Sunday, April 26, 2015

Planting Pretty Flowers

Let me be honest with you, I am not much of a gardener.  I will buy and plant flowers but then once the summer heat hits, I pretty much give up watering them and they die.  Last year I didn't buy or plant a single flower.  And the fact that this isn't our forever home makes me not want to plant a bunch of pretty things only to have leave them all behind again.  This year, I am hoping things will be a little different!
I don't have a front porch to decorate so I do what I can with the flower bed in the front of my house.  The only thing I bought for this was some planting soil and a few flowers.   
I can't wait to see how these flowers grow under my care.  Hopefully they will prosper all summer long! 
I love Hostas and this one looks fantastic planted in my vintage metal bucket.  There are a few bright pink Dianthus in with it. 
My old window is always the perfect backdrop.  I want to make a wreath to hang on it but for now this sweet little bunting will work just fine! 
I had some tea cups that were given to me (they aren't vintage or anything special) so I decided to make a little decoration with a nest and egg in it.  It looks so cute hanging on this little shepherd's hook. 
I got purple and pink flowers this time around.  Depending on how I do, I might have to go get some more! 
I got this wire cage thing in an estate sale lot.  It wasn't part of the lot but they threw it in and I had a tiny little planter that fits right in the bottom of it.   
This chippy, rusty watering can planter is always a favorite of mine.  The rusty color really stands out on the pretty white chair. 
I am going to do my best to keep these pretty flowers alive!  Wish me luck! 
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Monday, April 20, 2015

Pretty Lilacs on a Vintage Stool

This vintage chemistry stool I have in my office is the perfect little table for a bright and fragrant bouquet of Spring lilacs.  I cut them this morning in a few different places on campus and am enjoying them in my office.
This chemistry stool dates back to the early 1900's.  Here is a photo of faculty sitting on some from 1940.  I love looking at all the pictures we have in our archives.  But I love it even more that I have a piece of this history in my office!
I don't know how many of these stools are still around as the stools they now use are much more up to date.  I wish I would have been around when they got rid of them all, I would have taken as many as I could get my hands on! 
The bright purple of the lilacs are such a beautiful contrast to the old, worn wood. 
They smell amazing and the whole office is cloaked in their intoxicating fragrance.   
Wishing you all wonderful week full of pretty Spring time things!

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Saturday, April 11, 2015

Spring Coffee Table Vignette

My coffee table needed a new look once I put away all the Easter decorations.  I wanted something that would incorporate my living room colors and have a spring touch.  Here is what I came up with.
I gotta say that I love it!  I shopped my house for all of it, except for the hydrangeas.  Those were from the dollar store so this vignette only cost me $2.  Now that's my kind of decorating! 
I made a little nest out of some moss and set it in a vintage zinc jar lid.  The little eggs are the perfect aqua color.   The birds I have had for years and got them at Michael's.  I don't particularly like real birds, so these ceramic birds with crowns are right up my alley.
This vintage crystal door knob was a steal of a deal at a yard sale a couple years ago.  When I asked how much the lady wanted and she told me 25 cents, I am sure my jaw hit the floor.  Too bad there was only one! 
I love the way the silk hydrangeas look under my cloche in that aqua Ball jar.  I wish I could grow real hydrangeas and dry them, but the desert heat in Idaho is just too much for them so silk will have to do for now. 
My couch is extra comfy with lots of pillows and blankets in browns and aquas.  It has been pretty cold here lately so the blankets will be getting a little more use for a little while longer. The corner seat is the best seat in the house because you literally sink in! 
My book stack has seen better days.  They were all in really good shape until one day I caught Grady chewing on them.  They had sat there for years and he didn't touch them...I don't know what he was doing!  I still like the way they look chewed and all. 
Do you think I should paint the tray that this is all sitting in?  I have had it for years and use it to take stuff from the kitchen to the patio when we Barbecue in the summer.  If I were to paint it, what color would you suggest? 
I got a subscription to Romantic Homes and love getting my new issue each month.  I read the whole magazine cover to cover and set them on the coffee table for others to enjoy.  I always love to see if any of my blogger friends have been published...what an honor that would be!  
The coffee table was given to me by my grandma and when I got it, it was shiny brown.  A little white paint and some distressing and it was just my style!  I gotta say that I love my coffee table vignette in my living room and I hope that you enjoyed it too!

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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

A few things to love right now!

Do you know what I am loving right now?  Well, there are a few things!  First up is acrylic paint.  I have always loved it but recently I have been using it to paint everything.  First the jar and flower pots and now a cute little tin and a clock.
This tin has been in the break room since I started here and I never really noticed it until now.  It is so adorable with its cute swirly lines.  I knew I had to paint it and make it even cuter. 
It started out looking like this.  Not bad but I knew it could be better! 
Even the lid has a sweet scroll on it.  Some paint in my favorite new pink color Peony and a little distressing gave a whole new look to it. 
But of course I had to add some extra pretty things to it.  A snippet of seam binding and a simple little shabby rose and I think this is the cutest tin! It matches my pen jar perfectly and I think I might use it to hold business cards or some other fun little things.  
I needed a clock for my office and found one at Family Dollar that had a great look, just not a great color.  Acrylic paint to the rescue!  This is my other favorite color, Cloudless.  A  quick and imperfect couple coats of paint was all it took to turn this clock into something fun.  I love the way acrylic paint allows you to add some character to your pieces.  Now what else can I find around here to paint!?! 
Speaking of things I love, I love shopping for linens when I am thrifting or yard saling.  I recently found some darling sheets that I have used to dress up my day bed and bench out on the patio. 
I love mixing the patterns up for that extra shabby look.  Once the nice weather gets here, these will get lots of use on the weekends! 
I also love to use sheets as tablecloths.  This peachy rose sheet was perfect for our Easter brunch table.  It is still on the table and makes the dining room look extra pretty.  Sheets are so versatile and can be used for so many different things.  And I am always on the look out for more! 
Have a wonderful week and go paint something or put a sheet on it!

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