Bouqs-Making me the best niece ever

Some lucky bloggers were ordering these gorgeous flowers from a company called Bouqs, and i wanted in.  When Bouqs contacted me with an opportunity to order my own, i was all yesss. But then i thought, it's the season of giving-why keep these flowers for yourself when you can send them to your Aunt who is hosting Thanksgiving. These will adorn her table, she will be pleasantly surprised to receive such things, and you will be known as the best niece ever.  So that's what i did.  Officially the best niece ever right here.

With the idea that these would be sent for Thanksgiving, i went with a dozen of these orangey red roses.



I was really impressed with the selection and the pricing-a discount code when you sign up, more discount codes emailed to me after this purchase, on their web page right now there's a code for double the amount of flowers. Sold.

But let's talk about the flowers. They aren't just any old flowers. These beauties are cut from the volcano only when you place your order so your flowers arrive the freshest.  They cut only what they sell, so the farms are eco friendly and sustainable.  I was shocked to actually get a tracking code for them, and for the origination to actually be from Quito, Ecuador.



What a great way to show someone you care this holiday season, for a special occasion, or for a not so special occasion.

You could be the best _______ ever.

World's Greatest Niece,
B

I am now a Bouqs ambassador and affiliate, and am recommending them based on the fabulous experience that i had.

The front is fall-ified

This is always the time of year where i wish i had a big ol' porch to decorate. Or even a little ol' porch to decorate. But i make do with my stairs. My steps. My stoop. Whatever you can call it, it's officially fall-ified. I really love the all white fall set ups, with the white pumpkins, but apparently something happens to me at the store and i go straight for the tried and true orange pumpkins. I guess it's just not fall without it. 

Have you seen these striped pumpkins before?  They're my way of working in the whites while still being colorful.  Speaking of color, this weekend i went to a flower show/sale/hipster flea market with a friend, and we totally differ on plant basics.

I love greens, greens in pots, greens in the ground...i think that's rather obvious.  But she was vehemently against them, saying that is for the desert.

And she wants color color color. Interesting, i thought, and of course to each his own.

This giant kale was 5 dollars! 5 dollars!  Best. deal. ever. 

It's seriously giant. I had to pull from the pot reserves and use this cheapy plastic one b/c it was too giant for anything else.

I can't help it, i love my greens.

What about you?

Colors for your plants?? 

Or greens??

Traditional fall colors for your pumpkins??

Or whites??

Welcome Fall. Happy Fall. And to my Jewish friends, L'Shanah Tovah.

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Don't be fooled by the rocks that i got

Cats. Squirrels. Two creatures, apparently, who are not so into the fact that i have potted plants.  Or rather, they're a bit TOO interested in the potted plants.  They're just not interested in how i intend these plants to live, which is INSIDE their pots and with the dirt UNDISTURBED.  I have found, both inside and out, my plants dug up and unearthed, dirt on the stairs and dirt covering the carpet.  No more.  For i have found the answer.

Rocks.

Don't be fooled by the rocks that i got, i'm still (i'm still) planting in my pots.  That's right.  Nothing a little j. lo wordplay can't fix.



This may be a no brainer-certainly this is not rocket science-but it IS one of those "why didn't i think of that" moments.  Because, people, this WORKS!  Consistently ALL summer, no more dirt on my front steps.  I seriously stand behind this.  The other idea for keeping squirrels away, that gets pinned a millllllion times, that didn't work for me.  But this works.  Pin THIS a million times.  Because i wish i would have known about this sooner.

This also keeps my cat Lily out of my indoor plants.  Yet another genius idea from the boyfriend, one that i didn't fully grasp right away.  When he said i needed to add rocks to keep her from digging, i assumed he meant the ones from our travels. 

So, i tucked in a few heart shaped ones from Aruba and France, added a little pottery shards from Israel, some shells from Hawaii...and expected it to work.  Not so, my friends.  For outdoor use and for consistency across the top of the pot, you're gonna need the little stones that come in bags from the dollar store or Ikea.

Gives it an added bonus of a finished, decorative look.  And not coming home to dirt on your floors or your stairs is always a good thing.

Go forth and rock on.

Get it???

I refrained from using this one, but i can't get it out of my head now.  "I like the way you work it...no diggity." Remember that song?

J.Lo ain't got nothin' on me.

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Black and white backyard makeover

Well, i have to give the boyfriend some credit.  He was totally right about the patio, and i was wrong in my need for immediate gratification.  I didn't want to put the extra time and money into leveling the yard around it by adding dirt to perfectly fine and green grass, and then putting sod over said dirt.  I was fine with the step down into the grass because it meant it was done.  And you know how projects go.  Done is good, in fact, done is better than good.  But done done wrong is never good.  You follow?

Since all the main furniture is neutral-the table and chairs, the swing, the gazebo-it allowed for a bold pop of pattern with the rug and the pillows. 



And you can see how there's no step down from the patio into the grass, it just floooowwws.

I have wanted to put out these thrifted plant stands for years, and they look great now that there's a patio for them to stand on.  Imagine that garage stuccoed.

Love how the bold black and white stripe works with the bold square planters on the garage wall herb garden.

These pillows are double sided, and were a steal at 2.99 from Ikea.  Got 'em in case the ones on the swing get ruined, but since none of them are technically outdoor pillows, they'll only be put out when we're entertaining.

