hodge-podge to happy...

I've been smitten with the classic look of boxwoods for about a year,

the tidy, formal plantings were more and more appealing as our cottage style gardens

had taken on a messy hodge-podge look, and I wasn't a fan.

We spent part of the weekend doing yard work, and the beginnings of a

tidy yard are starting to take shape, yay for progress! 

Long story short, we dug up and relocated a lot of plants before planting 

a lot of boxwoods. (In my excitement I forgot to take a photo till midway.)  

Ahhhh....

On the opposite side a longer bed, that was even more of a jumbled mishmash cottage-like! 

I haven't got them neatly trimmed yet, but already I feel like it will be so much

 more manageable. It doesn't look so bad in these photos because it's still early and

 everything isn't up yet.

The little boxwoods I bought last year didn't escape relocation...

now the beginnings of a more formal grouping around the base of our birdbath...

Even my cute girl was whipped, we all felt like this, but she was far more photogenic. :)

Thank you Mr. Simple and Detail Boy, you're the BEST!

Btw, I found these boxwoods at Home Depot for $12.88 each, a good price,
but I still haven't seen a repeat of last year's great deal at $3.33.  

sneak peek...stained table

We had a couple rain delays, so my client's table and chair reveal I promised is a sneak peek

 in the garage, visualize a vase of fresh lilacs, coffee, pastry and a design magazine. :) 

 We're thrilled with the results of the table.

 She worked so hard at getting it perfectly prepped ~ stripping, sanding, cleaning

 and then I sauntered in to help with the instantly gratifying staining.

Remember the chairs I told you she swooped out of the neighbor's trash, fabulous, right?

She primed them, but we've still got high gloss paint and re-upholstering to do.

BEFORE

INSPIRATION
Arhaus Round Dining Table



AFTER

Tutorial to come...

Happy Weekend, friends!
Hope you get to sneak outside for some fun!

$4 evergreen for the kitchen...

After being inspired by yesterday's post potted evergreen...inside

I found a cute Arborvitae at Home Depot for $4.

A new vignette in the kitchen was in order,

sadly before I got home and plopped it in the pot finished it the rain started in.

 I waited till about 7:30 for it to clear up, and finally had to take my photos. 

Sorry for the bad pics, lighting, shadows, etc. I'll replace them tomorrow. 

It's three feet tall, and gives the space a big dose of green texture.

Black stripes are on the to-do list for that pot, too!

A few of you were curious whether it would live inside. Since I wasn't sure I didn't

 pot it in soil, leaving it to easily take outside for water and sunshine as needed.   

Simple, inexpensive and packs a punch of nature till things start blooming

around here!

potted evergreen...inside!

This pretty room caught my eye while I was perusing Pinterest.

I loved...

the texture of that evergreen in the rustic, aged pot

the statement of an over-sized accessory

the unexpected idea of bringing it indoors

 I immediately thought of all the evergreens I've seen at Home Depot and Lowes 

garden centers lately for $5 - $10 depending on size...  

Babs Watkins

Here are a couple of ideas if you don't have a rustic pot:

Hobby Lobby has them on sale this week 50% off

Terra Cotta Pots are inexpensive, this is my favorite diy to give one some patina:

No tutorial, but Karen from Redoux Interiors explains,

'Cover terra cotta pots in joint compound, let dry, paint and let nature take its course.'

I think it's one of those no fail projects - it looks great even messed up! 

Redoux Interiors

I'm off to get my plant...stop by tomorrow to see what I did with it,

 or go get your own! 

new project...

First, I completely forgot to give you all the decision on the HomeGoods table I loved.

 I agree with the majority of you, as much as I loved it and wanted

it to work it's just to bulky for my space. :(

I'm so ready to have my deck and yard together for summer entertaining,

it's usually close to being finished by now, but our May Day snowstorm and several rainy

days and cold nights last week stalled any progress.

Remember last year when I found this settee at a yard sale and re-did the cushions?

I found the bold ikat fabric on the clearance rack for $5 a yard, I knew:

1) It wouldn't last more than one season

2) I'd want something different this summer

Which brings us to the new project, I love the neutral cushions in the inspiration photos

 below. I was pleasantly surprised to find my pattern labeled and ready to go, woo hoo!

 My organization skills have slipped this year, I couldn't even find my paint brushes the other

 day, they were in the fridge, and sadly still are!

Inspiration photo from 2013 To-Do List

Notice how my $5/yard fabric held up over the winter, not! I picked up a drop cloth from

 Lowes for $10.99 I think it will give me the exact look I'm going for.

How sweet is this?

I noticed this sign next to a potted pine tree for sale in the garden section at Lowes.

Right above it was a nest with about four babies.

Another update - In case you're waiting for the 'Deal Alert' on the boxwoods and

evergreens I've been watching, but haven't seen them yet.

 Last year it was on May 9th, so we could be out of luck.   

One more thing, a tip for bloggers! 

Last year I posted this photo when I was re-doing the settee, it showed the new cushion

 I made and the old faded cushion. I found it on the DIY with Pier 1 Pinterest Board

with the description  'diy with creative cushions'

Oh my goodness, seriously, and my name all over it! 

Since then I put text on my photos that states 'In Progress,' to alleviate any confusion!!

Whew, that was wordy ~ I'll go now!