Face Lift Bliss in The Backyard

“Face Lift Bliss” is all about taking some of my old stuff and make it new and fresh again.

Whether it’s new cushions and a scrubbing for some of the furniture or a few plants dug up and moved from one place to another for some extra color. Last year it was with a major scrub down. This year it started with transplants & makeovers (and a few we still need to get too…).

Face Lift Rather Than Break the Bank

When we started talking about what we wanted to do around the pool this summer, since we changed the design by getting rid of an 18-year wood privacy fence that sat right at the concrete we had a few options. I went the cheap, recycle route. We had these beautiful pots that we wanted to use…but until this question: What are we gonna do with this?  I didn’t really want to put the money, time and work into a “real” landscape job (cause I’m still not sold on the fence that we put up). Yep, you got it I’m thinking out loud, just a little.

Back To Those Beautiful Pots

You may not think they are beautiful, but I love them. They are heavy and have a great look for us. We had three and that stretch of concrete would need at least that many to even look right. I wish I had 4 or 5 to make them even more of a statement, but I’m working with what I have, well kinda, we did hit up Lowe’s for the clearance rack.

We relocated the plants that were in 2 of these. They had Mexican Heather in them, but they do so much better in the ground. Seeing how it’s finally decided to stay “summer” for a while in Arkansas we can take them out of the pots where they wintered. The new plants looked a little unhealthy at first, but after a month they are all thriving. The carnations are about spent, but that was to be expected.

Pool Walkway Needs

Now, that I stole my pots that usually frame my pool walkway I need to come up with a plan. We had some extras that were fairly large planters that were in the shed, from a few years back. They were looking a little worse for wear, so they needed a cosmetic boost – hence the spray paint foundation, blue was the perfect shade to blend with my nice pots, now at the end of the pool area. I also hit a few spots with gold to add a little   highlight. I gotta have a little  “redneck” pop to even out my rhapsodyville line of thinking.

Two Planters for Flanking

These two planters where set to flank. They also received a little softening with new clearance foliage, too. Not only did these lovelies get spruced up on the outside, yep that’s right – fresh dirt and new goodies to make them attractive. Now, it took a minute, well about a week or two, but they stepped up and turned fancy! Considering these were on their death bed on the $1.00 rack, I’m amazed at what fresh soil, fertilizer, and a little TLC can do for roots. Which, when roots are given the proper care you usually see foliage flourish (this is why the Big Guy and me click when I get in my garden….He gives me lessons in so many places, if I’m looking).

Face Lift in The Backyard That Made Me The Most Blissful

The biggest up-cycle, face lift was when I transformed a decorative fountain. My fountains old pump pooped out a while back. I just couldn’t throw it away. We stuck it out in the shop and covered it with a sheet until I decided whether to redo the plumbing or re-purpose.

Re-Purpose Won!

Re-purposing won! The next year we decided to get rid of a small fishpond in our backyard. This left a large, empty looking rock pile in the middle of some of beautiful shrubs. It was perplexing me every morning when sipping coffee on the back porch. Then a light bulb went off. The SBC summoned it from the dark, shadows of our “DIY” back shop. We set it out in the yard and looked at it for a minute,

then another minute. I just wasn’t buying the white. It still said “fountain.”

A Splash of Paint

A splash of paint can totally transform a thing. Then when you add a little dirt, blooms and greenery, it changes big time. I was in LOVE! It nestled very cozily, right up on those rocks in the middle of all our heirloom shrubs, just like it had been there it’s whole life. My coffee the next day was sipped with a little smile of accomplishment that I got to enjoy a piece that I love, instead of sending it to a landfill.

Every Old Thing Can Become New (Looking) With Fresh Paint

That fountain made its planter debut April 2014. The light shade of turquoise had served its purpose for 5 years. I decided that it needed a touch up this year, so I opted for a darker shade of turquoise and landed with a deep teal. It needed a few fresh plants, too. It turned out lovely and is back to making me smile while I sip…….something. A.M. is definitely coffee, but from noon on, it could be water or…well, all depends on what time of day it is! (Check out my YT for my newest 5 o’clock somewhere elixir. Probably going to have a future post on the trial phase for the perfect mix.)

My Summer Makeovers

I guess you could call all my summer makeovers this year real lifesavers, LOL. We kept extra plastic from going into landfills by face lifting the containers & fountain. We saved the life and resuscitated over 30 plants, just by deciding to do CPR on them. Giving the backyard a face lift instead of divorcing it, although getting a new landscape job with all new goodies would have been SUPER appealing. My bank account is MUCH happier that we choose this route, too. Making the “old” new again is often a LOT more work, but usually much more satisfying. The history and love is irreplaceable with some many things in life……not just in the backyard if you get my drift.

Blooms For You to Enjoy

Thought I’d share a few blooms for you to enjoy before you make your way to the next tour stop. We’ve had a lot of rain in Arkansas, so it’s made for a beautiful and very colorful spring/early summer. Down side grass needs mowing like every 5 minutes and is all the horrible history making flooding. Please pray for the citizens of our state.

Thank You!

Thank you for stopping by and hanging out for our part of the 2019 Garden Tour. I truly hope you enjoyed it. If this was your first time stopping in here at RedneckRhapsody, I hope you will come back for regular visits. We are always good for a read with a glass of sweet tea, cup of coffee, or sip of wine. Make sure you give us your email to subscribe to our newsletter. That way you won’t miss a thing that we have goin’ on.

Let the rest of the 2019 Garden Tour begin!

The bloggers that are listed here below are an amazing group of bloggers that have so many ideas & talents that I can’t believe they let me tag along on this tour! I must get busy taking notes and bookmarking some of these ideas. Oops, that’s right, all I have to do is pin the ones I want to try. Shoot, with all these ideas I suggest that you just follow them. That way you’ll always have some great DIY projects right there on you boards or on your IG to look at. Enjoy!!!

Here We Go!

 

Kippi O’Hern – Step by Step hanging baskets. Get your yard summer party ready in a few simple steps.

Jenn Summers – At The Old Summers Home you will find a quick and easy tutorial to make your very own Farmhouse Backyard Bench.So grab some barn wood planks and head on over to see how you can have a new rustic bench in as little as 20 minutes.

Angi Schneider -Conserve water and save time by making diy irrigation systems for your garden.

Kerri Morris –  Learn how to make your own DIY concrete Garden Rocks as well as how to create a natural Beach Cottage Garden. Follow along and see the amazing transformation from bare, boring yard to beautiful beach cottage garden.

Melissa Clifton – Affordable DIY Decorative Planters from Create and Find. These simple planters can be made in less than an hour and cost much less than buying new.

Agnes Chrzanowska – Easy to make budget friendly accent with solar light to enjoy your garden even at night!

Paul Stainton –  When you’ve finished brewing that pot of delicious coffee, don’t through the used coffee grounds away – put them to use in the garden. Here are 14 different ways you can use your old coffee grounds to help your back yard and the planet.

Jane Vranic – Our mom’s summer flower gardens are truly amazing! We’ll take you through a tour of some of our favorite blooms. Plus she shares her top tips for maintain striking flowers all through the summer.

Michelle James – Galvanized buckets are the perfect size for container gardening. Plant your own herb garden right outside your front door. It’s inexpensive and convenient too!

Keep Your Eyes Peeled!

Keep your eyes peeled for other blog tours that we have on the horizon, with some of these fine folks! We want to thank you for spending a little time checking it all out, reading, pinning, sharing or making some of these great projects! Hope y’all had a great time.

See y’all real soon again!

Trina