(Early) Spring Balcony

Thank God for warm (and sometimes sunny) weather! Who would have thought that we could enjoy a cup of tea on the small balcony, in February?! So, the days went from bloody freezing to mild and I prepared a cozy corner on the balcony. We've got sheep skin to keep us warm, a well equipped serving tray, potted plants and fresh flowers :)

The pride of my spring balcony are the "green babies" who survived a cold Romanian winter. These plants, mostly succulents, spider plants and ferns, are already trained to spend a few months on the chilly balcony. The space is enclosed with glass, but it's not heated and not many plants can make it til spring. 

I've already daydreamed about enjoying a cup of mint tea with my boyfriend :) Valentine's Day is tomorrow and the balcony is the perfect place to spend the morning together. That's why there is a whimsical heart hanging there. I love the way it looks, with the dusty pink silk and the delicate lace. But the hearts means so much more to me, because it's a handmade present from lovely Lisa. Hop over to her blog Lisa Sol to see her talent in action!

The colors make me smile and it feels like Spring already! Even the hyacinths come in three colors! I just used whatever was handy, not thinking about the chromatic at all. That's why you can see a lovely mix of greens, blues and pinks against the white background of the balcony. Oh, and a little bit of yellow, too!

Ladies, you are invited to take a break with me on the balcony. It is warm and fresh in here. It smells of hyacinths and tea and honey. The teapot is made by local artisans and the green poster is a simple DIY from origami paper. If it gets dark, we'll light the candle and the Moroccan lamp on the shelf! 

The Last Petunias & Pansies On The Small Balcony

Good bye, hot summer days! Good bye, summer blooms! Little pansies, you are the last ones standing (in the pot), more fragile than Chinese paper rolls. Thank you for being my friends throughout the endless summer days. Thank you for not giving up on me, every time I was gone and there was just not enough moisture in the air. Thank you for showing me your soft velvet colors and for keeping me great company.

And farewell to you, too, sweet and sensual petunias. You've given me the splendor of your bursting blooms - dozens of them, springing out of the pot like a magic fountain of purple delight! Thank you for teaching me optimism, positive thinking and stamina! I'll always cherish you, especially in the darkness of the dreaded winter season. I love you, silent pets, quiet friends of ephemera life.

White And Green Balcony

Dear ladies, this is how my small balcony looks in the first days of March. I promised you some pics and I hope you won't be very disappointed. I know that usually my little zen spot is bursting with flowers, but this post is about a flowerless balcony. Nevertheless, I like it very much like this, all white with the green popping out of the picture. White and green, what a soothing combo!

The balcony is enclosed with glass, but the Romanian winters are very cold and there is no heater in here, so the temperature inside the balcony is very low during the cold months, somewhere around 5 to 10 degrees C (40-50 F). Not many plants are sturdy enough to endure such a cool climate, so many of my pots go inside the apartment during wintertime. The ones that make it are the evergreen house friends: ferns, sago palms, umbrella trees, spider plants and succulents. 

The lack of flowers didn't stop me from adding a little bit of color, though. There are colorful pot holders in the storage area, also the loveliest blue dotted storage box and an old friend, the shaman who acts as a cool doorstop for the balcony in the summertime. All these little spots of intense color pop out from the white background, so I keep things simple and uncluttered in here. Painting the storage area white was the best idea I had for the balcony makeover, as you can see here. 

Good news, my friends! My white and green balcony was featured at The Gingerbread Blog and Craftionary - thank you very, very much for sharing this simple project!

 

Random Happy Home

Now that the Christmas holidays are over.... and the New Year's Eve... and the St. John extended parties everywhere.... everybody is slowly adjusting to the normal pace of life. I am crawling every day to and from work. Outside, the snow continues to bless us with a proper winter atmosphere, just like when we were little and global warming was not even a serious concept, let alone a discomforting reality. Inside, the white theme continues in each room, for a soft cotton feeling. 

In the study, a stack of over-sized pillows is ready for the usual weekend guests. I am most pleased with the way that the DIY faux wallpaper completes the winter decor, even though I made it in spring, with a very summery vibe (i.e. the park and the bicycles). 

