Inspired by Nature

Hubby and I walk  2.5 miles, 5 days a week.

We have done this for years.

In the winter months I walk on the treadmill

and Hubby rides the stationery bike.

 

Do we want to do it?  Well the answer is Yes and No.

Yes because we get to enjoy the outdoors...

and No because truthfully who likes to exercise?

 



We work in offices and have sit down jobs, so we do this for us.

Hopefully this will help us live longer to enjoy life in our

later years.

This is our time to get away from everything and

spend some quality time together.

We discuss many subjects and make plans

for the week and upcoming weekend.

 

While walking outdoors we notice all that Nature has to offer.

The birds, flowers, sky, the gentle breezes, green grass and trees,

the wild animals, the bees, the list is endless.

Do you notice all that Nature has to offer, or are you so

busy with life that you pass it by?

 

The other day when we were walking I noticed that the

Black-eyed Susans were everywhere along the ditches.

  They have really come on strong this year.

 

I have wanted to take some pictures of

wild flowers for a while.

So when we got back home I grabbed my

camera and out the door I went again to finally get my pictures.

 

I took pictures of Black-eyed Susan

 

 

Dandelions that have gone to seed

 

 

Queen Anne's Lace

 

 

 Our Stargazer Lily was blooming too so I took a

picture of it.

 

 

 

 

Our guest bedroom has a bed without a headboard.

It used to have one but when our Son went to

college and took the bed, well that was the

last time we saw that headboard.

So that poor bed has been headless you could say.

 

This is the headless bed.  Please ignore the unmade bed.

It was going to be stripped down and all the linen washed.

 

That bare wall was just begging for something on it!

I swear it was yelling at me!

Can't you put something on me?  Please don't leave me

exposed like this!

Am I crazy or does anyone else hear their walls talking to them?

 

Anyhow when my walls talk I usually listen.

 

I took some of my flower pictures and printed them in

black and white and placed them in black frames.

I laid them out on the floor to get a visual of

what I wanted them to look like hanging on the wall. 

 

This is the layout I came up with.

Aren't they simply striking?

 

 

The wall color is a blue with a hint of purple.

 

Here is the breakdown of what I did to this room:

 

I changed the quilt to a black and white comforter.

 

Changed the navy colored bedskirt to a white one.

 

Added a couple of gray/silver pillows and one black one.

 

I printed a picture of our son and DIL in black and white and

placed that in a frame and set it on one of the night stands.

 

Added a bird clock and a black basket on the other night stand.

 

Added fresh white lace curtains.

 

I'm still looking for a throw in a blue/gray color to place on the

end of the bed.

For now this room is done.  There are a few more changes I

want to make but they will have to wait for another post.

 

LOOK!

 

No more bare wall and no need for a headboard anymore.

 

 

 

The pictures look cockeyed on the wall but they're not.  I couldn't

get back away from the bed far enough to get a

straight picture.

 

Here is a side view of the room.

 

 

I love how Nature has inspired this room.

I think it has a nice clean, fresh look now.

 

So next time your outdoors, look around and let Nature

inspire you also.

 

Until next time,

Veronica

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the Beach

I decided that I still needed another beach

picture in our master bath.

This wall just looked too bare.

 

 

I had an idea brewing in my head....

a beach picture with a beach sign.

 

So off to shop to look for that perfect picture

and accent piece.

 

I found a picture that I really liked and thought would work well,

 but the frame was black.

 

Not to worry....I could paint it.

 

  I knew what I wanted for a beach sign.

I couldn't for the life of me find one anywhere!

 

The stores are already setting out the fall décor!

 

I guess if I wanted one I would have to make one.

 

I found a piece of unpainted wood in Michael's, in the shape that I

wanted, for my beach sign.

 

I picked up a few bottles of acrylic paint and a few foam brushes.

 

I don't know about you, but when I get a creative idea in my head,

I'm not satisfied until I find, or make, exactly what I imagined.

 

 When I got home I started right in on my new projects,

painting the picture frame and making a new

beach sign.

 

Here is the picture ready for the frame to be painted.

