A Little Nesting

This is the view outside my window this morning. Yes, old man winter has returned.

Fortunately before his arrival we had a few warm days which I tried to take full advantage of by bringing in a few signs of spring.

In my flower bed are two old cement urns that once belonged to my in-laws. I love to change these urns with the seasons. Recently I found two unusual wreaths at the thrift store for a dollar each. I placed them a top each urn and, luckily enough, pots from the nursery fit snug inside the center.

I like the way they resemble birds nests.
I planted pansies nestled amongst spanish moss.
And to finish out the display and give it height, I added
beautiful red branches a dear neighbor clipped for me.Nests, pansies and branches---the perfect spring combination!

I am excited to announce
that this little blog has been
nominated for the JDR Industry Blogger Awards!!!

I feel very humbled and honored
to be listed among a group of talented bloggers.
The winner receives $500.
Wow, I know a few projects I could finish with that kind of money!

I would truly appreciate it if you would go to jacksondesignandremodeling.com/blog/
to vote for Joys of Home.
Thank you!!!

Garden Architecture

Ever since we moved into our home, we've been adding architectural elements to give it more style and character. We've been doing the same with our yard and garden. We've bought and built simple structures to add character and height. They look beautiful from spring to fall surrounded by blooming vines and bushes. During the winter months when the yard and gardens are so gray and barren the structures give a charming visual interest and stand as a monuments to natures life and beauty.
A few years back we built this rose arbor using doors.Then we added this trellis and door that leads into our vegetable garden.Recently we used scrap wood, found next to a dumpster, to build two seven foot tall obelisks. Once we figured out how to cut those pointed tops (thank you internet), they were a fairly easy build.
Son #3 painted them with a mis-tint exterior paint.We placed them in our vegetable garden. They serve as tall, fancy tomato cages. There's only one problem---I want at least three more of these beauties!
Joy @ JOYSOFHOME

Linked to ASPTL DIY Day

Who's Grading?

You may recall that I said I do not sew. Well actually, on occasion, I've been known to sew----for decorative purposes only. I think that I would probably sew more if it weren't for those horrid memories of Junior High Home-Ec sewing class. I remember unpicking more stitches than I sewed, or at least it seemed that way. I wanted my project (a cotton slip with lace and an elastic band waist) to be perfect so that I could get a good grade. Yes, I unpicked and unpicked and unpicked so much that I dreaded sewing and hated the finished product.
But lately I've been making some changes in my life. You see, I have spent my entire life only trying things if I first knew that I could do them well. I steered clear of experiences if I felt that I couldn't succeed.
But I have finally realized that I have held myself back from so many wonderful adventures in life. Why do I still feel, years and years after graduating from school, that I am being graded on my performance?

The real truth is,
I'm the ONLY one that's doing the grading!

Even if someone else comments on my performance, it's still MY CHOICE to let their opinion influence my life.

MY CHOICE!

And so, with those thoughts in mind, I pulled out the sewing machine, plopped my faded outdoor cushions on top of pretty fabric and got to work. About an hour later I proudly placed my newly covered cushions outside. I had a real feeling of accomplishment! Are the covers perfect? Let's just say that if I was being graded I would not get an A for quality. But I would get an A+ for effort----and that's really all that matters!

My family and friends will enjoy the new seating. It won't matter to them that the seams aren't perfect. They, and I, will appreciate the overall beauty and comfort of the cushions and the memories that we will make on our back patio.

I have the satisfaction of knowing that I created something beautiful. But even more, I have learned that life isn't about grades, it's about

learning,

making mistakes,

and realizing that making the effort

to learn and grow is when we

truly succeed.

Picture a Tray

The only negative thing about making a door into a table is that the uneven surface makes it difficult to display things. I could have topped it with glass, but seriously, who wants to have that additional cost, let alone clean a glass surface constantly.

My solution for creating an even surface is to
use a tray. Oh how I love trays!

I'm pretty sure I have at least a couple of dozen of them, silver ones, wooden ones, store bought and handmade. But I thought I'd make one more.

I took out a wooden picture frame
from my stash. Then had hubby cut and glue a piece of
scrap beadboard to fit the opening (he enjoys taking part in my projects). I gave it a pretty coat of spray paint. And then gave it a good distressing.

My technique for distressing is pretty simple. I start by using my palm sander and scuffing up the areas that would naturally show wear, the edges, corners and under the handles. If I had used brush-on paint, I might have rubbed those areas with wax before painting so that the paint would wipe off easily to show the original layer. To add more character, I use a paint scraper. With both the sander and the scraper I make sure to vary the scuffs, heavy in some spots and lighter, or not at all, in others. If the scuffs are too uniform it doesn't look natural.
I then finish with a coat of stain or diluted brown paint. I like working with water-based stains and paints because I can spray on a little water and wipe off as much stain as I desire. I try to leave stain in the corners and low areas that would naturally attract dirt and grime over years.Once dry, I added two old drawer handles. I could have added knobs, wooden balls or finials to the bottom for feet like I did on this tray, but I need my picture frame tray to have as much bottom surface area as possible. My new tray is beautiful and serves as a nice flat area on my door table to set my burlap lamp and other pretties.

