Vacation Bible School 2013

So our church had Vacation Bible School this week and I took 3 of my grand-daughters to it this year.  They had a blast!  After VBS each day, we tried to do a fun activity as well to round out their day.  We did bowling, our version of a slip 'n slide, went to the park, and to Chuck E. Cheeses.  It was a fun and tiring week - we can't wait for next year!

I have some new projects to work on this week now that the kiddos are back to their normal routines, so I will post them soon.  Did your kids or grand-kids go to VBS this year?

Pallet Fence Final Touches!

The pallet fence needed those final touches to make it shabby!  I found the perfect solar lanterns at Target on clearance (even better).

It worked perfectly on the pallet fence.  Finally, I added a grapevine wreath and it is now officially completed? 

What do you think?  Find any good summer deals on clearance?

Pallet Fence

I have been in need of some kind of fence or barrier around my air conditioner for some time now.  I decided to use pallet wood to make it.  First thing that needed to be done was to deconstruct the pallet and remove all the boards from one side and put them all on one side to resemble a picket fence.

The next step is to dig a trench so that the fence can sit down into it for stability.  Once it is sitting level, I added a porch post at the corner both for interest and also to have something to attach the sides to.

And from the side:

Then, add a grapevine wreath to the front along with some brackets.  Stay tuned for either some hanging flower pots or solar lights hanging from the brackets.

I am very pleased with it's rugged, shabby charm!  What have you made with a pallet lately?

Lillies, Veggies, and Frogs oh my!

Just a few random fun things in the garden:

First up - pink lillies!  I've been waiting for weeks for them to bloom and they finally did!  I LOVE them and they get fuller every year - I wish they bloomed longer but I sure do enjoy them while they are here.

Next, is the little Frog house I made in my wheelbarrow out of a broken clay pot.  Frogs are very special in my family as they represent a very sweet little angel in Heaven (my great-grandson).  If you look closely you can see a rusty arch, a welcome sign over the "door", a mini grapevine wreath and even a table made from a piece of wood with a tiny teapot sitting on it as well as a path made with broken pot pieces.  It even has a little glass frog living inside!

And, finally, I can see a tiny tomato and a pepper starting to form in the veggie garden!  I can't wait till I can begin harvesting them!

What have you been up to outide lately?  Have you made a frog house or a faerie garden?  Planted any veggies?  Have a favorite flower?  Please share!

Garden Updates!

Been working on some little garden details lately.  First, I had a nice garden spade.  I really liked it because it had a nice point to it.  Notice I said HAD - it broke last year.  I am such a dork that I didn't want to throw it away because it WAS such a nice spade.  I figured I'd figure out a way to upcycle it eventually.  Well, that day has come.  I turned it into a little garden inspiration.  Here is the before picture:

I like the saying "bloom where you are planted".  It's a life lesson that also applies to my little garden.  So, I took a white paint pen and  viola!

Then looked for the perfect spot to tuck it into the landscape:

Here's a closer look:

Something unexpected for our guests.  I think it turned out nicely.  Have you used any garden tools in unexpected ways in your garden?  Please share.

Wire Basket Love

Today I went thrifting and found this wonderful wire basket for $1.99.  I thought this candle looked quite nice sitting in it!  Sometimes I know the perfect spot for something and sometimes I have to walk around the house trying it in several places before I decide.  For now, this seems to be the best spot for this new little addition:

Do you like wire baskets too?  They are so popular right now.

Playroom in Progress!

I have 5 children and currently only one of them still lives at home.  She has a cute little pink and grey girly room in the basement.  I say that like she's little - she'll be 21 in June, lol.  When my youngest son moved out last year, I knew that I would want to do something different with his old room.  Since I have several grand-children, the most fun thing to do would be to make it into a playroom, right?  So, you have to begin somewhere and even though it's a very long list of things to get done in that room, progress is finally being made.  Here is how it started:

There was a damaged wall in my son's room where a layer of brick was showing.  Since it added a rustic charm to his room, I left it.  But now it will have to go.  So will the blue.  There was also the letter "A" on the wall which I had made with cd's to symbolize his name ("Andrew") and his love of music.

So, a trip to Ace Hardware was in order to get some patching plaster!

So, patched up the wall and sanded it down.

Decided on a color scheme of orange, teal, lime and brown and started painting.

I painted an old antique iron headboard teal to lean against the wall behind the bed to add some charm.

It pops against the orange wall!

And then added a lime green shelf and the beginnings of the lime bedding and orange print curtains.

And an orange window on the brown wall to pull in the orange on that side of the room.

This is just the rough beginnings of the update of this room.  There will be more to come soon.  So many ideas and not enough time, lol.  I will share as I go along.  Sometimes it's best just to begin, right?  How about you - do you have a project that has to be done in bits and pieces?  Please share!

Summer Garden Tour

Summer is finally here and like most of you, I have been anxious to plant things in my yard.  Here are a few shots of it as it is at the moment.  So many more ideas in my head and so little time, lol.

Here is the beginning of a plate border.  The idea came from Pinterest of course - unfortunately there were various links that went to nowhere.  Just pictures, but you get the idea.

The plates came from Goodwill and are all a similar buttery yellow color but actually from 3 different sets of dishes.  Here they are all lined up!

Off to the left of the plates on the other side of the rock path is what I refer to as the "circle garden".  I planted a young Forsythia bush there this year.  I am looking forward to cutting some of it's yellow branches next Spring to bring inside to welcome the season.  I have a little semi-rusty red lantern sitting on top of a rock to add interest.

Here is the part of the yard that I call the "rock garden".  It is surrounded by rocks on one side, a white picket fence and the plate border on the other side.  There are a lot of plants that will eventually get big and full and fill up this space over time.  The rusty wheelbarrow is filled with annuals.  In the Fall, I plan to add some pink tulip bulbs on the right side of the wheelbarrow.  I love tulips and will be anxious to see them popping up next season.

Here is another angle showing off the plate border, the rock path and the wheelbarrow.

This is a view from the backside.  I love a white picket fence, don't you?  It gives it such a cottage feel!

To the right of the rock garden are my trio of trees.  The one in the middle is a Redbud.  And this year I added a pink Dogwood tree - which is the one to the right.  I would love to see a little picnic area set up in the midst of them at some point.  Maybe a pallet idea?  Who knows - like I said, I have a lot of ideas swimming around inside my head!

And here is a shot from the other side of the yard looking towards the rock garden.  I have a small brick patio with an old wooden spool as a table.  It's not much, but it's a nice place to sit.  I envision some type of Pergola here someday - maybe with some old windows hanging from it.  Hmmm.

Here is the side yard where I have planted a small garden.  From left to right there are strawberries, pumpkins, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and a blueberry bush.  I love picking the blueberries every day and can't wait till I can harvest even more fruits and veggies!

And here is the view from the other side:

This is the front of the house on the side of the steps.  My wonderful Lilac Bush which smells so sweet when it blooms is in the back.  Up front is a Hydrangea and some annuals.  There is a rusty orb at the corner to add some character.

Same spot, different angle:

Under my bay window I have some Prairie Grass, a Russian Sage, a Magnolia Bush, another Russian Sage, and a Rose of Sharon.  Again, when these all get bigger and fuller over time it will fill up this space nicely.

They say "to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow".  That is SO true because I am already looking forward to a few seasons from now when everything is more matured.  Hope you have been busy outside so far this year as well.  I would love to see your pictures of all of your gardens and outside spaces.  Do you have as many ideas in your head as I do mine?  Not enough time or money to do it all in one season.  But for now, I am absolutely loving my yard!