Dreaming about Flower Beds

I hate to torture you again with photos of spring, especially since most of us are still a ways away from sunny skies and 70 degree weather, but I just couldn’t help it today. I am longing for slightly warmer weather so I can grab a shovel and de-wilderness our backyard weed flower bed.

I’m almost tempted to throw a coat on this weekend and start chiseling away at the frozen dirt…I then remind myself that my energies would probably be better spent elsewhere – like perhaps tackling one of the (705) unfinished projects indoors.

Want to dream with me about landscaping, though? Okay, lets.

I love, love, love the look of lush gardens. I would love to have flower beds filled with hydrangeas, peonies, lilies of the valley, lavender (…and all those other lush flowers that I don’t know the names of).

The thing is, I know myself. I know my schedule (and limited time to tend to a garden), and I know that I’d take painting a room over working in the yard ANY DAY (can I get an “Amen” from anyone else out there?). Sooo…until I’m ready to commit to regular garden maintenance, I think I need to stick to something pretty but low maintenance (and by low maintenance I mean like zero maintenance…again, because I know myself a little too well).

I think I need to aim for something like this: hardy (yet lovely) shrubs and weed inhibiting  mulch.

And here’s one of my all time favorite patio photos. It’s from Cottage Living (of course). I love the chairs, the brick patio, and the plethora of rounded, manicured boxwoods. Oooh, so pretty.

What about you? What’s your flower bed philosophy?

Is it Spring Yet?

Is anyone else really tired of winter? Oh how I’m dreaming of warm, leisurely sunny days full of bbq’s and magazine reading on the deck. So, I thought I’d share some lovely patio photos to warm us up a little today. It doesn’t hurt to dream, right?

Image: Coastal Living

Image: Sunset Magazine

Image: Coastal Living

Image: Sunset Magazine

Image: Coastal Living

Ahhh, just a little longer. Stay warm everyone!

Easy Valentine’s Wreath

I actually wrote about this Valentine’s wreath last year, but I thought I’d bring her back for an encore performance.

I found this wreath at Hobby Lobby, which was really pretty perfect on its own. I loved the simple, natural look of it.

I wanted it to be a little fuller though, so I bought a couple of these.

And then I stumbled across these beauties and I just had to buy them. Don’t they look delicious?

After putting it all together with my glue gun, I hung her on my door with the same upholstery webbing I used to hang my Christmas Wreath. Ahhh, so pretty.

 

Remember, you have until 9pm (Central Time) tonight to enter the Lisa Leonard Giveaway. Good luck!

DIY Monogrammed Door Mat

Well, The Cottage went and did it, she finally decided to get her own page on Facebook. This way y'all can have priceless insights into my decorating psyche. I think it will also give us a chance to interact a bit more. Wanna become a "fan" (ha...that term cracks me up)? Click the Facebook

box on my sidebar...or...below.

Now to the good stuff. Have you ever seen and admired those cute and classy monogrammed door mats at the fancy places like Williams Sonoma or Pottery Barn? And then have you proceeded to let out an audible shreik as you read the prices?

Pottery Barn - $59.00

Williams Sonoma - $69.00

Well, I decided to take a stab at making my own monogrammed door mat. How hard can it be, right?

Step One

I took a plain door mat that I already had (it was originally from Ikea, but you should be able to find them easily and inexpensively at other stores).

Step Two

I taped off the where I wanted lines to go around the edges of the mat with brown packing tape (it's what I had):

Step Three

This is where if your printer's working you print a large letter in a font you like. If it's not (blast!) you take a stab at drawing one yourself. Then cut it out with an xacto knife.

Step Four

I taped the letter down in the middle, and then covered the remaining exposed areas with tape. CAUTION: Be sure to put lots of tape on the back side of the flimsy areas of the letter (I didn't use enough so my edges were a little fuzzy...my one fatal mistake...oh well).

Step Five

I pulled out some black spray paint from my stash and sprayed away. I did a total of four coats because I wanted really full and durable coverage.

And VOILA!

My own monogrammed door mat. Cost? Freeeeeeeeee. (Although, if you don't already have everything you need like I did, you should be able to do this for under $20).

Adding Cottage Character to Your Home's Exterior

I have a thing for noticing and analyzing houses as I drive through neighborhoods. I'm constantly craning my head and thinking "Oooh, that's a cute one." or "Hmm, that house would look great with some shutters and some 'lipstick' on the front door." It's a wonder I'm not constantly crashing into garbage cans by the side of the road.

So imagine my glee when I watched a house in my neighborhood be transformed from a typical suburban tract home that was fine and nice but lacking personality, kind of like this (I don't have an actual before photo - and PLEASE don't be offended if your home looks like this...most of ours do.):

"Quasi Before"

To this charming cottage:

Isn't it cute?! The owners replaced the garage door (Love it! Major style bang for their buck!), added new outdoor light fixtures (I want the same ones for my house - see close up photo below), added a low wrought iron fence, and a lush garden in the front yard.


I like to think of this as proof that any home can bloom where it's planted and become the best version of itself with a little TLC and creativity....well, and money :).

No More Sad Doors!

Hey there - I apologize for being M.I.A. this week. No, the carbon monoxide didn't get me, just millions of work things (Oh that pesky day job) and life things (What do you mean my car needs a new catalytic converter?!). This is where I once again vow to myself to write all of my blog posts the weekend before, so I'm not stuck being postless... and inspirationless...and hopefully not readerless. Anyhoo...enough hand slapping.

Let's talk front doors shall we? I always feel so bad for those little (or big) houses with sad, plain doors. Sometimes I just want to sneak out in the middle of the night and give them a fresh coat of paint and a nice fluffy wreath. You know...like a decorating bandit...with a black mask and a paintbrush in hand :).

For instance look at this sad little house. See the tear? She used to feel so cute and sassy, but now she feels a little frumpy and out of style. Poor thing...

No problem sweetie, the decorating bandit is here. Let's just freshen up your door and shutters with some black paint, remove that outdated awning, and throw in some fun accessories.

See? She's new girl...and all we did was add a little paint and a few accessories. (For info on how to paint a front door click here).

I know a lot of us put off projects like sprucing up a front door because it just feels like too much work and too much money. Just do what you can handle doing...whether that's paint or simply adding a new wreath. Even a little change will make a difference.

And speaking of wreaths, if you're in the market for a new wreath, here are some out there in internet-land that have caught my eye. Enjoy!

Etsy - toinspireyou

Etsy - toinspireyou

Etsy - TheKeepersHouse

Etsy - KnockKnocking (too cute!)


Etsy - SimpleSweetDesign

Target - Fall Faux Berry Wreath

Target - Town Market Wreath

Target - Lavender Fields Square Wreath (I would lose the ribbon)

Have a great weekend!