Archive for Outdoor Decorations
It’s My Birthday, So I Planted a Garden (Sort of.)
Posted by: | CommentsMeaning, I did plant a garden, but I didn’t plant a garden because it was my birthday. But it is, in fact, my birthday. 31. Man. When did I wake up and get so old? I just did one of those things I do every once in a while these days: I looked in the mirror, and thought, is THIS what 31 looks like? Really? I feel like its impossible that I’m that old. A friend of mine in college used to cry on her birthday every year because she hated the thought of getting older. And that’s when we were young and couldn’t wait to turn 21 and legally drink anywhere we wanted grow up. I kinda get where she was coming from these days.
But enough of me moaning about getting older. Back to my garden. My BF’s apartment has a sweet patio in the back, 
with about a foot of a landscaped border around the patio. When I first saw it, I thought one thing: I can grow tomatoes here! (Ignoring the fact that my sweet BF is allergic to raw tomatoes, and only thinking of myself.) So I set out to do just that – and grow a few other things as well, like mint (that will be used in Mojitos!), oregano, sage, basil, peppers and jalepenos.
Mind you, I have NEVER grown anything in my life. I’m not the kind of girl who played in dirt – or even grass, for that matter, as a kid. But these days, I find myself more and more interested in gardening. So I wanted to give it a try. I’ve been reading a book by Mark Frauenfelder (more on that in a later post!) and he talks quite a bit about his experiences in gardening. It really inspired me to give it a try. So here’s what I did: Read More→
I Heart Vermont
Posted by: | CommentsOver the long weekend, I was lucky enough to join a group of a friends on their winter ski vacation to Stowe, Vermont. For those of you that have never been, Stowe is absolutely beautiful. The skiing was pretty good, although the snow definitely could have been better – apparently DC hogged all the snow. We had an amazing time. We ate at a few really good restaurants, found some incredible antiques at Sir Richard’s antique store and went to Ben and Jerry’s. Our friend Alison took a snowboarding lesson from a man who also owned a dairy – Mt. Mansfield Creamery – and made Vermont’s only Havarti! She brought us some of us cheese, which soooooo delicious. (I mean, really, his life consists of making cheese and teaching snowboarding. Seriously? I’ve never been so jealous of anyone before.)
But the best part of the trip was hanging out with our friends in the amazing house they rented. It overlooked the mountains, had an enormous kitchen and huge, comfy couches on which enjoyed hot toddies after skiing! The house was decorated so cute – but of course – two things stuck out more than the others to me, and I wanted to share them with you. While I doubt the home owners made either of these things, they are two things I hope to be able to make one day:
A Chair made out of skis!
Recycle Your Childhood Ice Skates… On Your Wreath!
Posted by: | CommentsMy Aunt Mary Ellen always has the best decorations for the outside of her home. She is able to pull together things that I would never imagine – for any holiday. I have to say, with her latest creation, a winter theme, she has really outdone herself. And luckily, she’s going to be nice enough to share her secret for pulling this look together. For those of you searching for the perfect in-between Christmas and spring door wreath/ outdoor decoration ideas, look no further!
The wreath!
Last year, when Mel was looking to decorate for Christmas, she stumbled across a wreath with a similar theme at a local florist. The wreaths (because the idea was genius!) flew off the shelves before she could purchase one for her home. This year she decided to recreate the idea herself. Here’s how she did it and how you can to:
- I purchased wreath locally at Keene’s Outlet. (You can likely find something similar at K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Michael’s, AC Moore, etc.) A real wreath could be used also.
- The skates, hat, scarf and mittens can be found in a sporting store (such as Dicks, or try TJ Maxx or Wal-Mart).
- I tied the skates on to the foundation and/or center wire of the wreath w/ the shoe laces.
- The hat, scarf, mittens, & socks I attached to the wreath using wooden clothes pin holders (any kind of small clips that could easily be hidden). I just attached them to various wreath branches. Remember you could also use small green decorating wire, (very popular!). You would string it through the clothes and then attach it to the wreath branches. Both are durable enough to stand up against the winter weather elements.
Here’s how it looks on her house – Beautiful!
