Wednesday Morning

Its beautiful here this morning! There's a dense fog and yet the sun is shining through and its going to be a beautiful day!!! (Do you hear that snow??)

 

 

I stepped out onto my porch and could smell Spring! And birds were chirping joyful songs, "not with frozen-shut beaks" my mom would say, and it made my whole heart HAPPY!!!

 

I'm so ready! For warm walks and to sit on the porch. To leave the door open and jam to Jack Johnson and other sun-inspiring tunes. I just can't. Wait.

 

I'm torn over this little brick walk. It's wobbly and has a big puddle in the center from a bump caused by the huge tree root going under it. But I don't want to take it up! I love it's character and imperfections. Hmmm. We'll see if I can convince the hubster. ;)-

 

 

 

Meanwhile. Things around here are fun and silly! My girls take care of any Winter blues. Here's a couple photos from this past week..

 

Avie is a water baby. Loves "swimming" in the tub. She'll serve me tub-side coffee, cake, pie. Whatever's on the Avie Tub Time Menu. :) Some of my favorite times are just hanging out with her, me sitting on the bath mat... Good thing it's comfy!

Little Quinn is such a delight, smiling up a storm! She took a paci for the first time last week and it's been a beautiful thing! Zzzzzz..... She had her first taste of squash and then apple and banana. Though opening her mouth for the spoon is somewhat baffling to her at the moment ;)... I'm sure she'll learn quick and she seems to love the taste.

Love my little family. So blessed.

Thanks for stopping!

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DIYs waiting on Sun...

Not gonna lie... I'm going a little stir crazy over here in New England. Spring is just round the corner yet there' still two feet of snow and the mornings are frigid. It wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't found the blog, thelittlegreennotebook.blogspot.com! Her name is Jenny and she has a huge knack for DIY. Her tutorials are so easy to follow and every project inspires! Even if something isn't quite your style it still makes you want to try the methods in your own new way. Take a look!
Meanwhile, my pile of DIY-To-Do's is stacking up!! Including this wooden hutch and fun little fourleaf-shape table. They're old and crusty at the moment but have really great potential!

I have an idea for the hutch but it depends on finding the perfect material. And I'm ready to go with the spray paint on that table...both will just need SUN to dry off under. Sighhh. All in time.

Do you like DIY? Would love to hear your success stories. (And even the not so successful. Sometimes those are equally as entertaining ;) )

Thanks for stopping, Happy Saturday!

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Happy Sunday!

And by Sunday I mean not "sun"-day at ALL

.....more snow. Will I ever feel warmth again?

;)

Valentine Floral Arrangements

My sweet Jessica, a long time friend, brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers last week, just because. I had planned a family brunch for Valentine's Day and decided to arrange the flowers as centerpieces for the table. Here's a look..

I love these sweet mercury glass goblets and thought they'd make great vases.

First I separated the different blooms

and used the smaller flowers as "filler" to create a nice shape like so..

Then I added the larger "statement" blooms for impact. (Look at that PINK! It doesn't get much more Valentine-y than that.)...

 

and I love the paper-white calla lilies! Super delicate and pretty. The bright green flowers were my favorite because they were so happy! I saved those for last to be sure they'd stick up nice and tall!

Any idea what kind they are?? Looks like a mum but with a tall single stem.

and those pink lilies yell SPRING which I need, because umm:

So you can imagine how much these beautiful flowers brightened my day!

And they made a lovely backdrop for our Valentine's brunch.

I hope you received a little love on Valentines as well.

Thank you for stopping by,

and thank you Jess for my sweet blooms!

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Hanging Heart Tutorial - Valentine Sweetness!

My sweet friend Miranda just had a little babe, Hope Elizabeth. I wanted to make her something extra special for Valentine's Day so I put together a fun heart wall hanging.

