Flowers in Bloom at All About Home #195

Hi Friends, Welcome to the All About Home Link Party! We are so happy you come by to visit and share all the fun you've been up to lately. I hope everyone is having lovely spring weather with some time for flower planting and potting. I got my containers planted a bit earlier this season, because of a big sale at our neighborhood store. Unfortunately the deer found them and made a meal of them. After a move closer to the backporch, thankfully they are rebounding a bit, so I think they have a chance to recover.

How to Create a Floral May Basket

I say a "May" basket, but of course, but this can be for anytime in Spring that you want to put together a fun small basket to give or to keep and use in a small vignette or display. I've always loved the idea of May Day baskets and that inspired me to create these. I'm using two different baskets; one vintage, the other a new basket purchased several years ago. Using the same process, you can create a sweet basket filled with different elements that shout "Spring"!!

Flowering Bulbs for Vintage Spring Display

When we moved into this house a few years ago, I was so excited to see what kinds of blooming bulbs and perennials might start showing their little green sprouts and beautiful blooms as we approached Spring. Needless to say for such a lovely large yard and landscaping, there were very few flowers or bulbs that showed up. After living here for four years I now know why...

Vintage Cottage Weekend: Mother's Day Blessings

Hello dear Friends, I know you all have a busy day today for Mother's Day, so I just wanted to drop by and share a few quick pics from previous Mother's Day posts. I want to wish you all a beautiful day filled with love and family and joyous memories of Mother's Day past and precious hopes for the future.

Vintage Cottage Weekend: Blooming Seed Box Display

Hi Friends, thanks so much for coming by our (Amber and my) new weekend get together where we are sharing our thoughts, ideas and inspiration for vintage cottage living and decor. 

Flowering Bulbs Spring Vignette

I mentioned last week how we didn't have any flowering bulbs planted at this house. (insert sad face) This last 2 years after 2 spine surgeries, I just wasn't up to a plan for bulb planting in the Fall, but I'm hoping this year I can get a few out. (optimistic face!) A mental plan is the first step to getting something accomplished!

Garden Bouquets and Transferware

I've been inspired by all the beautiful garden bouquets out here in Blogville. I wasn't able to get a lot of flower containers planted this year, but I do have several pots filled with the small mixed zinnias and trailing variegated petunias. I also have a large hydrangea out front that has given me quite a few pretty ever-changing blooms. 

Potting Bench, the Back Porch and New Landscape

I got a late start on the back porch and container planters this year. My cervical spine surgery really put the kibosh on my fun this Spring. We had a cold and rainy May this year which didn't help getting things put together on top of everything else. My husband and I finally got around to doing some outside clean up and then for Mother's Day he helped me pot some sun-loving plants to get the back yard up to speed.

(cast iron rabbit on the back porch retaining wall)

Porch Decor while in Transition

Hi Friends and welcome to the Spring Into Summer Porch and Outdoor Spaces Hop 

hosted by my talented, good friend Amber of  Follow the Yellow Brick Home. 

Are you needing some ideas to help spiff up your outdoor spaces? Put together something different? I know I am! We are in the middle of a facelift for our front porch and landscaping and sometimes it seems easier to just opt out of decorating an incomplete project. But I'm here to give it a try so I don't feel like it's a lost cause living with an outdated front porch.

If you're coming from Marty's at A Stroll Thru Life, I'm so glad you're here! I know the title to this post might seem a little strange, but it's an honest look at sharing the ups and downs during house renovations. 

Valentine's Day Makes an Entrance

I'm going to admit right up front that this is one of those "photo shoots" that continued over the course of a day or two. I've been know to start taking pictures, then add or subtract items from the vignette. Instead of completely starting over, I just incorporate all the photos and we can do one of those "Highlights" photo puzzles along the lines of, "what's different in these photos?"

I was busy taking pictures of the Entry when I thought it would be fun to do a small Valentine's Day Cloche with one of my antique Valentines and some of the little pink mini carnations that I used earlier in the week. That's the nice thing about carnations, they stay pretty for days.

A Very Vintage Valentine Blog Hop and Link Party

Hi Friends, so glad you're here today, as I'm joining in with a group of like minded, vintage-loving blogger friends to share our ideas for Valentine's Day. Whether you decorate your whole house, scatter a few hearts around, or just do a simple vignette, you're in for some fun and inspiration with our 

Very Vintage Valentine Blog Hop and Party

An Ironstone Pitcher for an Endless Summer Bouquet

I've been watching my Hydrangea bushes in the back yard, waiting for the right time to snip the blooms and bring them inside for drying. Several websites and bloggers say to wait until the blooms have gone to a deeper color and that their petal texture has become delicate and paperlike. Whoops... I almost waited too long.

