10 REASONS TO LOVE AN IRIS

1.  Most iris are tall and look great in the back of the border.

2.  Iris foliage looks pretty all year long.

3.  They are easy care and bloom in average soil.

4.  Iris have a sweet scent.

5.  Iris come in all sorts of colors and color combos

6.  If you plant lots of varieties, you can have iris blooming for quite a while.  Some even bloom again in the fall.

7.  Iris clumps are easy to divide giving you lots more plants at no cost.  September is the ideal month to divide them here in the midwest.

8.  The tall spiky foliage contrasts nicely with a lot of smaller mounding plants making it an ideal companion.

9.  Iris usually have few pest problems.

10.  Iris will make you happy!

I got the solid color purple iris from my grandma (we called her Nanny) and it always makes me remember her when it blooms.  Thanks Nanny for passing your love of flowers to me! 

Have a great day, xoxo Jean

Fences

When I am out junkin', one of the things I'm on the lookout for are pieces of old fences.

I really love the ones that have old white peeling paint.

Sometimes, I will add old junk to them.

I think they make great backdrops to flower beds.

They also disguise my old chain link fence and make it a bit more presentable.

All of these photos are fences I have in my yard.

They are all different ...some are very simple and some are fancier.

That is ok with me, I like a mix and match approach.  It looks more like it was collected over time.

This last shot is my neighbors fence.  It must not work too well, though.  We looked out our window a couple days ago, and all four of his cows were in our front yard!

The joys of living in the country!  Hope your enjoyed these country fences, Jean
Sharing at Common Ground and Old Time Farmhouse Country Whites and Share your Cup Thursday. Farm Blog Hop and vintage View Sunday.

Budget decorating with drawers

I found several of these old drawers last summer at an estate sale.  I got them all for $4.  I sold two of them at the flea last week.  But, I still have two.  So, I got out the spray paint and painted the insides white and the outsides green.  Now, I wondered, what can I do with these?  Then, I thought about storing wash cloths in them.

Then, I thought they would look nice with a plant inside.  I have a purple plant that was smaller and looked a little lost on the table.  When I put it in the drawer, it has a little more "presence".

What about a drawer full of different sized candles? 

Also, I thought you could present silverware in a drawer at a buffet or picnic.  How about the dearly loved Mason/Ball jars for a great display, or to dress up the kleenex box.  I can imagine so many uses for these, can you?  So, if you see a dresser on the curb and you don't need it, maybe you can scoop up the drawers. 

Thanks for stopping by today, and Happy Monday to you!

 Jean

Sharing with Dawn at Creative Cain Cabin Budget Decorating Party. and Knick of Time and The Scoop at the Farmhouse porch.

 and Vintage view Sunday

Enjoy your day!

The Minimalist Fence

How do you feel about the Minimalist movement?  When I think about being a minimalist, I think of living in a teeny tiny house and having a cold, uninviting, and boring interior.  Since I want my home to be cozy and pretty, I have been on the fence about it.  However, I have discovered a website that makes a lot of sense.  It is becoming minimalist by Joshua Becker.  He has wonderful articles about living well with less.  I think he is winning me over!

I want to be able to dust and vacuum without having to move a lot of things out of my way.  I want to spend the summer not always thinking that I need to be weeding my flower beds.  But, how do you balance this with having a stylish home?  That is the tricky part.  I am working on it.

For a month, several people in my family are not being consumers.  We are not buying anything except groceries and gas for our cars.  This is harder than you think!  I always thought I wasn't really a shopper, but I have found myself constantly giving myself reminders not to spend.  Wow, it has been an eye opener!  I would recommend trying it.  It is starting to be fun to try and use up what I have at home instead of buying more.   

 

We have been setting up and selling at flea markets, listing on Craig's list, and donating to the Salvation Army.  I am proud to say that my garage is just about cleaned out of my extra stuff!  I have been trying to pare down the accessories in my home, too.  One place is this long shelf we have in the entry way.  It has pegs for hanging up coats and the top is a long shelf.  This is how it looked before:

I think it was pretty and cottage looking, but there were so many things to dust around.  So, I pared it down with a few larger things and gave it a more farmhouse look.  Here is the after:

I don't dread dusting up there now!  So, I am continuing to pare down without sacrificing my style.  My flowerbeds are getting cleaned out next!  How about you?  What are your thoughts? 

Thanks for stopping by.   Jean

 

Flowering trees

There are such pretty colors outside right now.

The pinks, purples and whites of spring have been on my mind.

I wanted to share some of the colors of my garden with you .

The colors of the pretty flowering trees are just outstanding.

These are crabapples.

One is pale pink and one is brighter pink.

I bought these when they were just tiny sticks.

Now, they are covered in blooms.

I only wished they lasted longer! 

Hope you enjoyed the garden tour.

Jean 

Sharing with Jann at Share Your Cup Thursday

Hens in the Washtubs

I have a dilemma!  I have these galvanized wash tubs on my patio. 

For the last several years, I planted them with colorful annuals.  But, even though I water them daily, the annuals never seem to last very long.  The patio is very hot, and it is on the south side of the house so it gets a lot of sun.  With the drought last year, the flowers wilted and died even sooner.  I didn't know what to do and I had a lot of hens and chicks left over from clearing out another planter.  So, I just planted them in the tubs and that got me through last year.

Now this year, I don't know what to do with them.  The tubs are too heavy to move anywhere without help.  I don't want to waste money on annuals that will only look good for a few weeks.  What to do?

I really like the hens and chicks, but they are maybe a bit blah?  They are all green and the shutter is green and the whole thing looks like it needs some color to me.  Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks for your advice!  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!  Jean
Partying with Share your cup Thursday.