Lilacs!
I love lilacs. I always have. My mom always had lilac bushes when I was a kid and now the smell reminds me instantly of carefree summers. What better smell to have in your yard than “carefree summer scent”? Well, as much as I love them, my new yard has no lilac bushes. 😦 I have been bugging Jeremy to help me plant a bush or two, but time is hard to come by. Someday! But for now, my mom brought me some branches to freshen the house for a bit!
Beautiful! You can almost smell spring coming out of the photo, no? I wish these would stick around all year! I might possibly be able to have my own bushes sooner than I thought, though. When mom brought the blooms she also brought a few roots for us as well! One is larger and two are small. She said they were very hard to dig out! We were afraid that they were beginning to wilt too much and might not make the transfer. She had heard putting tea bags in the water will help them take root. Have you ever tried this?
Here is the big one waiting for its new home:
And here are the two trying to grow more roots:
What do you think? Will these guys make it and make my yard smell wonderful in springs to come?? 🙂
Yard Work And Such
We inherited a lot of yard maintenance to take care of from the previous owners. I mean A LOT. With six acres I am sure that some of that is inevitable, but this is just over the top. The must have never done yard work once while they lived here. Never. The weeds, even in the close to the house areas, were over my head. The trees had split and grown funky many years ago. The rock garden was more like a dirt pit scattered with rocks. Need I go on? So, point being, this is our first spring here and we have been putting in a lot of hard work out there. I can’t wait to get a new shipment of rock and show you how the “for now” patio area is coming. But, for right now I thought I would show you just how much tree trimming we accomplished the other day.
Here is the shot looking back at the house and you can see how the rock beds are coming along and things are even turning green now!
And that is only the front! Hey, we have neighbors! 🙂 There were many other trees like this all over the property, not to mention weeds that had become their own trees all around the house, barns, and outbuildings. We have even uncovered some things we didn’t know were there when we moved in!! No joke! The other day we found an old metal lawn chair set up by a cattle shoot. They had made a shooting range down there and we couldn’t even see it! We found an old wheel borrow with what used to be flowers planted in it, various pieces of junk, both useful and non, and even learned we have an old hand-pumped well! And it works! Yea, so anyways, on to the fun part. With all of this hard work I just knew there would be some enjoyment in the end. Trimmed branches and a wine bottle…
Just a touch of spring, for the yard and for the house! Just in time for Easter. Gorgeous! 🙂
Spring Changes
Spring feels like it is here! I am so ready. My house, not yet. One thing that needed a quick change up was the curtains in the upstairs hallway. If you recall from the tour, one side of the hall had a silky striped curtain, and the other side had sheers that matched in style and color, but they had leaves on them. I never liked that the windows didn’t look the same. Plus, with the warm weather and the windows being opened, this was happening:
So, after brainstorming a while I decided to layer the two different curtains and then tie them back. I used a tension rod for now, which is held up on the main rod. It worked like a charm!
What do you think? The tie backs now hold the curtains from whipping in the wind and I think the whole layered look is more cohesive for the hallway. Super easy and I love the results. I love a project like that!
I feel better about the little thing done! Now on to tackle the yard. Six acres of lawn that the previous owners never, ever weeded. We have high hopes, and little time. I have started on the rock gardens and things are looking up. I will give you all a peek when we get some thing planted. Here is a shot of our back door area. There is a rocky, weedy disaster going on back here that we plan to take care of asap!
It is looking pretty bad back there, so I can’t wait to show you all what it turns into!
Where Have I Been?
So, I was missing for quite some time. Where was I? What was I doing? Here is a mini-peak into my little break.
Here we are all relaxing in our yard with a bonfire this fall.Â
Very exciting?! Basically, I was on a much needed relaxation break. What were you all up to??
Junkin’ Projects
I have finally gotten around to a few projects with the junk we found at the junk yard! Here’s the elephant statue all painted up and pretty with a teal pot and pink flowers:
Don’t mind our mud pile of a yard. All this rain has made the place a pit!
We also painted a few pots for the back yard.
