Garden Goodies

Well Spring has finally sprung and my body is aching from the yard work.  It’s such a labor of love, but unfortunately it doesn’t love me back.  Once it’s all done, the finished product is always pleasing.  My yard is definitely a work in progress.  I’m what you could call a “garden goodie junkie”.  I love looking at pristine  garden landscapes, but when it comes to my own, I like seeing little trinkets as I look through the flower beds.  I’d like to share a few of my “goodies” I have tucked in my flower beds.  First, I have to say I was extremely thankful because I found someone willing to give away field rock.  All I had to do was come get what I want.  So naturally, I’m going to take advantage of anything free.  I found so many shapes, sizes and color variation… and they were just what I needed to outline my beds.

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Cleaning the beds is always the hardest part.. the leaves are just about gone and things are beginning to bloom.  The first signs of spring is always a pleasing sight for sore, cold eyes from winter.  My sedum plants are always the first to begin growing.. they’re so easy and carefree, which is the #1 reason I love them so much.

Sedum Plants

Sedum Plants

The mulch is being added section by section.  This is my biggest bed and its finished being cleaned and mulched.

  

I’ll take you through  a close-up tour of my goodies inside.  I love having music outside and these two guys show my reflection of a music lover.

Jazz in the Garden

Jazz in the Garden

The Iris is beginning to bloom!!!

   

 

My azaleas are in full bloom

     

These are more items you’ll find as your eyes wander into the flowers.  The little lady is an item I found in Mexico a few years ago.  The hens & chicks in the seashell are actually doing very well.  They’ve been snugged inside there since last year and are growing.  An old tool chest mounted on fireplace irons is my funky junk flower pot for  more Sedum plants

    

    

Hens & Chicks and Sedum.. the pefect combination for a carefree succulent flower bed.

 

The pelicans were yard sale items…and they found a nice shady spot tucked near the daffofil.   I’m just so so happy about the garden rock.

It has been two weeks worth of back aching work, but in the end.. it’s always worth it.  I still have one more bed needing attention, so until next week..  Oouch..  🙂

Light Shade Planter

Scrap wood

Scrap wood

This is a simple project that I’ve been wanting to do since I had these light shades I couldn’t use.  I saw this project in Lowe’screative ideas magazine and decided to give it a try.  I found a piece of scrap wood and had holes drilled in and gave it a simple stain coat.

Light shades

 

I added some coffee filters into the shades, and place pebble stones inside to hold the water.  I used snake plants and a succulent because they require little water.

Plants of choice

This is the finished product.  I did have three of the same, but unfortunately one broke so I had to use an alternative one, which wasn’t so bad.  But I’ll keep my eyes on the lookout for another one.  I decide on a place to put my  latest project.  Hope you like it .

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Light shade planter

Vanity Affair

Think about older times when furniture was made with a sense of style and purpose.  As I watch American classic movies, I find myself paying close attention to the furniture than the actual movie at times, too busy watching the Hollywood starlets beautifying themselves in front of a gorgeous dressing table, lovingly known as the “Vanity”.   Nowadays, when one speaks of a vanity they’re usually referring to the bathroom sink base.  However, the true form of a vanity is the total opposite.   Originally created for the budoir for women to call their own private grooming space,  they  are indeed a breathtakingly beautiful piece of furniture that was magnificently structured and finely detailed for the lady and her essentials.  In vintage bedroom suits, the vanity was essential part of the suit, but today, they’re hardly ever made with the suit.  Trying to find one to match modern furniture requires an effort. But since style repeats itself, I’m sure one can be found to blend with any bedroom set. As a woman sits to her vanity while she embellishes herself in front of the mirror, there’s the inner feel of an enchantress that reigns deep within her soul.    Posessing traits that can be described as a woman, the vanity is beautiful, curvaceous, stunning and even graceful – because it was created with her style in mind.  They invoke a thought of mystery yet beauty and quite simply, can be considered a seductive work of furniture art.

I say it’s time to bring back the “Lady Days” and realize the beauty of sitting in front of your exquisite dressing table to beautify yourself and not in the bathroom.  When purchasing my vanity it was a very difficult decision. There were so many styles and designs that spoke to me.  In this article I pay homage to the long forgotten object of my desire and want to share some of my favorite styles and, of course, the one that found its way in my heart.

This vanity is almost exactly like the very first one my sister and I found on the street. With a fresh coat of white paint it became the beginning of our love of antique furniture.  Notice the delicately curved mirror (this is so pretty).

VanityAntiqueTripleMirror

  

The French style of this piece was the lucky winner of my heart

A rare find that belongs to a dear friend

Notice the beauty of the wood grain

 

This style has a full length mirror

  

Spotted an Art Deco piece while “thrifting”  for only $100.00

These are so lovely.  Only if I had a house big enough to have more bedrooms, I’d put a vanity in each room.

    

I hope the styles of these vanities have inspired you to begin your search of your very own exquisite piece to complete your budoir space.