PORCH POST WITH LAVENDAR PINK GERANIUM IN BICYCLE BASKET

When my sister was visiting last week, we went shopping for flowers.  I found a beautiful lavender pink geranium.  I wanted to place it on the front porch, but needed to find an appropriate stand.

I didn't have to look far since I have the two porch posts that Mr. Thrifty built for me a few years back.

Adding one of Grandma's crocheted doilies to the top of the post gave it a bit of romance.

Last summer, I picked up a willow bicycle basket at an estate sale.  This item would be perfect to hold the majestic pink geranium.

The back of the basket.

I will enjoy the blooms all summer.

The week before, I planted the French blue chair with various annual flowers. As the summer begins, I hope that this basket will overflow with colorful blooms.

The winter pansies are doing very well right now. I added some hot pink vinca and verbena to the mix.  Once the heat comes, I will need  to plant some pink and purple annuals, but for right now, I will enjoy the view.

FATHER'S DAY 2016

I think I am writing today's post more for my siblings than for my Dad.  Bear with me.

My Dad was a stamp collector, but not in the usual sense of the word.  Yes, he purchased stamps for his collections, but he also saved almost all of the stamps that came in the mail at our house.  I recall one time hearing him say that he was saving them for the missions, but I don't know if they were worth money for those in the third world country.  At our house it wouldn't be uncommon to see a hand towel spread out on the top of the dryer with used stamps drying after being removed from their envelopes.

When Mom was cleaning out her house, I came upon a few stashes of these saved stamps.  I offered to take them off her hands(giggle, giggle) and use them in my card making crafts.

While wrapping Mr. Thrifty's Father's Day gift this year, I grabbed a new roll of wrapping paper from the pile.

 I also got out the mailing Kraft paper to wrap a few presents.  With a bit of twine, and Dad's preserved stamps, a present worthy of a great Dad was created.

My Dad gave his children many gifts.  I miss him still.  I'm sure he is at heaven with a smile on his face knowing  that I save EVERY eggshell and all the coffee grounds in my kitchen to compost to make such a splendid perennial garden. 


I love you Dad!

SUMMER IN THE SOUTH-2016

Mid-June here in Alabama is ever present.  We are in the midst of a drought. The heat is just plain oppressive.

 Just when I thought the peach crop would be poor, I stopped at the store and the Georgia peaches were already in.

What also comes to mind when you think of the deep south?  Why cotton of course.

Branches of cotton were placed in the silver plate coffee pot on the foyer table.

We will be enjoying the fresh juicy peaches and cobblers few the next few weeks.

How sweet it is!

QUICK 10 MINUTE TABLECLOTH FOR $10.00



In memory of my grandmother, I love to use oil cloth type fabric when possible. The surface allows you to clean off the dirt with a damp cloth.  This particular fabric will protect your wood tables from lingering stains too.

I found this fabric at Hancock Fabrics on sale for $10.00 for a 2 1/2 yard piece.

Prior to this, I had used another product that though it worked well needed to be changed up a bit.

Here is the kitchen table without a tablecloth.  The finished is so beautiful that I wanted to preserve the finish.

Before attacking this project, I had thought of sewing the ends up.  I also added the extra leaf into the table so when expanded, the tablecloth will still fit.  After checking the border of the fabric, I decided to just cut off the edges.  The tablecloth can be used for the table with or without the leaf.



No sewing required.

The new tablecloth compliments the grey paint from the great room.

This project took only 10 minutes to whip up.  That was fun!

DINNER PLATES IN THE GARDEN

                                                                                      

                                                                                I seem to acquire a lot of chipped dinner plates to use for my mosaic work, but I was really not that crazy about the patterns of these three dinner plates.

I usually never pay more than a dollar for them as you can see by the chips in the picture that follows.

Last year, I took 4 chipped bread saucers and bread and butter plates and placed them in the gardening bed in the back yard.

To add more whimsy to the other side of the bed, I planted these 3 dinner plates.
                            

Besides adding a bit of color, the plates will be a great background for the low growing flowers in front of them.

         
Now I have plates on both sides of the garden balancing out each other.  It is nice to renew the life of the plate in a most extraordinary way.