Patio Season

There are few things in life I enjoy more than crisp, cool fall weather. Atlanta temperatures have finally dipped down into the 70's and the evenings are perfect for patio-sitting! I've been making a mental list of all my favorite patio weather restaurants (it is long) and can't wait to start outdoor dining on the weekends :)
But for week nights, movie nights, and late night chatting - I have been hard at work trying to turn our balcony into a cozier place to hang. Who would have thunk that outdoor furniture/decor could be so expensive? Not me! But I still had hope that I could make it cute on a budget. I have spent a few lot of afternoons bargain hunting to turn our balcony into a quaint little sitting area without having to hide my receipts from Andrew! (I totally don't do that. Not often anyway...)

This side of our apartment gets lots of morning sunshine

The chairs were a cheap find that I stumbled upon earlier this year at Target. They were originally $40 each, and I just couldn't justify it. So after looking elsewhere and finding nothing, I went back to Target a few weeks later and got them 50% off! Two for the price of one? I could deal with that. I thought I was finally off to a good start. However, for months and months, the bare brown chairs were the only thing on our balcony! Then came summer clearance season...

Still needs a few living touches... maybe some cooking herbs?

Target had that itty bitty table (but slightly darker brown) displayed with my new chairs for $80. I absolutely refused to spend that much money on a table that you can't even eat a meal off of. As I was roaming through Ross some random July afternoon, looking for literally nothing in particular, this replica caught my eye - but really it was the price tag ($35!) that got my attention! I didn't have a cart, and I underestimated its weight, but I awkwardly carried it to the check out (back corner of the store to the front... waddling) and hurried home to see if it really did match. Well... close enough! Its a lighter brown, but I figured some cushions on the chairs would break up the obvious color mismatch. Off to find some cushions!

Most days you can see Bella sitting in this window :)

No one told me that TJ, Marshall's, Target, etc. etc. run out of patio decorations (decent looking ones anyway) by Memorial Day. All of the cutsie little things I had my eye on, waiting for a sale... gone. Luckily, I stumbled upon the seasonal decorations at World Market - which is usually hit or miss for me - and discovered that they had adorable patio cushions. Unfortunately, I didn't see the point in spending $30/cushion! True to form, I checked back 3 more times and eventually snagged the last two matching cushions (ok, so solid green wasn't my FIRST choice but they totally grew on me) at 75% off! Also picked up some fun paper lantern green/blue/red/purple lights for half off while I was there. I was so excited!

Too bad I killed my hanging baskets... those would have looked so cute right about now!

The watering can is actually a citronella candle (TJ Maxx) and I am still working on finding some hanging baskets that will survive when I forget to water them the cool weather. I'm hoping that stores will be slashing prices on flowers to make room for their pumpkins soon :) And I'm sure I'll be picking up nick nacks to add while I'm out and about. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying the view of my cuter-by-the-day little balcony through the windows and spending cool autumn nights out there sipping wine and catching up on life with my hubby <3