the Decorating Chica

Pin It Memorial Day, the official launch of summer, brings hot days and lots of fun in the sun. What is the biggest highlight of summer for me? Gardening. Love it. No really, I L.O.V.E. it! Almost as much as I love to paint. Indoor projects are set aside for the summer and it's time for all things outdoors.  I am a perennial gardener at heart and self taught at that. I have always loved digging and even at our first apartment I planted a little spot of flowers just for me. Could. not. help. myself.  I really started when we purchased our first house simply but checking out what was already planted at the house. Moving things around. Adding plants and even killing plants. Along the way, I have learned a lot about perennial gardening. 1. Planting perennials: Whether planting perennials or annuals, always loosen the root ball. This frees the roots (especially if the plant is root bound) and allows the roots to establish themselves quicker. ...

Pin It You know it's time to plant annuals when you've gone two weeks without a frost. For those of us in Michigan, that is about mid-May. Many people say that Mother's Day through Memorial Day is your best window to plant annuals. At least in states like Michigan for sure. For me, I am a perennial gardener. What's a perennial you ask? Those are plants that return year after year. But I do love annuals for season-round color and I have spots here and there in my landscaping where I put them. Mostly, I have pots for the annuals. Some tips for thick growing, lush annuals?  1. Dig your hole and add a little organic plant food. Dig your hold about 1" wider in diameter than the root base. 2. After removing the plant from the store-bought container, loosen up the roots so they are no longer root-bound. With your hands, break art the base of the roots. 3. Insert the plant, place dirt back around the base of the plant and, using your fingers, apply pr...

Pin It I hate to say it but...I steal. Yup, I do. I steal ideas and inspiration from other blogs, especially Pinterest. Why do I steal? Because I love collecting ideas. I have collected ideas for a bazillion years the old tried and true way. I cut out a picture from a magazine and glued into an spiral bound notebook. Gasp! For those of you who don't remember, this old fashioned method was the original Pinterest. Final product. Inset pictures are of some of my garden statues. Well this project is no different. It all started with a picture, from a blog, of which I don't remember where I saw it but I found it one day while surfing and the image stayed in my mind and spurred me to create my own version. Since I am in need of some wall art in a few spaces around my house and, I don't know about you, but I rarely find store-bought art that inspires me. Especially for the price tag that typically comes with said art!  Scrap board from dining room project, purchase ...

Pin It High School Graduation #101, Part 1 I don't know about you but I always have a ton of projects going on in my head. Of course, these projects are always easy peasy and just need a little paint, a little elbow grease, and walaa! NOT! Shall we say that this project was not for the faint of heart? Such was the porch lamp project. Actually for some time I have wanted to take down our outside light fixtures and spray paint them. A graduation open house is driving us to kick it up a notch and get some things done. Bring it on! So, Step one of High School Graduation #101...sprucing up the outside. Projects include, but are not limited to: 1 . Remulching the front landscaping 2. Painting light fixtures--check 3. Power washing the house. 4. Washing the windows. 5. Trimming up the trees and bushes. 6. Installing my long desired fire pit area 7. Adding a flagstone path to the pool 8. Replacing the front privacy fence and gate 9. Replace rotted pool house doors ...

I don't know how many of you remember the " Imagine the Impossibilities " challenge from January? Well, I kept seeing this challenge crop up on many of the blogs I follow and it intrigued me. Never one to run from a challenge, I thought "what is it that has challenged me with remodeling my home." Gotta say it took a few days to think over and then I realized the challenge was right in front of my face. I mean, I walked by this thorn in my side at the very least, 15-20 times a day! I have had an aversion to this for the 7 years we have been in this home. But I still didn't jump right into the challenge because I was afraid. First off, I was clueless what to do about this thorn. How do I turn this thorn into a thing of beauty? Before I realized what I was doing, I joined the challenge. I figured this, if nothing else, would motivate me to do something with my thorn! So, I bet you are dying to know what has bothered me for so long? My thorn! This pictur...