Nursery Scouting

Hello!

I hope you're having a great week and gearing up for a nice holiday weekend.  I suspect many of you might be doing some yard work too, right?  I have been planning out my garden and my pots for the summer, and in my quest for new ideas, I went to a couple of great local nurseries to scout them out and share them with you!

I am not the most creative when it comes to gardening, so I rely on the experts, and I'm not ashamed to say that I copy emulate them.  It's the highest form of flattery, right?

I adore this purple and bright green color combination, don't you?  The green just pops so beautifully against the deep purple.  Sure to add some curb appeal, wouldn't you agree?

This nursery has the BEST hanging baskets I've ever seen.  For real.  Aren't they amazing?  Again, with the purples!  And no, they're not cheap - these were $100 each.  But oh boy, what an impact!

 

Here is another great pot to use for inspiration.  I love how the sweet potato vine contrasts against the bright green and the wave petunias. 

 

This entry into an area of the nursery caught my eye too.  Look at this arbor and the plantings that flank each side.

Here is a close up of the planters.  Gorgeous!

The other nursery I scouted was filled with beautiful planters as well.  This is one of the designs I'm attempting to replicate for my home.  Except I didn't realize those stripey wave petunias would be so hard to come by!  Aren't they unique?

And then there's this one that I'm copying as well.  Fortunately, the plants for this one were in plentiful supply. :-)

Like house stalking, I really enjoy all of the great designs and ideas that are out there, even if I might not be daring enough to try them myself.

The great thing about these places is that if you're not feeling creative, and want to grab something and go, you can pick up one of these premade planters that just drop right in to your pots and you can call it a day.

I also go to the big box stores and hit the jackpot on some clearance plants.  50 cents for geraniums - um, yes please!  I think I picked up a dozen of them!

Seriously, of all plants, you gotta love how hardy geraniums are.  This is one plant that makes me look like I know what I'm doing.  Pluck off the dry leaf, and you're good to go.

 

So, have you planted your flowers yet? Are you planting a garden too? Do you stalk the nurseries like I do?

Curb Appeal - My Block

Hello!

I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to hit the ground running this week.  I'm counting the days until the kids are out of school and my quiet house becomes a scuttlebutt of non-stop activity.  I don't know about you, but I'm working on a to-do list to keep them busy from killing each other this summer.

First things first.  Have you been stalking following Cyndy's series on color palettes over at The Creativity Exchange like I have?  Well, you must scoot over there and take a peek if you haven't already.  Each Monday she has been featuring different color palettes like this one - and rooms that emulate them.   Brilliant!

Since I'm an admitted color palette junkie, it's right up my alley.  I'm thrilled that she invited me to do a guest post for this series, so you'll find me there today giving the lowdown on my home's color palette. 

Now that the weather is warming up, I find myself paying closer attention to curb appeal.  Plus, now that I'm home full-time, this fella and I have been taking daily walks, which makes the curb appeal thing even more top of mind.  He waits for me at the door after I drop the kids off and/or go to the gym - ready for his walk.  Love this gentle giant.

So, I snapped a few photos of houses around the hood that really speak to the whole notion of curb appeal.

Ok, this house isn't technically in our neighborhood, but another one nearby.  It was a Homearama house several years ago, and I still adore the exterior curb appeal of this beauty.  It looks like it belongs in the Hamptons, doesn't it?  The eyebrow window, cedar shake exterior, gorgeous front porches and windowed double front door?  What's not to like?  Never mind the immaculate landscaping.  Perfection!

This lovely is another one that I always slow down to admire.  It's hard to tell from this photo, but there is a beautiful Mission style front door, and I love the mix of materials too.  The stone work really catches your eye and draws you in.  A sweet front porch doesn't hurt either, and I have major yard envy for their grass.  Do you think they'd mind if I rolled around in their front yard?  We're still working on getting away from the tufted look of different types of grasses in ours, and are on lawn service numero three. 

Another case of grass envy on this house.  Perhaps that's why I captured so much of it in the photo.  It's pristine and the flowering bushes in the front just make it even prettier, and shutters always add pizazz to a home.

This home is another one that just shouts, "Welcome Home" when I walk by.  The wrap around front porch, dormer windows and cheerful exterior color combination are just lovely.

This house is another one I have always admired.  Great stone work, and again, the glass front double doors get me every time. 

This last house just screams All American Home doesn't it?  I love the white color with the black shutters, the dormer windows and the welcoming front porch.  You can sort of see the beautiful potted ferns that flank the windowed black front door.  Love it.

I may have to venture out to some new neighborhoods or change my daily route so I can share some other gorgeous exteriors.  I always enjoy looking at homes as the earth is coming back to life. 

Who am I kidding?  I always enjoy looking at homes, period, no matter what the season.  It's just prettier in the springtime.

Have a beautiful day!

Craigslist Treasure & Upholstery Decisions

Happy Friday!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here!  Let's see, hubby's birthday, my oldest son's confirmation, my dad's birthday and Mother's Day all in one week, and then I hosted my Bunco group last night.  And you know how I get when I host a party...  Suffice to say, my house looks better than it has in months weeks.  But, it's nice to wake up to a clean house!  I think I need to entertain more often.

And you gotta love it when someone is a no-show for a Craigslist purchase.  That means that I have these lovelies in my husband's office...

Awwww yeah!  That's right - I got them and I love them!  Granted, it was another errand on my crazy to-do list yesterday, but, I didn't want to risk someone else snatching them up, so it was totally worth it.  It's a good thing, because the seller told me that there were three other people interested in them.  Of course, because they're awesome (and comfortable!).  You'd never think they would be that comfortable by looking at them.

So now I'm debating on upholstery.  But there is some orange in the current upholstery, so it's not a huge rush, because they kind of work just as they are. 

I'm looking at these fabrics right now - they gray paisley (even though my husband just said, "I'm not having paisley in my office").  He's not a paisley fan - there is a history to that, it involves a big green paisley couch from when we first dated .  But I think it's totally masculine and such a great combination of colors from my palette.

Or this fabric - I do love the durability factor of this one...

What do you think?  I am half tempted to move these beauties into our family room - they're just what we need in there!  Great versatility here, that's for sure.

There is still more to be done in here, but this is the best it's looked in a long time.  I told you entertaining lights a fire under my butt to get things done, didn't I?

Have a fantastic weekend!