Over time, I’ve spruced up our small foyer [...]]]> While it’s nice having a foyer, instead of the front door just opening directly into a room, our foyer is small.  I’d love to have a round table in the middle directly under the light, kind of like this, but there’s just no room.

Over time, I’ve spruced up our small foyer with a black and white striped rug, painting the back of the door black, and framed inspirational quotes.   We’ve even had our own DIY indoor fountain there!  The fountain was right behind the door, which wasn’t ideal, so I moved it out to the screened porch for the season.

We also take off our shoes upon entering, so we need a spot to stash those shoes.   I had a small basket at the foot of the stairs but recently, I figured out a more functional configuration.   I moved the shoe basket to where the fountain used to be. Because guests take off shoes at entry, they have to stop to put them on when it’s time to go.   It made more sense to have a small spot to sit and get shoes back on.  The ceramic garden stool is the perfect fit.   It’s small and unobtrusive and provides a cute spot for temporary seating.

Prior to this idea, I’d been using the garden stool as a side table next to the banana leaf chair in the living room.  Since it’s found a new home,  I replaced it with the tree stump table (so glad I put casters on it, since it has moved around quite a bit).

Any changes around your place?  It can be both fun and functional to move things around from time to time.
-J

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So, last weekend my garage door [...]]]> The hydrangeas are blooming! We have three bushes in the front bed and two have blue flowers. The third one, right next to the others, has lavender blooms.  It’s neat how the ph balance of the soil varies enough in such close proximity to produce different colored blooms.

So, last weekend my garage door opener stopped working properly.   We have a two door garage and the right door is the one I use daily to park my car (see the hydrangea bushes there to the right?).

I was able to open the door without any problems with both the button on the wall and the remote in my car.   The problem occurred when I pressed either button to close the door.  Using the clicker/remote to shut the door did absolutely nothing so I couldn’t shut the garage door from the car once I backed out.  Using the wall button worked but only if I held the button down until the door closed all the way.   A performed some troubleshooting and found that behavior is a safety feature when there’s a problem with the sensors.    The original system had two of these sensors, one placed on each side of the door.  They are basically there to stop the door from shutting if anything interrupts their line of communication.

Apparently, the one with the red light just died.  It stopped working altogether which meant that the door didn’t receive the proper signal to shut when the wall button was pressed.  You can override that by holding the wall button down. Fortunately, the solution was pretty easy.   We bought a new pair of sensors, specifically the Overhead Door Safe-t-beam System.  This set works with any Overhead Door or Genie model made after 1996.

They look a little different from the original pair and they mount differently but they were easy to install and work perfectly! I am back in business – the business of parking my car in the garage, that is.

Have you been able to troubleshoot and fix anything around the house lately?

By the way,  are you familiar with HomeTalk?  I mentioned it back when I posted about our yard work since we found the landscaper using HomeTalk.  It’s a great site for all things home & garden.  You can research how to fix things, what to plant, and find creative decorating ideas.   After posting about my tree stump table,  I put together a HomeTalk board showcasing 15 Tree Stump Transformations.   Click through for the full projects.

Happy Weekend!
-J

Several trees were cut down about a year ago and the remnants were just sitting there.  One day after a winter run earlier this year, I [...]]]> I often go for a run at a park nearby.   I’d seen this scene many times as I ran the loop around the park.

Several trees were cut down about a year ago and the remnants were just sitting there.  One day after a winter run earlier this year, I decided to grab one of the wooden stumps.  That sounds easier than it was since it was pretty heavy. I ended up rolling it over to the truck and then heaving it in.

I think the stump dried out a little more during the several months it sat in the garage because I noticed it’s actually lighter to lift now.   Even with it being less heavy, I still wanted to be able to move it around easily, so I attached three casters I picked up from Home Depot.  They were easy to attach, I just drilled in two screws to hold each wheel in place.

While most of the bark was already off, or at least easy to pull off, there was still a layer of dirt and debris that needed to be cleaned off.  It came off easily using a small putty knife.

After that clean up, I got out my small electric sander and sanded the sides and top edges.  I wiped it down with a wet cloth and decided to wait before I seal it.   I am thinking about staining the sides with a dark stain and maybe doing a paint or metallic leaf treatment to the top.   I’ve am going to live with it a little for now before choosing how to finish it off.

It’s so versatile.  It serves well as both a stool for extra seating and a side table.   And it was only $9 – the cost of the casters.

Are you a fan of the lighter natural look  or do you prefer a dark stained finish?   I am also thinking of gold leafing the top but leaving the sides as-is. I think the combination of luxe + organic can look great.
-J

P.S. Check out the natural tree stump table for sale at West Elm.

The idea [...]]]> While on vacation last week we had a version of this drink. I ended up making it at home the same day I returned and have been drinking it since. I made my own version using stevia, since I’m avoiding sugar, so it works just fine with any sweetener of your choice.

The idea is to make your favorite lemonade whether that be from a mix, can, or fresh lemons (I used fresh lemons since I wanted to use my own sweetener) but use sparkling instead of still water when making it. Next, zest fresh ginger directly into the lemonade mixture.  I used one tablespoon of fresh ginger to make a batch in a one liter carafe.  I added in a few sliced mint leaves for flavor and color.   This drink is DELICIOUS and ginger is great for you.  It would also be fun to add a flavored vodka for an alcoholic version.

