Garden Plans for the Spring

We've been having some mild weather here in Maine and I just love it!  Spring is just around the corner and that means......flowers!  We moved into this house at the end of November so we don't have a clue as to what will come up for flowers, but I'm curious to know what I'll discover.  Once I know what we have, then I can go from there and add to the garden.

I really love a touch of whimsy in gardens.   I love garden decor and could spend a fortune on cute, whimsical items if I could.  I also LOVE using old things--such as old men's boots, old flower pots, rusted hoes, an antique brass headboard, or an old tub and washboard as shown below.  Oh, these photos are not from my garden.  I downloaded them from different sites.   I also love vintage garden sculptures or that style if I can't afford an actual antique garde sculpture.   How about using items normally found inside a home that can be used outdoors?   It's these little things that make a garden unique and fun to enjoy.  

This year, my husband and I want to put in a garden trellis/arbor.  I'd love to grow some Clematis because those flowers are gorgeous as they grow along the trellis.  My husband and I are fans of Morning Glories as well so I know that somewhere along the house, Michael will put up a trellis (probably by the diningroom windows) for the morning glories. 

My goal this year is to have my garden blooming from May until end of September (fingers crossed).  In order to do this, I need to sketch out what flowers will bloom during these months, so that I have constant color.   I also need to determine the height as well.  I remember one year, I had all my flowers the same height (about 5") and it just looked so .....flat!  Ugh!  But, I'm not the best gardener in the world either.  I have great intentions, but sometimes my ideas fall short.   I would love for my garden to look like this:

or...

how about this!:

Hey, I can dream!  To do this, though, I would definitely need a full-time gardener.     someday.....maybe.

Just thought I'd share some Springtime goodness.   I'm linking up to The Cottage Garden Party over at

Teacup Pincushions

I thought I'd share with you two teacup pincushions I received this past Saturday as part of a swap I was in over at Your Paper Pantry. Jonnie was the hostess of the Sew Crafty group and January's theme was to create two teacup pincushions and received two different ones back.  I was greatly surprised to receive two fantastic ones in return.  Oh, the other requirement was to add one stickpin with each teacup.  Of course, Jonnie went overboard and sent several. LOL!  But, that's Jonnie--she has such a generous heart. 

The first one was made by the hostess, Jonnie, and it just reminds me of everything sweet--candies, cookies, cupcakes--and I think that was her intent.  Her teacup is whimsical and fun whereas Cynthia's (further down) is more elegant.   She also sent me some Valentine candies, an altered glassine bag (that hid the candy), and an eye mask---all in pink. Psst.....I think that's why she goes by "Pinkalicious"!

Look at these adorable stick pins!  The teapot
and cupcake are just too cute!

 And the other teacup comes from Cynthia Soto.  It is just stunning.  It's the total opposite of Jonnie's.  The cushion is black satiny material that looks embroidered.  The cup itself came from her own collection of teacups. She trimmed it with pink flower bling and a gold type mesh edging.  The handle has a big pink bow with a vintage looking brooch.  I'm telling you, these pictures don't do the teacup justice at all.   Both of these teacup pincushions will be treasured for many years.  And, I suppose you want to see what I made.  Well, scroll down and take a peek.

This stickpin is fabulous!  Wonder where she found
the teapot charm? 

And here is one of the two that I made:

This teacup came from my own collection as well. It's decorated with faux pearls, bling, a feather, flowers, velvet ribbon and is edged in fringed trimming.

I have to thank Jonnie so very much for hosting this swap. It was alot of fun. If you're interested in getting involved in some great swaps, head on over to Your Paper Pantry and check out Jonnie's "Sew Crafty" group.

Wishing all of you a wonderful day!
Lori

My Picture Mantel

I thought I'd share my fireplace mantel because I'm linking up to "52 Mantels" which I discovered through "5 Days....5 Ways".  This is the link, if you want to browse through some wonderful mantels--Click Here.  I just LOVE the blogging world!  It's like a game of dominoes.  You click on one blog only to discover tons more fantastic blogs and when you view those blogs, there's more....and more....and more!  So, this is just a short post to share my Picture Mantel. 

I have a 12 foot long mantel---yes--12 feet!  I've tried to only decorate the center of it, but then I go crazy and I'm decorating the whole length of it!  I need to add more books (or something) to raise some of the pictures a bit higher.  I don't know what it is, but it's missing something.  Is it too much, maybe?   If you have any ideas, whatsoever, I'd love to hear them.  Also, I need a bigger wreath, I think, but I'll wait until it's closer to spring.  For now, this will do.  

Thanks for looking, my blogger friends,

Thoughts of Spring...

It seems as though this blog gets neglected quite a bit and that's because I spend most of my time on A Scrapmom's Musings.  Today I thought I'd post on this blog because Etsy is having a blog party.  Yay!  I LOVE blog parties!

Etsy Cottage Style is having a Cottage Garden Party (http://www.etsycottagestyle.blogspot.com)  right in the middle of January.  Now, I can't even begin to think of planting a garden right now as I look out into my backyard that's covered with 8" of snow with a thin layer of ice.  But, I do know that Spring will be here before I know it.   Of course, those of us who are sharing in this blog hop are showcasing photos of our gardens or garden inspired projects from last year.  

Here are some pictures from last year.  We don't live in this house anymore as we finally bought our own home just 2 months ago.  Can't wait to create a new garden (or see what will bloom that the previous owners planted). 

We had beautiful Morning Glories growing up our lamppost. 

The landlord planted these Irises several years ago and each year they multiplied. These were growing on the side of the garage.

Petunias on the side porch

I think this is a Gerber Daisy plant.  My daughter bought this for me for Mother's Day.  What a beauty!

Hummingbird feeder hiding in the Morning Glories.

And, for a Spring themed project, I made this mini album:

If you want to see more of this mini, click here: http://scrapmomsmusings.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-special-order-mini-is-complete.html

Thanks for looking at my little garden.  It wasn't much, but we enjoyed it.   Looking forward to Spring!