Mix It Up!

Mod Mikasa Platter

Why settle for just one style?  It's so much more fun to mix things up.  You don't have to be a designer to have a sense of style.  Add and subtract until it looks just right...to you!  Decorating your home is a process that happens over time.  Here are a few things that have been offered on Bluebell recently.  A little bit country, a little bit modern.  

 

 

 

Get creative with a glass cloche!

Small Stoneware Owl

Fun storage idea!

Old books:  Fun to read or decorate with.

Brass Pineapple Bookend

Picnic & Storage

Mod TV stand or end table!

Happy decorating!

Friday Favorites: Modern Country Design

 

Random pictures of modern country design.  Hope they are inspiring. 

Warm Weather Chores

My Garden

 

With the warmer weather I have been working on crossing off items from my to-do list.  My gardening to-do list, especially.  One of the things on my list was to get up the deer netting.  I have tried all the other tricks to keep deer from eating my garden and now it was time for a new tactic.  I purchased 100 feet of deer netting and ordered twenty bamboo stakes that are 7' tall.  Netting was secured to the stakes around the inside of my picket fence.  I know this will not keep a determined deer out of the garden, but I'm hoping it will be a deterrent.  Maybe they just won't want to bother with getting all tangled in the netting and go elsewhere for their dinner.  

Deer Netting

 

 

I have also started my planting.  I put two tomato plants in the garden and four in two large planters on my patio.  This is an experiment for me.  I purchased two tub-like planters on wheels that are also self watering.  I just have to put the hose in the little opening at the bottom of the planter when the soil feels dry.  There are wells in the bottom of the planters that supply the water to the soil, requiring less frequent watering by me.  The soil in planters tends to dry out alot faster than soil in the garden.  The soil in the planters also warms up faster than in the garden.  I am hoping this will give me an earlier tomato crop.  We shall see.

Planters for Tomatoes

The raspberry canes are greening up nicely now.  They are much more sparse this year.  I have tried transplanting some of the runners hoping they will fill in the bare spots.  I may have to order new canes for next year.

Raspberry Bed

Last week I went to the nursery, not far from my home, and purchased three trays of herbs and annual flowers.  I have been working on getting them in the ground this week.  This is the fun part!  If I am successful in keeping the deer out, this could be a great gardening season.  Here's hoping.

Cosmos, Marigold, Dill, Basil, Parsley, Dahlia...

Happy gardening!

After the Rain...

It has rained a lot here this spring.  I mean a whole lot.  But then you wake up to a day like this and all the soggy days are forgotten.  Headed outdoors to my garden this afternoon.  There were weeds galore waiting to be tugged out of the ground.  That was my focus today.  I hauled 8 buckets of weed remains to the brush pile.  Still have one section to finish, but that will be for next time.  Then the straw mulch will be piled on.  I practice the no-dig method of gardening.  Read about this years ago in an article by Ruth Stout, in Organic Gardening magazine.  Obviously I am not as faithful as I should be about piling on the mulch or I wouldn't have hauled so many weeds to the brush pile today.  I was lax last fall and didn't add anymore mulch before winter set in.  Once the mulching is done in the garden, I will move on to the task of pruning dead canes from the Raspberry patch and then staking the live canes.  I will also toss a little organic fertilizer on them.  In a couple of months I will be picking and eating juicy, tangy raspberries.   Walked around the yard and took a few pics of what's blooming now.  A taste of Heaven, for sure.  

The Crabapple Tree in Full Bloom

More of the Crabapple

A Clump of Violets

The Flowering Quince

Oh, My Bleeding Heart!

Creeping Phlox under the Rhododendron

 

In other news, I am working on a new look for my Etsy shop Bluebell.  A fellow Etsian is creating a new banner and avatar for me, as well as designing new business cards.  Spring is a very busy time of year.  Soon the lazy days of summer will be here and life will slow down a little.  Until then, it's full steam ahead!

Spring at Last!

A Violet in a crevice of our patio.

This is the time the daffodils do their thing.

I love my Hellebore's!

After a long, cold winter spring has decided to make an appearance.  My skin was longing for some sunshine and my lungs were longing for a breath of sweet air.  My fingers were itching to dig in some dirt, and today I had my chance!  The last of the three butterfly bushes was trimmed back today, as was the Crepe Myrtle.  A few unsightly branches were lobbed off of the Rhododendron.  A rose bush that has failed to flourish in spite of years of pampering was, at last, dug up and tossed on the brush pile.  Three new Knockout Rose bushes will be here by the end of the week.  I took the six bags of mulch that were left from last year and dumped them on the front flower beds.  More will be added this weekend, weather permitting.  I also ordered two self watering patio planters, into which I will plant tomatoes this year.  They have wheels which will make it easy to push them into the sun when needed.  I also ordered 200 feet of deer netting.  This is my latest effort to combat the increasingly annoying habit of our local deer munching my garden plants to near oblivion (no more Hosta salad for you!).  So, my skin was warmed by the sun and my body got a good workout.  Not to mention, things are shaping up in my yard and garden.  Now...what to cook for dinner?

The Forsythia hedgerow in bloom.

Some Favorite Etsy Finds

I love to sift through Etsy looking for unique hand crafted and vintage items.  Here are a few of my recent favorite finds.

Funky Owl Coaster set by Funky Chicken Design

Green Metal Buckets by Daily Memorandum

Hello Summer Print by Cathy Nichols

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Polka Dot Stationery by Rue Renee

 

 

"Dreams"  print by Art at the Speed of Life

 

Antique Schoolmaster's Desk  by Daily Memorandum

Mini Post Card Pillows by Lisa Wine Studios

This is why I love Etsy!  So many creative people and so many unique items.  The perfect place to shop for the person who has everything.  Including yourself!
But also a place to find creative inspiration.  What will I find next??

Let's Make This Fun!

Decorating needn't be so serious.  Have a little fun!  Try something new!  Explore all the possibilities with color and pattern.  Here are some rooms that will,  hopefully, inspire you.