Hydrangea Photos make their Debut

I found a couple simple white matted frames at Marshall's today, so I was able to put up my hyndrangea photos... check it out! The frames were only $5.99 each, and the photo's were less than $1 each, so it was a really inexpensive way to fill up a wall in my bathroom that has been completely empty forever.

Mulch Anyone?

Ok, so I just wrote a short novel about my crazy week of landscaping which started out as an innocent trip to the Grower's Outlet in Pineville and practically turned into an entire episode of HGTV's Curb Appeal! Luckily for any readers out there, I somehow didn't save that long post correctly and lost the entire thing. Probably better since all anyone wants to see is the pictures anyway!

So, I don't have anything for before pics but just imagine tons and tons of weeds! And after lots of digging, planting, and muching on some very hot days... Thankfully my fabulous and very patient boyfriend came in as my reinforcement to help me finish it up this weekend (Thanks Alvin!). Here is the finished product!



Since that picture just doesn't do it justice, here is a closer shot of the Limelight Hydrangea, Knock-Out Roses, and Echinacea...



Even closer of the largest hydrangea, which I actually had to rig up with some twine to keep it from falling over because the flowers were weighing it down on one side. Hopefully this trick will help get it settled and then I can let it go wild once the roots take hold...



Here is a shot of the butterfly bush, which has actually been attracting lots of pretty butterflies - this should grow to be fairly big, i think as tall as 5 feet!



Here is a close up of the knock-out roses, which are supposed to be very low maintenance. I'm hoping they will start flowering a lot more once they get settled in their new spot...



And finally, the echinacea which should come back every year and rosemary which should turn into a nice size bush that I can actually use for cooking (if I ever cooked, haha)...




Also of note, we moved 4 of the blue hydrangeas from the back because they were struggling and I figured I might as well try putting them in a shadier spot to see if I can save them. So, 2 of them ended up in the front, but kind of hidden so that hopefully you won't notice them until they come back to life. And 2 of them ended up on the side of the house to fill out an area that was pretty blah. We also moved a bunch of the grassy border plants that we dug up from in between the weeds in the front to line the mulch areas in the backyard. And finally, we filled the spots where the blue hydrangeas used to be with some evergreen camelias which bloom in the winter. I can't wait for everything to start filling in and to see how things change over the seasons!

Oh, and last thing... I spruced up the flower box in the front of the house a couple weeks ago and it's filling out nicely. I am hoping this lasts through the fall...

Desperate for Art

My house is in desperate need of some artwork to add some interest and color. But I have such a hard time finding anything in the store that I like, and it's just so expensive! So, instead, I have decided to become my own photographer. I am not sure how the picture quality will turn out in print yet, but I figured it's worth a try. So far, I have just taken a couple photos of things around the house which I've posted here. I think the hydrangeas will look nice in little white antique frames in my bathroom. I also plan on going around the neighborhood to get some pics - like unique front doors, or front-porch swings, or maybe just cool bungalows. I figure if I keep it simple and group similar things into a photo collage, it could work. So, yet another project is in the works, but this one will be really fun!

Shabby Chic Rockers!

Woohoo! I'm so excited, just found two great shabby chic rocking chairs at the neighborhood antique store for a great deal. They look adorable on my screened in porch which I am trying to re-decorate at the moment. I also found an old stool in my neigbhor's trash the other day which works great as a side table in between the rockers... don't worry it wasn't in the actual trash can, just on the side of the road :) Anyway, I have to get back to finishing my kitchen and landscaping projects that I started this weekend (more about those later...), but couldn't wait to post this pic of my new shabby chic rockers! How did Baxter stick his head in this pic, he loves the camera, too funny!

Just another Friday night

Well, I just spent another Friday night trying to fix up my house. Finally finished touching up the kitchen cabinets and putting on the new hardware. I think its looking pretty good, but I definitely need to work on my cabinet painting technique, haha. Actually, I hope I never have to paint cabinets again!

After wrapping up for the night, I checked out a few blogs like http://www.theletteredcottage.net/ for some design inspiration. Then I thought, why not start a blog for myself! I may not be a fabulous designer, but it would definitely be fun to track and share all the projects I have attempted in my little "cottage" in Charlotte :)

So, pictures and more stories to come! For now, it's time to get some rest so I can get up early to start working on the kitchen countertops...