Swinging From The Ceiling!

Happy TGIFriday...

I've got a project to share that will have you swingin' from the ceiling...or not LOL!

Today I thought I'd share a fun tutorial I found out on the ole' blogosphere. I want to make one as soon as I'm better and have the energy.  I've seen old chandeliers at Salvation Army and thrift stores for under $15-20 (doesn't matter if it works or not and if it doesn't work negotiate that price down) so this isn't an expensive project.  Take some spray paint, the pots you can get for $1-2 a piece and then your flowers.  I want to make one for under my cabana...too cute!

For all the directions and more pictures hop over to the DIY Showoff's Blog!

If you make one email me a picture because I'd love to see!

Now I'm taking the weekend off but will be back on Monday with a post as I promised in this post HERE !

(if you didn't see it) 

Have a great weekend!

Fall In Love!

I've been doing some decorating outside over the past week for fall.

I try not to overdo it anymore even though I want to LOL.

Problem is we get so much wind in the fall here that I end up either re-doing everything

or fixing things everyday...and that is a big pain in my behind folks ;)

After 7 years I've learned my lesson well.

So I am planning on getting 3 more bunches of corn stalks for the front to bulk it up on the columns more.  We couldn't fit them all in the truck the first time..due to my..umm...over buying of mums..heehee.  I will do that this weekend though shhhh.  I used to get big bales of hay but got tired of cleaning it off the porch and yard (and I'm sure the neighbors weren't so thrilled either..ha).

The wind whips up the hill and onto my porch ferociously and knocks all those mums over.

BTW...see that luscious green grass...yup we just redid the front yard...hubby is very proud of his work so I thought I'd throw that in for him ;)

New pillows from HomeGoods (2 for $20)...love that dark orange color with the white rockers. They are a bit silky so they change in different lights.

Fall-licious!

This is by the front door...that red mum needed a drink when I took this pic...I watered it no worries.

I want one more large mum...will grab that this weekend.

This is my new fall doormat...from Lowes for under $15...loved the fun floral pattern and

pretty colors!  We get such harsh direct sun on my front porch that everything fades so I won't spend a ton of cash on things because I know they will have to be replaced.

I decorate my backyard as well...we spend a lot of time out here in the fall watching football and having fires.  So some pumpkins, mums and gourds come out to play.

*See more of my backyard area HERE*

I keep succulents under the cabana..they don't need much light or water and always look beautiful (the other one is on coffee table).  I added some pumpkins and my hurricanes from Pier One from a few years ago...they give off such a pretty amber glow in the evening.

On the table I used a bright yellow mum...love the pop of color.  Those lanterns I got on sale at Target end of summer sale for $3 each...they were dark brown. But I spray painted them gold, they look much better.  But by spring they will probably be coral...that's the beauty of spray paint y'all!

See the trees in the background...they are just starting to turn shades of beautiful.

Nothing better than the colors of fall!

I'm taking Alexa's senior pictures next week...not the school ones (those have been ordered already)..but the more casual pics.  And some with her BFF Grace (on the right) along with some outfit changes I've been informed..teen girls ya know.

So this past weekend we played in the woods to try settings/lighting/aperture/etc on my camera and shot some fun pictures. These were my faves and really showcase their beauty (no makeup, look at that skin), friendship and joy!  But we will do the formal shoot on Monday at a park with the beautiful foliage as the background.  Should be fun!

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Entering into the following fab Linky Parties:

Domestic Superhero

The DIY Dreamer

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Practically Functional

Savvy Southern Style

The Tablescaper

Thrifty Decor Chick

My Happy Spot!

Happy TGIFriday folks....its going to be a glorious warm weekend in Virgina, just the way I like it!  I will be in the pit at the Tim McGraw/Jake Owen concert tomorrow with my daughter and I cannot wait.  Tim is numero uno in my book....well next to my Luke Bryan that is :)  Can you feel my excitement reverebating thru this post....heeheehee!

My Happy Spot!

I thought I'd share my backyard pics with you today which is my Happy Spot at my home!  We still have 2 bushes to plant and 2 trees to be planted but other than that most of my yard is DONE...so we can just maintain and enjoy it.  Three years of work on this and happy to say we are almost there LOL.

This is what our backyard looks like now...the plants have really matured after 3 years and I couldn'tbe more thrilled.  I designed this backyard...every detail and plant and curve and pillow and color LOL.  We had Holloway build the cabana, fireplace and patio of course but I worked alongside them to come up with this design.  We originally had wanted a screened in porch off the kitchen but I was petrified of losing the sunlight in all my back windows....you see, I'm a bit of a light freak.  I hate DARK...I like the sun shining in and I didn't want to lose it.  So we came up with the cabana idea.

