on the right are called "hens & chickens" and they are very tolerant in all types of weather and temperature.  Their oblong clay pot is another Goodwill find!}

 

{The small green birdhouses in the pots were handmade by my dad for my mom on Mother's Day when I was little! The plant on the left is called a "Shasta Daisy" or "Crazy Daisy" (I love the name!!) and will bloom later in Spring or early summer! The plant on the right is called a "Delphinium" and it will bloom beautiful purple flowers in the summer!}

 

{Lanterns were another part of our themed balcony, and I just love them!  They are left over from our wedding so they are a nice little reminder of our special day!  The small black ones are hung on our railing with pull-ties and tea lights can go inside them for lighting at night! This eccentric bronze lantern serves as a cute accent amongst the clay flower pots.  The small clay pots hold mixes of marigolds! I just love all the colors together.}

 

{I was so excited to see that our Delphinium is already blooming!! This orange plant was purchased about a month ago and I'm so excited about how vibrant it is!  I was worried for a while because it started looking sickly (it spent a few cold nights outside), but now it looks beautiful!}

 

{When I saw this cute birdhouse, I just had to get it to match our red accents! Scott and I think it looks like something from "Fraggel Rock" or "David the Gnome."  This plastic tub is another teal accent and holds our unused soil and other outside supplies}

Well I hope you have enjoyed looking at our balcony photos.  We are really enjoying a place to go outside and read, have dinner, or just sit and sip coffee & tea!  Sammie and Sophie, we are realizing, really enjoy the outdoors too!