The Power of a Print...

Do you want to change the feel of a room or space? There are several low cost ways to get a new feeling or vibe to your space, but my favorite is to consider what you have hanging on your walls: artwork and prints in this case.

Fall Container Plantings

I've been searching inspiration for doing some plantings for Fall out front

and I came across literally hundreds of examples of containers filled

with all the gorgeous colors of Autumn.

I tried to keep it to elements that were actually plantings,

so I thought I'd share just a little of all the many beautiful ideas.

Summer Favorites: Ticking Stripes and Sunflowers

I found the most wonderful antique ticking stripe settee last week while browsing the web, but I was using my IPad and it was in the wee hours of the morning. I was having trouble when I tried to PIN things, so I couldn't find the image until just now. But all the hunting I did for it got my inspiration going once more for one of my favorite seasonal combos...all things Ticking Stripe and Florals... Mainly bouquets and arrangements with Sunflowers. So I thought I'd share with you some photos that just say "Summer" to me...

This is a photo from Worthy Goods Blog from 2014.

Crazy how seeing something can make such a big impression.

This had me on the hunt for some Ticking Fabric.

If you get a minute drop by for more inspiring show photos.

A little something to brighten your day...

Just wanted to drop by and say Hello with my little vintage friend.

A Garden Girl, some Hydrangeas, and thinking out loud...

 This is one of those posts that is a little of this and a little of that...

just some small things to share with you.

Blogging has changed so much from when I first started almost 6 years ago.(You hear that every day, but it's really true) It used to be that you could confidently share a pretty photo or vignette, how you made a small change on your kitchen counter, or a new "whatever", without feeling like you were supposed to be entertaining everyone. We were excited to show our latest flea market and garage sale finds without feeling "less than". I still love those kind of posts, because honestly, it's those kind of "everyday life" posts that let us in on the real person that's blogging. It really intimidates me that blog posts now are expected to be some kind of major "production", elaborate DIY, or fabulous room reveal. And that if they aren't, then what you may post might be considered as irrelevant, blah, or boring.

(found my sweet little fountain last week)

Don't get me wrong...

I totally love a great DIY, Room Reveal etc.

but I have to tell you...

my life is just not that darn exciting,

 or productive, for that matter.

...and I really don't need or want it to be.

So today, 

I just want to show you where I put my little French Girl fountain,

and that I bought some Hydrangeas...

one pink, and one blue.

Now I just need to pick the right place to have hubby plant them.

 and that for right now they are in my black goat cart 

that I finally found, 

and sitting on the front porch.

'Endless Summer"...

they bloom all summer long 

and then have the most amazing colors come Fall.

 I can't wait to get them planted.

Last year I really missed having Hydrangeas

and Peonies, and Roses, and Black-Eyed Susans...

 Hydrangeas are my go-to flower.

They're beautiful in any season.

 and that my "Little Miss Muffet" is sitting on her tuffet...

taking a bath.

sorry for the cord in the pic.

I'm keeping it real today.

Try as I might, I just can't get "into" Facebook or Instagram.

I know Instagram has real possibilities,

 and it seems like so many bloggers are heading that direction

 because there's less "pressure".

Even there, many blogger photos look "professional",

 and that my little phone pics look silly in comparison.

Oh well,

Let's not miss out on sharing the sweet small things 

of everyday life on our blogs.

Let's not let blogging turn into a "Professional" sport.

Here's to feeling that as people and as bloggers,

 we are "relevant"

...no matter what.

linking here:

Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

Container Planting and Painting Styofoam Pots

Like most of you, I've been excited to finally get some outside work accomplished. Earlier this Spring we had our deck rebuilt. It was torn down to the studs and given a complete overhaul. This is the point that I can get really negative on the previous owners for neglecting an amazing 10 year old deck and landscape, but I won't do that. So instead I'll tell you how nice it is to have it mostly finished except for some painting we need to do under the floorboards, and how it's quickly becoming a comfortable place to relax and enjoy our beautiful back yard.

Pansies, a French Tureen, and a Conversation...

My little friends from the Dining Room 

have made their way to the kitchen table...

let's see what they're up to.

Baskets for Spring Door Decor

I've slowly been putting "Winter" away, and bringing "Spring" into the house this last week. After Christmas I keep some of my winter faux greenery out as a backdrop and base for winter flower arrangements, and in baskets. Since snow covered trees and evergreens have been about the only landscape in sight, I've enjoyed my transition time from Christmas to Spring. But now that the sun is shining and the thermometer is going to be in the 50's and 60's we have a good chance that the worst of winter is behind us.