Hello August!!

Well, August is upon us and the throws of summer are still in full swing here!  Trying to get in the last bits of swimming, tennis, playdates and amusement parks before we have to worry about packed lunches, backpacks and schedules.  Here are a couple of beautiful pictures to get your week started off on the right foot!!

These colors remind me that fall is just around the corner.

How adorable is this outfit - so cute and comfortable to boot!  Just how I like it!!   

Our Home: Landscaping

This morning I am meeting with a landscape designer to talk about our landscaping starting with our front lawn and beds.

In regards to design, I want it simple.  A green and white palette consisting of boxwood, pachysandra and hydrangeas (limelight).   I'd also like some climbing vines on the side of our garage.  Below is my inspiration.

We plan on having a removal company remove all the plants this fall, but the hope is for my husband and I to do all the installing/planting in the spring.  I don't know yet if that is just an over-ambitious idea or just complete nuts??  We'll see….wish me luck and happy Friday!!

Get this Patio Look on the SUPER Cheap

I have always LOVED Olivia Brock's patio from the Lacquered Life blog.  I remember seeing it in Southern Living and just loved how comfortable, casual and chic it looked.

In an effort to recreate the above look, I am proud to say I've created this look on the super cheap!!
Here is my inspiration.

Here are the details.  

The hardest part was finding a metal/aluminum clean lined patio set with green cushions that literally wasn't over $1000.  I found this set for $299 from Walmart and it has great reviews.

via

I ordered it and it'll arrive this week so I will update you to let you know about comfort, etc.  The key is not to have things matchey-matchey so I plan on breaking up this set.

I will pair the sofa with two Byholma Ikea chairs (see below) and then I plan on putting the two Walmart lounge chairs in a separate spot to create another small and intimate spot for conversation.

via

For the sofa, I plan on putting the pottery barn sunbrella trellis pillows in putty to break up the green.

And, then I would add Serena and Lilly's pinstriped pillows in navy on each one of the Ikea chairs (and if budget allows one on the sofa too).  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pillows.

I love World Market's garden stools for $60 and would use this as an accent table.

And, this look isn't complete without an antique galvanized metal watering can to be used for your hydrangea clippings!! ;)

So, there you have it!  I am really excited that I was able to get all these super cheap but chic pieces for our outdoor deck/patio!  Next week we have family visiting us from MI, MD and FLA to celebrate my son's first Holy Communion so this is all perfect timing.  

Once, everything is in place I will come back to share pictures!!  

My Living Room Garden

Now that spring is here I am in the mood to do everything 'garden' related.  My husband and I worked gutting/cleaning out a 29' garden bed so we can plant 5 Nantucket Blue bushes to line our outdoor deck.  I can't wait until they are full bloom.

In the meantime, I'd like to start an indoor living room garden.  My vision is to have an array of plants clustered on an antique butler's tray table (already have one) with a woven mirror above it.  Below is my inspiration.

My clementine from Trader Joe's (repotted in a vintage herb pot) is a start.

I also envision potted begonias, ferns, hyacinths, hydrangeas and topiaries.  I actually just ordered a rosemary topiary from WS so I can't wait to add it to the mix!  Below is some more inspiration to get your wheels turning if you'd like to start one too!!

Here is hoping I can keep them alive!  Once my living room is painted (it's already primed) I will take pictures and share!  Have any of you tried this?  Which indoor plants do you love?

Mother's Day and Miscellany

For all you mothers/grandmothers/moms-to-be, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day.  I did - I received a card from my son with a coupon for "5 free chores"!  I can't complain about that!

On Mother's Day, we tend to think of our own moms and thank them for all that they sacrificed.  For as long as I could remember, my mother was always 'giving' - her love, time, gifts to others, her "shirt off her back", etc.  This year, I made a couple of lemon cakes and gave them to some of my favorite 'moms' here in Louisville.  In many ways, the act of giving reminded me of my mom.  I was very thankful.

In other news, right before we left for vacation, I spruced up our front entry and back deck with some small updates.  Nothing major.  For our front door, I spray painted two terra cotta containers black and planted mini boxwoods and got a new doormat.

I don't love the black pots, but they are fine for now.  In case you're wondering, my inspiration for our front is something like this….

