Prettifying a past porch

This is a post about an old apartment, one with a balcony that was hardly ever used because there was no place to sit and it was filled with odds and ends.Or at least there was no place to sit until someone found chairs for free and decided to bring them to the balcony as part of the great balcony cleanup. The great balcony cleanup didn't think to take a before-before photo, so just use your imagination.

Here is the balcony after getting some sweeping action and free furniture.

Better-ish, you could sit comfortably, yet something was clearly missing from this space.

 Bringing in a bromeliad and a geranium helped bring a little bit of summer greenery and softness into this otherwise very harsh angular space.

Not a stunning before-and-after by any stretch. The space could have been further improved by a colorful rug, matching chairs (or matching chair covers), and of course more plants with a trellis, but the chairs and shelf were free. That's the point, it doesn't have to be perfect to be a huge improvement over what came before!

Happy freestyling - don't forget to go outside and enjoy a greenspace today.

A square canvas gets the turquoise treatment

If you want to buy a large canvas at an art supply store it will cost you a pretty penny.  If luck is on your side you just might find one for free, with something already painted on it.... that you don't mind covering up and making into something pretty.  Example, this large canvas (or imitation canvas?) picture of Charlie Chaplin I found back in early summer.

 The dimensions are something like 30 inches by 30 inches. At first I didn't know what I would do with it, but that doesn't usually stop me from saving something from the landfill if the possibility of creative re-use is in the air.  Soon after acquiring Mr. Chaplin's image I learned that a friend had signed a lease on her very own studio apartment and wanted help decorating it.  Perfect!  I told her about the giant canvas and an idea to do some sort of abstract painting.  She was open to the idea of creative re-use to make a custom piece, so I delivered the canvas, she painted it white to cover up the previous image, and then added shades of turquoise paint to resemble an ocean surface. 

Her living area furniture (2 leather sofas inherited from a former roommate), wall paint, and carpet are all in earthy shades of brown and beige so the bright blue square contrasts and brings in a nice accent color.  The blue painting also brings some interesting texture to an otherwise flat beige wall.  The decorating continues, perhaps with more freestyle inputs.

Happy freestyling-- keep an eye out for free art supplies, someone will want them!

Vellllllllvehhhhhhht pillllllloooooooows

Pillows are a rare find on the loading dock. 

Perhaps because they are lightweight and easy to move, perhaps people here just don't go for throw pillows, perhaps people throw them out in trashbags and I never see them. Whatever the case, I was surprised (delighted) to see these lovely throw pillows late at night, clearly part of a massive moving-out discardfest.

 No, I did not take the couch, or the blanket.

Maybe I should have, but the couch had a few bites taken out of it from a pet and I don't really need another blanket...... Anyway, look at those pillows!  Do people know how expensive those pillow inserts can be??? These pillows didn't smell, had no rips or stains, and had clearly only been on the loading dock for a few hours, so into the washing machine they went. After I washed them I took the inserts out to read the labels (wow, real down, survived the machine wash just fine) and found out they are brand name pillowcases with nice hidden zippers. Did I mention they're velvet, velvet, and velllllllvehhhhhhht?

Now they sit like lovely jewels on the couch, waiting to support your head, and to look darn good while doing just that.

Happy freestyling.

Summer plant giveaway, to anonymous receipients

Apparently part of growing plants successfully is wanting to give the offshoots away, at least for me.

I enjoy seeing things take root, go to a new home, and inspire someone to be happier and healthier in life with their new bit of greenery.  In that spirit here are some of the small plants I've given away this summer, all propagated from existing stock. Maybe this will inspire someone to try their hand at growing an easy houseplant, start with pothos or a Sansevieria and go from there.

 The pothos that keeps on giving.

Check out those roots after this cutting spent almost two months in nothing but a glass of water.

Impressive!

Giving away a sextet of succulents... sort of.

Left column from top to bottom: Sansevieria 1 & 2 (champion houseplant), bromeliad pup. Right column: aloe x2, some sort of succulent, other sort of succulent.

  

Depending on how you count there are at least six different succulent plants here, so I stand by my alliteration. I put these plants out for anyone to take at an office - when I went back to check about 2 hours later they were gone. I think that means people need more green in their life, definitely in their offices.

Happy freestyling, and wherever you can, grow a garden.