it's all about the hospitable home
Hello Dear Readers!
Happy Monday and Happy First Day of July!
The first Monday of the month means it is a beautiful Monday
as I share wonderful floral inspiration along with my amazingly talented
Monday Morning Blooms friends, Lidy, Mary and Pam.
Our common theme today is garden urns.
Their beautiful images and links to their posts are below.
I have not done many outdoor posts since being at the Berry Patch House.
So today I am . . .
Bringing The Outdoors In
Into the sunroom.
Less is more . . . did I say that?
Well, while still fidgety recuperating . . . (and I must say that I am feeling somewhat better),
I roam the house. Being unable to do all that much, I just set my sights on what I can do
to start on my quest of “less is more”.
I started in the sunroom.
Oh wait, did I say less is more? I did buy this Spring trio of tulips, daffodils, and a hyacinth
and repotted it in a vintage McCoy flower pot. But it was a “replacement”
of flowers that were previously there.
I hope he is right! He being Punxsutawney Phil.
I hope that he truly did not see his shadow, as I am so ready for Spring!
There have been too many days of being house bound due to the icy weather.
I long for pretty flowers and the projects of Spring.
So I can use this:
The potting bench now is pretty sad looking as it is in the cold
and not adorned with flowers.
But I want to remain positive and “bee happy”
Happiness is rocking in the rockers on the veranda with a great glass of tea.
Happiness is watching the flowers grow and hoping my hydrangeas bloom this year!
Happy is seeing the lovely green and the hanging ferns again
and also filling the window boxes on the upper porch with spring flowers.
However, in the meantime, I shall plan on creating Spring vignettes.
Of birds and flowers . . .
Silver and Daisies . . .
and moss covered bunnies.
Now the good thing about being house bound is that you get to carry out
that domino effect. Coming soon.
Are you ready for Spring or do you embrace each season as it occurs as
Mother Nature wants us to?
Have a beautiful winter’s day!
There is always a story behind a room,
whether it is how the room came together over time
or came together as a result of a visit to a furniture showroom.
This room was about the showroom and a hubby that loves symmetry and “matchy matchy”
When my magazine feature was recently published in French Country Style magazine,
we both noticed something. Well at least he agreed about “that something”
As soon as the temperatures started to climb,
I started thinking about what I wanted to plant . . . of the garden centers I want to visit.
With all of this crazy weather of snow one day and warm temperatures a couple days later,
one cannot think of the days of Spring to come.
The very first thing I do when there are no more threats of frost,
I head to the garden center and buy 12 hanging ferns, eight for the back veranda and
two for the front porch and two for the upper back porch. Its says, Spring has come to the South!!
One of my favorite movies is Field of Dreams.
“If you build it, they will come.” So I am taking that philosophy with Spring.
If you create a spring environment, it will come!
Do you hear that Mother Nature?!!
I have been sequestered in the house this week . . . I should sell tickets . . .
for people who want to skate in my driveway.
While dealing with cabin fever, I thought it was time to create Spring indoors even though my views
outdoors are of rolling hills of snow and ice.
I grabbed my Pottery Barn lantern that was on sale and placed a vase of water in it rather than a candle
and added the tulips that were on sale at the grocery store after Valentine’s Day.
So happy that they had red tulips left!
A bit of the unexpected of tulips in a lantern . . . this may be the standard for this item!
Taking advantage of the flower sale, more flowers added to the sunroom and placed on the potting bench
in the background.
The sunroom is next to the kitchen in which I spend lots of my time as many people do . . .
so it is great to be a able to see beautiful spring flowers to lift your spirits on a cold winter’s day.
So what say you Mother Nature? . . . if we project lots of Spring in our homes, will it come?
Well, the Farmer’s Almanac is saying “No!” . . . and then The Ground Hog chimed in too.
Have a great weekend . . . I wish you happy thoughts of Spring to come!
Galvanize. gal-va-nize
1. Shock or excite (someone) typically into taking action.
2. Coat (iron or steel) with a protective layer of zinc.
I was galvanized to taking action in the sunroom.
A package arrived and it was a birthday gift from my brother and sister-in-law.
This caused me to take action and do a little makeover in a corner of the sunroom.
Can’t believe that 2014 has come and soon to be gone so quickly.
I am making a list of my 2015 project and reflecting on 2014.
Changes to several rooms and several areas happened this year.
I can’t really say which one is my favorite . . .
~ ~ but most of them have to do with fabric . . . lots of fabric.
