So happy summer has arrived and it’s time to begin enjoying the outdoor projects that were started as spring approached.  It’s time to begin the summertime happiness that makes being outside fun.  Creating that perfect outdoor space is major part of the Outdoor Living.   One space in particular is the wonderful sanctuary of the gazebo.  I’d like to welcome you into my “Chill Out Spot”

I love lounging inside my gazebo.  The feel of an indoor space only outside just makes me feel like couch-lounging with mother nature.  My gazebo is that outdoor sanctuary for me.  I find myself just sitting in there with a book, listening to music and drinking whatever beverage my tastebuds have a desire for.  I must admit winter did some damage to my little abode, but all in all, it’ll make another year.  It was begining to become a winter catch-all, but I was able to get a jump start before things got out of hand.  The patio set was a Walmart bargain at $100.00 for the entire set.  I felt the pillows could use some changing, so it was time for me to visit my fabric storage place.  This is what the cushions looked like prior to me changing the fabric.  (go ahead.. yawnn.. :-o)   kinda drab…

I dug deep and found a fabric that I had been holding on to until I found the perfect use for it.

The leopard print mixed with flowers gives this set the right pop of color.  I found this tarnished brass candle holder in the garage and decided to give it a new look by spray painting it a soft baby blue and added a few crystals for a touch of bling.

I had this “whatchamacallit” laying around too and decided to paint it and make some use of if.

The stand is an old iron wood log holder so I placed a piece of tile on top to hold the candles and magazines neatly rest in the bottom

A vintage breakfast table becomes a cute little plant stand

Inside my lantern is tucked more plants and candles

A complete view inside my crafted little “Chill Out Spot”.  It’s funny how I went digging in stored items and found great pieces to pull the look together… so in other words – I went shopping in my own house  🙂

So, it’s time to close the curtains and say bye-bye for now.. I hope you enjoyed a peek inside my garden sanctuary

Oh.. and one more little item I found while digging in my basket of goodies  was this cute Candleir .  So I decided to hang it in the tree outside the gazebo .. I’ll get some bird seeds for my feather friends in the morning to fill up the cups.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted..I decided to take a break from the computer and yard work and begin my long overdue exercise.  As I began my evening walks, I started taking notice of the yards  in this small town I call home, so, I decided to pay a little tribute to a few of the yards I came to admire during my walks. .

This lovely home belongs to a sweet elderly woman who maintains her yard carefully.  I paid attention to all the details around her yard.  Her front yard is so nicely manicured with the monkey grass just flowing nicely aroud the palm trees and fountain.

Ms. Linda was just tickled at the fact that I loved her yard and wanted to take pictures to put on my blog.

She was happy and amazed that I was impressed enough by acknowledging it on the blogsite.  As I begin my stroll around back I notice the lovely deck and the rock landscaping around the side of her house.  Mr. Bunny caught my watchful eye as he stood on guard..   Her hostas are just bursting with growth and they surround her deck and the big wheel quite nicely.

The monkey grass is outlining another fountain she has, and the purple clematis is filling the latice completely.

This is another view of the flower bed under the deck.  The amaryllis is blooming very nicely..I complimented her on them and next thing I knew..she plucks one out and hands me a plant..(is she sweet or what??)

The driftwood adds another element to the yard.  She said she’s had them for several years..(I really like them)

Well this is one of many beatiful yards I pass along the way of “my walk”.. Having scenaries like this definitely makes the walk a much more enjoyable experience…I graciously thanked Ms. Linda for allowing me to photograph her yard and I scurried home to plant my new plant.  I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did..

I call this bed my Memorial Garden, because I began planting a flower in it each time I lost a loved one.  I bought this knockout rose bush about 3 years ago.  I was told it’ll bloom and grow quickly.  I didn’t have much luck with roses but I decided to give it a try since it was on sale.  Well I’ve been very happy with the blooms on the rose bush, and it keeps growing strong.  I hadn’t really paid too much attention to it because it just kept blooming without needing lots of  much attention.  This year I decided to tend to this large bed along side the house.    Didn’t realize how big the bed had gotten and how much the flowers had grown.  The rose bush grew out of control (which is a wonderful thing).  I needed a trellis to train it to grow up – because its growing wide and covering up the other plants around it.  I honestly didn’t think this bush would have grown so much.   You can see it in this picure peeking behind the A/C unit.

Garden trellises can be expensive – especially for a big one to hold this size bush.  I had an old wrought iron bed I bought at an auction a few years back and never got to use it.  I loved the rusty-aged look of the bed.

Well I decided to finally tame the wild rose bush and put her in the  bed.

No need to go buy a new trellis – I think the bed will do her well neatly tucked in the bed.

There’s something magical about the rain water for plants. I can water and feed them to grow, but there’s something in the rain that gives them that complete burst of growth. We’ve had lots of rain the past two weeks and even though I was tired of it, after looking at the significant growth in my flower beds, I had to smile and thank God for his magic water (not to mention what I saved on my water bill). In just two weeks my beds went from this :

Sedum Plants

To this:       I also saved some money because I was able to use pine straw for a bed running along the house. I took advantage of my cousin’s pine tree droppings. Having wood mulch near the house worries me about termites so I was happy to use the free straw to cover this large bed. The confederate jasmine is in full bloom and smells so sweet.

the daffodils have bloomed