"Green" Decorating

Hello!

Mother Nature is the ultimate green decorator. Who else can take a few stray seeds, scattered by the wind, mixed with a little water and sunshine, and create such beautiful decor? The huge Hollyhocks in my front garden, that tower almost to the top of the house in a riot of pink blooms, came from a few seeds my sister-in-law gave me many, many years ago. And the Trumpet Creeper that covers the iron trellis with orange flowers that feed the hummingbirds all summer, came from a small start my guys planted on my 40th b-day (a few years ago). The beauty of garden decor is it's so easy-and if you plant perennials-they come back effortlessly every year. Here's a few pics of my pretty front cottage garden. Hope you enjoy!


Ok, so not all of my garden decor is green. But every cottage garden needs one set of sparkly twinkle lights to welcome you home at night.

Sunflowers are a great cottage garden flower. When you clean the beds out in the fall, save a few flowers so the birds can munch on the tasty seeds during the barren winter months.

I try to plant only perennials in the beds now and save the pretty pink petunias, marigolds, and blue lobelia for the urns. It's cheaper and easier!

Have a great weekend!

Di

Cute Garden Bike and a Mystery Solved

The next time you see an old, dilapidated bike with flat tires and worn paint, don't pass it by, wheel it home and into your garden. An old bike makes a charming decorative garden piece and if it has a basket-an instant planter! I found this cute English bike at a sale for $10.00. It fit right in with my shabby backyard decor of black iron trellises, huge urns filled with pretty pink flowers, and bubbly fountain.

If your bike sits in the soft dirt, put a small piece of wood under the kickstand so it doesn't sink or fall over when the sprinklers come on and the ground gets soft.

A green, crowned frog sits under the fountain-waiting for the magical kiss that will turn him into the Prince he knows he can be!

My son and I spent a few days on summer vacation last year making this cobblestone extension off of our concrete patio. It was a fairly easy project. The two of us pulled up the grass (it was already worn in this spot by the dog), leveled the dirt, and then layed pavers from Lowes. The more uneven and shabbier, the better! It's the perfect spot for coffee in the morning or a glass of wine at night as the stars twinkle through the trees.

The view from my favorite lounge chair on the cobblestone patio.

As I was taking this picture tonight, the mystery of how the fountain water was disappearing so fast has finally been solved!

Sweet Dreams!

Di

A Perfect Cup

Creative people always find a way to express their creativity-even in mundane, everyday items. For example, on my birthday in June, a good friend invited me over for coffee. I knew he made a good cup of joe, but I watched in fascination as he poured a perfect "rosetta" with the steamed milk on top. It was so pretty I didn't want to drink it! Finally, giving in to caffeine withdrawls, I found out it was as good as it looked. Starbucks will never taste the same again!

And don't forget the killer homemade stones!

Happy Friday!

Di

What Every Girl Needs

While cruising the streets of Boise on a recent Saturday morning yard sale hunt with my bf, we spotted this adorable tiny pink convertible-complete with pink wheels and a Betty Boop bumper sticker! We thought it was the perfect yard sale car and could see ourselves happily driving from sale-to-sale, enjoying the sun, with treasures sticking out of the back. Alas, our dream was crushed as we realized it wasn't for sale! We think it's what every self-respecting vintage girl needs. What do you think?

Happy Cruising!

Di

New and Improved (at the antique mall)

Hello!

I've been seriously MIA on Mamma B's Attic with my hectic work schedule, graduations, weddings, etc. It's time to get back to what I love-talking (virtually of course) and vintage decorating!

I spent part of last week painting, prepping, and primping my new and improved booth at the antique mall. I was overdue upgrading my tiny wall space as it was constantly overflowing with treasures I just couldn't pass up at yard sales or while rummaging through the thrift stores. My son and his girlfriend are also helping me with the booth as they've caught the vintage bug.

Here's some pics of our new booth. Our goals was to make it fun and cheerful! Hope you enjoy it!

A child's shelf holds a pink phone, tap shoes, elephant planter, and charming little girl's head planter.

We painted the white chippy shelf with chalkboard paint on the drawer and top and included some pretty pastel chalk and a pink and blue flower button. So cute!

A vintage acrobat clown, baby dolls, and red polka-dot scarf sit on a white wicker shelf.

A yellow hand painted flower cabinet sits in the corner. Vintage black purses hang from an old sage green coatrack.

An expanded view of the booth. We painted the drab, brown walls a bright, cheerful yellow. You can see it from the distance while heading down the aisle!

We painted these white shutters a sunny yellow and then distressed them to have the white show through. They sit behind some chippy white and yellow candlestick holders.

We accented the drawers and top of this desk with black paint and a flower applique to match the black chair with flower pad. An Eiffel Tower tea light sits on top and a handmade (sewn by me) flower chenille pillow rests on the chair.

A romantic scroll tea light holder sits on top of a black pedestal with a white wicker planter (found for .25 at a yard sale) behind it.

This man-in-the-moon toaster cookie jar is adorable and my fav item in the booth!

A flowered chenille bedspread sits on a green high-back chair at a shabby white farm table (we found the farm table at a yard sale for $5. It had stuff sitting on it and the guy selling it didn't think it was worth putting in the sale.).

I painted a white window pane black and added a gingham curtain to the back and a pretty scroll applique on the glass.

We painted the edges of this yellow twin bed with black and added a rose applique to the headboard and foot board.

Take care,

Di