Tag Archives: garden oasis

Giving You Heads Up!

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A few months ago I joined a Facebook group “It’s a Garden Thing“.  I truly adore being a part of this group of friendly people who love their gardens and sharing them with the cyber world.  In this group there was a lady showing some beautiful head planters. I was mesmerized on how beautiful they were. My motto is plants are people too.. green people and they need you to nourish, groom and sometimes even talk to them.  Head planters almost makes you feel like you’re talking face to face with your plants.  Looking at their faces with empty heads makes you think, what kind of hairdo would complete their look (you know how we women love our hair to be right 🙂  – it sets the tone)  “Head Planters” give your plants the personality they deserve.  I did some research for head planters.. here are some favorites I came across:

This African Queen head planter is beautiful.  I love the beaded detail along the side of her face

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and this little darling in pure white is simply lovely

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and for buddha lovers.. these are perfect

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and then there’s this one with it’s exotic eyes

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You can so much fun with them creating a new look simply by changing her hair. Are you intrigued yet? Well, I couldn’t stand not having a beautiful planter so I asked who, where, & how do I get one.  Low and behold, they were being made by a group member. I contacted her and she showed me some of the ones she had left. The minute I saw this lady.. I screamed.. she’s the one!!  I want her – so ladies (and gents) …. I’d like for you to meet Elfredah..

 

Here’s the clinker.. I have an aunt name Alfreda.. how coincidental was that.  I couldn’t wait to get her and settled into her new home with me and my green family. She arrived and  I went to the nursery to find her new hairdo. The plant I found is called Emina.. and guess what.. my twin’s name is Amina.. (both pronounced the same) so you know this planter was meant to be for me and this is her new look all dressed up!

Isn’t she a beauty… I absolutely love it!!  On Friday’s Feature post, I’m going to introduce to you the HeadMaker Lady.  So I hope you join me in getting to know a little about Cynthia and I’ll be showing you more of the lovely ladies she created.. So stay tuned!    You may want to order one for yourself.  Smooches ?

What I’m Diggin’

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One thing I’ve often said is music is so much a part of my life and I love sharing it.. Which is why sometimes I’ll do a post with a song to reflect what or how I’m feeling.  Not sure if you listen to any of them, if so, that’s great to hear, if not, it’s cool.. Not everyone digs music.. (Yea, I still use the old school lingo “Dig” chuckles.. Ooops, I just gave away my age.. (I’m a ’60’s baby).  Not sure if you know the music of Cassandra Wilson.  She’s a jazz singer and I truly adore her style and cultural bohemian vibe.   When I listen to her my mind wonders to some exotic places where I can admire different textures and styles pulled together to create that Afro-centric flair..  Here are some images I captured to share with you…

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Which brings me to feature the home of someone who is dear to me… My aunt – we lovingly refer to as “Pookie”.  Her home is filled with such cultural vibes and exotic touches..and she is a die-hard DIYer and thrifter.  On my trip home last week I visited her and when I walked in I immediately said.. I wanted to welcome you into her home so… Welcome to Pookie’s Paradise…

When you enter, your eyes are greeted by the African mask displayed inside a wooden textured oval frame.  I remember when she got the frame.. We were all at a flea market and a man had a truck load of huge frames he was needing to get rid of.. what luck we had that day..the only unlucky part was our truck wasn’t big enough to take all of them..lol.. but we all managed to score at least two each  🙂 .

She’s not one to fuss with long drapery, and loves to expose her bay windows and let all the sunshine in, so she opted to Go-Green to cover her windows.. I’m totally envious of her green thumb.. (but thankfully it’s starting to rub off on me).  These are all her babies she meticulously takes care of.  Some of which she’s had for over 20 years..

To your right you’ll spot this cozy corner which has a few collectibles she’s had for decades, like the hand carved wooden statue.. A snazzy, cool find she picked up in St. Marteen

And if you eyes caught the painting – like mine- guess what — she’s the artist.. She painted that approximately 40 years ago..It’s called Crying Heart and totally LOVE IT!!

Resting on her coffee table is another hand carved wooden sculpture that she picked up in the Caribbean.

Every little corner is influenced with cultural accents..

Step to her outdoor living space and this is the showpiece in her garden.  The outdoor faux “fireplace”.  This is a curbside find and her creative juices flowed and this is what she did with it.

 

And at night.. look how it’s lit up.. and no it’s not a real fire, it’s red lights inside to create the fire effect.  Isn’t it fab..

This space is called the Hobbit Hole.. chuckles.. (how cute)…

The stained glass has an image that looks sort of  like a bug…  and the fox and midget chair are perfect accents for a hobbit..

She’s got little pockets of garden candy all around her yard and you can see more here.  But before you go, I’d like to introduce you to the lovely lady behind the home of Pookie’s Paradise..

That’s my aunt and I love her and the home she and her husband, Clay made.  It’s one you just kick your shoes off, sit back, relax and enjoy all the good food, music and cultural vibes they share.  I can’t wait to go back to visit again.  If you enjoyed this post and missed my other “Inspired by Music” posts you can see more here.   Until next time – Smooches!!