Remember how i felt bad about covering the herringbone pattern?  I think we still get a good sense of it around the outside of the rug.  The patio itself is 12x14, the canopy is 10x12, and the rug is just shy of 8x11.  Shout out to Dawn at Inspired Living for giving me the heads up on this Frontgate rug.  It is exactly what i had in mind for this space.

The Hampton Bay dining set is 7 years old from Home Depot and has held up fabulously.  The viney backs were never my cup of tea, but in the past i let things being on clearance count for way too much.  I'm trying to get away from that mentality.  I actually think the bold rug balances the more traditional table nicely, and think this space does reflect my style now.

The swing is about 5 years old, and it looks much more updated with bold pillows.  Such a relaxing spot. Swinging should not just be done by children. 

Trifecta of backyard gorgeousness.  Listen to your partners sometimes.  Sometimes they might be right.  Sometimes. 

The netting, you can see, is just collected at each pole and fastened until we need it, like if we're eating a meal and we want to be bug free.

Obviously this is before the rug, but we were testing out the lighting.  So cute, right?




These are just strings of globe lights attached with electrical tape to the hard structure.  This, too, has held up for a few years.  Hopefully i'm not jinxing anything with talk like this!


Bold, graphic, colorful, lush.  Finished.  Never thought these words would describe my backyard.
 
Ready for summer and outdoor living, right here. 

sharing is caring:  living savvy outdoor extravaganza, thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery, places i've been @ the tablescaper,  travel photo thursdays@ budget travelers sandbox , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style , inspire me mondays and power of paint @ domestically speaking, Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper,  Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,   Sundays @ Suburbs Mama  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple,   home stories a-z, show and sharev@ Coastal Charm, be inspired & garden party @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable, the makers @ persia lou,  inspire me tues, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts,  charm of home, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,creative connection @ making home base,  inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now,  furniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,  lump it or link it @ delineate your dwelling,pinterest party @ just us four, diyers @ homecoming.

Recycled brick patio

The patio project is completed!  Weekends have gone by where i didn't have to help the boyfriend move the table and chairs in order to mow the lawn!  Dinner has been enjoyed outside without swatting bugs away from my face or my food!  Legs and feet, no longer in the grass, remained bug and itch free! 

Patios are the shit, yo.
 

 Like most things in my household, the project isn't yet 100% complete.  The yard needs to be graded, adding dirt around the sides of the brick so there isn't a step down, i clearly want to style this and can't wait to add the rug i bought, bring in more plants, put the swing out on the frame, etc.  But-it's totally at the stage where one can enjoy it!

 
My plan was always to add a rug, because truly i didn't want more brick.  The house itself is brick, and i thought it would be overload.  But it really isn't, since the sunroom is stucco and takes up most of the back of the house.  And since the brick was given to us for free, it didn't make sense to use another material. 



My darling and i did this nice border, the herringbone inside, these fancy little corners...and now i'm going to lay a rug over all this hard work.  I feel guilty, but he knew that going into this project and a rug will modernize this space. 

So now you might be wondering how we keep this tent structure from blowing away in the wind. When it was on grass, we didn't use the yard stakes that came with it, we came up with a more secure idea.  And while the structure stays up year round, the canvas is always put away.

And this is how.  This is 10 inch long galvanized steel piping that is sheathed by the poles of the tent structure, making it sturdier and more secure. We cut it in half, to make 2 pipes, each 5 feet long.  They are bolted to the ground with a stainless steel bolt and stainless steel locknut. So my darling tells me.

We drilled the holes in the patio (crossing our fingers it wouldn't shatter the brick)...
 

We then used the mallet to pound the steel pipe two feet into the ground/brick to solidify the structure so it isn't at the whim of the wind.  The remaining 3 feet is above ground and comes to about halfway up the gazebo once it's fully built.

It is imperative that the pipe go into the ground straight in order for it all to fit properly and for the structure to come together.  These magnetic mini levels are perfect for the job (and so cute, too.  Seriously, i was amazed at how smart this is allowing you to be hands free).

Then you just put your structure over the piping, and lift the top part of the gazebo up and attach it to the bottom which is securely in the ground with the interior piping.  The two pieces then clip together about halfway up. S tells me this thing isn't going anyway.  He likes to demonstrate this by taking hold of it and vigorously shaking it, making his own severe weather pattern.

Voila.

The white caps at the base of each pole secure the canvas so the pieces aren't flapping about, and the caps themselves are attached to the brick by being between the sleeved pipe and the pole. Then there's a clip to the canvas and a clip to rod.

So to recap, the bricks that have lived on the other side of the garage have now been replaced with the grass we dug up to make room for the patio.  Green space is always much nicer, and i'm sure our neighbors enjoy this more than a pile of brick.

The garage wall herb garden is out of hand in a good way.

And we got a fabulous new patio to enjoy.

Go forth and enjoy your outdoor space!  Is anyone else not getting as bitten up this year by mosquitoes? We enjoyed the patio yesterday without the netting, and it was totally fine.

sharing is caring:  living savvy outdoor extravaganza, thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery, places i've been @ the tablescaper,  travel photo thursdays@ budget travelers sandbox , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style Make it Pretty Mon @ Dedicated House , inspire me mondays and power of paint @ domestically speaking, Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper,  Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,   Sundays @ Suburbs Mama  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple,   home stories a-z, show and sharev@ Coastal Charm, be inspired & garden party @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable, the makers @ persia lou,  inspire me tues, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts,  charm of home, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,creative connection @ making home base,  inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now,  furniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,  lump it or link it @ delineate your dwelling,pinterest party @ just us four, homecoming.