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July 31, 2012

Christmas ideas......

I know, "Christmas"!!!
No I am not starting to decorate nor will I until December but....
While shopping at a local Hallmark store I saw this display that caught my attention. 
The use of the antique sled for a display with the village pieces was what got me..... I think it's a great idea. I snapped a shot of it with my cell phone so I'd remember it!  


 I'm inspired to use my large sleigh for this idea!

 This is what I did with it two years ago.  Now I'm visualizing village piece and trees all at different heights, lots of snow, etc.! 
I feel guilty not using my village pieces any more...at least this way I could incorporate some of them into a unique display!

Well I do have plenty of time to think about it!

I'm going to make a folder on my computer's desktop to save ideas like this in!

I also saw a neat idea for Halloween from Pottery Barn in a catalog. I know lots of you have these lanterns and could create a similar look! I supersized it so you can see some of the details...

(if you click it you can see the rest of the picture)!

Now
Back to summer! 




July 29, 2012

Sunday Funny

Ok, so I'm at Cracker Barrel wandering around while the hubs paid for breakfast and I spotted this!  


 This cracked me up....they are called Tailgate Stemware!!  LOL... classy huh?


Chasing the sun.....

With all the rain we had recently everything it's very moist outside.  The mornings are foggy and this morning I decided to follow the sun as it rose over the backyard.
I was up early and talked myself into dashing outside to grab pictures as the sun was rising through the trees...the early morning fog was still present and made for some good shots...
This is our wind chime stand we created this summer.
We re-used some old posts we saved and painted them black so they would blend with the wind chimes.
Spiders never rest...I think I came in with a cob web or two that caught my hair as I wandered around!
The sun casts a nice glow on the leaves...
The lacy leaves of the Japanese Maple highlighted by the sun...
Early morning sun the Hostas don't mind....
The sun shifts away as the angle changes...
But a few rays are left...
Sometime later the sun shown over here....
It changes quickly! The fog has burned off....
I went back inside and realized the sun was dancing inside my home too! I only had moments to get this shot...it was gone in 30 seconds!
Back out to catch the few rays still beaming through...
Ahh....it smells so good outside...I wish it was like this year round!


Join me and others for 
Rose Vignette's Fresh Cut Friday
and Fishtail Cottage for
Cottage Garden party #15
and Bernideen's Tea Time
Open House Party


July 26, 2012

Midsummer highlights!

Hello all my blogging friends!
I've been dragging my feet lately but did manage to put a post together on my 
Come on over and say hello! 

That's pretty much all I've been up to!
Love to see you come by!
~Hugs~
Liz

July 25, 2012

Midsummer highlights.....

Greetings from "soggy" Michigan! Yep we're finally getting some much needed rain and I'm glad to see it! It rained all morning and I decided to jump out and snap some pictures!
 Our grass and plants have needed a lot of babying to keep up with the heat we've had.  I know some have had it worse but once you are in the 90's and higher it's tough to keep up with everything!
 Last year I planted an Annabelle Hydrangea
and the new Boxwoods that you see here.
I also planted Alyssum along the edge and to my delight it came back this year.  I'm always tickled to see an annual come back...it's a nice freebie!
The Annabelle Hydrangeas tend to flop over badly so I put some supports in there.  They say you can cut them right down each fall and the next year they will come back just fine and it should encourage even more sturdy stems!
Standing next to the Annabelle I took a shot of the patio from an angel I don't normally choose. We have a fire pit in the middle where the chairs are.
 Around the corner on the path to the patio is this little statue.  She's one of those Cicely Mary Barker pieces that popped up all over.  I really want one twice as large but the price tag is pretty high.  Maybe a Christmas note will be made for it! You can see my Astilbe popping through too!
I love the flowers from my hostas.  Some of them are exceptional and the hummingbirds love them too!
The Coleus in these pots took their time to fill out but they are finally looking good!  I kept pinching them to help them spread.
 In this little triangular shaped garden area near the statue is my Pee Gee Hydrangea tree.  I only had 5 small blooms on it last year and I am delighted to see it full of blooms that should be flowering soon!  It has some yellowing leaves with brown edges which I blame on watering issues.
Taking a look at my Hosta hill my Japanese Variegated Sedge grass has filled out nicely.  I decided to split up some plants and spread them across the border a few years ago.  It did not like being split and took a long time to amount to anything.  One thing for sure is it likes to be kept wet!  Not a great plant if you tend to let things dry out and not water a lot.
I could see from my kitchen window these tall hosta flower stalks which I thought seemed to be framing my fairy Iris.
The Impatiens plants really have filled in nicely.  I chose these because I wanted something hot and colorful that really feels like summer!