A year ago, I created a potting bench area on the lower porch of my home.
You can view last year’s potting bench here.
It looked like this:
A vintage enamel top table that I added a skirt to . . .
~ ~ and placed a garden bench on the table as a “shelf unit”.
After a year, the skirt was looking a little sad and needed to be replaced.
So off to the fabric store I go . . .
~ ~ to get a “happy fabric”.
My potting bench . . . A place where I can fill my flower pots with pretty plants.
A place where I can store all my planting materials . . .
~ ~ neatly stored behind the gathered skirt.
A garden bench re-purposed into a potting bench shelf . . .
~ ~ holds my vintage garden tools . . that I often use!
A garden bench that was given to me by my sister many years ago . . .
~ ~ she found it at craft fair and knew I would love it . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ as the back had beautifully painted birdhouses.
The chair seat received a new pot of flowers . .
This potting bench and outdoor grill area is under the pergola . . .
~ ~ just outside the room of my craft room and my granddaughter’s space.
Where you can also have a view of this . . .
this . . .
this . . .
and these . . . one of my hydrangeas just starting to produce flowers . . .
~ ~ all covered in some “deer netting”.
I am ready now to get the veranda into shape with the help of my potting bench.
Hope you have a beautiful day among the flowers you love!
I am joining:
At the Picket Fence Fun in the Sun Summer Party
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Cedar Hill Farmhouse for The Scoop
From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursdays
Ivy and Elephants for What’s It Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
As I was looking over my posts of 2013 to gather pictures of my 2013 projects . .
I really did not think at that time I had many..
~ ~ however, I did.
Amazing what you can accomplish in a year.
I had a great year of blog related traveling too!!
To conferences (Haven), Country Fairs (Country Living Fair), and MY TRIP TO FRANCE!!
It certainly has been a busy year for me!
So here are my projects of 2013!!
This chair was my Valentine’s gift ~ it had a plain taupe linen fabric..
~ ~ I had it reupholstered and it transformed to a more interesting chair ~
~ ~ ~ that really popped in the room!
I recovered the bar stool seats.
There are some reupholstery/slip covered projects coming in 2014!
The following are some of my room painting projects.
Painted the master bedroom in SW Silvermist.
I love that color and painted more rooms in it!
The laundry walls were painted (SW Silvermist) and a decal added above the window ~ ~
~ ~ “I am thankful for piles of laundry, it means that my loved ones are nearby” ~ ~
The second guest/craft room also was painted SW Silvermist.
And speaking of craft rooms . . .
I purchased the Martha Stewart line of Craft Furniture when it went on sale ~ ~
~ ~ and it is situated at the other end of the second guest room.
New mirrors were placed in the second guest bath ~ ~
~ ~ I purchased these mirrors for I believe $12.50 each at a “going out of business sale”
~ ~ ~ ~ and painted them.
The Master Bath got a facelift of SW Silvermist too..
~ ~ along with beautiful crystal hardware from D. Lawless Hardware
And speaking of new hardware ~ ~
The kitchen got a facelift with new hardware of hammered copper.
I will be adding more copper to the kitchen this year.
With exception of the Great/Living Room . .
~ ~ we replaced all of the ceiling fans with chandeliers.
In the main guest room ~
And in the 2nd guest room/craft room.
There is a new one in the media room, however, one of the glass panels was broken ~ ~
~ ~ and waiting forever for Pottery Barn to send me a replacement (on back order).
Now on to painting projects:
Painted this chest in Martha Stewart Metallic paint (Golden Pearl).
The chest is no longer there..been replaced with an antique bench.
This table was originally a gold color with stenciling…
~ ~ painted it with Annie Sloan Duck Egg ~ I left the gold embellishments as is.
The table has since been replaced with a vintage one.
Painted the hat rack in Annie Sloan Old White, was originally a dark pine finish..
Along with this little table..
And this magazine rack..
And switched up colors and used Annie Sloan Old Ochre on the coffee table..
I even tried my hand at painting this metal shade in Rustoleum high gloss black.
And last but not least, my skirted potting bench project.
Started with an enamel topped table I obtained from Kristen…
~ ~ and added a floral design outdoor fabric skirting.
So these are many of my Projects of 2013 . .
~ ~ and have many in store for 20!4!!
Thank you all for stopping by and supporting my projects this year!!!
Here’s to a wonderful 2014!!
Have a wonderful day!!
I am joining:
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Southern Hospitality for Best Projects of 2013
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party
Unskinny Boppy Year in Review Link Party
