Our Summer Porch and Fun in the Sun!

Greetings, friends!

I'm excited to be part of the "Fun in the Sun" Summer kickoff party featuring a fabulous group of talented ladies (clearly, I don't belong in their company) who are going to be sharing summer crafts, decor and *much* more over the next two weeks ... there's even going to be an amazing giveaway on the 27th! 

And, since this is a "summer" party, I thought it only fitting to share our screened in porch, dressed for the new season!  So, come on in ...

Please join us here while we enjoy summer cocktails and conversation or quietly watch summer storms roll by.  And, hope you don't mind if we turn our "Old White" chalk painted fireplace on ... gotta have a bit of ambiance at night!  

A few years ago, we added this oversized metal barn star center stage above the fireplace ... eventually, I'd like to replace it with a large mirror, but, for now, I've flanked it with inexpensive topiaries from Tuesday Morning ... 

along with this little French clock from HomeGoods (which, apparently, also met my paint brush filled with Old White chalk paint ... oops):

When it comes to our outdoor space, I love adding lots of vibrant colors!  As soon as I spotted these cute accent pillows at Bed, Bath and Beyond (30% off), I knew they'd be a fun addition:  

And, I'm more than happy to take my decorating books off of this little ottoman from HomeGoods so that you can kick up your feet!  

Over on our coffee table, I'm sure you won't be surprised to see that I added a  bowl of collected seashells, as those are my favorite to add to almost every room:

Even this pretty terrarium from Tuesday Morning couldn't hide from a *tiny* hint of coastal:

And, please feel free to toss the pillows off of the love seat so that there's actually room for you to sit comfortably!  We do it ALLLL the time ...

Or, if you'd rather, come on down here and sit a spell ... 

We love being out here so much that we're getting ready to take down our existing screen *wall* and join this space with our "exposed" patio, making it all one big screened in area ... hope you'll come back and visit when it's all done!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit our summer porch!  I hope you got to take a peek at Kristin's (My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia) awesome pom pom lantern,

along with Shannon's (from Fox Hollow Cottage) whimsical summer wreath yesterday!

And, be sure to visit Heather (from Setting for Four) tomorrow who will be sharing her beautiful summer mantel!

Oh, and don't forget the giveaway on the 27th ... 

OR to visit all the stops along the way!

Stop 1:  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 

Stop 2: Sand and Sisal 

Stop 3: Fox Hollow Cottage 

Stop 4: Adventures in Decorating

Stop 5: Setting for Four 

Stop 6: Debbiedoo's 

Stop 7: French Country Cottage 

Stop 8: Cupcakes and Crinoline 

Stop 9: Domestically Speaking 

Stop 10: At the Picket Fence 

Stop 11: Yellow Bliss Road

Stop 12: JoJo and Eloise 

Stop 13: DIY Show Off

Have a great day,

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First Thing I Purchased on Joss and Main!

I found a shabby bookcase while looking at the Joss and Main website.

At first I didn't purchase it because I had never purchased anything on this site and whatever is purchased is non-returnable.

I had to put some thought in it and these offers don't last long.

I missed out on this the first time around.

I couldn't get it out of my head and I couldn't find anything else that I liked as

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Grow A Beautiful Garden

Before sharing tips on how to grow a beautiful garden one should know 'Why to grow a garden'.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need"_Marcus

"A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness, it teaches industry and thrift, above all it teaches TRUST"_Gertrude Jeky

"Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years" _ Anon

Now you know the benefits of growing a garden. Here are some tips I am sharing to grow a healthy and beautiful garden.

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1. Soil: 

First and most important step involve in growing a garden is to maintain good soil. Soil should be fertile and healthy. You can improve quality of your soil by adding compost/manure every year if you are growing flower and vegetable garden. No need to add compost if you are growing herbs. 

Check soil pH if it is too acidic then add some lime to control the pH. Healthy soil pH is considered between 5 to 8. That is neither very acidic nor very alkaline. Though it varies from plant to plant.

Add mulch (protective layer of material like bark, wood, plastic on the soil) to the top layer of soil, it will maintain soil temperature, maintains soil moisture, control weeds, organic mulch increases soil fertility and it reduces soil splash while watering or during rains.

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2. Environment:

Environmental factors also play an important role in gardening. Main factors are water and air temperature.
Watering directly depends on weather. If it rains then you can skip watering plants, though in summers you have to make sure to water your plants regularly. Nutrients available in soil get dissolved in water and are taken up by porous roots of the plants.
When temperature is very low then plants go into dormant state and metabolism slows down. While in very hot temperature plants stop functioning properly. So its always a best idea to take good care of your plants during extreme temperature conditions. Bring your plants inside home when there is too cold and keep them in partial shady  area in very hot weather.

