So .......................I've been hanging and moving around and placing all my little garden " treasures "
Like the inside of this house - there's lots of little nooks and crannie's to fill -
Suzan says - Stop what?
John says - I don't want the back yard to look like an old curiosity shop
Suzan says - Back yard? How crass - it shall be known as the GARDEN from now on please.
John says - It'll be too crowded - LIKE EVERY OTHER SINGLE SPACE WE OCCUPY !!!
John says - AND WHO PUTS MIRRORS OUTSIDE?
Suzan says - Uhhhh - everybody !!!
I created a little Kitchen area - that needs a LOT of work - but the potential is there !
When we created the " niche " to fit the fridge into the kitchen - we had to remove this very cool
piece that they had in the mud room - it's absolutely perfect for beside the bar-b-q - sink and all.
We'll use the sink to fill with ice in the summer to keep drinks cold - and have extra counter top
( plus there's storage underneath )
I have to paint it still - but I'm definitely leaving the formica countertop as is.
John wanted to throw it out - NO WAY - it's so perfectly vintage
Some tea lights above it - ( paid 2.44 for each of these spheres on sale 2 years ago - I think I bought 10 of them )
Here it is in it's raw shape - which is why John is horrified that I want to keep it - but I'll be spray painting the body of it with black bar b q paint ( because of it's very close proximity to the actual bar b q ) It got tossed out on it's ear during renovations and sat in a heap on top of the snow waiting to go to the landfill.
A few more touches here and there
Hummingbird feeder
A rusty old plant stand - which can contain a Dahlia beautifully!
My " Pagoda " light bought on sale many moons ago - still my favorite garden light
A colorful bird feeder
A dollar store find
A Glass Mosaic lantern that shines like jewels at night
Lots of lanterns actually - all rusting up the way I like them :)
I bought these globes years ago also - at the end of one summer - I think I paid 2.00 each - I have 6 of them around the pool section - plus gave all the kids a couple each lol - ( some people buy food in bulk - I buy
" things " in bulk - especially when the price is ridiculous )
My butterfly tea light holder - given to me by the kids many years ago and aging beautifully!
Blooms Blossom Brighter Here - Pokey - beloved first pet for my children - a stone marker I had made for them when he passed
( kitty kat )
And I'm nowhere finished - there's fairy lights and sparkles and wind chimes and wrought iron bed frames
and a couple of beloved water features and ladders..................oh it's just endless really !
Do you think John is right?
Will it end up looking like an Old Curiosity shop?
And if it does - what, pray tell, is wrong with your very own Garden Curiosity Shop anyway?
Wait till he finds out I'm on the look out for a chandelier ( or 2 or 3 or 10 )
Just so you know - I happened to get a glance in that mirror and almost fainted - seriously - OMG -
I need a day at a spa desperately - or a plastic surgeon.
Can't wait - simply can't wait - until everything starts to
Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone !!!
The End ♥♥♥
Come join me at these parties !
Not Just a Housewife Homework ( today's assignment ) The DiY Dreamer
Adorned from Above Savvy Southern Style Ivy & Elephants
Katherine's Corner Bloom Design Online Redoux Interiors
French Country Cottage My Turn for Us One More Time Events
Life on Lakeshore Drive Three Mango Seeds It's Overflowing
Redhead can Decorate Uncommon Design Stone Gable
Between Naps on the Porch My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Kathe with an E
A Stroll Thru Life Extraordinary Day
It is looking good, and very interesting. And it is definitely a GARDEN.
ReplyDeleteI love the eclectic pieces you are adding to your garden and think it is just lovely! I'm sure you are enjoying some warmer weather after the ice and snow of your winter. Have a blessed day!
ReplyDeleteHugs, Vicky
Your garden looks stylish with many nice details:)
ReplyDeleteLove the bench and the mirror. The garden will be so beautiful when it start to bloom around you.
ReplyDeleteHugs from here
I think it sounds great, I wish I had your vision that's for sure! Never a dull moment!
ReplyDeleteoh Yes Suzan....gardens just fall into place...all on their own. Get John busy with that. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh and I too am going to refer to the back as the garden from now on, so civilized.
