For the past few months, I’ve found myself admiring and gravitating to create more of an eclectic vibe around the house. Ever since I published the last issue of “Thrift Life” magazine and being inspired by the boho queen Mocha … Continue reading
Hey Guys! I can pretty much say things are winding down for my garden spruce up. As I’ve expressed before, when we moved in our home, I knew nothing about landscaping and gardening. All I knew is I wanted a … Continue reading
I’d like to introduce you to Caine, the newest member of our family. My husband brought home this little cutie pie of a terror a few weeks ago. After 3 days of being in the house, we both realized we … Continue reading
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!!
One thing I’ve often said is music is so much a part of my life and I love sharing it.. Which is why sometimes I’ll do a post with a song to reflect what or how I’m feeling. Not sure if you listen to any of them, if so, that’s great to hear, if not, it’s cool.. Not everyone digs music.. (Yea, I still use the old school lingo “Dig” chuckles.. Ooops, I just gave away my age.. (I’m a ’60’s baby). Not sure if you know the music of Cassandra Wilson. She’s a jazz singer and I truly adore her style and cultural bohemian vibe. When I listen to her my mind wonders to some exotic places where I can admire different textures and styles pulled together to create that Afro-centric flair.. Here are some images I captured to share with you…
VIA
VIA
VIA
Which brings me to feature the home of someone who is dear to me… My aunt – we lovingly refer to as “Pookie”. Her home is filled with such cultural vibes and exotic touches..and she is a die-hard DIYer and thrifter. On my trip home last week I visited her and when I walked in I immediately said.. I wanted to welcome you into her home so… Welcome to Pookie’s Paradise…
When you enter, your eyes are greeted by the African mask displayed inside a wooden textured oval frame. I remember when she got the frame.. We were all at a flea market and a man had a truck load of huge frames he was needing to get rid of.. what luck we had that day..the only unlucky part was our truck wasn’t big enough to take all of them..lol.. but we all managed to score at least two each 🙂 .
She’s not one to fuss with long drapery, and loves to expose her bay windows and let all the sunshine in, so she opted to Go-Green to cover her windows.. I’m totally envious of her green thumb.. (but thankfully it’s starting to rub off on me). These are all her babies she meticulously takes care of. Some of which she’s had for over 20 years..
To your right you’ll spot this cozy corner which has a few collectibles she’s had for decades, like the hand carved wooden statue.. A snazzy, cool find she picked up in St. Marteen
And if you eyes caught the painting – like mine- guess what — she’s the artist.. She painted that approximately 40 years ago..It’s called Crying Heart and totally LOVE IT!!
Resting on her coffee table is another hand carved wooden sculpture that she picked up in the Caribbean.
Every little corner is influenced with cultural accents..
Step to her outdoor living space and this is the showpiece in her garden. The outdoor faux “fireplace”. This is a curbside find and her creative juices flowed and this is what she did with it.
And at night.. look how it’s lit up.. and no it’s not a real fire, it’s red lights inside to create the fire effect. Isn’t it fab..
This space is called the Hobbit Hole.. chuckles.. (how cute)…
The stained glass has an image that looks sort of like a bug… and the fox and midget chair are perfect accents for a hobbit..
She’s got little pockets of garden candy all around her yard and you can see more here. But before you go, I’d like to introduce you to the lovely lady behind the home of Pookie’s Paradise..
That’s my aunt and I love her and the home she and her husband, Clay made. It’s one you just kick your shoes off, sit back, relax and enjoy all the good food, music and cultural vibes they share. I can’t wait to go back to visit again. If you enjoyed this post and missed my other “Inspired by Music” posts you can see more here. Until next time – Smooches!!