 

 

Sorry for the glare.  You will get a better look at it when it is done.

 

While I waited for the paint to dry on my

picture frame, I got to work making my new

beach sign.

 

Here is the piece of wood I found for my sign.

 

 

Sorry, I forget to take a Before picture before

I started painting.  I just get SO EXCITED when

I start a new project.  I can't wait to see the

final results.

 

The picture is dry and ready to hang. 

This is the new look for the picture.

 

 

I painted it with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris Gray so that

it would match the other pictures in the bathroom.

It looks so much better now.

 

The beach sign is ready also.

 

Let's go hang them up, shall we?

 

Here they are!

 



 

Don't they go well together?

 

This is exactly how I pictured my beach sign.  Do you like it?

 

I completely painted the whole arrow with the color, Pool Blue and let it dry.

 Then I lightly added a little Brunt Umber followed by Paris Gray.  I let it dry

completely again.

I made a stencil with my Silhouette Cameo machine to create

my saying.  I laid my stencil down on my arrow

and hand painted in my letters.  Once the letters

were dry, I lightly brushed Paris Gray over

the letters to give it a worn look,

added a starfish and a piece of

twine to finish it off.

This project took me about 20 minutes from start to finish.

 

I found another lantern with a white-washed look.

I placed a candle inside along with a few

seashells and placed it on the corner

of the tub.

 



 

 

And here it is all put together.

 

 

Hubby will enjoy this view when he is relaxing in the tub with

the jets massaging his soar muscles.

 He can feel like he is at the beach with the waves crashing

over him.

 

I have one more BIG project and I think I

will be done with the master bath.  I think.

 

Please feel free to leave a comment about how I am doing with my blog.

I'd love to hear from you.

 

Until next time,

Veronica

 

 



A Beach of a Bathroom

 I never cared for

the look of the tile around the tub,

or the wallpaper in our master bath.  It just wasn't

my style.

 

 

We bought this house 13 years ago. When

you purchase a house that you did not build, there are

bound to be certain aspects that you will need to change.

Usually they are just small changes, like paint color, wallpaper,

carpets.  Simple things that I am able to overlook when we

go house hunting.   Hubby & I have made a lot of small

aesthetic changes since we moved in.  Mainly areas

that people would see when they come and visit.

So our master bath wasn't high on our "Things to Change" list.

Don't get me wrong, for the most part we really like our house.

It just needed a few simple changes.

 

Now that some of the other changes have been made,

it was time to start focusing on the master bath.

I always knew that I wanted a bathroom with

a beach-y look.  So I have slowly been

collecting beach items.

 

 

 

 



 

 

My inspiration for our master bath came from this

cross stitch picture I made back

in 1998.

 

 

 

It's of a little girl picking up seashells.

I don't think I will ever get tired of this picture.

 

Since we don't plan on living in this house when we retire, we didn't want to

spend a ton of money, and time, to make any major changes to this bathroom.

So I made a few simple changes to get it looking more

beach-like.

 

I already had these pictures that I got from my MIL a few years

ago and I'm so glad I held onto them.

 

 I hung them up in our master bath but I wasn't loving the
strong dark navy color up against the wallpaper.

So I decided to paint the frames a lighter
color.  I dug out my Paris Gray, Annie Sloan
chalk paint and got to work.

First, wipe off any dust or dirt on your project.

Place your project on a drop cloth to prevent paint from
getting onto unwanted areas.

I was being lazy and placed painter's tape on the glass because
I didn't want to disassemble them just to paint the frames.

 

I was now ready to start painting. 

I wanted the frames to look like they were old and

weather worn.  Kind of like a piece of driftwood.

So I roughly slapped the paint on so that

some of the navy color would show through.

 

After a few minutes of dry time they were

ready to be hung.

 

 

 

This was just the look I was going for. I  love them.

And if I ever decide to change the look again, all I have

to do is re-paint them.  Simple.

 

And this is what our bathroom looks like now.

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it.  Our makeshift Beach-y bathroom.

 

Until next time,

Veronica

 

 

 

Big Show Off

My hydrangeas are looking good this year.



