Party Time: Sangria & Lilacs

Last winter's Progressive Dinner Party went so well

we decided to do it again, this time in Spring.

My house was stop #2.

 I went a little wacko with a table display.

I randomly bunched up a few of my vintage table cloths as a backdrop.

• The 7-up crate and frame - I found at the last garage sale spree.
•  I found the pitcher/glasses set at one of my favorite shops, La Garage. 
• Also, the blue tin that holds the ginormous foxgloves.

(They're going in my garden any day now.)

The cool frame is also from the last garage sales - $1.

I just printed the 2 with the circle. It is 'k' in the font - Webdings 2.

Cool.

As you can see I went a bit lilac crazy.

I couldn't help myself.

Lilacs are in full bloom here & they are everywhere.

I nabbed these from a neighbor's tree.

Tip:  They last for days if you hammer the end of their stems then put them in water.

I've found a few more silver pots at recent sales.

 Score!

It was fun to use them in a new mantel set-up.

A few more deals:

I actually found old clocks!

 No small feat as they are tough to find these days.

The two bigger ones were .50 cents each. score.

The smaller one was $3.00 

One last detail.

I scored the aqua Ball canning jars for .25 cents each.

Plus - the tin tops for .10 each. 

Really.

The details: For my course I served,

•  Lemony Asparagus and Spring Pea Salad.
• Fruit salad with Pineapple, Strawberries, Red Grapes, Fuji Apples and Kiwi.
• We drank Sangria.

Plan a party!

xo Jeanne

St. Paul Garage Sales: Rain or Shine.

We can't help it. We're die hard.

We were pretty spoiled with Minneapolis a few weeks ago when it was sunny and warm.

However, the past two weekends Decorating co-captain Linda
and me have trudged it in the rain.

 

Downside: we get soaked. Upside: fantastic deals.

Last Saturday's haul:

Oh happy day!

Linda picked up this totally fantastic Hoosier for.........$40.  Caaaaching!!

Complete with the enamelware top.

The gal selling it had even put the missing handle in the drawer.

It is dreamy and the score of the day.

The Eiffel Tower, my daughter MK scored for a buck.

You may notice a few things that I have already put up on my wall of frames.

The old black frame was .50 cents at a charity sale. 

The completely fabulous vintage The Price Is Right game
 with the awesome game cards was $1.00.

(The price was really right!)



For the cool 7-Up crate, I paid.......$3. It's awesome.

Linda uses the small vintage muffin tins to hold jewelry supplies.....3 for $3.

Sooo many things were .50 cents or a dollar. The rained helped with our bargaining.

The window screens and the old coal bucket were from 'free' piles.  We love free.

They'll be used for something fabulous.

(the hosta, i bought)

We were pooped but happy we'd decided to brave the rain, it totally paid off.

The clouds parted like magic just as we were done.

The sun actually came out - no small feat as we've had days and days of clouds here.

We're glad the snow is gone, but we'd really love some warm sunny days!

(and more fabulous garage sales.)

xo Jeanne 

I've Been Framed...And It's Good!

 With the big 'ole empty wall above my stairs

 &  the recent popularity of empty frames, this project was calling my name.

I've had my eye on them and I love how creative they can be.

I didn't want to go all one solid color.

I wanted to keep it vintage, yet modern.

I think I did it.

This is the wall upstairs - opposite of where my desk is. 

It's big and was begging for some creativity.

It took my a bit to collect the frames I wanted to use. I've kept my eye open for them.

You might notice some I'd found at recent garage sales.

• I chose a few to spray paint black. 
• I wanted to keep the old hanging wires.
• I covered the wire with masking tape. 

  

• I discarded the artwork in the frames.
• I laid them out on my living room floor to play and see how I'd like them.

Lily the cat thought she'd be helpful.

I added wire backing to the largest frame.

The Cabinet Maker used a staple gun to attach it.

I kept the original hanging wire,

and exposed to the front side so I could use it in the project.

The chicken wire added dimension and I kept the hanging wire exposed

so I could do this:  Add the vintage "The Price Is Right" game cards.

So very cool.

To hang the shoe horses, The Cabinet Maker made holes in the back of each one.

Then put we hung them up. They are cool! They were $1.