I put Caladiums, Begonias and Euphorbia-Diamond Frost in these cement planters.  
 Standing behind the fountain area.

These obelisk type statues were found at a garden/decorating store and I managed to get them for 75% off a couple of years ago.  They look heavy but are a blended fiberglass, stone product that come pre-aged!  I got two of them and often debate with myself whether they belong where I have them or not.
Back up by the deck I put these adorable Toto Rudbeckia in.  They will only be about 12" tall. 
 Just above them is my hanging coco basket with some hot red supertunias.
I put a mix of plants in it.  I try to find things that butterflies and hummingbirds are drawn to!
In front of the garage are the large planters we painted this spring.  The Sweet Potato Vines are going crazy now and the Red Supertunias are filling in and around!
By the driveway I planted some Red Canna Lilies.  I still haven't seen a flower on them but I'm hoping for some soon!  These are taking too long and I'm not sure if I'll bother with them again!
Lucifer
I planted some Crocosmia-Lucifer near the lilies that I moved over to the driveway area.  They have such a great flower- so tropical looking!
 Turning towards my front yard on the island is my first Limelight Hydrangea that has just begun blooming!
There are some lime Spireas planted at the base on this side. I had to give them a good trim because they got really large!
 Sometimes a picture standing back is better than one up close!
 A new Cone Flower in a reddish pink...very fragrant from the "Big Sky" series.  I just planted them so next year and the one after I look forward to a larger clump of them!  My Shasta Daisies are hanging in there too- I see I should have deadheaded a few!
 Some new Bee Balm next to the Rudbeckia. 
These cone flowers were planted last year and they've doubled up in size already. The Delphiniums are going to bloom again!  YAY!
I've been adding more perennials this year.  It's always fun the next year to see how they come up and look more natural in the setting!
  I almost forgot about these "Sunday Gloves" Day Lilies....they have a lovely fragrance to them. I love their color and size...great plant!

 So that's a wrap of my midsummer highlights! 
Thanks for visiting!



July 21, 2012

Margo's Kargo- Handbags

One of the gals I am friends with on Facebook has a talent for making handbags, wristlets and clutches. She's been doing it for some time now but recently decided to expand her audience with a page on Facebook called 
Margo's Kargo

I thought I'd give her a plug and show you some of her wares!
 This style and color is one of my favorites!
The shapes and sizes are varied.
This clutch matches the hand bag
I love all the colors in this! Truly a summer bag!
This nice wristlet can be handy for shopping when you don't want to carry a purse or hand bag.
This is a great sized tote! I know she made one for a lady to carry her Yorkie around with!

I used to do a lot sewing so I appreciate what goes into making these.  Obviously she has some good equipment to work with!  My sewing machine wouldn't ever be able to do this kind of work!
If you are a Facebook member, click on this link.... Margo's Korner ....
and ask to be in the group. 
Then you can view her bags and prices!
For now you have to deal directly with her to purchase, there is no charge or PayPal account just yet!

As always thanks for visiting!



ABOUT ME



Welcome to Home and Gardening With Liz. I have combined my previous blogs “Infuse With Liz” and “Sit With Me In My Garden” into this new blog. I love interior decorating and gardening. I enjoy redefining interior spaces by moving things around and reusing decorative items already found in the home. I also enjoy creating tablescapes and an occasional crafting project. I'm so pleased you've stopped by. I invite you to follow me and I do hope you will keep coming back! Liz
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