A Cottage Garden in the Making

After we removed all of the old shrubs along the back fence, we discovered there is plenty of room to work with.  In fact, it is so much larger of an area that it ever appeared to be.  So much so, in fact, that I am still in the process of filling in with plants here and there.  But.  We got a pretty good head of steam going and I know that once we've finished planting everything and things begin to fill in, it will be a lovely garden.  Looking so forward to that!

In the meantime, we've still been enjoying watching the plants grow and bloom, and now they're going through a second bloom as we head into the middle of summer.

In addition to the plants, we've added some other features.  For instance, I've always wanted a few of these ceramic stools.  I found these two at the Pier 1 and fell in love with the colors, so I bought both.

I also wanted an obelisk on either side of the garden to kind of anchor the space.  I searched online and found a bunch of different choices, but they were all either too small, too large, or too expensive.  I finally found what I was looking for at Tai Pan Trading.  In looking through the photos, I see that I don't have one of the obelisks, so I'll have to get out there and take one soon!  Anyway, I loved them the moment I saw them.  The one problem is that they were brown and I really wanted black.  A can of spray paint remedied that one ;-)  While at Tai Pan, I also found a graduated set of willow teepees that I thought would be perfect for a cottage garden, so I bought a couple of those also.  This is not ours, but it's just like the two we bought (sorry, I know the pic is a bit small!)

I also discovered a beautiful talavera pottery birdbath at HomeGoods one day that I just had to have.  I've seen so few of these and of those that I have seen, they are terribly expensive.  I thought this one was a bargain by comparison, and actually prettier than most I've seen.  Again, this one is not ours, but it's very similar.  The colors are the same, but ours has a raised ceramic flower in the center instead of the birds sitting on the edge.

Anyway - all of this to say that I have some photos to share of the garden, but most of these elements were added after the plants were planted and I haven't taken more updated photos really since then.  

If you look closely in one of the pics, you'll see the white actuator for the pool.  It's still functional, but it stands out so much because it's white.  Since these photos were taken, and because I already had the black spray paint for the obelisks, I've since painted the white actuator black ... and it looks much better!  

The last thing we've done is to add lights.  We thought about a couple of different options, but decided on cute little Italian cafe lights strung across the back, close to the hedge.  We also added another set along the overhang close to the house.  It's amazing how much light they add to the yard!  Additionally we've got lots of little ceramic lanterns around the yard and patio and have been using flameless candles to light them up; it ads a nice warm glow and a wonderful ambiance.  The last thing we added (well, at least for now!) is a candle chandelier over the dining table.  It, too, came with the flameless candles, but these candles are on timers!  We can set them for either 4 or 8 hours and when they reach their limit, they go off automatically.  Niiiiice!  Here's an ad photo of the chandelier:

And here are some night-time photos of the lights we added to the back yard:

Drum Roll, Please

Since moving into the house last summer, we've continued to work on projects here and there.  Some are really just small and require nothing more than a bit of decorating 'polish'.  Others are a bit more complex and require expertise that neither Kevin nor myself possess.

Case in point: the drum room.

This one little out building has run the gamut of incarnations.  In a former life, the little room in the back was a playhouse for me and Deb.  When we got a bit older, it was still a playhouse, but most of the 'play' revolved around playing school where Deb was always the teachers, and I was always the student.  (Huh, little wonder that she fulfilled her prophecy and has been a teacher for, oh, ever!)

When we had the pool put in, we transformed the room from a playhouse to a pool cabana.  The front of it came off and a tiki bar went in.  It stayed that way for a number of years, even though the tiki bar wasn't getting a whole lot of use.  The tiki bar got the heave-ho when I decided that I wanted to turn it into an office for me; I had big plans to run a home based business.  I was going to be a 'Girl Friday' of sorts, and run errands for busy corporate types.  Hey, it was the mid/late 80's and this was a hoppin' idea for that time!  I eventually talked dad into this being a great (okay, somewhat viable) idea and he agreed to help me with the construction.  We worked side by side re-building the front of the room so that it would be fully enclosed once again.  Moreover, he worked and I schleped, but we did work together.

