A New Garden Has Begun!

 It's no secret that I love flowers! I am always looking for new places in my yard to start a flower garden!

I've been wanting to plant a flower garden on the side of my garage for years, but I'd been waiting until we re-sided our garage to plant it so it wouldn't get trampled. We finally got around to siding the garage last week and I couldn't wait to start planting!

All summer I've been collecting flowers in anticipation of this new garden and they've been languishing in their generic black pots, just waiting to go into the ground! I still have some I have yet to plant, but I've gotten most of them in now. 

What actually started this whole transformation was a picture that I found on Pinterest from the blog Love of Family and Home. The before picture reminded me so much of my own garage and the transformation to their after photo was tremendous! Although I've only just begun, I can already see my new flower garden taking shape! And the garage looks pretty darn awesome too!

I'm trying to be mindful and plant a well-thought out garden this time! I want it to be chock full of flowers that bloom all the way from early Spring to late Fall. "Clean cottage garden" is the look I'm going for, so I'm trying to pay attention to height, color, and bloom times.

In the future, I plan on adding a few more bush-like plants, such as a peony and a hydrangea. I'm also hoping I can find a clematis on sale this year too, to add some height to the garden. Once Fall comes, I'll be planting bulbs in there too! A few annuals will show up every year as well. I still need to buy some landscaping blocks for the border yet, but that can come later! I just needed to start planting!

Here's a look at what I've done so far!

The ugly old garage! It was long overdue to be finished!

Much better! I kept saying "It looks like a real garage now!"

I couldn't wait to get started! I had planted the Rhododendron years ago in anticipation of this day!

It's starting to look like a garden!

This side has yet to be planted, but it will be soon enough! On the end is the Forsythia I got on clearance last year! It's really grown leaps and bounds!

This is my second go around for these Phlox in my yard. I hope they make it this time! I just love them!

These are Delphinium. I couldn't pass up blue flowers! They are going to be planted right in front of the pink Phlox.

I am sincerely hoping this is what I wanted. It's supposed to be a pink and red hardy dinner plate Hibiscus. I guess I'll find out in a couple years!

Some clearance Asiatic Lillies!

I can't wait for these to come back next year. They certainly don't last long enough! They will look great with the orange lillies from the previous picture!

I've planted some annual purple Gomphrena throughout too and will probably add even more annuals once they go on sale super cheap! Plants are my weakness! I just can't say no to them! I've also just planted some Larkspur, Evening Primrose, and Sweet Pea seeds here too, and hopefully they will come up!

Stay tuned to see the final transformation!

And don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram (@ sweethome.indiana) for more!

DIY Starfish Art

 Have you ever seen something that you just had to have and then looked at the price tag and cringed?

When I was on Sanibel Island, Florida I found an awesome starfish art piece in a shop, but the price tag was astronomical! Close to $1000! I knew it would be perfect in my beach inspired bathroom, but there was no way I could ever afford that!

The next shop we went into was She Sells Sea Shells, a shop full of what else ~ sea shells and other creatures that come from the ocean. It was there that I had an epiphany. I could make my own starfish art piece! I bought a few similarly sized starfish with the intention of re-creating that super expensive artwork.

When I got home I set about finding an exact replica of the glass-backed tarnished metal frame like the one from the expensive shop. Turns out, I couldn't find anything even remotely close to that.

But, I did stumble across a driftwood-esque shadow box on sale at Michael's craft store and had an idea. I would simply paint the background the same color as my bathroom wall so the starfish would fade into the background and look just like the expensive one at Sanibel! I figured you'd never be able to tell there was a back on my frame!

I finally got around to making it this past week and it actually turned out exactly how I imagined it would! How often does that happen?!? It looks awesome!

 My DIY starfish art was very easy to do and ended up being super cheap too! And I love it even more than the $1000 one because I made it myself!

Here's what I did:

The supplies: a shadowbox, a few starfish, and some left over paint from my bathroom!

I painted the background of the shadowbox with my left over bathroom paint.

All dry and ready to attach the starfish!

I positioned the starfish where I wanted them

Looks good! Time to glue!

I simply hot glued the starfish to the back of the shadow box.

All finished! It literally took less than five minutes after I painted the backing!

I am so happy with the way it turned out! It was exactly what I was going for! And it will look perfect hanging in the bathroom!

I have yet to hang it, but it looks awesome with all my other beachy bathroom decor! I may actually leave it here for a bit!

Oatmeal Coconut Scotchies!

I love cookies! I have a major sweet tooth and they are the perfect snack in my opinion! Cookies are easy to make, easy to transport, and even easier to eat!

Most importantly, cookies are delicious! Even though my husband and I are on Weight Watchers, I still make cookies on a regular basis. (And we've lost a lot of weight, so they can't be all that bad for you, right? Hehe!)

My Oatmeal Coconut Scotchies are some of my favorite cookies. With a hint of coconut and a pop of butterscotch, these cookies are sure to please!

Here's the ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
 1/2 cup sugar
 2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups uncooked oats (either old fashioned or quick oats are fine)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup butterscotch chips

And here's what you do:

First, cream the butter along with the brown and white sugars.

Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix.

In a separate bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Add your dry flour mixture into the wet mixture and combine.

Next up, mix in the oats!

Add the coconut and fully incorporate.

Finally, stir in the butterscotch chips!

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or just until they begin to brown!

Mmmmmm!!!