 

 

 

 

Summer Breeze

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Hey there!  Today was an extremely “stay off my feet day” and do little as possible. The 49-mile two day yard sale we had was a great success and everyone looks forward to next year.   My twin sister, sister-n-law, and aunt came down for the for event and we had a wonderful time.. busy, but wonderful.  I’ll post pictures of some of the items we had for sell.   After everyone left,  as I sat back, kicked my feet up to relax in my “Rest Haven” I conjured up the desire to share my down time with you.  It was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect and made me think of the Isley Brothers -Summer Breeze when the sweet smell of jasmine passed through my senses as the wind blew gentle breezes to break the heat.  I thought back how my pallet project was well worth the sweat that day.  The summer chill-out spot went through a slight re-do.   Last year’s rainy weather made me realize I need to lift my set off the ground.  I searched for inspiration pictures and found this:

Of course having this type of flooring requires professional installation.. so I used the thrifty way to accomplish my look..  Pallets!! Free Pallets!! at that.   I laid them to fit the space, purchased a few luan boards and nailed them down to create a flat surface.

Got the boards hammered down and began to re-decorate the area.  It’s time to take a tour of my “She Rest Haven” … sit back , relax and enjoy it with me, while imagining the sweet smell of jasmine in your mind.

I found decorative  hanging tealight holders at Ross for $6.99 and they add a special bohemian touch to the space.

I painted the Rest Haven sign because I realized it just wasn’t feminine enough for me –  see it here.

Did a bit of re-arranging of the furniture

The palm tree plant gives it a more tropical feel.  The glass hurricane was a Goodwill find for $6.50 and the rose balls, I had for years, added the right pink palette touch to the table.

 

I used the last bit of seashells from the yard sale find to create my seashell “K”

Using scrap fabric to make accent pillows kept last year’s re-do very cost effective

I love mixing animal print with flowers

The bar cart is getting ready for drinks

The candle holder – a forgotten item packed away-was going to be sold at the yard sale.   I’m so glad I decided to keep it..  I wanted $8.00.. The person offered me $5.00 – I said for $5.00 I’ll keep it.. – so .. I kept it.. found my animal print candles for it and voila … love it..

 

A warm sunlight glow is always perfect

 

 

Ahhhhhh…….. do you feel the relaxation here????

The $0.50 painted wine glasses will be used to serve drinks outdoors

The raised floor really makes the space feel more like an outdoor room.  Just a few more touches to the surrounding area and this baby will be finished and ready for the Chillaxing to begin!

Thank you for tuning in to join me with my summer breeze – I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to your summer breeze moments..  See you soon   🙂

Peace…  Love… and Bright Moments …

Green Thumb Gene

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It’s been such a pleasue sharing my garden pictures and stories with you, not to mention, sharing a neighbor’s yard in one of my posts, as well.  This post is my dedication to a few other gardens I admire.   I’m starting to believe that gardening is in my genes.  I remember my grandmothers having beautiful plants and often wondered “how” come her plants always look healthy. My aunts have green thumbs and are so creative in their gardens.  In this post I’d like to pay tribute to “The Green Thumb Gene” that flows in my blood.

This garden belongs my aunt “Pookie”.  I’ve always admired her yard and house plants.  Come take this tour with me threw her lovely garden oasis that’s filled with bunches of eye candy.

As you enter, you are greeted with the bird bath and her creative use for the vintage step ladder.

          The frog holding the flower arrangement is another little cutey   that sits nearby.  The mailman won’t deliver to this mailbox planter that’s neatly tucked in a flower bed.     

Mr. Bunny is on stand-by looking to watch..      Traveling around the path  brings you to another creative rocky sight ,  The hungry Aligator was made from an assortment of rocks she found.      And lastly, as you go further across the yard,    you’ll see the best creative idea…The Outdoor Fireplace planter.  Taking advantage of the old saying “One man’s junk”… she saved this from heading to the dumpster.. another great find.  Here she has it in the garden.

Now how creative was that????  I say, it’s two thumbs up for Pookie’s Paradise Garden…

          

Next up is my aunt “Bernie’s” yard.  Her yard, though small, packs a big punch of excitement.  The first burst of garden glory your eyes will see once  upon entering her sanctuary, is this life-size mural she drew on the garage wall.  With a love for sunflowers, her vision came from basking in the joy of having a field sunflowers.  The bed of hostas that bloomed underneath are so large and healthy, they just add to the mural giving it a 3D effect.

As you proceed into her yard, you hear the enchanting,

trickling sound of her wonderful fountain

Which leads to another of her creations… She became inspired by this mural with a vision of how her grandfather was in his garden

I just love how the Black-eyed Susans are surrounding the mural, making it appear that Granddad is actually sowing his garden.  So here you have it, after seeing the creativity flowing in these two ladies, I can’t help but believe – it’s in the genes,  I hope you enjoyed the journey through two of my favorite gardens.  I’ll be posting a few more “Garden Delites” before the beauty of summer ends