 

 

Talk about BIG, SHOWY, FLOWERS!



Just look at these!

 

 

Aren't they just BEAUTIFUL?

 

Pink with just a hint of lavender.

 

 

I couldn't just leave them all outside... I had to bring

some inside to enjoy also.

 

So with just a few blooms from the hydrangea bush,

 

 

...a few flowers from the flower bed,

Shasta Daisies, Balloon Flowers and Yarrow

 

 

...and an old wooden box I confiscated from my

FIL's garage

 

 

I have a pretty floral arrangement to enjoy inside.

 

 

Well of course, I couldn't have a floral arrangement without

doing a vignette.  How silly of me to think otherwise.

So I gathered a few items sitting around.

 

Like this lantern.

 

 

...and this photo album with old photos in it, along

with an old treasured Bible, a ceramic bird & an

old skeleton key.

 

With a little arranging and adjusting,



 

Ta Da!

 

A pretty little vignette.

 

 

And a view looking down.

 

 



 

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my hydrangeas as much as

I do.

 

Until next time...

 

Have a Beautiful Blooming Day!

Veronica

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cute Flower Stand

I was checking my inbox this morning and came across

this post for a cute flower stand.

 

How appropriate for a country road side stand, whether it be for flowers
or vegetables, or both.

I LOVE this idea!

Doesn't this just speak country to you?  I can just picture driving along a country
road and coming across this.  I would stop at this stand for sure!

And aren't her flowers just beautiful?

Just picture this loaded with freshly pick produce.  I can hardly wait
for the produce stands to be up and running.  Not that I'm trying to rush
summer along mind you, but nothing taste better than fresh produce!  Oh my!
My mouth is salivating already!
Can you tell I love fruits & vegetables?

So if you're in the Tennessee area stop by Andrea's stand or you could just check
out her blog.

Check out Andrea's blog here to see how this was made.                 : http://keepingitcozy.blogspot.com/




Not your traditional Potato Salad

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Independence Day Holiday.

 

 

source



 

Ours' was pretty quiet around here.  We spent a lot of time

on our back porch just enjoying the beautiful weather

and listening to nature.  So peaceful.

 

We didn't actually celebrate the 4th on Friday, we waited until

Saturday the 5th instead so that our Son & DIL could join us.

We just had a small cookout with hamburgers and hot dogs

and a few sides to go with it.

 

I'm not a fan of traditional potato salad.  I know odd isn't it?

But the rest of my family likes it. What's the 4th without potato salad? 

It just goes so well with hamburgers & hot dogs, or so I'm told. 

So I always make potato salad for the 4th even though I don't eat it.

 Because that's the kind of woman I am.

 

So when I came across this recipe for a different way of making

potato salad I just knew I had to try it.  LOADED BAKED POTATO SALAD

 

This version sounded like something

 I would enjoy eating and the rest of the family

would still get potato salad.  A win, win I thought.

  And we all know that I'm the one who cooks!

So what I say goes.  No arguments!

So far I haven't had any complaints yet about what I make, so I must

be doing something right.  This recipe was one of those JUST RIGHTS.  This was very, very good.

Oh My goodness!  I couldn't quit eating this.  It's a good thing I doubled the recipe!

  It tasted just like the name.

 

The secret to this recipe is BAKING your potatoes.  DO NOT BOIL THEM!

 

So here is the How To and the recipe card I created so that Ya' all can try this too.

 

First, you need about 4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed clean and pierced with a sharp knife.

 

 

Bake those puppies until fork tender.  Cool completely.

I like to place them in the refrigerator to get really cool.  I think that

they tend to peel easier.

 

 



 



When they are completely cooled, peel the skin off with your fingers.

Just look at all that golden-brown goodness!  Cut into 1/2" pieces.

 

 

Mix everything together and refrigerate for about 4 hours (if you can wait

that long).

 

DIG IN AND ENJOY!

 

 

 



 

Recipe adapted from:  Brown Eyed Baker

 

I know you will enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

 

Happy Eating,

Veronica