Grab a glass of milk and enjoy!

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram (@sweethome.indiana) for more!
 

My Summer Front Porch

Summer has arrived here in northern Indiana, and it looks like it is finally here to stay! That means it's time for me to bust out my summer front porch decor!
 
I love my front porch! It's pretty much the perfect front porch in my opinion! It runs the length of my house and is large enough to decorate with patio furniture. It's almost like having another room in my house.

Turning outdoor areas, such as porches and decks, into more of an outdoor living area is huge right now. It's a major item on home owners/buyer's check off lists. Plus, it's a very welcoming sight to have a well decorated front porch. It's the first thing your guests will see when they visit your home, so it's important to give it some love!

If you have the space, a key item for any good summer front porch is seating. I went with a white, faux wicker love seat that I had actually purchased at Pier 1 Imports years ago. When I first moved into this house, I had originally planned on putting a porch swing out there, but when I came across the love seat (and it was on sale!), I couldn't say no! I also like the fact that I can rearrange it when I want, something that I couldn't do with a porch swing! The wicker loveseat, along with my porch railing, adds a bit of old school southern veranda style to my "Yankee" porch!

With it being summer, flowers are also a must on any front porch! No matter how big or how small your porch is, there is always a way to decorate with flowers! I usually do a few hanging baskets and I also have two awesome planters that flank either side of my front door. I like to put flower pots on each of my stairs on the side of my house as well. I've thought about getting plant stands too! You can never have too many flowers!

I also have two giant, fake, tropical plants that my in-laws were going to give to Goodwill that I snagged and now reside on my front porch! They actually look real and definitely add some coziness and summertime flair!

Rugs, tables, and knick knacks finish off outdoor living areas. I've got a mosaic table, a little metal goat, and some garden gnomes on my front porch. I also have a rainbow windsock hanging off the end of my porch, but I am thinking of replacing it with a classic American flag. My home is always a work in progress and I am constantly thinking of what to do next! That's what I love about having a home!

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram (sweethome.indiana) for more summertime front porch and home inspiration! 

It doesn't get any more summery than this watermelon welcome mat!

Seating is key in outdoor living spaces and it doesn't get any comfier than my wicker loveseat!

The fake tropical plants in the background of this picture were meant to be on my porch! I also love the rainbow striped cushion on my wicker loveseat. I love to add pops of color throughout my home!

I've always made my own hanging planters and this year was no different. The really nice big ones at garden shops are so expensive, it's just cheaper to do my own. This year, I decided to try something a little different and use coco planters. They are larger than the cheap, white plastic hanging baskets I had been using and they hang lower as well, which means I can plant more and taller flowers! This one is not quite finished as I need to find a spiller flower to add to it.

A wreath on the door is always a must in my book! This peony and hydrangea wreath is perfect for summer!

One of my gnomes! I've loved gnomes ever since I was younger and used to watch David the Gnome!

This is my goat that I got at an antique shop in Chimney Rock, North Carolina. They had goats like this on top of their sign and that pretty much drew me in! I had to bring one home with me! Adding personal touches like this is how you turn your house into a home!

Although not on my front porch exactly, these ceramic mushrooms in front of the porch add little pops of color to my home! I have several of these throughout my front garden bed. I just love them!

Beware of the guard dog!

My summer front porch in all it's southern charm style! I'm ready to sit down on my wicker loveseat and have a glass of sweet tea!

Happy Summer!

 

Grow Your Own Cactus!

 
Cacti are definitely having a moment right now! Everywhere I look, I see a cute little cactus in a cute little pot. On TV, on Instagram, on Pinterest, and even at Walmart.

 I decided I needed one. Or several! I want to make a little cactus garden! While searching for seeds for my garden this spring, I actually came across cactus seeds! I knew immediately that I was going to give it a try. It'd be a lot cheaper to grow them yourself ~ and more fun too!

I love a good cactus. When I was 19, my friend and I went to Saguaro National Park in Arizona and I have been obsessed with cacti big and small ever since! If you are ever in the Tucson area, I highly recommend visiting! It is gorgeous and probably the only place in America where you can get your picture taken with a real fifty foot tall cactus!

My souvenir from my Arizona trip was a small cactus garden with three or four different kinds of cacti in it. I wish I still had it, but unfortunately, my green thumb only seems to apply to outdoor plants! In all honesty, I really want to go back to Arizona, mostly so I can get another cactus garden!

Since a trip to Arizona is not on the horizon anytime soon, I'm going to give these cactus seeds a shot! If all else fails, I'll just buy some cacti at the store and make a cactus garden that way! Next up, I've got to find an awesome pot to put them it!

I had this Jiffy Greenhouse left over from a few years ago when I started some seeds indoors. I thought it was perfect for my cactus experiment, but I'm sure starting them in any kind of pot would work.

These Jiffy pods are awesome! They start out as these little tabs of dry, compressed dirt and all you do is put water on them and they grow!

Just pour water over them until they open up and drain the pan.

Next up, it was time to plant the seeds. They were so tiny!

All I did was make a small divot with my finger and set at least two seeds in the pod. I then kinda smooshed them down a bit and covered the seeds with a bit of the dirt.

All set and ready to grow!

Lastly, I covered them up. See how the "greenhouse effect" is happening already with the top steaming up? Here's hoping these work out! I will be so excited if I even get one cactus out of this! Check back for more updates as the cactus garden grows!