Dreamy Outdoor Spaces Part II

Hey there!

Well, seeing as it's Spring time and the weather has been perfect (at least in my neck of the woods - Miami) for outdoor activities and lounging, I thought you'd appreciate another Dreamy Outdoor Spaces post.  I don't know about you but I LOVE to spend time out on the patio, whether it's staring mesmerized off into garden space playing with my pups or reading a book, it's just such a relaxing activity.  If you are fortunate enough to have a comfortable and inspiring space to escape to then you know what I'm talkin' about!  If not, well we must change that, so let me inspire you with all these great images I've sourced out....

Remember, it doesn't take a lot of money to make your space a beautiful sanctuary, it just takes some thought and creativity.  Feel free to shoot me an e-mail at InspireBohemia@gmail.com if you'd like some suggestions on how to design/decorate/improve your outdoor space!

Other posts I've done on gorgeous outdoor spaces....
Outdoor Dining & Parties Part I

Dreamy Outdoor Spaces Part I

Sunrooms, Bungalows and Dreamy Patios Oh Sigh!

(All images via a Google image search or Pinterest.com)

Good Day World

Good Morning,how is everyone out there?

I'm pretty jolly here at work, I just ordered myself a Cuban cafe con leche (coffee with milk) and tostada (buttered Cuban toast) from the cafe across the way and I'm patiently waiting for it to arrive. Yet, I must admit I'm still dreaming of being home gardening on my balcony or making art! What can I say, by the time I get home it's 6:00, sometimes 6:30pm and there's not much happy bright sun time left, unless I make a b-line to the patio and stay there until 7:30pm!

So, sure enough, I want to start today off with this sigh-worthy image of a small succulent, cacti and plant cluttered rustic balcony. It's not hard for me to imagine this little balcony tucked down some picturesque alley in a romantic European city... :) *sigh*

Oooh ooh! My coffee and toast has arrived!
I'll be back later with some more posts...


(Image via Google image search)

My Aunt's Garden Patio!

A green thumb runs in my family, however my aunt (mother's sister) has always claimed that she is the only one who didn't inherit it. The post I did a while back on my grandmother's garden is technically my aunt's garden too because they live together. My aunt bought the house from my great grandmother before she passed not only because she is an interior designer who always loved the beautiful unique architecture of the home, but also to keep the house in our family.

My grandmother and great grandmother were the ones who tended the garden over all the years and to this day my grandmother continues to do so. However, after recently discovering that I too inherited the green thumb (hehe), I proceeded to set off a succulent and cactus craze wave throughout the immediate family, re-inspiring those who already like plants and even those who don't! My aunt, as one of those that doesn't like gardening, has decided she wants to get into plants too, and who can blame her!? I told her she wouldn't have too much trouble getting into succulents and cacti because they are fairly easy to care for and pretty resilient!

Anyway, after some excited scavenging throughout the yard and collaborative planting of arrangements between her and my grandmother, my aunt was able to turn the second floor patio off of her bedroom into a whimsical escape from reality, nestled amongst mango trees overlooking my grandmother's beautifully tended yard! It is such a beautiful space that I wanted to share it with you.... I think it goes without saying you can certainly see where I picked up my knack for design and artistic eye!

She's off to a great start huh??

... she has made it a point to find cute garden statue replicas of her two beloved dogs Suzy Q and Francine....

Her Cat Whiskers plant...

This is her awesome outdoor art wall, consisting of metal grasshoppers, some ceramic palm branches and a tile border around the french doors just like the one I did around my mother's patio doors....

A beautiful and exotic looking pineapple plant....

this is the Coleus plant, soooo gorgeous! My grandmother gave me a small piece which I am growing on my balcony and waiting for it to get huge like this!....

Hello! Hola! Bonjour!

