Happy Middle of the Week Wednesday!!!! It is another beautiful day 78 degrees and somewhat sunny.  My backyard is coming along.  Thought I would share a few new pictures.  I was trying to shoot pictures when the sun was out but it keep disappearing behind the clouds.

My husband hung a chandelier that I found in the shed now I am looking for some cute shades to dress it up.  It is romantic lighting to sit outside on a beautiful evening.

I plan on planting myself on this chair quite a bit this summer.

The Chandelier is so plain that I am going to try and find some crystals and some flowers and do something cute with some shades.

My vintage tea cart ready for action.  Can't wait to have a party on the deck and load that cart up with fun  summer drinks.

My little cottage garden gate motif is coming together.  A little more do here but almost done.

I added a bird cage to the mix.  I am thinking about putting a small plant up inside the bird cage.

Love that sweet garden gate.  The flowers already seem to love growing around it.

I love petunia's they are so hardy and sun lovers so they do well on my south exposure deck all summer.

My little watering can water feature.  I love the trickle of the water it is so relaxing to listen too. The birds love to drink from there too!

One of my old chippy ladders needed a plant.  I need to find a cute pot or bucket or something fun and unique for the geranium.  I am on the hunt.

Pretty soon that little rose bush area will be blooming and all the flowers in the beds filling in and popping with color.

It is hard to see but I love this old painted "stop and smell the roses" bed frame that I love to have in the garden.

All the old vintage watering cans that I have collected and my pink garden boots.

Not sure what I am going to do with this bench.  Any suggestions? I was thinking of doing some kind of fabric covered seat cushion but then I was trying to think "outside of the box" and come up with something more whimsy and creative for the seat of this bench.  Since is gets a lot of weather I was trying to think of something to cover the seat to hold up in rain and the sun. I thought maybe finding some kind of old pickets and fitting them onto the seat. Not sure I am open to suggestions.

Well it was another lovely day outside working in the garden.  Loving this weather.  It is suppose to rain tomorrow so I was trying to get more planting done today.  Have a great rest of the week.
Kris
:)

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I have been working on the yard yesterday and today. The weather has been so nice to get some of my planting done.  I thought I would show you a glimpse of the transformation.  In about another month the flowers will have filled in so nicely and it should be looking pretty sweet.

I get a lot of sun all afternoon until sunset so these flowers will do really well with direct sun.

My old cottage nest door and an old chippy white box that I had the hubby attach to the door for a flower box.  I love the old chippy architectural elements in the garden.

I love birdhouses everywhere and this cutie I found at Home Goods and attached it to an old stair column.

One of my favorite things in the garden is this old chippy door.   I am loving it on my front door with a flower bag of white petunia's.

This is that old chippy barn door table I got at the flea market a few weeks ago.  I am making this into a potting table in the garden.

I love my old painted birdhouse out by the tree this year.

his year there is the scare of impatiens being attacked by a mold that instantly kills and there is no prevention.  It started out east and is on the move.  We could or could not get infected in the mid west so instead of my usual impatiens I opted for yellow petunias.  I always loved the way impatiens mound and by July look like lovely flowering bushes.  I just could not take the chance with the threat of that mold coming  our way. It is an airborne mold and I would be sick to have all my impatiens die instantly this summer. So petunia's it is for this year out around my tree.

The perennials along with all the annuals will soon fill in nicely all together.

My bike is ready to go!!!! In about a month the baskets will be overflowing with pretty vines and flowers.  I will love when the over flow starts to hang down over the bike tires.

Loving my bike.

Even my little cherub is loving all the pretty flowers.  My Robins love to swim in this birdbath.  They are so cute when I water they love me to spray them with the hose. I have never seen birds that love to be sprayed with a hose!!!! They are funny little creatures.

Well there you have it the summer house is beginning to bloom FINALLY!!!!! Oh it was so nice to get out in the yard and play in the dirt.  My back and muscles are so feeling it but it was totally worth it.  Hope you had a great week end where you are.
Kris
:)

Sneak Peak at some of the backyard planting.
This is a work in progress still lots to do back here.

Started some of the decorating on the deck with an architectural piece.  The old garden gate that I had hanging in my guest room is now part of the garden decor. I have to paint that rusty bird feeder. Ignore that in the picture!!!!

Got all my old vintage watering cans lined up and ready for use.

Gotta have a little romance in the garden.  This candle chandelier is perfect.  As you can see my bushes are just starting to bud with the icky spring and long winter we have had here.  Hopefully in the next month they will be full and green and full of flowers.

I love to have birdhouses through out the yard.  My birdie friends like the B&B too.

