Love The Home You Have: A Welcoming Courtyard and Porch

Welcome to our home!

We've been working all spring to fix up our entryway into a warm and welcoming area.

A place where you can be comfortable.

I made-over these inexpensive chairs I found at Lowes.  When I started out they were bleh tan.  You know the color  LOL!  I sprayed the entire chair with the robin egg blue.  Then I masked off the frame.  The birds are masks that I made by tracing onto contact paper and sticking them on the chair backs.  SO easy to do.  Then I sprayed the seats and back with cocoa brown paint.  The rusty chippy table was done in the cocoa brown also.

That's all there was to it!

I love my angel sitting in front of the Leeland cypress.  In a few years when they get some size to them, we will transplant them into the yard and get a new pair for the courtyard.

One of our five birdbaths.

A little accent area we put together.  The 'wall' was made with a couple pieces of slab board given to us by a neighbor with a portable sawmill.   The bench was left here by the previous owners.

I think geraniums are so cheerful.

The primitive angel was a gift from my Mom.  There are different decorations for her to hold for each season.

Down on the bench are a variety of planters and lanterns.

I use a lot of sedum and succulents since they are so easy to care for.  This area gets some pretty intense late morning sun so these plants are what can tolerate it when I forget to water.

This lily is thriving here too.  I think since the pot is on the ground it doesn't get as hot.  I can't wait for it to bloom!  It has big white flowers.

Here's a glimpse of our rare rattlesnake ... Crotalus cerastes concretus.

But don't worry!  The roadrunner has his eye on him.

The hen on the front porch is watching too!  LOL

I used more planters and lanterns up on the porch.

More of my hen and chicks.

One of Himself's favorite plants.  It's an annual called "Persian Shield".  The leaves glow so pretty.  When it gets to about 2 1/2 feet tall I'll start pinching it back so it will get bushy.

The only hanging plant that stands up to the heat... Purslane.  How about that cob web?  There are SO many spiders this year.

Welcome!  Glad you're here!

In case you're curious, here are the "Before" photos from just a few weeks ago.

Much better... yes?

http://www.housebyhoff.com/2015/06/get-your-diy-on-outdoor-decor/

http://www.posedperfection.com/2015/05/creative-ways-link-party-55-and-features.html  

http://www.stonegableblog.com/the-scoop-172-2/ 

http://www.commonground-do.com/2015/05/share-your-style-15.html  

A Gathering of Plants

This is my 'year of the plant'.  I'm working on developing a 'green thumb' for both outdoor and indoor plants.  To be sure, I'll be starting off with the toughest plants I can find!

Here's the start of my indoor gang!  The cedar chest is a great place to keep them.  Even tho it is a west exposure, the matchstick blind makes it bright yet indirect light.  (On days it is really intense we pull the curtains during the peak of hotness).

My hen and chicks planting.  As you can see from the first photo, several have bolted and are getting ready to bloom.

The two leftover 'chicks' from my give-away.  The pineapple is a second generation... the baby of a recycle pineapple plant.

Inside my little greenhouse (a gift from Himself that he found at TJ Maxx) are a couple of plants (fern and ivy) that are going to end up in a terrarium.  The orchid is a tough guy from Trader Joe's.

I'm looking forward to having plants again.  I have several areas picked out to start more groupings, plus my porch, deck, and courtyard.

http://www.urbanjunglebloggers.com/may-2015-show-your-plant-gang/ 

#urbanjunglebloggers

May Day Gift of a Plant

 I found some overflowing pots of Hen and Chicks at the local 'big box' store for a very good price.  I picked up 2 for me and a third for a little project I had in mind.

Aren't they beautiful?  This is about a third of what the pot contained.

Now... what to put them in...

Ahhh!  Some of my jelly jars with a bit of pea gravel would work perfectly.

Hen and Chicks are so easy.  All you have to do is gently pull them apart and replant.

I had my own little assembly line going on.  The really big ones wouldn't fit into the jars but that's OK.  I've got another project in mind for them.

Here's how they turned out.  Very cute!  Perfect for setting on a window sill or desk.

I filled all my jars and took them to my Bible study last night.  The plan was to give them to the ladies in the group (which I did).  But at the end, one of the guys was looking kind of wistfully at the ones that were left.  

I said, "Hey Bill... would you like a Hen and Chick?"

In a soft voice he said, "Oh please.  They were my wife's favorite..."

[...melt...]

Methinks Bill will have a nice beautiful pot of Hen and Chicks very soon...

http://www.urbanjunglebloggers.com/april-2015-offer-a-plant-to-a-friend/  

"The Perfect Lamb" Moss Garden

I've found a fun new blog challenge at the Urban Jungle web site.  The web site is for those who enjoy plants, and keep them in their homes and work spaces.  Each month there is a new challenge that has to do with plants.  Since I'm just getting started with the challenges I'm not sure what I'll be doing... I'm just jumping right in!

I'm a little late for my first challenge, which was "happy green Easter".  I knew exactly what I wanted to do, so I went for it.  Now that spring has arrived, the woods are greening up with moss.  And I'm back to making my little moss gardens because they are so much fun.

So here is my first moss garden for 2015...

"The Perfect Lamb"

Just right for an Easter centerpiece.

http://www.urbanjunglebloggers.com/march-2015-happy-green-easter/