garden explosion

The garden is just exploding with colors.

Usually by late July the garden flowers are tired of the heat and starting to slow down.  No this year, the cooler weather has made the blooms heavier and longer lasting.  This is just a little tour of the blooms.

Fiddler

Our grand daughter Kaylie had a part in her community and church production of Fiddler On The Roof last weekend.  We went expecting to see a so-so play but it was great.  The cast of mostly high school kids did a wonderful job and the young man who played Tevia was just awesome.  Theater is a great way for young people to learn many skills and gain confidence.  We were so proud of our girl, of course she was the star for us.

more projects

frame painted soft aqua, I'll probably add string or chicken wire for a message board

   

just a wuick coat of paint for these shadow boxes

this little table is really black with wax on it.  The drawers need little knobs

a nice finishing touch is adding book pages or music to the inside bottom of the drawers

work in progress, those insert panels look like vintage tin but are really wall paper.  This stand needs wax and i bought a marble tile that will be the top

all this little table needs are the buttons to fill where the screws go to take it from a $5 purchase to a $25 sale piece

I'm still working on my painting projects.  The sun room, kitchen and yard look like a bomb has gone off.  Plenty of the things I pick up at sales have just a little work needing to be done.  Replacing a knob, a coat of paint or a finishing detail can really improve the look of a piece.

Running away from home

AH works really long hours so we occasionally  need to run away from home for a couple of days.  Last weekend we drove to Bloomington, Il for a mini break.  We visited the David Davis mansion, where there was a civil war program going on.  We heard speeches by all the generals from that war, met Abe Lincoln and toured the gorgeous home.  Mr Davis was a close friend of Lincolns, a wealthy land owner and the first supreme court judge from Illinois.  The home was built in 1872 and had all the modern conveniences available at the time.  Only two hours from home it was a great getaway.  Of course we also had to do a little shopping and visited 3rd Sunday Market.  There were some great vendors but the prices were outrageous.  It's always fun to run away from home for a couple of days but I sure love getting back and sleeping in my own bed.

honest Abe

all the buildings on the property were surounded with flower beds

Italianate style popular in the late 1800's

pretty ladies in costume

General Grant

white paint

A flurry of painting has been going on here.  Lots of it on me but plenty on the small furniture and accent pieces I've picked up this summer.  This small fern stand was in great shape, except a bad paint job.  That pink was almost florescent.  A couple of coats of Country White, sanding some dark wax and it it's ready for more years of service. .

did you know?

I love sweet corn in season.  What I don't like is the silks that remain that make me feel like I'm flossing as I eat.  My friend Kathy told me to cook each ear of corn in the microwave silks, husks and all for 4 minutes on high.  When it's done cooking pull back the husks and everything including the silks just slides right off,  Just add butter and salt and feast away.

shabby chic

I like to keep things interesting and busy in my life so I signed up to do a vintage home show this fall.  I've been picking up small pieces at thrift shops and rummage sales all summer to fix up.  I found this ugly stained table with a warped peeling top in the free pile at a recent sale.  I sanded it lightly, painted it black, distressed  then waxed it.  I pitched the top and glued on a tile I picked up for $6 on clearance.  It looks perfect and ready to sell.  The model is pretty cute too.

We're done YEA!!!

The patio we've been working on since the beginning of summer is done, well almost.  We are still in discussion on what to do with the stump at the end.  My idea is to put a stacked ring of bricks around it and form a flower bed.  AH wants to have the stump ground out and carry the bricks all the way across to add extra square footage.  When we christened the patio last weekend with neighbors, family and s'mores we really could have used a table.  For now the patio is usable and we really enjoy it.  I'm still having nightmares about cleaning bricks but at least my shoulders and neck don't hurt all the time.  A big project like this is hard work but we do get a lot of satisfaction from completing the job.  The total cost was about $500, most of that was the fire pit at $300 and the sand at around $100.

Great looking fire pit we bought as a kit at Menards.  In the background is the bench we made from a head board and a table made from the base of a bird bath and a pizza pan

Cool vintage chairs spray painted just the right colors.  Even cooler grand daughter.

Nina and Kathy, they have listened to all my moaning and groaning all summer long

That paddle in my grandsons hand is a bug zapper, I don't think there were any bugs on his mom

Dose this guy ever put his phone away???

instant garden bed, 8 clearance plants, 5 bags of mulch a couple of decorations.  We put this all in in less than an hour.

We still have a brick pile just much smaller.  The stool is what I cleaned all the bricks on so it has to stick around.

The end of the patio for now until we decide what to do with the stump.

Thrifted vanity chair, spray paint and when the fern wouldn't stay up right a couple of paint sticks to keep it level.

I put all my buckets and big pots of herbs around for color and scent.

look in your own backyard

My friend Nina's birthday was last week so we ran away from home to celebrate. It always amazes me when I hear people say they have never been to an event or place in their own neighborhood, but they are willing to travel for hours and pay big bucks to do the same thing some place else.  That's exactly what we did less than an hour drive from home.  We came across this charming winery called Tuscan Hills in Effingham, Il.  It was beautiful, peaceful and from what the other girls said the wine was great.  I couldn't indulge, I had dental surgery the previous day and was still taking pain meds.  They tasted wine, we explored the area and enjoyed the beautiful day.  It would be a perfect place for a big party or wedding reception.  Look in your backyard for new places to check out.

herb pots

I decided to try something a little different this year.  I planted all my annual and tender perennial herbs in pots.  They are just exploding with growth and look beautiful.  An added bonus is that when cold weather returns I can bring them inside and use them through the winter.  This big pot contains basil, parsley, rosemary and cilantro.  The pot sits just outside my back door for easy clipping during cooking, it's about 18-20" wide.  I also planted individual pots of mint, catnip, pineapple sage, parsley and more basil.

how to build a bench

I had found this twin head board free on the street a couple of years ago and finally got around to building a bench with it.

curb shop frame we just removed that bottom metal piece

wood seat frame from 2X4 so it's nice and sturdy

after painting the set frame and attaching it to the frame we added 2X6 painted boards for the seat.  I'll make a cushion as soon as I find the right fabric.  I had everything left from previous projects except the 2X4 so the cost was under $15.  This will go on the new patio.

rummage finds

Most of the small towns in this area have community rummage sales and this is the season.  Here are a few of my latest finds.  Great deals are out there you just have to look beyond the ugly exterior to find the treasures.

kitty garden ornament $1

stool that flips into a step stool $5

cabinet doors perfect for signs $3

metal tray with castle scene made in England $1 selling on eBay for $25

This was painted all over in heavy ugly brown paint, I think it looks much better with new colors $3