Balcony Makeover and Bamboo Screen Tutorial

I recently decided that we needed to do a major makeover on our balcony. We moved in last year and were really dragging our feet about making it a usable space. Last summer, I planted some veggies and herbs, but that wasn't enough to get me out there and enjoy the weather. Perhaps it was the $5 plastic chairs from CVS, or the lack of shade and privacy. Either way, I decided this year, things were going to change! I've been gathering ideas on Pinterest, on my Balcony Inspirations board. I took the opportunity of the family I work for taking a two week vacation to take on the project. My boyfriend and I found some great Ikea patio furniture with a bench, two chairs and table for just $100, some cushions from Target for $12 each (actually cheaper than making my own, as it turns out), and some flower seeds/bulbs. My boyfriend said he wanted some kind of screen for privacy, since our townhouse looks out on the street and the kids in our complex often play in our "backyard" (it's really community space, so we have no real claim to it, and since it is the largest backyard, I guess we luck out. It's just really hard to relax when there are 12 year olds playing baseball or tag right below our balcony). After looking for many DIY ways of creating a privacy screen, we found some large bamboo poles at Ocean State Job Lot for just $1.39 a piece, and with some zip ties and rope, we created this really beautiful bamboo privacy screen. I love it!

There's our new patio set, such a great buy! And some citronella candles from Christmas Tree Shops...how are there already mosquitoes??

I hung some lantern-style lights above the screen to add some soft lighting. We also bought two solar lamps to put in the planters, although they don't add too much light. I got bamboo stakes to support the flowers that will go in that planter. 

Here I am planting my flowers...here's hoping they grow better than my veggies did!

Here's the layout. You have to kind of use your imagination for this part of the "tour." As you come out the back door, there will be a *I hope* lush balcony garden acting as a screen for this side of the balcony. There is a bleeding heart in the smaller planter (and I hope it has enough room in there or I will have to transfer it). I love bleeding hearts, and since it is a perennial flower that withstands cold climates, I hope this will stay with us for a while. I haven't planted the star flowers yet, but they will go in the orange planter, and will stand about  2 feet, providing a little privacy there. 

These three hanging planters are simply held by zip ties again, and will have orange cosmos, baby blue eyes nemophilas, and butterfly hybrid impatiens. I've never grown flowers all on my own, so here's hoping I don't kill them! 

 I am so excited for this one...I hope it has enough room in there. 

This is on the long wall, next to the bamboo screen, and will house imperial giant larkspurs. I LOVE these flowers, with their tall stalks full of blooms. They will be 4-5 feet tall, and will provide even more privacy. The more exotic of the plants we bought is a palm, which can't come outside yet because it is too cold. It will go in the corner between all the flowers and will be the final piece to the privacy garden. I can't wait to see what this all looks like!

Now, here's how we made the screen. It's pretty straight forward. 

You will need bamboo poles (ours are something like 6 feet tall and we used 20...that will vary depending on your space), a ton of zip ties in small and medium sizes, and rope. We bought everything at Job Lot fairly inexpensively. 

Lay your poles on a flat surface. Tie the zip ties in three places along the poles. Imagine how blinds are set up. Tie the larger zip ties around the bamboo poles, securing loosely. Next, use a smaller zip tie to tie two larger ties together. Pull just until the small zip tie starts to zip. You are basically constructing a chain, like the paper chains you might have made in elementary school. Once you have the smaller tie attached, you can pull the larger tie tight around the bamboo pole. Do this until all the bamboo are attached. Then you can fiddle with the tightness of the small ties until you are happy with the way it hangs. This was the most complicated part of the project. Once you are happy with everything, you can snip the ends of the ties.

Finally, tie your top pole to your balcony railing. We also secured our bamboo in several places so it wouldn't blow in the wind and make lots of noise. 

Not only does this add slight privacy and shade, but also beauty. Enjoy!

*Ironically, we went to Kmart for more potting soil, and found some rolled bamboo fencing that would do a similar job. However, it costs $60, and the bamboo is tiny. I like our DIY better. :)

I'm Still Alive!

Me in my hometown

Hi everybody out in blog world! It's been quite a while since my last post, and unfortunately I don't have any sewing to post about. :( It has been a crazy couple of months. Last time I posted, I was in Washington visiting my family and helping care for my Grandfather. He had a very rough patch where his platelets were very low...in fact, the day I left he started spontaneously bleeding and scared the crap out of us. But after quite a few blood transfusions and platelet transfusions, he seems to be at least handling the chemo treatments. Still praying for some good news!