Hi there! So far this week I have been dealing with finishing all of the projects I started over the weekend, including: cleaning out and organizing the hall closet, laundry room/closet and whipping some orderliness into my apartment. It feels like I'm always saying that, ha! I guess that's because recently I have really started to realize that I have too much stuff and it's starting to clog up my life. For months now I have been setting aside things that I no longer like/want/need, the same goes for my wardrobe... I cannot wait until I load it all up in my SUV and haul it away to the garage sale my mom and I are planning (which keeps getting postponed to accommodate our lagging preparations, hehe). Once I do that I will have purged a lot of things from my abode and it will feel much more open and less jam-packed-to-the-max! Slowly but surely!

On Sunday I was up at 8am cleaning the kitchen and laundry room and implementing all of the storage solutions I sourced out at Ikea this past Saturday! Let me tell you, for around $75 I got two steel shelving units, a gray metal shelving unit and faux chocolate wood shelving unit! That's $14.99, $14.99, $14.99 and $25 respectively! WHOA! I never really buy much from Ikea other than candles, household kitchen/bath and decorative accessories, curtains and lighting... oh and I can't forget that classic dark chocolate leaning wood floor mirror! As for their furniture, first it isn't really my style, second it isn't long-lasting and timeless, and for the most part it's overpriced particle board. No thanks, I much rather spend my money on antiques and vintage pieces that have been alive and kickin' for decades and will continue to do so for decades to come. BUT, I just could not spend any more time looking for affordable and good looking storage pieces on Craigslist and elsewhere, or else I'll be living amongst boxes until the day I decide to move again! LOL ! So yes, I made good decisions and I ambitiously built all the shelving units as soon as we got home..... and they are all filled up already.... *smiles and shrugs*

Anyway, that's what last weekend was like for me. We didn't end up going to West Palm Beach to visit our friends, they ended up driving down to us (yay)! But not so fast, tomorrow night we are going up there to stay with them and then Saturday we need to dash to Tampa to pick up my boyfriend's grandmother and bring her to Miami. Another hectic weekend for me! I'm already getting excited thinking about all the thrift or antique stores I can make my boyfriend hit up along the way! Woot!

So, I feel a little guilty about being missing in action this week, but I'll make up for it with the Amsterdam Flower Market Part II later today! Believe me, you'll definitely want to check it out since it will feature all of the incredible cacti and succulents they had for sale over there. It was one of my greatest joys on the trip, and yet my greatest torture at the same time. No souvenirs from nature allowed! :( Check out Part I of my coverage on the Amsterdam Flower Market here.

Stay tuned, and in the meantime enjoy these pictures of an absolutely stunning outdoor patio/courtyard with a stairway railing FULL of hanging succulents, particularly the Purple Aeonium and the Burro's Tail, which I also feature in this post.

Wouldn't you love to have this outdoor space!? *swoon* :)

(Photos by Andrea Gomez via Sunset)

Dreamy outdoor spaces...

image via Google image search

I'm hoping that the weather will be better this weekend than last Fourth of July weekend! Argh, all we got was rain. Anyway, I'm sitting here dreaming of being able to stay home and hang out with my plants and drink coffee, just like my blog buddy Julie over at A Succulent Life says in her post as she quotes Betsy Cañas Garmont, "Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?" Hehehehehe.... sigh. But no, to work I must go, only to return when all of my energies and brain juices are exhausted, I'm looking forward to the weekend!

So speaking of hanging out with plants, that makes me think of beautiful outdoor spaces, here are some photos that I love, I hope they will inspire you to get your outdoor space into shape for the summer ahead! Whether you'll be hosting guests at your place, going elsewhere or just going low-key at home for the day or evening - a beautiful space can soothe the mind and create a peaceful sanctuary for relaxing with nature!

image by Sarah Leeab via here

image via the blog Agricola Redesign

image via here

image by Sarah Leeab via here

image via Container Gardening Made Easy

image via the blog Belle Chambre

image via the blog Callie Grayson Shades of Grey

via the blog Caroline's Lost and Found

And last, my favorite, look at how incredibly gorgeous that cactus plant looks creeping up all the walls and ceiling of this patio! As for the view, it's heavenly..... I want to live somewhere like this on the coast of Europe one day, like on one of the Greek islands.....