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3.Choose right plants:
Select your plants according to the space available and how much sunlight your space gets where you are planning to grow a garden.
If you have very limited space then going vertical is the best option. Choose plants those are dense and leafy.
If your garden space receives less or no sunlight then choosing shade loving plants like hydrangea, hostas, begonia, fern, bamboo, camellia, coral bells and fox gloves are some good options.
If your garden area receives ample amount of sunlight then choose day lily, black-eyed susan, coleus, chlorophytum, juniperus, daisy, salvia, hibiscus, petunia, verbena these are sun loving plants and thrive in sun.

4. Pots:
You can add a lot of drama to your garden by choosing some fancy and eye catching beautiful planters for your garden. You can simply paint your existing pots and can see the difference. Make a beautiful arrangement by placing pots of different color and size in cluster. Try using some unconventional pots like tree stump, plastic bottles, mugs, tyre, boots, pitcher or even an old bath tub too.

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5. Garden Accessories:
Accessorizing your garden is as important as any other space in your home. Lots of  garden accessories are available in market these days. Choose right one for your garden according to space available. Bird house and bird bath not only enhances the beauty of garden but gives shelter to thirsty and tired birds also. Gnomes, fairy, by-cycle, wagon, terracotta or sand stone figures and fountain are few to name.

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Hope you have found way to brighten up your garden and are ready for a makeover.

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Tea Time

Lately I have been in a lamp making mode. 



Here is another (if you are not to tired of lighting). 



I got this cute little silver teapot at a garage sale for only 25¢! I drilled a hole in the top of the lid after taking off the round wood knob. I then drilled a hole in the back side for the wiring to come out. I used one like this...






To simply wire it. Add a bulb and shade and it's

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Charming One-of-a-Kind Teapot Floor Lamp!

This is one of those transformations that turns out so fantastic, that it pains me to sell the piece!









Are you curious to find out what you are looking at?










Well, let's take a look...starting with the before!






I purchased a vintage heavy floor lamp table at our local thrift store several months ago. It looked like this...



I knew it needed some work, but thought if I

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A Little Playroom Grows Up Just a Bit ...

Once upon a time, a precious little boy used to have fun in this space ... banging on his little drums ... playing at his little table ... pretending he could read his little picture books.  

And, theeen, without our approval, he started to grow up!  Sadly, it was time to let go of his "little, little" boy playroom.  *Sniff, sniff.*

As much as I wasn't ready ... it was time for a change for our then 6 year old.

BEFORE:

AFTER!  Here's his "big, little boy" hang out room today!  

One thing I didn't want to let go of was the primary color scheme ... wanted this space to still feel "alive."

We traded his light blue sofa for a brown microfiber one and threw on a couple of pillows from Pottery Barn that used to be in our great room.

The British flag pillow is from a local fabric shop (Fabric Showcase) and adds a great punch of color.  The blue lamps are from a local furniture shop, and the side tables are from none other than Home Goods.

I then ordered this piece of art from "art.com."  I loved it the minute I spotted it because it's a bit vintage, full of great colors, annnnd my husband is from "Joisey":

It was then on to the curtains!  I wanted something "vintagey-nautical," full of primary colors.  When I spotted the below fabric at Fabric Showcase, I knew it just might work!  I chose to do only the upper 1/4 of the panels in the patterned fabric and opted for a solid navy blue fabric below ....

Simple cording that resembles nautical rope seperates the two:

BEFORE: Bye bye cubicles that housed bins full of trains, dinosaurs and little characters (sigh):

AFTER:  We traded the open cubicles for a console that hides his electronics, along with his video games and DVDs.

Simple colorful canvases from Bed, Bath and Beyond were added to the wall on one side of the TV ...

And, fun subway art from Hobby Lobby was added to the other:

And, for those who are wondering where we store all of his toys ... let's just say the closet full of shelves and clear bins hides a LOT ... here's a peek at one side of it.

ONE day, we'll add "regular" accent chairs in here.  For now, these "Big Joe" bean bag chairs fit the bill.  They're pretty comfy ... 

AND great for kids to jump into ... see?!  My airborne "Ninja Turtle" landed safely in the chair!  LOL

Here's hoping he enjoys his playroom like this for a few years ... NOT ready for "tween" room decorating anytime soon!

Thanks a bunch for stopping by!

Come play here:

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures

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How to Easily Clean a Granite Sink

Have you ever wondered how to keep your granite sink looking new? I can show you how to easily accomplish this, but let's start with the ugly...




We have a lot of minerals in our water and it doesn't take long for our granite sinks to look like this!
All you need to do first is to clean the sink with a non-abrasive cleaner. I use this...


After it is clean, then wipe the sinks dry. With a

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