 

I took some pics to show you how it all came together. (Though it's really quite self explanatory. :) )

I made the little hearts a long time ago and came across them recently. So I pulled them out! They're way too cute to keep in a box! Here's how I made them:

 

 I cut out the hearts, placed a stretched out cotton ball in the center, glued the edges, and then did a simple stitch around the edge once glue had dried. Super simple.

~~~

For the hanging you'll need: a branch, your hearts, string or yarn, scissors, paint, paint brush(es) and paper to lay your branch on to paint.

1.paint your stick white, or background color of your choice. Once dry paint on any accents you'd like. Keep it simple as the string will also add to it. Let dry.

2. Punch holes in hearts. You may need to use the tip of your scissors to push the cotton back into heart.

 

To get the yarn on tightly I held the end with one hand like you see here, leaving a few inches for tying, then wrapped the other end around several times being sure to overlap the first end. This way when you've wrapped to the look you desire, you can tie the ends and it will make a nice secure knot. I tied in the back of the branch so knots are hidden.

 

Decide lengths that you want the hearts ahead of time so you have a plan in place. Trust me. ;) I didn't to start and had to do several over because they didn't hang right or lay right. :)

Once all hearts are in place you can add the end knots for the hanging string! And there you have it. A sweet little Valentine-inspired gift to give a little Love.

 

 

 

Meanwhile Avalyn has been working on her own Valentine's Day treats. She recently discovered glue. She's hooked! Ive only had to tell her not to put the tip in her mouth three or four times....yikes. ;)

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Coming soon: A Valentines Brunch :)

Happy Friday!~Amy

 

Front Yard Facelift

 

As you can see in this photo, our front entry- yard-walkway needs some love! I can't see any rhyme or reason to the shrubs planted here and they have not been pruned in years so besides their odd (ODD) placement, they're really scraggly! Since I'm buried in snow (Can we say SPRING FEVER!?) with two sick baby girls, :(!!, what better time to sit and browse pics online for some fun ideas.

 

                         

 

*Tidbit: When we bought the house I was told these two oak trees are the oldest trees in the valley. Not sure how they knew this, so taking it with a grain of salt but pretty cool if true. They're beautiful, that's for sure. Our house stays wonderfully cool due to all these massive trees. Though most need some trimming. (Insert handy hubby here ;) )

 

So I'm envisioning boxwood (Two large ones here already, will just need to be replanted), and a mix of easy-to-care-for leafy plants such as hostas and lily of the valley since its shady. (I think lily of the valley spreads quick. Anyone know? It'd be awful if it, I don't know, took over the yard! LOL

Whatever we do it will be simple. I think that makes the biggest statement and quite honestly we want easy. We spent WAY too much time tending to the flower gardens at our old house and while I loved them they required so much time. SO...this time... Easy.

Here's some inspiring photos..

        

        

This is from Martha Stewart, so of course its perfect. But I like the mix of boxwood and low ground cover. Possibly low maintenance and very classic. I also love that the walk is just grass. easy peasy. There is a stone walk here now but it will most likely go.

 

 

Again, love the boxwood shrubs. (I think they're boxwood anyways). It's my favorite for edging and overall landscaping. The sweet little pink floral trees are a nice touch too. Our front area is pretty shaded so it'd be crucial to find the right plants.

 

 

This stone work is amazing!! I love how natural it looks with all its unevenness and color variation.

 

However, this brick walk way is AMAZING!!... If we did anything like it we would probably only do a small patch right at the foot of the stairs.

 

 

 

Here's a really helpful article (For beginner like myself): Seven Tips for Landscape Design

Some great tips and ways to organize your plan. Always a good idea for a type B girl like myself. :)

 

Is this crazy? Because I love these..

 

 

Painted rocks. I think they're pretty spectacular. Especially if done really well. I think it could turn cheesy-DIY-project really fast, but these look awesome.

 

Here are some other great little projects that make impact:

17 Easy & Cheap Curb Appeal Ideas

 

Well, we'll see how things unfold this summer. Lots to do out there.

Thanks for stopping.

~

 

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