The frames, he hung up with a nail gun - right into the wall.

They're not going anywhere for a while.

Since it's high up, we took our time measuring and leveling as we went.

The big metal key, I found at a church rummage sale for .25 cents.

The frames ranged in price from .50 cents to $6.99 each. 

 Total: about $25 for all.

This includes the fab vintage game cards. (I've got more...tease!)

Looking at my desk before and after:

Fun to see the upstairs come to life!

The wall really needed something cool.  Mission Accomplished.

A pretty great $25 project!

Off to a new week, Enjoy!

xo Jeanne

So you can see how far it's come:

Here is the upstairs Before.

Here is the After.

Linda's House: The new window box.

If you had a dear friend and neighbor who had a darling house like this,

wouldn't you pop by on a walk every now and then?

How could you resist?

This is my Decorating co-captain Linda's house.

In Spring and Summer it is especially easy to drop by and see

what fantastic new pot she's planted

or a cool new plant she's added to her gardens.

Tuesday night was just such a night, lucky for me!

Her fab window box was waiting and so was a margarita.

(double lucky and tasty too!)

On this evening, I'd popped by with my camera in hand to see

the new big window box with the antique tin.

Linda has been planning this for some time.

The ceiling tin was purchased last summer with this very purpose in mind.

The flowers have just been planted.

Picture them with time to grow and spilling over the edge.

 Then once at the darling house, one must look around further.

You can't possibly stop at the new window box.

It's like eating just one chip, you can't have just one.....

Oh yes, not only is there a fountain,

but a darling little 'potting shed' too.

Though the shed is far from merely potting. 

 It's actually completely decorated inside.

I'll save that for another time..... (I am sooo mean!)

Really, I'll take new pics when everything is in full bloom.

I'll just have to drag myself over there again.

It's pretty tough to take... having to sit among darlingness,

sipping margaritas and cracking each other up.

Thanks Quandie, for letting me pop by.

{i owe you one. put it on my tab}

xo Jeanne

Annuals {time2plant}

One of the high points of my year is getting to plant Annuals.

What can I say, I get excited by the little things!?

Living in Minnesota, it's a big deal when you see

the garden centers opening for the season.

I simply cannot resist the color.  happiness.

This week, I gathered my supplies played in the dirt.

I filled {two} planters.

For #1, I used folded burlap to hold the dirt.

You can buy this is rolls at a home store or garden center.

• I just cut a big piece, folded it twice, and layered it.
• I put one more piece on the bottom.
• I put a layer of potting soil in.
• Then I 'posed' my plants in to see how I'd like them.

 



To plant I keep a bucket full of dirt and a bucket full of water at hand.

• I start at the back of the planter, then just go around and plant one at a time.
• I pull the plant from it's container and dip the whole rootball into the water bucket.
• I grab dirt from the bucket and fill in as I go.
• When all done, I water the whole thing.

Here's this one all done:

For #2, I used an old metal tub I pilfered from a friend's junk pile last year.

(thanks D!! and no you can't have it back!! tee hee)

• First, I took a hammer and a big nail and punched some drainage wholes.
• To fill the whole thing w/ potting soil would make it super heavy and expensive.
• So instead, I used the discarded plastic from the first planter and used alluminum cans.
• (the garden center recommended this - awesome idea)
• Then did the same thing- filled it w/ dirt and arranged how'd I'd like them.

 The fab tub:

The big bags in the top picture are cocoa shell mulch. They are about $6 a bag.

I filled my garden beds with this.  They keep weeds down and my perennials love it.

I do it early in the season before the plants get too big and unruly.

•  First I sprinkle Preen to prevent weeds.
• Then, just pour out the cocoa shells and spread it around.

It smells like chocolate or a big mocha latte'. yum!

It does stay this red/brown color long.  It darens to a deep brown.

On a day off work, I worked from about 11:00 to 2:00.

I was able to do both planters, the cocoa shells

and clean up before the kids got home from school.

Fabulous Accomplishment.

Here's why I love this particular garden center so much:

The inside: A fantastic sight after a long, grey winter.

Right outside: A fantastic view.

And finally.

Home Sweet Bungalow..........I so prefer Spring.

  

Teaser: Garage Sales Tomorrow - yes!!

xo Jeanne.