At Last - Patio Makeover

Click here to see Part One and Part Two

This is the blank canvas, boring

These are the shutters my hubby built with 3.5" x 5/8" boards.  Can you believe the one on the right is the untouched one?  The one on the left I painted with some very watered down Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) - Graphite.  I used the Graphite color paint just to have an old aged look underneath the top coat.

I used ASCP - Arles for the shutters

The shutters are painted and almost dry.

At this point we had stopped the renovation of the patio due to my mother-in-law falling ill*

This was Monday morning - Memorial Day 2013.  One shutter up!

The second shutter is up, the window flower box is installed, plants and flowers have been added, a faux textured look has been added to the walls and the curtains are hung.

At each end of the plants on the ground, I added vine plants.  On the left there's Wine Red Lofus and on the right is a Black-Eyed Susan Vine.  I planted them into large pots so I'm praying they will survive and thrive there.

Yea, don't look too close to the wall, that continues to be a work in progress and even though I'm not keen on the result, I am positive I can continue to work on it and give it the finished look I want.  

All in all I am very happy with the way this has turned out.  With our table and chairs near this spot, I can relax and enjoy the view.  Makes me feel like I'm back in Germany.

Hubby and I worked hard at getting this patio cleaned up and ready for the Summer.  We are blessed.

*My mother-in-law passed away a week ago today after falling ill a few days before Mother's Day.  Her last week we had a lot of family come in to be with her.  She did not wish to have a funeral but we do plan to take her ashes up to NY this Summer and bury them next to her husband's grave.  We will have a small, private service with family only.  The house is definitely quiet and it's going to take a while to get used to her being gone.  Hubby is doing as well as can be expected, just taking one day at a time.  We take comfort that she's no longer suffering and that she's resting in her Father's arms. 

**JUNE 29, 2013 Update**

We found a bench up the street on our way to church. In my Sunday best, I got out of our car and hauled it into our mini-van.  It's in great shape, made out of real wood and I knew exactly where I was going to put it!  My Red Vine Lofus (far left) died so I had to resort to planting some Black-Eyed Susan Vine seeds in order to give it some balance.  I also added some red Impatiens at the bottom. I almost have to water everyday and I must say, for having a brown thumb, I'm not doing too bad.  Warm regards, -Bev