My Next Project

 It is time to work on the porch again. Items on the list this year are: to repaint the stripes (they are in need of some touch ups), possibly paint the ceiling (although I have been saying that for years), repaint the swing and get a new cushion.

On the top of that list is to copy this idea somehow.  Every since I saw this photo on Pink Wallpaper I have not been able to get it out of my head.  I am thinking on basket in each corner...

The Back Gardens

We'd been having our yard edged & mulched & we ran out of mulch so our yard is pretty much "to be continued..." this weekend.  BUT  I wanted to share a few of the things that are budding & growing right now in our yard...  I just ran out & snapped these pics this morning & it rained last night so things are a bit wet & dreary-looking.  Below, I recently got these topiaries and plan on potting them in the large terra cotta pots.  (Both were impulse purchases but I'm really excited about them.)  They'll be about a foot or so higher once they're potted.

{Ignore the seams on my cushions...  They still need custom cushion covers.  I bought them last year because the insert dimensions were perfect but they had to be turned sideways to fit so I plan on having custom covers made when we're ready.. ie when it hits the money/ time priority list.  Also, the pots have silly pine trees on them that I can mostly hide but I loved the dimensions & finish.}

I can't wait to "pretty up" the back patio & add a rug & pillows. 

We bought a bunch of these little  peach rose trees to line some of our walkways:

We're turning this little spot (below) into a vegetable garden.  (You can also spy one of the peach rose trees, which smell like Heaven!!!)

{My potted veggies are just hanging out right now..  I'm pretending they're in the ground.}

{looooooove tomatoes from the garden...  last year we put our vegetable garden next to our house & our pest control people informed us that our house had a termite protection plan applied years ago & the termite juice would be in the ground for something like 9 years.. SO....  we ate nothing but I refused to pull them out. :(  That was painful to watch. }

I'm putting this rosemary topiary in the ground next to the chaise lounge where I always sit because it  it smells so good:

Our old vegetable garden will be full of lavendar, roses & dwarf holly bushes as soon as we finish planting them.  (ps- My lavendar actually lived through the winter!!!)

I think my favorite things might be these little moss patches I found...

{I might put them around the bottom of the topiaries near the sofa...  They say full sun on the tags but we get a lot of sun on our back patio and watering/ nurturing potted things is not my forte.  I saw some fried ones at the store so this might not be a good idea.}

..Anyway, I'm off for the day to present a design for the front porch of our client's bungalow.  So excited!!

 

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

LULU Love

Loving Schumacher's new line from LULU DK.  I want to use this one upcoming children's rooms I am working on.  Makes me think of my long distance loves Camila and Linds...

Changes at out House...

Being so focused on the interior of my home has left our outside a bit less than desirable.  When we moved into our house, we set priorities &  so the poor outside had to wait.  We fell for our house because it has a large, private back yard...  the back of it sort of turns into a mini forest and a stream runs behind our fence. 

I like that the woods in the back feel really natural and a little out of control (wild roses, honey suckle, clematis, black berries & a ton of other things spill out the edges of it into our grass) but I've always imagined that one day it would be a tad more manicured & purposeful...

{See how crazy it gets back there??}

Last year (and the year before) we made a few garden beds around the yard like the one below for dwarf holly (which looks sooooo much like boxwood) and herbs...

  But we never edged them properly and they've gotten a bit out of control... 

{Here's the beginning of our vegetable garden last year...  THAT's how we edge....  It's more like:

me- "Hey Dav, let's make a veggie garden today."  (I've never mentioned this but I actually call my husband "Dav"...  an old college joke where we used to call him "Daveed" and "Dav" stuck)

him- Big sigh... "Okay."

And he starts digging...  But before he can finish, I'm in his way planting stuff and saying, "Forget about the edges... And don't worry about turning up all that dirt.... Yeah, it's fine that it's clay."

SO... as a result, my garden beds are full of weeds and the grass runs right into them.  I sort of have Scarlett O'Hara's "I'll think about that tomorrow" attitude with my yard. 

{Can I tell you how much I love this fabric???!!!!}

BUT we found some great guys through a friend & got a superdeal on having our entire yard edged & mulched.  I AM OVER THE MOON!!!!  They came yesterday and went to town...  They're back today and are working on edges like this:

{not my yard...  image from finegardening.com...   They're still working so I'll post pics as soon as I can}

I am soooooo  excited.  Then...  we were at our friend-neighbor's house borrowing a wheelbarrow for the guys and she mentioned she was planning on getting rid of her kids' swing set now that they're getting older and so they gave it to us!!  My 4 year old is giddy beyond belief. 

...And....  (ok, truly nesting here; I have issues) I think I'm ready to change up our downstairs family room again...  I love the blue that's on the walls but I've always felt that it doesn't really fit with the feeling of our house & surroundings (with the blue walls and some of our accessories, it feels kind of coastal...  I originally had it REALLY coastal with this old painting... 

But it was driving me crazy...  so I switched pillows & accessories to ones with more of the green I crave:

{the room's pretty trashed in this pic...  sorry!}

...But I stole the rug, educational chart & lamp for other areas of the house & now my room's back to blank and blue... 

I'll be a little sad to say goodbye to the blue walls but I think I'm ready for the change.  We're keeping all of our furniture and I'll just rearrange rugs & artwork we already, have but the big change will be painting it white...  I sort of want it to feel more like my boys' playhouse:

I want it to be a more casual version of what we have upstairs & I'm hoping we can buy the paint today.  (I am aware this is nuts to do with our life/ schedule right now...  but I'm okay with that.)  Will be back with pics!!


If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Monday Inspiration

1. Better Homes and Gardens 2. HGTV 3. House Beautiful 4. Better Homes and Gardens 5. House To Home

Quiet Time

Via

Thinking About You

 A year ago today the tornados ripped through Alabama, changing so many lives.  Several of you e-mailed me after Wednesdays post to give your condolences about my client's previous lake house.  Thank you so very much, your kindness is appreciated greatly.  However, while any loss is sad, the real tornado stories are much deeper and well, tragic.  So, for those of you whose life was changed a year ago today this post is for you.  Some bright, happy pictures to make you smile.  Have a great weekend.