Home and Gardening With Liz

June 23, 2014

Lit'l Blue and Flying Pigs!

Flying Pigs?

It all started here with this one... I just can't help but find humor in the term "when pigs fly" and I love the optimism that when pigs fly anything can happen!

This one was gifted to me from my sister Jen- I've kept in indoors

This is my newest from Hobby Lobby- too cute!

So I decided this little trike planter needed to be brightened up. I saw a picture on Celestina Marie's- Southern Day Dreams blog "here" with a red bike she had painted and added to her back garden. I liked how the color popped and decided I wanted this little guy to stand out better. Before it got painted a scotch-brite pad was used to clean up the tiled surfaces and some light sanding to remove rust and prepare for painting.

Dan is my painter- he's more patient than me and has a vast background in painting...farm tractors, cars, motorcycles, and at a factory that painted parts for army tanks in Detroit back in 1967 -$1.68 per hr- woo hoo. Can you imagine!

I chose blue- and boy did it change it's looks!

So here's my Lit'l Blue trike!

I am bummed that I couldn't get a picture I with the sun shining because once again we are under heavy cloud cover. It's going to rain in a bit.

I played with the picture on BeFunky.com and chose the "underpainting 2" option after I lightened up the picture a tad. I like the way it made the flowers look painted!

I'm joining

Between Naps on the Porch for

Metamorphosis Monday

Our Home Away From Home for
Tuesdays at Our Home
Thank you Marie Ellen for featuring my "Pathway Fairy Garden" Post

The Dedicated House for
Make It Pretty Monday

Thank you Kathy @ A Delightsome Life for
featuring my post "Pathway Fairy Garden"

I'm joining Kathy @ A Delightsome Life for
this week's "A Return to Loveliness"

Have a Cup of Mrs. Olson for
Share Your Cup Thursday

Ivy and Elephants for
What's It Wednesday

The Deciated House for
Anything Blue Friday

This post was also featured on

Thank you Kathryn!

June 20, 2014

This Week's Ramblings (#1)

I lucked out and found this sweet honey pot that is a Polish Pottery piece. I included it in a post this week that you can see "here" I was in awe of the blue coloring and the design was so different from the usual Polish Pottery I usually see that I became even more intrigued by it.

What I didn't show was the Jam Jar that I also got. They make a cute set.

I posted about my little fairy garden outside "here"

See the blue bench and yellow arbor- they were copper colored but they disappear in the background so I decided they needed to be brightened up! Cutest thing too was I got to witness a fat bumble bee go through the little window of the house, buzzed around and came back out...wish I could have caught that on camera!

Last night I snipped off some flowers to bring indoors.

My peonies are blooming and I even have a late blooming lilac!

I also stuck some some perennial salvia in there with the lilacs.

The fragrance is amazing. I left this outside for a while before I brought it in because there are always some ants and spiders that suddenly come creeping out which is not cool at the dining table!!

We've had a lot of rain lately and these iris have taken a beating from it. Sometimes I stake them up to help out but they're almost done so I'll just trim them back and call it a day.

The iris in this garden are blooming away. Last night I snapped this evening shot with my iPhone. It looks like weeds are at the bottom edge, but it's actually alyssum that started on it's own from last year. It should be blooming soon.

Today it's raining and raining and raining!

My poor little Japanese Maple took a beating from the winter and is only about 1/3rd there. Not sure what I'm going to do with it.

It's raining all day here so I'm indoors! Time to catch up on some things inside!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

I'm joining
The Dedicated House for
Anything Blue Friday

June 17, 2014

Whimsical Breakfast Dining

Bees...Birdhouses...and Pigs?

Welcome to my whimsical summer tablescape!

Can you see the hanging centerpiece?

I suspended this little bird house from the chandelier and dressed it up with some ivy.

Can you see it better now? It's a Jim Shore piece I got at Lowes. It's a real birdhouse but it's too cute to put outside if you ask me!

To add to the whimsy I used my bee and honeycomb dessert plates that were from Williams Sonoma several years ago. The green dinner plates are by Park Design, Village Collection. I placed my painted cherry drinking glasses on the dishes for more color pop and added a some "faux" cherries since the real ones aren't ready yet.

I elevated a trivet on this little white pedestal stand to use for the condiments.

The three little pigs have joined us for dining too! I hope the wolf doesn't show up to huff and puff and blow the "bird" house down!

This little honey pot was the inspiration for my tablescape!

I recently picked up a couple of pieces of Polish Pottery and this is one of them. I fell in love with the pattern and of course the bees were too cute.

I found the placemats/chargers 1/2 off at a little boutique store on one of our weekend outings. The napkins were placed in the drinking glass to add some height and to draw your eyes up! The coffee mugs are from One King's Lane (no label) and the sugar and creamer are Mikasa's Italian Countryside. Flatware is from Neiman Marcus (not the expensive stuff!)

Table linens from Williams Sonoma, Provence

I hope you enjoyed my whimsical breakfast dining table!

I'm joining

Cusine Kathleen for her tablescape challenge

Summer Whimsy

Between Naps on the Porch for

Tablescape Thursday

June 16, 2014

Pathway Fairy Garden

I've been working on a new fairy garden.

This is the area I've taken over for my new fairy garden. Last year i had placed this large granite stone at the corner of the pathway to the patio and added a few sedum plants. This past winter was so harsh that my boxwoods you see on the left were basically ruined so I ended up removing them.

As you can see the little sedum plants have grown a lot.

I have another fairy garden, but it's a little ways out back and with this one I can view from the deck and my kitchen window.

The inspiration for this garden came from this cottage styled house I found at a garden center. I've layered in some stones, more plants, mushrooms and accents.

I wanted a little more color so a few pieces I already owned were updated. That little tiny bird bath actually got visited by a robin the other day. Too funny to see her sipping water from it!

To the left is this partial tree stump I brought in. I noticed it on our wood pile out back and liked the texture and movement in the piece. I got this idea in my head to put the little dining set up on top but knew it was going to fall off easily, especially with wind or when the chipmunks and squirrels visit, so staples were added to keep it from being knocked off.

The stump even has dried mushrooms on it, which I thought was quite perfect

for my fairy garden.

In the forefront is a little foot bridge. I'm still forming ideas for it...

Behind the cottage house are some Irish Moss. The moss prefers shade so I gave it a home in the back to protect it. I hope it really takes off and fills in.

I added a couple of mushrooms and flowers. I also took come cuttings from the sedum and look forward to seeing it spread.

To the right of the cottage is this arbor where Judia my little garden fairy is working to keep things growing and pretty! We had a rain last night and I jumped out early to take some pictures before it all dried.

You may have noticed the "rock" wall I added. I decided to create a border around the fairy garden. Julia's sister's are here to greet you and take you on a guided tour!