A Topiary here a Cheese Board there….

Spot anything new?  

It's actually an old piece.  Dan and I were going through our storage area to take out some things to donate along with some furniture pieces to go to a re-sale shop.  I had forgotten about this topiary piece I've had for a long time. 

It's a great piece and only because of various changes I've made in the kitchen area over the years it became displaced and then forgotten about.  It's made to look like it has flowering garlic growing in it which makes it a great accent for a kitchen area.  I put it in my shower and gave it a good rinse then used a fan to quickly dry it.  

I just changed this corner arrangement a couple of weeks ago as seen "here" and the black etagere was on the right.  Then the old water pump planter was moved over to right corner but now the topiary sits there.  I may have to switch this back for the winter but we like it this way so I'll see.  It depends greatly on how comfortable the space is once I bring the Christmas Cactus back in.  My Christmas Cactus does so well in this window area I hate to screw it up and move it somewhere else.  

I put the asparagus fern in the baskets lying at the bottom of the little table.

I also found this cheese board at Pier 1 to set on top of the little table.  That black just absorbs anything I put on top so I like something to break it up.

I couldn't get my camera to focus on the edge very well but you can make out the design fairly well.

The little flying pig is my kitchen mascot so he's usually around somewhere!  I remember when I found this topiary at Ethan Allen I loved the pewter finished stand that it came with.  

I'm loving how it brought in some height.  I had a half notion to order a 2nd etagere to go where the topiary is now but I definitely had to think about it and now this has come back into play so I'm glad I didn't do anything else.  The empty plant stand by the glass doors is waiting for the Christmas Cactus that is outdoors to come back in.  

Shopping my house and re-using things I already have is one of my favorite things to do!

As the "About Me" says on the sidebar of my blog says:  

"I enjoy redefining interior spaces by moving things around and reusing decorative things already found in the home."

  

I have a cute DIY project a friend of my created for her son's wedding.

I'll show that next!

Joining:

Dishing It & Digging It 

Metamorphosis Monday 

Good Morning Sunshine! (T)

Don't you just love a sun filled morning?  What a great way to start your day!

I went out and cut some of my Limelight Hydrangeas and Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan).  I recently found the big red pitcher at T.J. Maxx.  I liked the big chunky handle and of course the color!

Happy flowers!

These salad/dessert plates can be for waffles/pancakes and syrup or if you prefer some fresh fruit.

I came across these dishes at a re-sale store.  They are made by Pfaltzgraff and are called Honeybrooke (1996-1997).  There is no pattern name on the back so I contacted Replacements Ltd., that helped me with the name.  Since cherries are a big factor around here I was drawn to them.  

I used the Napoleon Bee flatware along with my La Rochere Napoleon Bee stemware.  The green dishes are made by Park Designs and are part of the Village  Collection.  I didn't imagine them being used with these new Pfaltzgraff dishes but that's the fun of mixing dishes!  The chambray blue napkin is from Sur La Table.  They were on markdown when I was there in July.

We like coffee and juice when we have time for a nice sit down breakfast.

Sometime earlier in July we stopped at Crystal Crate & Cargo in Beulah, MI which is about 25 miles away from us.  They had a large stack of these red and white buffalo check tablecloths which I was quickly drawn to!  I'm sure this will show up again soon in another tablescape!

💛💛💛💛💛💛

Ooh- who's this!  

Mr. Teddy- never far away 😎

It's 10:30- time for breakfast!

Joining:

Tablescape Thursday

Evening Garden Stroll and Kitchen Dining

Hanging on to summer….

I changed the bottom shelf by adding my new miniature MacKenzie Childs colander.  I've been waiting since June for it when they had a sale.  

It's too cute!

I spotted this bird in my little closet of deco items and thought why didn't I have a bird next to the bird house already!  So now I do!  That is a Jim Shore bird house I got at Lowe's a while back- I wonder if they still offer something like this each year?

I had ordered this large pitcher from MacKenzie Childs wit the same pattern as the colander but I received it a lot sooner than the other.  I have a smaller green pitcher with a green background but this white is my favorite.

I've kept the kitchen dining setup the way I showed the changes I made "here".  

This is the following planter earlier in June.  

I moved it about 6 ft. over from where it was.  It was getting too much evening sun and wasn't producing many flowers.  Sorry things look sloppy on the ground.  We've had a lot of rain and it disturbs the dirt and mulch.  The green algae starts growing so easily.

The wire metal form helps support the plants and all but disappears in the process!

I planted white ones in the center but they don't show unless you look deeply.

I also stopped adding additional fertilizer.  I read that slow release fertilizer is all you need so I'm good with that!

This  Angel Wing caladium is really doing well.  I only grew them once before but I had put them in the ground near other plants and they kind of disappeared and never got this big. 

I planted this fairly late but it's coming along nicely.  The butterflies love the lantana. 

The hydrangea tunnel.  I've trimmed the hydrangeas several times to keep the pathway open but now that the limelights are blooming they tend to lean over so we'll have to walk on an angle through there now!  

I took these in the evening so the color is a bit dark.  I've had this limelight hydrangea for at least 10 years.  I cut it down 3 years ago and then it grew taller.  I wanted to shorten it but I got the opposite result!

I'm going to do another cut-back this fall and then next year I need to keep it trimmed back through the season so I can keep it shorter.  

The blooms are huge on this and they're still filling out.

You can see the lime coloring better in this photo and then they turn white.

Black-eyed Susan's are prime right now.

My cone flowers are still blooming but nearing their end.  The Shasta daisies are all but done too.

These are so cheerful like daisies!

The orange marmalade hosta has gotten pale but still looks good.  Cone flower is called Sombrero "Salsa Red"  It starts out a vibrant red and shifts colors as time goes by.

The phlox are still blooming- such a pretty fragrance!  The cone flowers are loosing their color.

This rose of sharon shrub (hibiscus) is finally blooming (takes so long!).  I hope there will be more flowers popping out.  It's getting more and more shaded in this area which may affect it's flowering in the future.  We have two King Crimson trees growing nearby plus another maple to my side and two huge blue spruce that are all adding to the shade factor.  If you could see through the shrubs you would see the fire department that was built there about 8 years ago.  

It did not take long for the berries to be discovered on the new shrubs we just planted.  That makes me happy!

Inspired New Look for the Dining Table

I was sorting through my candle holders and deco items and literally had these piled on the table.  I was trying to figure out a new place to put some of these.  Later I was sitting at the kitchen table and started thumbing through a Pottery Barn catalog.

Bang!  There was an image that inspired me to cluster my things altogether.

I studied their image and realized they had two large pieces on either end and then a mix of different height candle holders.

I showed some of these pieces in a post last February "here".  I can't believe it's been that long since I shared some interior decorating.

I had everything for some time now but these two candle holders are newer.

I didn't intend to duplicate there's but it gave me a framework to get started.

I was pleased when Dan finally saw it and reacted with a "wow I like that"!

I know it's not for everyone but I like it!

This is the first fussing I've done inside in a long time.  I've been devoted to the outside more than anything but lately I've found I'm gravitating indoors a bit more.  I moved the living room furniture around last week and I'm still tweaking.  I'll share that soon!

I will be joining:

Dishing It & Digging It

Metamorphosis Monday 
Amaze Me Monday 
Inspire Me Tuesday