I Still Have Flowers in the Garden!

I keep forgetting to link up with Tootsie so this time, I made sure I remembered and posted early. I just want to show you what flowers are still growing in our yard before we lose them.

Please visit other beautiful gardens for Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday at http://www.tootsietime.com/

I am also linking with Claudia's Finding Beauty at http://www.dipityroad.com/

Our parrot plants are still blooming. Hummingbirds like them too so they have been humming around.

These lantanas are in the corner of the yard by the driveway. I love the mixture of the yellow, orange and pink colors.

They are butterflies' favorites too.


I have this flowering pot on top of the big generator by the pool equipment.

You have seen this bouganville before. It is by the fence on the driveway. It is still blooming.

More pink blooms including the crape myrtle trees.


I like the orange, pink with yellow hibiscus flowers.

Cannas Cannas in the secret garden. We have the darker purplish leaves with red flowers and lighter green leaves with orange flowers.

I cannot remember the name of these flowers that are on the pedestal on the pool deck. But they are always blooming from the time I planted them before summer. I think they are annuals. Next year, I plan to plant a lot of them to have pink flowers all the time in the garden.

See what I mean? I planted some behind the deck by the vegetable garden too and they are always in bloom.

I have these yellow flowers on each side of the gazebo.

Orchids inside the gazebo.

in trellis containers.

Plants and flowers in the terraces.

Thanks for the visit and many thanks to our hostesses!

Framing and a Crafty Idea

I hope you do not make fun of my little projects because of how easy they are, lol. I just really want to join Debbie on her Transformation party. Debbie, I hope you don't kick me out for these simple things. Come and join Debbie also at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/ and see more exciting transformations.

Sometimes when I am in the mood, I paint oil on canvas. Canvas is not expensive and I already have a complete supply of oil paints and brushes so I can pretty much get one done cheaply. But after I am done with my painting, I cannot bring myself to get the art work framed professionally because it is very expensive. So, I tried to find a way on how to do it by myself. I found some hardware from Ebay a long time ago and bought a lot of these that are pictured below. I do not even know what they are called except I do know what the screws are, lol. I bought 2 depth sizes.

I bought 2 oil paintings when I was in Chicago. The shop was closing and they had everything marked 70% off. I am a sucker for big discounts so I bought 2 of them. They were not framed but they were stretched. Luckily they were able to fit in my mom's luggage, they were 20 x 24".

We went to Hobby Lobby last weekend and their frames were 50% off. I bought 3.

I started working on one.

I hammered a nail just to get a hole started and then pulled it out.

And then I drove a screw in. I did this on 4 sides and then I was done. I told you it was very easy, lol. I am sure you know how to do that too.


And here is the finished product.



I hang it on the foyer wall above the bench.



There it is!

I did one more but I'll just show you the other framed painting at the Barnyard party.

Ok, I have one more to share.

Ever since I opened a shop, I am always on a lookout for something that I can sell there. I spotted these tin stakes at Hobby Lobby. They were 70 % off. I am not sure what they are used for but I thought they had the colors for Fall so I bought 4 of them.

Then I had an idea. I googled Halloween images on line and printed 4 different images on hard paper.

I inserted them into the tin frame. Then I tied an orange ribbon into them. That's it! How simple can that be?

I thought they turned out pretty cute and I am thinking they will look nice placed in a fallish flower arrangement. This is really not a fallish flower arrangement. I just grabbed it to see how the stake will look like in it.

Thank you for having the patience of watching my simple transformations. And thanks, Debbie for allowing me to share them here.

Use For Tablescape First Before Selling

I am linking with Susan for Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ and

Kathleen for White Wednesday at http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/

I am always looking around the house now to find items that I want to get rid of, to sell at the store. I came across this china set that I bought from a thrift shop a few months ago. I brought them to the kitchen near the door to pack them for the car but I have not used them. So I thought I should use them to create a tablescape first before I let them go. And so I did, lol.



I walked around the house and gathered stuff that I know I could use and came up with this. I took some silver plate chargers, pulled 2 silver candle holders from the closet, brought the 2 cherubs with ivy and then took the lion silver plated ice bucket from the dining room and placed an ivy in it. I used an old lace tablecloth that was thrown in with some auction winnings last year.


This table was set so fast, in about 10 minutes, I think, or maybe 15 including the picture taking, cause I was really on my way out to stock up the shop.

Oooops, I forgot to add the stemware, Lol! I told you this was a rushed job.


Since the dishes have silver edges, I used my silver pewter peacock napkin holders and brought out a silver pineapple S & P shakers.

I bought this ice/champagne bucket from an antique store in Destin when we went there for Independence Day weekend. I am not sure if the price is good but I paid $70 for it but I just could not leave it. I just love the lions on it and it is a very heavy silver plated piece.

I bought the Baroque silver plated flatware from Neiman Marcus. They have been hiding in their wooden case and this is the first time I have used them. I love their intricate design.


Here are some shots at night which I took after I got back from the shop. I left the dishes that I used on the table and brought the extra ones to the store, but I posted a picture of the tablescape and wrote the number of pieces available to display at the store.

A lovely shot at night with the pool in the background.

Thank you Kathleen and Susan for hosting these great memes.

And thank y'all for coming by for a visit.

Where Do I Blog?

Kate of http://www.centsationalgirl.com/ is having a "Where Do You Blog" party and I thought it would be fun to join and show you where I also blog. Please visit Kate to see everybody else on her participants' list where they all blog.

As for me, I usually do it from our home office using my desktop computer. I have 2 laptops (hubby has 2 laptops too, lol! And yes, we are computer crazy!) but I prefer blogging using the desktop because it is a lot faster. Besides, I am able to watch news on TV at the same time.

I love this all in one Sony Vaio computer. It's big, a little over 20 inches and really fast and no tower to mess with. It also has slots for memory sticks and SD's so I can download pictures easily.

I was so happy to find this swivel and adjustable chair. I put my legs up so it is important for me to sit on a chair with a big seat and no side rails because the rails hurt my thighs.

I also have a small Vaio laptop that I use when I want to go double time in leaving comments. Do you think I am a fanatic blogger? LOL! All I have to do is pivot my chair to the left and there it is. The Dell behind it is my hubby's. That is his side of the desk.


The home office is very conveniently located right outside our master bedroom, so it is the first room I go to after I get up.

I like it here because if I just turn my chair around, I can relax looking out.

When I want to watch a DVD or when my hubby wants me to watch TV with him in the family room, I take the little laptop with me and just blog there too.

I either lay the laptop on the recliner's arm rest

or on the end table.

I do have a good view here too.

Sometimes, I extend the leg part of the recliner and squat and blog from here too.

Thank you Kate for allowing me to share with you where I blog. Now I am off to see your other participants.