I also planted two containers/planters (that I bought in CT for a steal) and planted them with my favorite flower - geraniums.  My mom always had red geraniums planted in containers during spring time.  I love geraniums and lavender.

I SO want to paint our deck gray, but it isn't high on our priority list of things to do right now.  Our old house (in CT), the side deck was painted gray and I loved it.   See below.

I love the color combination of honey brown with gray and touches of either green or powder blue.  Rene, from Cottage and Vine, just painted her deck gray and it is lovely!

Ok, I know this post is all over the place so I'll stop while I am ahead.  I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!!

A Charming Home

I recently found this home via pinterest which led to a new blog (at least to me) Trisha Troutz.  It is a very charming family home.  The fact that it hasn't been staged or decorated for a shelter magazine appeals to me more.  I adore the antiques and persians throughout mixed with the home's modern day to day finishes.

Charming, no?  And, original.  Love it!  Go check out Trisha's blog, she posts homes that she finds real estate stalking.  

Our Garden

This weekend was a great summer weekend filled with a school bbq,  a friend's birthday party, Luke's baseball game, a neighbor's party and a lot of water action at the spray pad and slip-n-side (in the backyard).  I had some time to sit on our side porch and admire the roses and peonies growing in our garden.  One of my favorite things to do if I have any downtime :).

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!  Happy Monday!  BTW, if you missed out on the fabric sale, don't forget to check it out!

Getting there...

It's been nearly two weeks since we've moved into our new home and we're slowly making a dent in all the unpacking.  To say I love this home is an understatement.  What makes it even more special is the neighborhood.  It is always the unknown when buying a new home and you just pray you have nice neighbors.  It's one of those intangibles you can never put a price tag on.  And, we've seem to hit the jackpot.  Our neighbors have been incredible, bringing over cupcakes, bringing flowers, inviting us to a dinner/birthday parties, helping Luke on his first day of kindergarden and just stopping by to say 'Hi' or lend a helping hand.  It sure has made the whole unpleasant experience of moving so much more enjoyable!

One of the reasons we bought this home was for the outdoor spaces and, in particular, the backyard.  We have a small patio right outside our side door leading off of the kitchen.  Tonight we finally had the chance to have dinner outside on our patio.  We got to use the teak patio set we bought four years ago in Portland, ME (and never had a chance to use because we didn't have a patio at our old home).  I finally set it up tonight and it looked great with the wisteria vine lit up in the background!  And, how about that cute little flower box outside the kitchen window?  I can't wait to plant geraniums in the spring!

My Patio Mood Boards

I spent yesterday morning creating three mood boards for our teensy tiny patio.  I have a small budget for this project so my objective is to shop my house and use things I already have.

Mood Board A:

The background color of the mood board is the exterior color of our house so I had to make sure that my selections coordinated with this color.  Things I already have but that will get a slight makeover are:

- wicker chairs (currently gray);  will spray paint them black
- ceramic garden stool (currently white); will spray paint apple green
- 4 x6 outdoor rug (you see in the mood board) is what I currently own

Everything else I will need to purchase: sand sunbrella outdoor cushions, navy outdoor pillows and planters.  Here is my second option:

Mood Board B:

Here, I would purchase the sunbrella rust colored outdoor cushions, outdoor celeste taupe pillows, planters and would probably create a DIY chevron outdoor rug (in orange).  Here is my last option:

Mood Board C:

Here, I would keep the same sand sunbrella outdoor cushions (as in mood board A), get these delray azure pillows, and planters.  

I have a preference of the three, but I'm curious to know which is your favorite??  

I wish all mothers and mothers to be a blessed Mother's Day!!

On the Hunt...

for some spring planters.  But, not just any planter....I am on the hunt for Smith & Hawken's round, cream "mercer" planters.

Aren't they beautiful?  Oh, how I wish Smith & Hawken's stores were still around.  Luckily, I checked Target and while they don't have these exact planters, they do have Smith & Hawken's round planters, but in copper.  I'm contemplating painting them a cream color?

Alternatively, Ikea has some cream planters that are somewhat similar in shape, but I don't know how I feel about the ridges.

Have any of you spotted any cream round planters out there worth sharing??  Is this like asking have you found a needle in a haystack??  :)