So cute! I especially love the sink area!!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great idea using a cute vintage sink as a garden tub for drinks....I might steal that!
ReplyDeleteIt all looks beautiful, Suzan! It's crazy how excited we all are once the snow melts, to get out there and get the garden in shape. And BTW, I wouldn't mind having 'The Old Curiosity Shop' in my backyard. I'd use it as a potting shed! (the one in London)
ReplyDeleteYou've got the makings of an interesting garden...plenty of eye candy! Can't wait to see it when it's in bloom :)
ReplyDeleteIt will be a beautiful cottage garden!
ReplyDeleteSuzan it is looking great. So happy we are both starting our new summer gardens. I just need a pool LOL! Love the mirror outside so pretty. I am going to hang one myself in my garden.
ReplyDeleteKris
PS: Send me your address. I have to go public now to get you to do this LOL!
I think you're a dang genius, and your GARDEN will be amazing. :)
ReplyDelete-andi
I also enjoy decorating outdoors in the summer. I love your garden whimsies and in particular the corner with the bench and mirror over it. Very pretty. The old sink stand will be a perfect Barbecue side server. We are going to be tearing down the old deck and building a new one so I can't do any decorating outside for another month almost. Yikes! I won't even have a deck for a couple of weeks. I hope you find some wonderful plants coming up from the previous owners. It will be a beautiful oasis to enjoy all summer long and into the fall too.
ReplyDeleteomg Susan, I have that same tealight holder from Pier 1 with the butterflies....I took it down and it is now in the garage on a shelf...great idea to put it outside and let it rust away!!!! Christine from Little Brags
ReplyDeleteLooks fab to me!!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne, you are off to a great start - love all the lovely items for your garden. The sink and cabinet are perfect for your outdoor cooking area. You need to take John on some garden tours and let him see what other people do to their gardens. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteMary
Oh my! It looks lovely already. You know I have to completely remove most of the dirt and gravel from my back yard before I can do a thing to it, right? It will be a mudpit most of the summer. I'm so glad you are able to have a spot to sit and collect your sanity. Now...you aren't doing all of this outdoor decorating in your robe are you??
ReplyDeleteI say go for it! I have what we charmingly refer to as a courtyard here in England, which actually means a space so small you couldn't swing a snail in it let alone a cat. I have a bench, two mirrors, a table and four chairs, a small shed, a box for wood, two foo dogs, two rusty old gates, a topiary tree, an olive tree and a plethora of lanterns jammed into it! So I would be the last person to say you were overdoing the garden decor :D
ReplyDeleteI happen to love yard art, as I call it. Yours is wonderful. So glad you rescued the piece from the mudroom...a little paint and it will be as good as new! Perfect for drinks and extra space next to the bbq!
ReplyDeleteI need a day at the spa too! A pedicure and massage would go a long way, I think. :)
hugs,
Cecilia
Oh my good God, I was just browsing and came across your mule skinner post (laughed a lot - I really must practice my yodelling) and went to Hometalk to see your post. What the ....??? I think these people (I am now calling them the painted furniture police) have got a screw loose, in fact they have a whole toolbox on the run. I had a few brisk exchanges with some of them recently on another post, a lovely lady had converted a crappy pine cupboard from the goodwill (circa 2005 I would estimate) into a vanity for her bathroom, oh and it was her first project/post. If she had carved up a chippendale chair to use as a toilet and painted it orange she couldn't have got more abuse. Things got pretty heated on both sides of the argument :0 Anyway what I really wanted to say was how much I admired you for a) responding to all the comments and b) the patience, politeness and good humour you maintained, despite some severe provocation, in your responses (are these people so blinded by prejudice that they can't actually READ? If you were paid a $ for every time you pointed out the piece wasn't old or valuable you wouldn't have had to bother selling it!) So bravo!!! and keep up the good work, your makeovers are amazing!
ReplyDeleteWhew, I have such a time keeping up w/the non-stop yard work that I never get around to pretties!! I love the idea of having the sink close by for keeping drinks cold and such. That would be handy!