After a while I decided that the business idea had kinda fizzled, as had my enthusiasm for it, and the building just sat for a bit.  Not long, though, as shortly afterward dad turned it into an office for himself while he ran a home based business.  I often teased him by asking "Aren't you glad I had the bright idea to run a home based business?  This sure is a nice office!  ;o)"  It remained dad's office until he passed away.  When we moved in last year, we knew that eventually we'd be turning it into Kevin's drum room, but we had too much on our plates to begin working on that right away.

Late this past spring after a false start (a wacky story all on it's own - trust me!), the planets finally aligned - or rather the finances and the contractor - and the drum room began it's new life.  Kevin had been storing his drums in there since our move and used it to practice, but it wasn't ideal and didn't have enough insulation/sound deadening material to satisfy our little neighborhood.  Besides, after all these years, it really just needed a general overhaul.

So without further ado, here are some photos of the transformation ...

Before:

In upgrading the space, we removed all of the old wood paneling, replaced some damaged wood and added new wood where there should have been studs but they were missing, raised the floor 2" (to help with sound and help alleviate any rain flooding), installed a TON of insulation, added can lights, installed a new a/c unit, painted walls and stained the wood floor.  

The 'After' pictures only tell part of the story as Kevin removed the piece of rug and stained the floors after these photos were taken:

What a H.U.G.E. difference!  It looks so nice now, and is so much more functional for what Kevin needs for a drum room.  Although he wouldn't like the drums in his office, I know that dad would be really pleased with how the room turned out.

Cutest, Easiest Craft Ever!

Yesterday I came across something that immediately struck my fancy. I fell so in love with this easy little project that I had to rush right out and get the supplies to make one for myself.

Today when I got home from work, I did just that. It's SO unbelievably simple and adds a dash of color and a touch of whimsy to the kitchen. Not only is it easy, it's also very inexpensive and fast to make - what's not to love?!

Here's a picture - judge for yourself:

Now I ask you, how absolutely adorable is that?! You can follow this tutorial and make one in a flash. Mine is a bit different, but even cuter - well, at least I think so. I couldn't find the correct vase at the dollar store, nor the bowls they suggest, so I headed to our local Wally and found a similar vase, though a bit larger with no flare at the top, and a small clear glass sugar bowl with a lid that fit just perfectly over the top of the vase. Though neither was $1.00, both were very inexpensive - just $2.97 each. I already had a small pedestal candle holder that I could use for the base.

All that was left to do was arrange my crazy big collection of colorful cupcake liners and place them in their new home. Viola! A fun addition to my kitchen that makes me smile every time I look at it!

Paddy-o-furniture

Okay, corny joke but it seemed appropriate since we just celebrated St. Paddy's day =)

Kevin and I have been looking for new patio chair cushions. I have one question: when did these things get so expensive?? Holy smokes, we've been blown away by the cost of them. Each of them. Then, times six cushions ... it seems like a small fortune.

I was walking through Penney's last week and found some cushions I really liked. I was talking to the clerk about them and they were on sale for 40% off. Good deal, right? Well, that's what I thought, too. I asked him to put six of them away and told him that I'd be back in the evening with my hubs and we'd decide if we would take them or not. I Kevin and I returned that night, and Kevin did like them, so we went to the register to pay for them. The clerk (a different clerk) rang them up and the total came to almost $200.00! WHAT? I said to the clerk that I thought that was a mistake - the cushions were on sale for $23.99. He said that price was for a different cushion - these were originally $59.99 and that they were on sale, but the sale price was $36.00. Hmmm ... Clearly the other clerk and I were looking at the wrong cushions =( We decided not to buy them. Since then, we've looked at Walmart, Target, Big Lots, Kohl's, Home Depot, and tons of places online. We've not found them for very much less, and nothing that we liked as well as the cushions from Penney's.

Friday morning I got an email from Penney's about their weekend sale. They showed the cushions we'd looked at, so I clicked the picture to see if they were a different price. THEY WERE! The $59.99 cushions we wanted in the store were now priced at $29.99! (click the link and view the color "Warm Stripe 2") I googled and found a 20% off coupon code and we snagged the cushions for an even better price! They will be here in two weeks - just in time for Spring Break. YAHOO!! Whadya think ... pretty, right?

Christmas Wrap Up

We had such a wonderful Christmas! I certainly hope you did, too. I'll have photos in a day or too, but honestly ... right now I'm just too tired to download them and write the story!