A peek through the bedroom mirror reveals the length of my closed, dressed-up in a subdued geometrical retro pattern. A bunch of assorted pillows on the bed try to sunbathe every morning in the dim light of snowy days. Oh well, it could have been even worst and not have any light at all and no snow at all... The key to happiness is to cherish what you've got and to make the most of it :)

We interrupt this snow white program for a special bulletin. My orange cat Junior has just applied for the pattern to his new invention: how to stay warm without getting burned and without having to support your own head!

All is well on the little balcony, too. The storage unit is full of the usual boxes dressed up in vivid colors by yours truly. Many of my plants have been especially selected to survive a blasting heat in the summer months, as well as almost freezing temperatures during winter. You can spot some pink cyclamen (which are my favorite blooms for January and February) and the resilient spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) which can't be killed by anything, in my experience.

Last but not least, a touch of green and yellow on my credenza, which used to be my improvised Christmas mantel. I put the books back in place, which makes me very happy. I think that books are a home's best friend :) You can also spot the witch lamp (hello to my special friend Ana from Carpe Diem!), the posterior of my cat and also a little glimpse of the happy entryway. And the pillows are sisters with the first ones, because I've got two of each :D

Winter Balcony With Mums

The first snow has covered my city and all the trees have got white branches. But inside on the zen balcony there is a small winter garden with many beautiful flowers. Don't get me wrong, I love ALL flowers and I can't help but be amazed by their natural perfect imperfection. And yes, I do have a weakness for yellow flowers... That being said, mums have a special place in my heart, perhaps because they cheer us up especially in the "grey" season. And that smell....aaaah!

I went a little overboard at the market place and bought not one pot, but three of them :)) They were cheap from the farmers and oh so pretty... My first instinct was to buy all the mum pots in the same color. Which color? Well... purple, of course! In the end, I just bought three different flower colors: white, yellow and purple mums for a visual delight. But the purple ones were still my favorite so you can spot them here and here.

Speaking of purple flowers, here you can spy one last petunia hidden between the sago palm leaves. Also, this wonderful purple bell flower  - I never knew its name, perhaps someone can help me with that, please :) And far away in the foreground I've got a fake shamrock and a blood-leaf  both with purple leaves ;) Enough rambling, Meeha, better get back to the bursting colors of the mums!

As I am being constantly restless with my home decor, little changes can be seen on the small balcony, as well. For example, one of the DIY pink coffee tables came to live here - and it goes so well with the purple flowers from across the lane! In the little storage area there are a bunch of unused flower pots and some boxes with extra stuff I don't normally use. In a small home, every square inch of storage matters!

Random Happy Home And Three Cats

Some days are sunny, some are grey. Some in between. I love the sunny ones because I can take pics around the home. I enjoy the grey one, hidden under blankets and snuggling with my favorite felines. 

On the kitchen counter, the little toy horse runs for freedom while the monkey hides behind the palm tree.

A bunch of Fall flowers straight from the garden explode in a million shades of bright yellow and orange.

The witch lamp is like a dark angel looking over my precious Anais, as she fades into sleep and dreams of tons of food. She couldn't care about anything else in the world :))

On the kitchen shelf, a lost squash tries to escape from a meeting of colorful kitchenware, but the ginger jar keeps blocking its way out.

And on the small balcony, purple leaves and purple flowers make a fashionable vignette.

Happy Halloween!

Lovely ladies, I've got an old friend who wishes to send you a "BOO!" from my little enclosed balcony. Berigunda is a blue eyed witch with plenty of stories to tell. She lives in an invisible house between my pots and makes all sorts of spells to keep the home happy. I have to supply her crocodile tears, sparkling star dust, apricot jam and white lies on a regular basis. But it's all worth it :)

Purple Pansies On The Small Balcony

My friend Anastasia payed a visit on my blog and wondered how my little "silent pets" were doing. Well, all the plants and flowers on the balcony are just fine. I feel a little ashamed for not posting any pics for a long time! They spread their beauty incessantly, asking for nothing in return. Like these little purple pansies which survived a little infestation disaster.