ReplyDeleteAll of that beautiful "junk" makes a garden so much fun and interesting and happy, Suzan! I'm so glad that you're finally getting time out in your new garden! Just keep John busy pulling weeds or something and he'll never notice what you're decorating with. :) lol
ReplyDeletexoxo laurie
LOL ~ I just love the way you write. John is so funny. I think he will come around once you have everything just so so. I can see it already, it just might take him a bit? :-)
ReplyDeleteFirst I have to tell you that I love what you are creating in the garden. I think there is everything right about a Garden Curiosity Shop! Second, remember yesterday I told you about my hubs sounding like John? Well, I think they've been talking to each other! I got the same "enough!" when I started to create my little garden nook (way back in a corner). I have maybe 5 things there so far, and he's already saying he doesn't want it looking like a junk yard, LOL! And suddenly, I have too many flower pots! What the... HELP!
ReplyDeleteY'all are too funny. Your kitchen sink is adorable and I can't wait too see it finished.
ReplyDeleteA garden counts as a room. You spend so much time out there, it might as well be perfectly decorated in the style of your choice. Great choices so far, BTW. Yes, you do have to have at least three chandeliers!
ReplyDeleteI think having an old curiosity shop in your garden is the best idea ever! And John should trust you by now!
ReplyDeleteI love the art displayed!
ReplyDeleteIt's going to look so lovely at night with the tea lights, I like the garden curiosity shop :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see all of it... Looks so fun! I am ready to do the same to my backyard, which has been sadly neglected as of late. Let the decorating begin!
ReplyDeleteIT looks great! You must be so happy to be able to out your pieces out. The sink idea is brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI have "gardeners feet" right now, so a day in the spa sounds perfect!
Ahhhhh spring! Such a wonderful time of year and I love your garden decor!
ReplyDeleteit looks so pretty, you have some pretty neat little items for you garden. I am still digging through bins to find my stuff. The good thing about my new place is that the former owners loved flowers and there is tons of stuff blooming with no effort needed by me, which is a good thing because I am working fulltime for the first time in 10 years and I am exhausted no time for anything. Can't wait too see more of your garden pics. hugs Tobey
ReplyDeleteSuzan this is so cute and such a great idea. I can't wait to see it a pretty!!!
ReplyDeleteCynthia
Sorry John, I have a mirror on the front porch and I'm looking for a second one (big) for the back yard (oops garden). I want to put it on the house wall so anyone sitting at the patio table with their back to the yard gets a view of something other than vinyl siding. You are going to have so much fun doing up the garden. Love the cabinet!
ReplyDeleteLove this..I am a big garden nut and I can go crazy making projects for my garden.. So happy I found your blog.. will explore more of it
ReplyDeleteThanks
Maria
Thanks so much Maria - we just moved here very recently so the garden is going to be full of surprises !
DeleteXOXO
I need to do some exterior decorating, Suzan...thanks for the inspiration! And for sharing on the Thursday Blog hop!
ReplyDeleteOh, this is great! I got so inspired just reading. Wish I could tuck you into my pocket for some shopping tips the next time I'm on the prowl for something unique! :) Thanks for sharing. And, I hope you will post again when you finish everything up. Have a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about decorating outside until a few years ago. I still haven't done much, but I want to! Thanks for inspiration!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty!! I have a similar mirror in my patio but I am waiting to share that once the threat of frost is over and I can plant my annuals in all my pots....
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and for your sweet words on my Tribute to my mom. Not all mom's and daughter get along all the time but they still love each other....
Hugs,
Deb
I'm not sure I didn't see a pic of anything I didn't like ;) And what if it does turn out like that...I'd love for mine too! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLove your vintage inspired kitchen....<3 And am totally in love with that bench too!
ReplyDeletexx
Anne
I think your space is lovely! Love all the unique touches :)
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, your garden is going to look stunning when everything is blooming, it must already look amazing! All the accents you've added are gorgeous...I love the tea light globe, and that sink...wow! Sorry, but John is wrong...a garden just looks better with whimsical, rusty and fun things added. (Larry may not agree with what I do, but he just knows better than to say anything lol. He has his fishing, golfing, ATVing, hunting, etc and knows to leave me alone with my things.) Debbie :)
ReplyDelete