I have to say - I do love Christmas, but it is exhausting! Kevin and I were talking about this earlier today. By the time we got home from mom and dad's house last night, we were so tired we could hardly keep our eyes open. And then, though we had a good night's rest, we're both exhausted today. We've decided it's because we - and everyone else - try to do too much. We really all strive to experience everything and just have the most wonderful Christmas ... which, we do. It's just that it takes a day or two to recover from it all. The food. The sweets. The gifts. Everything. I always think that I'll do things differently next year - you know, streamline things to make it easier. It's always a good goal, it's just that it doesn't necessarily happen that way! We'll see - maybe next year will be the year (*wink*).

Anyway - I had to take a moment to post my mostest favoritest gift of all. I'd been wanting these and dropping major hints to Kevin for, oh, about four months (poor guy)! The moment I saw them, I fell in love with them and knew they were perfect for our home. See for yourself:Aren't they gorgeous! I just absolutely love the colors and the pattern! He didn't stop with the dishes - he bought all of the textiles, too:YUM! They are just delicious! Does this man know me or what? Thank you, Kevin. The dishes and linens are wonderful, but *you* are perfect.

I guess it's not too late...

for a little Christmas tour of the house. I mean, it's getting close, but it's still before Christmas ... right? It's funny - I have no idea why it's taken me this long to post Christmas decor in the house. We decorated the weekend of Thanksgiving, but I didn't even take any pictures until just yesterday. Oh well, better late than never, right?

Here goes ...

The kitchen window:I love the little 'JOY' figurines. They were a gift from my friend Linda a few years ago. They're perfect for the little ledge in the kitchen window. They're actually tealight holders, but I don't use them that way. This year I thought it would be fun to take all of my ornaments that have a food or beverage theme and hang them in the kitchen. I thought the valance would be a perfect spot to show them off:Yep, purdy cute =)
Another friend of mine gave me this cute little gingerbread girl:She's been the queen of the kitchen this season. Several years ago we gave a few family members these cute little gingerbread house cookie jars. I couldn't resist keeping one for myself:Mom bought these darling gingerbread aprons for both Deb and I a number of years ago (huh, I seem like gingerbread themes, whatdaya think?). We've both been wearing them at our annual cookie bake ever since. The other apron was a gift from a friend at work who retired last year: Now ... on to the livingroom. We have a large, gorgeous picture window across one wall of the livingroom. I love it! The windows let in a ton of natural light and they face our beloved foothills. I put a few cutsies in the window this year to show them off:I think our front door looks charming all year round - very '50's ranch style with the window on top: Just inside is the hutch which is filled with family photos ... and a few seasonal touches: I love our tree! In my mind, it's the perfect tree -- just the right shape, tall enough, full but not too bushy ... just right. I love the little white lights, the gold star at the top, and I love hanging decorations that I've gathered for years. Each year I add one or two new ones; it's fun taking them all out every year and deciding just the right spot for them:It's the perfect fit for our wall with the fireplace and antique secretary: Inside the secretary is the perfect spot for this cute little teacup and saucer that Aunt Lou gave me many years ago:The 'JOY' banner as well as these 'NOEL' and 'PEACE' banners I made right after Christmas last year. I made four sets so mom, Deb, Vicky and I all have them in our homes this year: We also gave all the girls these cute little white trees for their birthday this year; they're fun to decorate for the seasons!A few other new additions this year ... this cute little elf. I nestled him among the tall candlesticks next to the armoire:And probably my favorite new addition is this: Don't you just love it?! I saw it at my favorite little thrift store over the summer and just had to have it. It looks larger in this photo, but it's really just a small, framed vintage Christmas card. I just loved the colors in it and the fact that it looks so old fashioned. It's perfect on the mantle with our nativity scene, tall candles and an angel watching over everyone. Even the dining room china cabinet gets a little Christmas:And last but not least, the bath is all dressed for Christmas, too:I love the cute little wired silver stars hanging up along the shower curtain. Kevin and I bought those during our last trip to Mammoth. I've not found the perfect spot for them until this year.

Well that's it for the tour. Thanks for stopping by to take a look. I hope your home is all dressed up and warm and cozy for Christmas. Enjoy the season!