Linked to A Soft Place to Land

Comfort and Joy

There is something about a throw draped over a piece of furniture that makes the room feel that much more inviting and comfortable. I wanted to achieve that same feeling on my porches, after all they're like a room---without as many walls.I went on a search to find something that would look both pretty and appropriate. With temperatures in the 90's and 100's it would look a bit odd to have a heavy throw resting on outdoor furniture.
While looking through a linen rack at my local thrift store I discovered a bunch of beautifully hand painted sarongs. These would make the perfect throws for my porches! They're large, lightweight and infused with color.Now the furniture on my porches beckon one to sit in comfort, to rest for a few minutes and take in the joy and beauty of nature.

Lettuce With a Touch of Ketchup

Last summer we built this table from an old door and stair balusters. It was designed to fill an awkward space between a window well and a set of stairs on our patio. It's tall so that it can function as a sofa table behind my wicker love seat. I originally painted the top red, (remember my ketchup and mustard theme?).In my effort to transform my patio into a more restful spot, I thought it was time to give the table a little paint makeover with a beautiful leafy green, reminiscent of a luscious head of lettuce. Then of course I distressed it with sandpaper and a paint scraper to unearth it's past. This little door has not only been red in it's former life, but has also dawned the colors white and baby blue.

Oh how I love a piece with age and character!

Sweet, Petite, and Beat

You know there's nothing like finding a few thrifty treasures to make one feel great again! I found this petite metal table while thrifting this past weekend. It was only four dollars and can you believe that I actually had to think about buying it. I'm trying to be selective with my purchases, asking myself where the item will go in my house. Once I decided the new home for this sweet table I bought it and brought it home and beat it with a hammer. You know me, I like things to show a little age and character and this table looked like it had just been spray painted. I'm hoping that now that I've knocked off some paint and chipped it up a bit, it will begin to rust a little too.
And as for it's new home, it looks quite happy to be joining my finished metal chair.

I Do Not Sew

I do not sew.

So why do I find myself with
a rather large stash of fabric?
And why is it so difficult for me
to pass by
fabric remnants at the thrift store
or the fabric store?
And why do I even find myself
in a fabric store
when I do not sew?
Perhaps it's because every once in a while
I stumble upon a great deal on some
fantastic fabric.And then I use that fantastic fabric to cover a seat.And I give that spray paint color a second chance.And the result is an outdoor chair
that looked like thisnow looks like this. And, without sewing,
I've made a pretty little spot
by my side door that beckons me
to rest and enjoy my shade garden.

A Little Outdoor Cutie

Last year I did a makeover on my back patio. My goal was to have it be fun, summery and a bit retro. I painted my collection of vintage metal chairs and other accessories in the colors of red and yellow. My boys teased that it looked like ketchup and mustard, which meant I had accomplished my goal of having it fun and summery. I also chose to decorate the patio so that it connected to the yard and flower garden, with garden accessories galore.In the spring of this year I stood at the back of my yard staring at my patio. I no longer loved what I saw. The bright colors were fun, but they also created visual clutter. So I chose new goals for my patio. I want it calm, classy, and more of an extension of the inside of my home.
One way that I chose to accomplish the home to patio connection was to incorporate another furniture piece. I decided that a china hutch would be the perfect choice. It could provide storage for cushions during the winter, and beauty and a bit of privacy during the summer. I began my search. The hutch had to be a bit on the smaller side. I didn't want it to overwhelm the patio. It had to have character. It had to be free of glass (who wants to continually clean?). And, most of all, it had to be cheap!

After looking through several thrift stores with nothing to be found, I started my search on our local on-line classifieds. I found this hand-made cutie for twenty-five dollars. What? You don't think it's cute? Well, it did have that grandpa's cabin look, and it was a bit short, standing less that five feet tall. But it did have character and it definitely had potential!We added legs and feet using a 4x4 that we'd found in the dumpster, and fence finials from the thrift store at 50 cents each.I gave it a fresh coat of spray paint, but found the color a little too boring, so I sanded it a bit to prepare it for it's next coat. I pulled out a mis-tint that had the wow factor. The paint was beautiful, but I wanted to add back some of that grandpa's cabin character. Out came the sandpaper and the stain.Thanks to the addition of the feet, this cutie now stands at 5'8'' and looks like a piece unearthed from an attic.

I love it!

Linked to Southern Hospitality and Metamorphosis Monday.