Ask Anna

I have found a new blog that I am thoroughly enjoying.  It is called Ask Anna.  She has all kinds of organizing ideas and time saving tricks.  I found her on Pinterest.  Those of you who have joined Pinterest know that it is very addicting.


Check out her 14 days to get clean and organized. 

Backyard Transformation

In my last posting, I mentioned that we have been working on a major project at my house.  We've been planning and designing this for a long time and finally made it happen. The makeover began in September and we have just about finished with the major work. Let's look at some of the before pictures:

I love my backyard.  It's my little piece of heaven.  It is filled with azaleas, daylillies, hosta and sedum.  I enjoy sitting on the porch in the summer watching the birds.  One morning a deer showed up with her little twins and she nursed them in the backyard.  

 

It was hard seeing this happen to my yard.  We dug up all the azaleas, hosta, and other plantings.  They'll be transplanted when the construction is done. 

This is what you see when you come down the sidewalk from the driveway.  Not very pretty right now.  I do miss all of my plants. 

We decided on stamped concrete.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  The dye is added when it is poured and then when sealed, it is very shiny and beautiful!

Work in progress.

This is the outdoor kitchen.  There was a hot tub here but we never used it so I sold it.  My husband did all of this himself.  If you look closely, you will see him standing on the the counter.

After 4 months, we are finally done.  We had professionals pour the stamped concrete and lay the stone but my husband built the kitchen.  He did all the wiring, cabinetry, lights, install appliances and tile work.  I am so proud of him! Come on down and take a peek.

We are almost there!  

Here it is! 

Black awning installed over the screened porch.  It really helps keep out the rain.

Outdoor kitchen. 

Gas cooktop and sink 

Gotta have a grill.

My new place for relaxation.   Next time, I'll show what else we have been up to. 
Next on the to do list:  landscaping.  

I'm linking up with A Southern Daydreamer
and Kim at Savvy Southern Style
and Funky Junk Interiors 
 

It's Been Way Too Long

I took a little time off from blogging again. Football season takes up my weekends since we go to all of the Alabama home games and we have been working on a HUGE project at my house which I will share with you.  First I need to take down all of the Christmas decorations.  I am always ready on December 26th to take everything down. 

Come on in!  I'll show you a few of my decorations before I pack them away.

 

 

 

I decorated the dining room table differently this year.  I like it so much that I am thinking of just changing out a few things and keep it up for the New Year. 

Guess What I Have Been Doing This Summer?

It is hard to believe that school starts back tomorrow.  I haven't had a lot of time to blog this summer because I have been so busy doing other stuff.  I did manage to squeeze in a lot of porch sitting along with all of my projects.   Now I will share with you a little at a time with what I have been doing. 

My first project was the staining of my front door.  Even though it's covered, it still weathers a lot.  It also faces the west and gets the hot sun in the afternoon which over time causes it to fade.  I went a little darker this summer and it gave it more of an aged appearance. I used Behr: Misson Oak in a satin finish with polyurethane.

 

Do you see that gorgeous hanging basket? It has grown so much and I have to keep pruning it.   I'll tell you about that on another post. 

 Check back later and I'll share some of my other summer projects.

High Tea and Girls Day Out

Yesterday I got to spend an afternoon with 2 great friends.  We began our "Girls Day Out"  with an afternoon tea at this cute little tea room in Woodstock called Tea Leaves and Thyme.  It was reminiscent of my childhood days when I would pretend to have tea parties. 

This was a big girl's tea party.

Next it was off for SHOPPING at the Woodstock Antique Market.  Remember I decorate on a budget so if I find something that I really like, I will duplicate it without spending a lot of money.

Cute little chalkboard.  I know I can duplicate this.  After careful examination I discovered that it is a plastic tray (yes, plastic) from the dollar store and the center is painted with chalkboard paint.  Can you see the price tag?  It was $9.95!  You have got to be kidding me!

I have seen this so many times before on other blogs and I can definitely do this.  Off to Goodwill to look for old books.

Now this is something that I CANNOT duplicate.  These are beautiful tassels created by Traci at Timeless Southern Home.   I have featured her before: A Unique Find.  

There it was calling her name! 

Aren't they just beautiful!  We went there just so I could show my friends these tassels.  This is going to look so pretty in her kitchen.

This is next on my "to do" list. 

Add a Little White

I needed a little change to my bedroom so instead of putting a lot of money into new bedding, I decided to make a subtle change by just adding a little white.   What a difference it made by just this small change.  In the fall, I'll just take it off and put the comforter back on.  (I'm still keeping it folded at the foot of the bed).  There is a Tuesday Morning in the same shopping center as the gym where I work out.  I'm not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing because it is too tempting.  Yesterday, instead of turning right to go to my car, I turned left and walked right to the store.  There it was, a beautiful Matelasse coverlet with matching shams and it was in white! The price was too good to pass up so I bought it. What a difference it made by just adding a little white to what I already had.  I'm all about doing things on a budget.  It adds a little "summer" to my bedroom.

This is before:

 This is after:

 

Oh, and while I was there, I found this cute little fake book.  I couldn't pass it up because I have just the spot for it.

Joining Wow Us Wednesdays

A Unique Find

Recently I made a little trip to the Woodstock Antique Market just to purchase one of Traci's beautiful tassels. She has a little booth stocked with all kinds of cute little tassels. Click here to  pay her a visit at  Timeless Southern Home


Isn't this beautiful!