Cheers to a wonderful new week ahead of us.  I’m excited for two reasons, one – I’m headed to my first bloggers’ conference and two- I’m looking forward to meeting many of my blog-buddies and enjoying all there is to offer and learn.  Before I head off, I wanted to share one of the most fabulous make-overs by a FBF.  Last week while I was in the midst of perusing my Facebook newsfeed I stumbled on a picture of her outdoor zen-spot.  You know me – I’m always enthused to see beautiful Rest-Havens and when I spotted Keisha’s outdoor creation I had to share it with you.. Thank you Keisha for allowing me to share your haven.  Grab you coffee, tea and vittles because you’re gonna want to see all what’s in store and see how she created it.  Let’s look at where she began.

I know you’re probably excited, like me, to see how she did it all on a budget of $500.00 – Let’s begin where she started.  Keisha cultivated a personal vision for her garden and began to think of ways to incorporate her style while maintaining natural elements for a zen-oasis.  The space was no where near easy to work with, and having a tree in the center was even more challenging, so she decided to make that her focal point and build around it.

Her desire was to have a warm, welcoming area to enjoy entertaining her family and friends for outdoor festivities.  We all know that pallets are free and there are many, many, many projects you can use them for.  Keisha took full advantage of the freebies and that laid the ground work for her oasis to be created.

With some help from her father and a friend,  they dis-assembled them and made the floor for her raised deck.

Lots of sawing, cutting, measuring and patience went into this project, but as you see, it was well worth it.  Here you can get a visual of the framework and how the pallets became the wall around her space

More pallets are assembled and laid to encompass the tree

Bricks are lined to design a pattern

She added flagstone for another natural element in the space

Filled the area in with small stones and gravel

This bench was a roadside special.  Luckily she found it and gave it a new life (keyword – BUDGET)

Old bowling balls spray painted silver are being used as garden art

She used red mulch around the tree for a pop of color

She stained the pallets to weatherproof and give them color

Next up was adding the plants.  She found an old ladder to use as a plant stand and the boarder pallets were used as as planters

Nestled between these two sunshine yellow adirondack chairs is a table she made from a tree trunk

Isn’t it gorgeous!!  I love the redwood color and blended with the jewel tone vase was pefect

What a warm, welcoming environment she created.  By being creative, resourceful, diligent and patient, she was able to achieve her goal and accomplish a zenful retreat for her after work and weekend entertaining.

Using pallets as the gateway separated the haven area from the garden, while still balancing the artful flow into the  haven.

Last but not least – it was time to add the cushions and pillows for the seating area.  She covered foam and added an array of brightly colored pillow to finish the space.

A piece of driftwood is another artistic element added to the area.

I hope you all stand with me and give Keisha a round of applause for creating such a restful retreat – all on a budget of $500.00!!!

Meet the beauty behind the brains of this creative garden Zen Oasis..

And she did it her way…..

Do you have a project that you’re working on and would like to share with my other readers?  If so, email me and you’ll be my next featured guest.  Also be sure to follow me on the blog, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest

Until next time lovies!!  Remember – it’s not what it costs but it’s how you style it.. Create your own style and design on a dime

Smooches!!