Will you give this drink a try?   I hope so!
-J

I first applied gold leaf to the edges of the coasters, which was [...]]]> Well look what we have here – I framed out my agate slices after all!   A few weeks ago, I got a set of four agate coasters from Etsy (but Amazon is another good place to look).

I first applied gold leaf to the edges of the coasters, which was a quick and easy project that added a glamorous touch to the stone.

Fortunately, I found some shadowbox frames at Marshalls for $8.99 apiece.   I used Gorilla Glue on the four rubber feet to adhere the coasters to heavy weight crafting paper from Michael’s.  I allowed everything to dry while the frames were laying flat.   Then, it was time to hang them on the wall.   I chose this little corner space in the master bedroom near A’s night table.

Thanks to the inspiration pieces here and here that got me motivated to get moving on this project! They are so pretty, I love them both as coasters and framed as art.  A set of these would be great gifts!
-J

Actually, the shape of it reminded me of I’ve mentioned before, I am a big fan of trays.   I use them in almost every room of our house.  When I saw this photo tray in Goodwill for $2 I knew I could use it some way, some how.

Actually, the shape of it reminded me of these trays from West Elm, so I decided my tray should also sport a pretty, metallic finish.   I used my Mona Lisa gold leaf kit to achieve the look.  While it was a straightforward process, gold leafing something that’s not the size of a small coaster, as I did recently here, takes much longer.

• Applied adhesive and allowed time to become tacky
• Layered gold leaf across tacky area and smoothed
• Using a small paint brush, applied sealer over gold leafed area and allowed to dry

I worked in sections. I first applied the adhesive as seen below, and then the gold leaf, to one tray wall at a time.  Overall, it took about three hours but I spread that time out over a few days.

And voila! Here it is with some photos from past travels.

I decided to use a piece of the handmade wrapping paper I found at Cost Plus awhile back to change the look altogether. The pink flowers are outlined in gold so it’s a great fit.

The great thing about the tray already having glass and matting is that it’s easily customizable.  You can display anything you’d like.    And if you don’t happen to find this kind of ‘frame’ tray at a thrift store as I did, it’s pretty easy to make one!  You can use a regular picture frame and add cabinet handles to it, or you can have a piece of glass or acrylic cut to fit the bottom of a tray you already have.   (See how Kelly did it at View Along the Way.)

I am loving metallic finishes lately.  How about you?
-J

A friend of ours got engaged this month.   To celebrate, we hosted an engagement happy hour.  I kept it simple with an easy menu of appetizers and desserts.  I found blackberries on sale last weekend and used them to make both a cocktail and a dessert and were delicious.

To make it easy, [...]]]>

A friend of ours got engaged this month.   To celebrate, we hosted an engagement happy hour.  I kept it simple with an easy menu of appetizers and desserts.  I found blackberries on sale last weekend and used them to make both a cocktail and a dessert and were delicious.

To make it easy, I premixed two cocktails before people arrived:  my summer sparkler, and blackberry lemonade.

Blackberry Lemonade

1 can frozen lemonade
1 cup blackberry vodka
1 bottle San Pellegrino (or other sparkling water)
handful of fresh blackberries

At this time of year, I love using fresh berries with cream and often make a mixed berry trifle with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.  This time, I used only blackberries and the trifle was still delicious.  First, I cut a pound cake into squares of about the same size.  Next, I zested fresh ginger into a small pot and added blackberry vodka and cooked on low for a few minutes.   I used the ginger-vodka mixture to pour over the pound cake.  I created the layers by starting with pound cake on the bottom, then fresh whipped cream topped off with blackberries.   I just repeated the layers until I ran out of cake. I topped it with a few mint leaves from my herb garden.

Maybe you can give one of these a try for your next party or just for the weekend.  Enjoy!
-J

We had an azalea hedge along the walkway to [...]]]> We actually have grass, so that along with the removal of the ivy, has the front yard looking much better.  There is one other addition out front though:  a flower bed.

We had an azalea hedge along the walkway to the front steps.   While I wasn’t against taking it out,  A liked it there.  We worked with Robby, from FlowerScapes Garden and Design, on a compromise and only took a section of the azaleas out.   And we didn’t throw the bushes away, we transplanted the ones we removed to the side yard.

Now, instead of a hedge of greenery at the front door, we have beautiful blooms.   Of course, it’s all freshly planted so they still have to fill in bit.

Robby also came up with a plan for the flowerbeds in the backyard.   While we have enough sun for grass in the front yard,  the backyard gets very little sun and it’s very hard to grow grass back there.  I’m still searching for the ideal solution of some sort of easy, pretty ground cover.

In the area under this large tree, the tree roots were exposed and barren.

Robby created a shade rock garden.   The plants, hostas and ferns, tend to do well without direct sun.

The small bed by the stairs to the deck is now connected to the bed near the back of the house.  Here’s the before:

We now have two gardenia bushes and five gumpo azaleas.   I’m excited about having gardenias both to block the view under the screened porch and to for their lovely smelling flowers.

Before, here’s what we saw when we pulled into the driveway and garage.

And now this bed is a butterfly garden (plants that attract butterflies) and it’s so much more welcoming.

There is one more bed to the left of the rock garden to finish up and then we will be done with the spring yard work this year.   Have you done any landscaping lately?  Did you come up with the plan yourself or call in the professionals?
-J

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