This is what it looks like from the back steps...steps are done in Trex as is the facing (white parts) of the cabana.  The countertops are Bluestone and easy to maintain.  Eventually I will get 2 more barstools for the round bar top but for now we use it as a landing place for food when we have people over.  We try to eat outside most nights when the weather is nice.  The backyard gets shaded around 3-4 pm so its always nice and cool back here.

This is the backside of the cabana and I have plans for it hee hee!  I'm painting the old firepit a pretty color as I use it for a coffee table now.  Usually that side chair is out more, not sure why it got shoved back there but you can "pretend" its out more around the table ok LOL.  I'm making a stone urn fountain for this area...I love the sound of running water.  I got most of my supplies, just have to get some help from hubby and his drill ;)  The large bush/tree is a butterfly bush and the hummingbirds and butterflies LOVE it when its in bloom....another week and I think the buds will all be open!

Here's our main sitting area in front of the fireplace....we are out here A LOT especially in the evenings.  I love the fireplace and my spot is right up next to it LOL.  We roast marshmallows and make S'mores in it regularly.  The plants here are all succulents...easy to care for and they love the shade.  The furniture is by Lane for outdoors and its super durable & comfy.  The ottomans under the coffee table are extra seating or foot-props as I use them LOL.

This is the backside of the bar...we have a built in fridge and I keep drinks and condiments out here in the summer.  I also have a trashcan underneath and we have a row of outlets for anything we need to plug in.  The flower is a Gerber daisy...they love the shade of the patio so I always get 1 or 2 for the patio each year...they are such a HAPPY flower :)

We love the large bar area...not only does it make a great spot to eat and lay out food for barbecues BUT it screens the sitting area in and gives it privacy.  Makes it cozy feeling!  We have recessed potlights above the bar as well that shine down for light in the evenings.

This is the inside of the cabana ceiling...its all cherry wood and keeps a nice golden glow.  We had lights installed to shine up on it at night so it just glows.  I also have a fan with light which is nice when its hot to create a soft breeze and helps keep the buggies away.  We also have electric installed in the rafters for the TV and heaters....we have YET to put in either LOL but we do have a TV we put out in the summer to watch, we just haven't formally attached it as I'm a scaredy cat about putting holes in the wood.

These are the steps down into the yard...I love rocks of all kinds and these actually came from our yard when they were digging out the patio.  The soil here is VERY rocky which means planting things is hard and takes forever to dig.  Hubby and I did all the flower gardens ourselves...I planned them out, hubby dug and planted and I did the mulch :)

Here's a view from our lower yard....isn't the grass pretty & green.  See that path on the left with a ball sitting next to it....yeah that's the DOGS path they take to get down towards the woods to bark at the wildlife LOL.  I told hubby we should put in stepping stones as its always worn down.  I also use it because my veggie garden is down in that area so its always getting trampled on.  We are lucky that our house backs up to a large nature preserve in our neighborhood so we have woods behind us with all kinds of wildlife coming around...wild turkeys, racoons, deer, squirrels and fox. The front of our house looks into woods that lead down to Beaver Creek...the creek runs about a mile and a half to the Potomac River.  There is a kayak/canoe launch and we have some rapids back there that you can hear on a quiet evening.  One thing I love about my neighborhood is even though its HUGE, its very wooded and quiet which is odd given the sheer amount of homes but it truly is.  I took these pics a few weeks ago and now the garden is even more in bloom so it looks even better...a few plants hadn't popped yet when I took these pics...oh well.  

**I'll share my raised bed veggie garden pics next week with you**

Here's a close up of our back steps.  This area is weirdly shaped because we have a huge bay in the eating area and then our family room juts out 10 feet as well so we decided wide steps that go all the way to the family room extension looked best.  I love them because I like to have lots of pretty pots in bloom...some I just planted so they haven't grown yet but by mid-summer they will be HUGE.  We have lights in the steps that turn on every night as well.  The area to the left of the steps is where we keep our grill, hose and then I have another garden up against the house.  We have to plant my lilac bush there still so I didn't photograph it yet LOL.  **New back light and front lights are going up real soon...I got them in the garage but gotta nag hubby to actually put them in, he loves when I have MORE projects for him...ha!**

And this is my front porch...my other happy spot!  I love me some front porches and

I always decorate mine for the seasons.  This year I went with red & white...classic and gives a great pop of color!

So there you go...that's my happy spot at home.  

If I'm not cleaning or working you probably will find me in my backyard doing something.  If its the weekend then I will be out there laying in the sun and reading :)

What's your "Happy Spot" at your house??