And, I painted the little lantern from the junk yard teal as well. It sits on the front porch. I also made a tiny table for a few drinks out of a plant stand and a clay pot bottom. This project was inspired by Crafty Nest, so check out her even cooler project here: http://www.craftynest.com/2009/06/plant-stand-lazy-susan-mini-side-table/
Did you also notice the antique lantern on the floor? That’s from my grandma. It even has a globe made by Pyrex. Very neat. Any suggestions?
Thanks Apartment Therapy!
Apartment Therapy just added our big back yard to their “My Great Outdoors” features! Thanks so much! We love to get some feedback on our projects and love some constructive criticism, as we are new at this! So, welcome everyone who finds us from AT! Thanks again!
Junking!
I had just the best weekend ever! Tony and I decided to go to the flea market that isn’t far from us. Not only is this always a fun trip for me, but on the way there Tony decided to take country back roads. What a great idea! We just happened upon the first antique and junk yard I have ever seen near us! My squealing had him pulling over immediately. And of course I didn’t have a camera!Â
Let me tell you all, this place was amazing! There were three barns filled to the brim with old wooden chairs! I mean stacked and tossed and piled all the way to the roof tops! It was just incredible. There was a huge field of every type of amazing junk you could think of. And, when we asked about a few things the lady was so sweet and her prices were perfect! Now I have a few more projects to work on.
Everything here cost me a few dollars! The old gas can is for we borrow Tony’s dad’s lawn mower. The little orange lantern will be painted and set on the front porch with a candle. Doesn’t that look just like the $80 one they have at Pier 1 (for $1!)!? And the elephant- he is my favorite- was an old lamp base! But, with a coat of white paint he will be a plant stand for the back yard.Â
These little guys were another awesome find. They are Acro window tacks from the 40’s. I have special plans for them and a nail head chair or bench with a bit of a number theme…
And, of course we couldn’t come home without a search for some dice! We found these at the flea market when we finally made it there.Â
Overall, an awesome day and a couple of dollars got us some awesome stuff! Next time I promise I am taking my camera! Oh, and stay tuned, because there are already many more projects in the works!
Lawn Chair Paint Project
I got the new lawn chairs done just in time for the party. Remember these sweet but boring old fashioned lawn chairs we picked up?
Well, with some bright paint and a bit of handy work, they are now unique and look good together!Â
What do you think? I think pretty soon all of these random tid bits will come together!
Picnic Tables and Hammocks
We are getting there! Almost ready for the party! And, not to mention, an enjoyable and usable summer yard! I snagged this little red pillow and teal votive holder yesterday:
It feels cozy now. And don’t worry about that plant hanger behind the table. Something has a spot there, but I will show you in the party pictures. We also got the hammock in the mail and hung it the other day. If you have never relaxed in a hammock then you haven’t lived. This is the coziest spot in our home now! I can see that Tony will never get the yard mowed now! 😉 I also added a couple pillows there.
Also don’t mind the bushy, patchy grass. We are letting that grow as long as possible before the party so that the freshly planted stuff has time to get strong before all the company tramples it. The grass we planted just a few weeks ago has really taken off though! (Probably thanks to all of the annoying rain we have had!)
Look how long and thick some of it is already! And, see the spruced up chair in the background? I will post more on that project soon. The dogs also say hi!
One more thing we added over the weekend was a vintage fiberglass picnic table. My grandparents have had this table ever since I can remember, and now it is ours. But, it is sun faded and scratched. I am looking for a way to refurbish fiberglass if any of you out there have suggestions. I read that some people have had luck with Penetrol. I tried that last night. This did give it a great shine, but as far as bringing back color, I didn’t think it worked. Not to mention it would never bring back the one extra faded area in the middle!  Here it is, and let me know if you have any ideas!
Sweet, huh? Don’t worry, the yard won’t be so stuffed full of junk when the party is over. The other picnic table goes back to the previous owner of the house. We are just using it for extra seating. This gorgeous guy stays! 🙂
P.S. I just wanted to say that Tony has put in many hard, hot hours cutting and dragging out tree limbs and overgrown “things” from this yard. Even though there are still some naked patches and unruly weeds it has come a long long way from the unusable yard it was when we moved in. Thanks Tony! 😉
Make Mine Eclectic 