Starting to get my space ready for summer.  Got the chair out and my table.  I have a pretty chandelier I am going to have the hubby hang over the table  for romantic reading on the deck.n

Got the hubby's firetruck out by his shed.  I need to find a pretty plant to put in it.

These my friends are the greatest chippy posts ever.  I got these a year ago at Elkhorn Flea Market.  The hubby is going to make something special with those babies later on for the back gardens.  Stay tuned for that upcoming feature.

Well still a big work in progress for the backyard.  That might take some time to get it where I want it.  Glad you had patience to get through this post.  It was a long one.  Thanks for coming by.
Kris
:)

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Ahhhhhh the smell of REAL Spring!!!! Had the windows open again today. Fresh air and birds singing. Loving it!!!! I worked on the front yard Saturday to get the beds ready for flowers and I started to add some of my architectural features to the garden as well.  Thought I would share a little of the progress to the full summer garden.

Put some fresh white paint on some of my garden clay pots for the potting table decor.

Got my bike painted blue for out in the garden.  I  think I am going with a white, blue and yellow theme out front this year.

I can't wait to put flowers in that sweet bike basket and hopefully find another basket for flowers for the back fender of this bike too.  My beds are ready.  It doesnot look like it now but I do have a lot of flowering bushy flowers that will come up around the bike.  Hopefully soon they will start to fill in.

Getting ready for flowers out around my tree in the front yard.  Oh I can't wait to get my hands in that dirt and start to put flowers in!!!

My little cherub bird bath is ready for some pretty flowers too.

Looks a little plain right now but soon I will have lot's of flowers.

This is probably my most favorite architectural piece I have for the garden.  An old chippy door painted with birds and cottage nests and then an old chippy flower box attached. Can't wait to fill that with pretty flowers and greenery.

Made an blue and white cottage wreath.

Found these cute garden boots at Menards. Loved the blue color.

Yep I am thinking I like the summer house sign on this old fence.

I found this summer house sign at Home Goods.  Loved this sign. I tried it out on the potting table too but I think I like it better on the fence.

Well this was a sneak preview of the garden to come.  I was so excited that we are having such pretty weather finally to start to plan out the garden.
Hopeful this week end to start the planting and maybe work on the deck and backyard too.
Have a great week.  Hope you are having beautiful weather where you are.
Kris
:)

It feels like Spring here in Chicago Land!!!! Wooooo Hooooo I have the windows open and the birds are singing and I even heard the hubby run the lawn mower.  Soooooo Excited to hear those things and smell the fresh air.

I did some Spring cleaning in my office today and I thought I would show you some pictures.  Then I am off to the yard to start to get some of my stuff set up for flowers hopefully in a few weeks.

Have a beautiful day!!! Hope you are enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

I got this chippy stair post from Grays Lake Flea Market a few weeks ago from Jeanine at her Chippy Shabby Booth.  I fell in love with this piece the minute I set eyes on it.  I brought it home not knowing what I would do with it but it was so chippy and calling to me.
I was thinking outside in the garden somewhere this summer and then it hit me!!!! I have been trying to section off my office in the back of the house from the dining room and I think this is perfect.   I was thinking about some kind of old doors and making a wall as a divider but that would really cut off my light so I think this little chippy rail does the trick.

This space in the back of the house was all closed off and a closet when we moved in.  I hated that it cut off the light of that window and I did not want to take up one of my small bedrooms to make an office so this space seemed perfect for my office.  It is bright and open.

Remember that old kitchen cabinet I got out of an old 100 year old tear down.  I love it in my office for storage.  You know how I love to re love things back into my home.

My little storage bins are perfect to keep all my magazines and decor books.

I love an old gate and this one works perfect above my desk for hanging my "junk" on!!

I loved this old vintage desk that a bought a long time ago at an estate sale and it was chippy  for that time worn look.

Now I feel like just adding the stair rail gives the room some division from the rest of the space.  I still cannot believe that space was a closet at one time.  Too ugly and blocked the window.  I think it makes a better office.

I spruced up the old mantel area.  I also got this chippy fun old window from Jeanine at Grays Lake Flea.  I had the hubby hang it for me in between the mantel opening.  I think it brings some character to that open space.  Don't you love the old architectural feature of the wood inside the window.

Spruced up the table setting on the dining room table.

Even added some more spring to the bike.  Moved my wellies and garden hat to the bike.  Just feels a little more spring like now.

Well I am off to the outside.  Wow it was great to hear the lawn mower going today.  I love the smell of fresh cut grass!!!! I will post my outside spruce up soon.  Have a great week end.
Kris
:)

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