Into the Woods

Today I took a walk in our little patch of woods, and I was quite taken with the lovely combination of light and shadow on the leaves, moss, tree trunks and stone. I was also inspired to create a little "forest graffiti" as well!

Improving the View

As promised, I'm posting the finished potting bench. This started out as two panels to conceal the gas tank. This was the view out the kitchen window -

And thanks to my hubby Seamus, here's the new view -

Already loving it, and the bench was made from all recycled bits from the shed!

He's my Handyman

I absolutely love men with DIY skills, and my hubby has them in abundance! He will try anything, and always jumps in and gets projects done FAST! I couldn't ask for a better handyman. Here's what Seamus is up to today -

It may not look like much right now, but I promise that it's going to be amazing!

Now That's a Flower BED!

I make no secret about loving the idea of using things in a way that they weren't originally intended. The previous owner of our cottage left some old iron beds in the shed, and I've been wanting to repurpose them for a while now. 

My first thought was to spray paint this headboard white, but after seeing it in the  garden, I like the rusty look!

The green hanging pots are temporary - I will be planting pink peonies that will grow into the railings, so I'll post an updated pic when that happens. I really do love this look!

Rockin' It

When we cleared a big mound from the back garden we were left with large stones that we needed to dispose of. Since a skip was out of our budget, I came up with the idea of lining the top of our new wall with stones. So here's the end result after a few hours worth of work. Lots of effort, but ZERO cost!

The Great Outdoors Part 2

We've done some sprucing up around the outside of the cottage, and things in the garden are beginning to bud and bloom.  Here's some of the latest pics -

Freshly mown grass and trimmed back shrubs for a new start!
 

Pansies are always show cheerful, don't you think?

This will soon be a popular location for breakfast or a nice cup of tea.

Tea for two - won't you join me?

Here's a bonus - These lovely bluebells were residents of the cottage long before we were!

So graceful are their blooms...

And they are growing everywhere!

Like here...

...and here.

We've even cleaned up that "ugly" area!

And in front of the wall is ready for grass and flowers, another project!


Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more blooming pics.  

The Great Outdoors

We've made a good deal of progress to the outside of the cottage!

If you remember from earlier posts, the retaining wall in front was in danger of falling over. 

We put up a new wall and lowered the incline of the driveway. 

Our next project will be a bit of landscaping around the new wall. I'll post pictures when it's done, so stay tuned!