Beauty from the Garden Perennial Flower Arrangements

     I absolutely love flowers!

 I love to grow them, arrange them, enjoy them and give them as gifts.
We have had a week of temperatures in the 100's and everything in the yard is suffering but I was able to cut these flowers from our yard the other day. I am amazed at how good they look!
They are Annabelle Hydrangeas and an old fashioned cabbage rose that has the most wonderful citrus scent.

Over the years I have added many perennials to our yard so that I can have flowers to bring indoors all summer long.

Hydrangeas and ferns are two of my favorites that are perfect for using in arrangements. 

Roses, Purple Cone flowers, Peony and Lilacs are also good choices to plant if you want a perennial cutting garden.

I started in one corner of the yard and added a section of garden each year focusing mainly on flowering trees,shrubs and perennials.

For Mother's Day I made this arrangement with flowers from the garden.

I'm always amazed what you can create with just a few flowers, and it's a gift that feels more "from the heart" than a store bought arrangement.

The flowers I used here are: Endless Summer Hydrangeas, Graham Thomas yellow roses, fern leaves and the hot pink flowers are from our Spirea bush.

To personalize an arrangement, print your message on card stock. Layer it over scrapbook paper in a pretty print, punch two holes in one side and insert a wooden skewer to hold your message. 

I love the green with a pop of pink!

I think this would be beautiful for a wedding reception centerpiece.

What are your favorite cutting flowers or flower arranging tips?

I would love to hear from you.

Jodie

Master Bedroom Makeover One Plan Two Looks

The ceiling is textured and the room and trim are painted, now it's time to move on the the fun part, decorating!

As I mentioned in my  previous post, my plan for the room is to use neutrals for the walls and comforter so I can have two totally different looks by changing out the pillows, curtains and bedskirt for the winter and summer seasons.

For the walls I chose paint in Ralph Lauren's Kauai Jungle

and

Pottery Barn's velvet linen windowpane comforter for the bed.

I plan on sewing the rest of the bedding and curtains

 Here are the fabrics I chose for my summer look. Colors from a room featured in the Pottery Barn catolog were my inspiration. I chose a blue gray velvet for the Euro shams, drop cloth for the bedskirt and curtains, and found a fun, modern print for an accent pillow.

         I fell in love with this horse canvas from Home Goods.

He will be perfect for both looks.

Here are the fabrics for the Fall and Winter look.
I made the paisly pillow awhile back and have always loved the colors. It was my inspiration for choosing the warm color palate. I am wanting a cozy Ralph Lauren look for winter.

I found a mixture of patterns and textures that should work well with the comforter.

The sample in the middle is actually vinyl that is a leather look alike.

Well, that's the plan. I will share more as the room progresses

Thanks for stopping by

Jodie

Bedroom Makeover Step 1 popcorn be gone!

I've been ready for a change in our master bedroom for several months and finally got started making it happen. The walls had been red for quite some time. It isn't as scary of a red as it looks in the picture, I had all the lights on and the blinds pulled up so I could see to work. I loved it for a long time, it felt warm and cocoon like at night but the fabric I had for the curtains and shams was dated and it was time for a change. I listed the curtains on Craig's List thinking no one would be interested but they sold in a couple of days, I guess you never know what people will want!

Before the fun could begin I scraped the popcorn off the ceiling and textured it using the skip trowel method. I painted the ceiling the same off white as the crown molding in the room. It is a messy, nasty task but worth it when it's done it looks so much better! 

My vision for the room is a cozy, relaxed, Ralph Lauren, Pottery Barn feel. I am using warm neutrals for the walls, and comforter so I can change out the pillows and accessories easily, from deep green and rusty red in the fall and winter to blues, cream and green in the spring and summer.
The paint color I chose for the walls is Ralph Lauren's Kauai Jungle, as you can see here on the ceiling. I love it because it is the perfect shade between taupe and a subtle golden hue, and I've found it to be a color that looks great in any light. Can't wait to share more of my makeover with you next time.
  
                                                                      Jodie

Sweet Headboard Before and After

                                                                        

I found this adorable headboard on one of  my recent trips to Goodwill and grabbed it right away. The finish was in rough shape but I loved the curves and routed edges. I envisioned it painted off white and distressed and knew, when finished, it would be a really beautiful piece for a little girls room.

Once I got it home and started looking at the center of the headboard, I realized how pretty the grain of the wood was. The grain angles out in both directions from the center, something I haven't seen very often.  I was torn, to paint or not to paint? As much as I like painted furniture I couldn't bring myself to cover up that beautiful wood in the center. So, I sanded the middle and stained it with two coats of Minwax Dark Walnut and topped that with two coats of wipe on Minwax satin poly.

The rest of the piece is painted off white, distressed and topped with a paste wax finish.
                                

                                             
  The white really frames the beauty of the wood now!  I love the mix of paint and wood tones together to highlight a piece that has a beautiful wood grain.
                                      

                                     
I am wishing I had a little girl at home who could dream under this pretty headboard. My little girl is all grown up now so it will be finding a new home. At least I'll have pictures!

 Jodie

I am joining Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

Thrifting Extravaganza

This post is for my good friend DeLynn. I am embarrassed to say I haven't posted anything new for a whole year! DeLynn said she was getting tired of seeing the same darned egg and bunny post. I said, "Hey, it's that time of year again so I am in season!" I guess this is a good time to pick up where I left off.
Even though I haven't been blogging I've still been busy. I've completed many projects, taken a electrocardiogram program, gone to Sweden, and am working on a master bedroom and closet makeover.  To get back in the swing of things I will start with what I love best, a makeover!

Last fall I got to go on a Thrifting Extravaganza, a day of fun and thrifting with a group of friends. We all piled into a van and spent the day traveling to a bunch of thrift stores around Kansas City. We had a great time and my special find that day was this cute little nightstand for the bargain price of $15.00.

I love the lines of these little French Provincial pieces and seem to be drawn to them. After a little sanding, paint and light distressing she is ready for her next life.

Speaking of French pieces, I found the prettiest china cabinet on Craig's List. It is part of my closet makeover that I plan on sharing with you soon!
I want to thank Nancy over at nancy elizabeth at home  for honoring me with the Liebster Award, for blogs with under 100 followers.You may know Nancy from her former blog, La Borda Bleu. It made my day to find her sweet message and to know that someone was enjoying my blog.
                                             
                                         Thanks for stopping by and Happy Spring!
                                                                      Jodie