Friday I'm in love

Hello and happy Friday! If your house doesn't have a doorbell like mine, this adorable door knocker just might be the next best thing. I was looking through some of my old Cottage Living magazines when I found this favorite.

Designed by Michael Healy

It may not be very practical but it would be fun to fill with a few flowers or greenery from the garden.

I'm posting from our netbook since my regular computer with all the pictures stored on it has another virus. I seem to picking one up every other day lately! Mr. 65th is working on getting it up and running so I will post pictures of the fairy gardens next week. Have a wonderful long weekend!

Fairy Garden Party

Do you believe in fairies?  We believe....so this weekend we invited a few friends over to create a special garden of their own...one the fairies will be sure to love.

Mr. 65th added to the chalkboard wall for the occasion. He found a fairy online, printed it out and blew it up on a copy machine. The he taped all the pages together and cut it out to use as a stencil. (he really is as wonderful as he seems)

Everyone gathered up their plants, containers and adorable accessories before coming over. We took some time to ooh and aah over each others finds before digging in.

I'm not sure who was more excited.....us or the little girls.

The potting table we put together last year came out of winter hibernation. I gave the legs a quick coat of grey paint since the varnish I used yellowed the white paint last summer.

Then I grabbed a few things I had around the house....crystal candlesticks for a little sparkle and a mirror that used to hang in the dining room.

I bought the mason jars for about a buck a piece and added colorful twisty straws. The drink dispenser is from Pottery Barn....I can't wait to fill it with margaritas this summer. Chalkboard labels are such a quick and easy project, you can read about them here.

 The butterfly cookies are from a local bakery.

Estate sale chairs and a table saved from the landfill are perfect for an outdoor party. Now I just need to find a few more chairs.

The girls decorated wings and were all giggles flying around the yard together. It was a wonderful day.

The fairy garden pictures can be seen here.

Linking to Centsational Girl Outdoor Party

Little Lime hydrangeas

It's starting to warm up here in the Midwest....well it was Hot the other day and yesterday was darn right chilly, but spring is definitely here. When the leaves open and the spring flowers are blooming I get excited about getting back into the garden.

This year is all about hydrangeas. I am determined to have them blooming along the porch like this...

BHG



Aren't they the perfect cottage flower? Last year I tried a couple different varieties in the front yard with no luck, they needed so much water and still wilted in the sun. I transplanted them to go on either side of the playhouse since there is some shade from the redbud tree.

After doing a little research I found a brand new shrub called Little Lime hydrangea. They are the dwarf form of the popular Limelight hydrangea.

They will grow to be three to five feet tall and wide and will fit into a small space like mine.

They are drought tolerant, can handle full sun and are the perfect cut Flower.

 

 I planted three along the porch and can't wait for them to cover this area with blooms.

 So far so good....I will keep you posted when they bloom this summer. Fingers crossed!

Mother's Day bouquets

Putting flowers together into pretty bouquets is one of my favorite things to do. Giving them away is even more fun so I whipped up a couple bouquets for Mother's Day.

Cherry blossoms and tulips are the main flowers in these arrangements. 

For this one I used a salsa jar as a vase because it reminded me of a mason jar. I would call that good recycling.

I found this vase at TJ Maxx for less than five dollars. Always a good deal to be had there!

Oh, and if a certain Mom is reading this that I won't be seeing until next week, don't be sad, I have a little something special for you too.

Happy Mother's Day!

Spring chalkboard wall

We are having fun drawing on the chalkboard wall as the seasons change. For spring I bought a few of those felt Easter decorations at the dollar store and used them as a stencil. It worked really well.

 

Looking into the living room from the kitchen. You can see our Christmas wall here.

On another note, we are excited to start putting together our fairy garden. The little one is really into fairies this year so I'm thinking the dinosaurs won't be invited this time.

Will you be creating one this year?

Hello!

Everything at home is back to normal and I am ready to be back. (Sorry for the lack of details.) I knew it was time when I started thinking to myself in blog post form. Am I the only one who does that?

Do you remember the hallway project we started way back when? Well it's almost finished, I just have to paint a hard to reach wall. The stairs are finished so I thought I would give you a look and a proper "Hello" since I've been gone for so long.

I will share more once I get back on the ladder that has to balance precariously on the basement stairs.


  Sharing this project with Rene @ Cottage and Vine.