Icing on the Courtyard Cake!

Back in April I posted about our Courtyard and that it was in dire need of a makeover, to refresh your memory here is the 'before' of the main wall...

Here's what it looked like in June when I posted the reveal...

In the original courtyard post, I had a wish list of what I would love to have in this space and new furniture was obviously on the short list and on the 'someday' end of that list was a wall fountain.

On a recent trip to East Texas, my Bestie, brought me an old cast iron wall fountain that her parents were no longer using. The fountain's pump was missing, water leaked like a sieve out of the bowl and it was painted beige, but it was FREE!  

Tessa Checking it out

I Googled this type of fish spout and found out it's a Chines Dragon Fish

This beige color had to go! It was too close to the color of our house and would fade out of sight on the Courtyard wall.  I wanted it to look like it was made from bronze, so instead of spray paint, I decided to stain it with plain ol' wood stain. 

After 3 coats of stain and letting it dry over night in between each coat, I highlighted the fish, leaves and the edges of the bowl with Rub n' Buff. 

Then it was ready for the new pump and tubing to be installed and the leak to be fixed. My Man worked his magic on it (magic in the form of Silicone) and the leak problem was solved. 

After searching for wall studs (not easy to find through stucco), lot's of mathematical calculations, really, REALLY big screws, several choice words, and my Man's Hercules strength (this sucker weighs a ton) it was finally placed on the Courtyard wall.

   

Ta dah! 

The wood stain and Rub n' Buff really makes it look like bronze and now it stands out against the wall, where before it would have just disappeared, I love how all the details on the Dragon Fish show up nicely now.

It's the perfect focal point for the main wall and now it looks and feels like a true Courtyard.

Can you believe how much these plants have grown since my last courtyard post in June?

This is what it looks like at night, I love how the spotlight illuminates the gold highlights.

I am so happy with the results, and so thankful to my Bestie for giving it to me, and to my Man for making it work again and wrestling this beast up on the wall...

 It's the icing on the courtyard cake!

I will be joining these fun parties...

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