In my own personal news, I started working for a new family part time while I take 3 summer courses. Full time to begin in the fall when they have their second child. They're very laid back and flexible which is good right now. I've had some health issues crop up that are more serious than usual. I found out just before I left to visit my family that I had a large cyst on my left ovary. It has since shrunk a little, but still larger than is normal. I've had several and none of them have been serious. My doctor recommended I get a second opinion on this one, and after going for a third ultrasound, I was told that it wasn't cancer (although they couldn't completely rule it out until they took it out), but it did have some abnormal spots. My OBGYN thinks that it is an endometrioma and referred me to a surgeon. I met with her yesterday and we scheduled a laparoscopic cystectomy and exploratory surgery. She will remove the cyst, and (hopefully) leave the ovary and tube, but if there is any severe damage or possible cancerous cells, those have to come out too. Then she will look for any endometriosis and excise it (cut it out and have it analysed). She's going to take pictures of everything for me, which I am excited for. I want to know once and for all what is going on in there and why I am always in pain! I'm pretty nervous, and it sounds like the recovery is going to be a little rough, but it has to be done. *sigh* 

I haven't been sewing, but I have been working on getting myself organized at home, on a cleaning/cooking routine, trying to make myself swim regularly, and study for my upcoming courses (first one starts this weekend). It's going to be a busy summer! I hope everyone is enjoying their 4th of July celebrations! We're BBQing at home...very low key. We'll likely be enjoying our meal on our balcony which has become quite beautiful! I leave with some photos of how it's growing. :)

 Getting green!

These have already come and gone, but boy did they bloom!

View from the table.

My first rose bloom!

She lasted a few days before she started to wilt, so I cut her and brought her inside to enjoy the fragrance. 

I don't have any pictures of it, but I've been letting the kitties explore the balcony. Don't they look thrilled to be back inside? lol

Bananarama Said It Best...

It has indeed been a Cruel Summer. Hello all! I've been having a rough day, but before I go on about that, please enjoy these lovely pictures!

All of the flowers have bloomed now, and three of them are still blooming! It's made the occasional evening on the porch that much nicer (that is, when the heat has died down enough!) 

We found some really inexpensive throw pillows at Kohls (just $8 a piece!) that matched the decor. Makes the bench much more comfortable. 

I've been waiting for my lovely larkspurs all summer and they finally bloomed this week. They are just so delicate and lovely. :)

The palm is still hanging in there too, and even sprouting some new shoots. 

As promised, here's Slinky checking out the plants. I'm glad she didn't poop in there!

She was surprisingly cautious climbing on the table. 

Cars on the highway and wind...totally new sights and sounds!

Finally calming down enough to enjoy it. :) She's so chubby and cute!

And here's Little Kitty...inside. Because SOMEBODY tries to jump off the balcony. 

A peaceful place to relax. Which is good. It's been a very stressful month. 

Here's Little Kitty snuggling with me after my surgery. They found pretty extensive endometriosis. I've been diagnosed with Stage 3 Endometriosis, due in large part to a lot of adhesions on my left side. I had endo on my left ovary, in my cul de sac, on my pelvic lining, and my bladder. I had several small, normal cysts on each ovary, and the endometrioma on the left. The biggest news was that my colon was attached to my pelvic wall, left ovary, and the back of my uterus. I have pictures, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to see them! My colon was pulled off to the left in an almost S shape, when it should have connected straight down to my rectum. Explains a LOT of the stomach problems I had for years. The surgeon cleaned everything up and now my colon and my ovary each have their space and I should be feeling a lot better. Now that we have an official diagnosis, I have started treatment again!

I went in for my 3 month dose of Lupron today. Man, IT HURT! The needle is massive and it burns like no tomorrow! I had to sit for a few minutes because I thought I would pass out, and the nurse gave me an ice pack for the soreness. Not as bad as the lower back injection though. I'm also on add-back therapy, which should help with any side effects, like bone loss. I'm just hoping it won't be a difficult round. Some people have a lot of problems with it, but I need it, so I guess it's a moot point. My recovery is still a work in progress. I took two weeks off from work and stayed in bed for a week. The second week I worked on being able to get up and move around. I had to splint my tummy with a pillow to get around. Now I am in my fourth week of recovery. I'm back at work and able to do most things, except lift anything, and I can't take a bath or go swimming for another week. The three smaller incisions are healed, but my belly button (the major incision) just healed completely two days ago. The weird part is that I have a new belly button! It's much more shallow (I couldn't see the end of it before...the surgeon said it was the deepest belly button she'd ever seen, and she fixed it), and is very, very strange for me. Maybe that's TMI...sorry!  

The bad news is that my Grampa is not doing well. He's in the hospital and is in what they believe are his final days. They said if he went home, he would likely only have about three days left. He's requiring lots of blood transfusions, and the chemotherapy is not working. So we are all trying to spend time with him. I unfortunately have class for a week solid starting Saturday, then a weekend off and another week of solid class. I was able to talk to him today on the phone, but it is really hard to not be able to be there in person. I am just glad that I was able to visit in May. I'm sure he would appreciate any prayers or thoughts of comfort and peace. 

That's all for now. Thank you for reading! I know it's been a bit of a disjointed blog, but I find that it does help to do a little writing from time to time. I still read all the blogs I follow, even if I don't always comment!