The summer here in Toronto has been a bit lack-lustre weather-wise but I’ve still been able to snag some relaxing moments out on my tiny condominium balcony. The fact that I’ve decorated it on a resourceful budget further enhances my satisfaction.
The table folds up for easy winter storage in my locker and was an end-of-season score for $30 at the now-defunct Caban. Although it’s not made of wood I use Pledge on it which helps to repel dirt. The stackable, resin wicker chairs were about $50 each from Rona and the resin wicker stool was $60 at Canadian Tire. The $10 cushion came from HomeSense.
When I first moved in I tried to over-winter some perennials by lining the planters with rigid foam insulation (a tip from a garden centre). But the plants were no match for the harsh winter winds blowing in off the nearby lake. Now, I take the easier route with one large planter and a colourful display of annuals. Each season I scope independent greengrocers and variety stores for ready-made planters; this year’s cache of pretty pink petunias cost just $10 and they’ve looked this lush since spring.
The grouping of white resin planters cost less than $50 (75 per cent off!) at a Bowring end of season sale (which happens to be on again right now!). I converted one of them into a small water feature, which helps to drown out some of the city noise. Into the smallest planter I popped an artificial cedar that I bought at Winner’s for less than $20 a few weeks after Christmas.
On the evening I snapped these pictures I was enjoying my downtime with a snack served on a mod-looking white square plate from a dollar store. I’ve been pleasantly surprised lately at the selection of classier looking dinnerware that can be found at dollar stores. I’ve loved the vintage Federal Glass Amoeba Boomerang pattern since drinking milk out of similar glasses at my grandmother’s house as a child; my mother found these at an antique market for about $5 each. I also have a couple of shot glasses in the pattern that cost 50-cents a-piece at a church sale but those are for more serious imbibing — this, after all, was a work night.
August 15th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Good staging in that first shot. Do you only read pink books in the summertime?
August 18th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I was indeed reading a book with a pink cover the very evening I snapped these pics. Dare I admit it that the brit-chic-lit comes out in summertime?…the covers of so many of these are in soft pastel colours, I think that the book marketers must know what works with my decor.