New Additions to Our Balcony

A while back my mom share a Better Homes and Gardens garden book with me and in it was the idea to turn an old chair into a planter. I kept my eye out for a chair at the SWAP shop and it wasn't long before one turned up! It was the perfect style and shape but unfortunately it had a very different paint job than what I was looking for. It looked a little folksy to me and was kind of cute but I decided to sand the paint off and use some of the left over paint from when I painted my accent wall in the living room.

I borrowed a sander from some really great friends who were extremely patient with me since it ended up taking FOREVER for me to get all the paint off. Sanding off the paint proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be (story of my life, ha!). I have no idea how many layers of paint were on that chair. It was as if someone had 10 gallons of 10 different paints and tried to see how much they could use up.

Here's a before shot with Keeleigh all prepped to give me a hand sanding.

One can of paint remover and two packs of sandpaper later, it was ready for paint which was a piece of cake. Then Keeleigh helped me staple some chicken wire into the bottom where the seat previously was. We added a coconut liner and plants and voila! Our balcony is a little cuter!

A close up of the plants...aren't they pretty? = )

I tried to make sure to choose plants that could withstand the full sun of the balcony. I can't

remember all the names of the plants but I know this one is called Moss Rose. I chose one pink and one yellow one and they've taken turns blooming.

The chair planter has also become home to my little thermometer lizard which has lived in three generations of my family's homes...my granny's then my mom's and now mine. This is probably his hottest home thus far!

Jathan added his own plant to our balcony a while back. We ate a cantaloupe and he asked to save the seeds and plant them. I didn't expect much when he pushed the seeds into the soil of one of my planters but they popped right up and now we have a little baby cantaloupe hanging off the railing!

The yellow Moss Rose...

My little mini-rose which was a Valentine's day gift from a friend has also been blooming off and on all summer. Unfortunately it's out of focus in this picture but trust me, it's beautiful.

And, as always, my little palm looks gorgeous against blue skies.

I love gardening! Someday I hope to have a yard where I can go even crazier planting flowers and I'd love to have a raised vegetable garden. I'd love to have the space to make and display more creative planters.