Home and Gardening With Liz: June 2017

June 30, 2017

Around The House for the 4th

I like to set the formal dining table up for holidays with decorative elements.

I enjoy flipping through this book and viewing the pictures of the many ways the flag is used.

I like to switch the pages that are open so that something new is viewable each day.

Firecracker Uncle Sam is new. He goes with Lady Liberty on the other side of the vase which came out the year before. The big sparkler star ball is also from Pier 1 (last year). I staged some patriotic deco in the two glass cylinder vases that I've used so many times.

I used my patriotic scatter pieces in the bottom of the two vases. I re-did these vases three times until I was satisfied! Some of the patriotic pieces came from Kohl's. I haven't even been there to see what they have this year!

These two figurines are by Bethany Lowe and are my absolute favorite! This pictures shows the true color of the large vase.

I love their faces and outfits.

The big vase came from Ethan Allen several years ago. I don't know why I never tried it on this table before but I will leave it here after the holiday and see what else I can do with it. Sorry about the quality of these pictures- I boosted the color in the picture but the background became a bit burnt out.

I set up my deep windowsill in the kitchen with a few patriotic pieces too.

Uncle Sam in his car is parading about town! He came from Pier 1 In 2014.

I stuffed some flowers from my stash in the white vase.

This was early in the day before the rain rolled in.

After staring at it a bit more I rearranged the window elements.

I spotted this premade burlap bow on the Pier 1 site (available online only) and decided I'd have to have it. I have a clear commmand hook that stays on the door for my basket and decided to just reuse it, otherwise I would have hung it a tad bit higher.

And lastly a picture I bring out each year is hung on the stairway wall and highly visible from the kitchen and kitchen dining area.

Wishing you a Happy 4th!

June 28, 2017

Let's Celebrate our Independence Day! (T)

Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light….What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming….Who's broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous light….O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming….And the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air….Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there….

Time for some Independence Day Celebration!

The coffee mugs were found at T.J. Maxx as well as the crystal glassware- both by Ralph Lauren. This year Pier 1 has these melamine flag plates that looked so close to the mugs I decided to get some.

I created the display with a flat styrofoam piece cut in a circle- then split it in half and carved out a half circle on each side so it would fit close to the center. I used a toothpick on each side pushed in the middle horizontally and then squeezed them together and that worked great. Then I staged the flags and pinwheels on it and stuffed the shredded paper around it (firmly applying it to stay in shape) and then gave it a trim.

This two tier tray can be just decorative like with the stars below or…

filled with desserts...

The blue (never used) cotton rug with white stars was from Hobby Lobby last year and I displayed it on my dining table as seen "here"! I have a new design on the dining table this year that I need to take pictures of.

Strawberry flavored cupcakes with cream cheese frosting- yum!

You may have noticed off to the side I set up a little display on the plant stand with some glittery sparklers and a tin bucket style candle holder.

The big sparklers are from Michael's this year and the little ones I put together last year with a red ribbon.

Old Glory, the flag of the United States

Long may she wave….

Wishing you a Happy Independence Day

God Bless America

June 26, 2017

Small Backyard Makeover

We made a trip to our daughter's on Saturday and helped her whip her small backyard into shape.

The previous owner had let the backyard get badly out of control so we came down armed with a weed whip and various other garden tools.

This first picture is how it looked before we started. She had been waiting for us to come down since early May but we kept getting sidetracked with our own things at home and the weather. After assessing it I told my husband to go after it with the weed whip!

He went around everything 3 times and we raked away the debris onto a tarp. There were 5 hydrangeas hidden amongst all that. After some fertilizing and keeping them well watered I'm sure they'll all look much better- especially next year.

This is a small city lot and the previous owner had set the yard up nicely but rented it for a while so it wasn't maintained. No worries- we whipped it into shape again!

On the opposite side we did the same. There are shrub roses on the right side that I shaped up- and then I went after this lilac topiary and shaped it back up too.

There were three hostas hidden too that are not visible and she can enjoy them better in the future.

We made a trip to Lowes and got 25 bags of cypress mulch. Our old van was loaded!

I made Dan takes breaks- he'll work himself to collapsing if I don't watch him! Chelsea was doing her Princess Leia impression with Dan's ear muffs! It was actually a perfect day for us- low 70's with a slight breeze.

Before any mulch went down we covered the bulk of the area with landscape fabric so all that nasty stuff won't come back up. She doesn't have time to be a full time gardener so she wants it simple.

Dan and I helped her get to this point and on Sunday she finished the other side.

This is a panoramic (makes it look bowed in the center but it's not) she took on Sunday after she used up all the mulch. There is a wood deck that splits the two sides of the backyard. She still needs a few more bags to fully finish it but I'm sure you agree it all looks much better now!

I am joining:

Metamorphosis Monday

Everyday Living for
Gardens Galore #2

Fantasy Fairy Garden 2017

Welcome to the Fantasy Fairy Garden. My fairies are gardeners but are always glad to have visitors!

I'll let the pictures walk you through it.

Path's are sprinkled with crushed seashell for the fairies- they glisten from all the fairy dust!

Dining under the gazebo or out on the patio you are welcome either place to join!

It's just for fun- be happy!

A mixture of real plants, some faux and stones to create a magical landscape. It's always fun to see the plants fill out and the iris plants are like their forest.

This year they have their own greenhouse!

Chipmunks, squirrels and birds wander throughout so I added a clear non-toxic glue on top of the crushed sea shell stones to hold them together. A whole new approach this year!