Koi Pond

Hello Friends,

I'm joining Cathy at My 1929 Charmer for Sunday's Best Par-tay!  http://my1929charmer.com/sundays-best-44-par-tay/

Today I will be sharing my water garden and koi pond with you.  I have always loved to be around water and to hear the soothing sound of a waterfall.  Water gardens attract so much wildlife and nature, and I believe they help to restore some of God's beauty to our surroundings.  I love to have my first cup of  coffee out by the pond.  I always see something new each day, whether it's a dragonfly, butterfly, blue bird, frog, or squirrel.  Everybody wants to partay with me at my pond.

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This summer, I started making fairy gardens, and I thought it would be cute to make a fairy garden in a pirate's treasure chest.  So I bought this old foot locker and planted some foilage plants and added some fairies and gnomes.  They stole the pirate's treasure and this gnome is guarding it, but he's "sleeping on the job!"



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Thanks for visiting my pond, come by any time.

Table Top Tuesday

Hello Friends,

Today I am joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday.  We are supposed to show a tabletop vignette and explain how we arranged and found the objects and accessories.  You can join Marty and see all the other fabulous posts at www.astrollthrulife.net. 

I am showing you the coffee table in my bedroom sitting area.  It is black lacquer with inlaid mother of pearl decorations of Geisha Girls.  I found it at Twice in Nice, a Thrift Store in Greenville, TX where I live.  I only had to pay $100.00 for it, and I was beyond thrilled.  I also found the chartruese green rearing horse there.  It is caught my eye, because I love horses and I love that shade of green.  The antique carving knife and fork were a gift from my friend, Emile.  She bought it at an estate sale in Dallas.  The small candle was 66% off at Hobby Lobby in Paris, TX.

The next tabletop will be the black lacquer two door oriental chest which I found at another thrift store, The Corner Thrift Store, also in Greenville, TX.  I did a happy dance when I found it months after I had purchased the coffee table.  It matches it perfectly, and I only had to pay $50.00 for it.  I found the cute monkey lamp at Twice is Nice, and also found the black vase with Koi decorations.  It is from Vietman.  The candle was 66% off at Hobby Lobby in Paris, TX.  I added the little pear and bird for whimsy. and because I thought the colors went well with the other objects.  Notice that I put odd numbers of objects on the tables:  three, and five.  I read that somewhere in a design book, and it just stuck in my mind.

The next thing that I would like to show off for Table Top Tuesday is my old world globe bar.  I have wanted one for ages, but they were pretty pricey.  My friend Merle and I were browsing in an antique store in Ladonia, TX.  Which is about 25 miles from Greenville, and I spotted it.  Be still my heart!!!  It was gorgeous and only $75.00, so it came home with me.  I had fun adding the liquor and wine bottles, stemwear, and accessories.  The very same day, I found these highball glasses at Granny's Place in Ladonia.  They were only 99 cents a piece.  They are decorated with actors and actresses from the Roaring Twenties.  I think they are so neat bacause you look through the glass to see the image of the actor on the other side.  My friend Emile gave me the zebra stripe martini glasses.  I just love them.  We had white chocolate martini's in them one day.

Here is a pic of all three tabletops.  Hope you enjoyed the tour of the sitting room in my bedroom.  Go over to Marty's at www.astrollthrulife.net and check out the other tabletops.



I'm also linking up with Nita at http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/2012/08/mod-mix-monday-63.html, Mod Vintage Life, for Mod Mix Monday.

I am also linking up with Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday. http://www.cozylittlehouse.com/2012/08/tweak-it-tuesday-3.html

I'm linking with Sassy Southern Style for Wow us Wednesdays.

http://www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/





The front porch.

I really enjoy my front porch.  In the spring and summer months, I enjoy having my first cup of coffee of the day while sitting in my rocker on the porch with my sweet Mama Cat at my side.  She loves to go out on the porch and sit in her "throne", and survey her "subjects".  Her "subjects" are the neighborhood feral cats that I leave food and water for year round.  She lets them know who is Queen of the Castle, if they dare to venture too close to Her Royal Highness.  She has a mean left hook, and she loves to slap the tomcats right in the face! 

I bought two Boston ferns at the local supermarket, Super One Foods, and divided them to make four hanging baskets.  I water them every day because it is very hot and dry here in Texas.  Also they are fed with Miracle Grow at least once a week to keep their dark green color. 

I had the porch replaced a year ago.  The front seal beams on the house had rotted and Roger, my contractor, had to jack up the house, replace the beams, tear off the old rotted porch floor, and install a new floor.  Then he stained it, and also painted the porch ceiling a light blue.  The old Southern custom to paint porch ceilings "haint blue" was because ghosts, haints, or spirits supposedly cannot cross water.  So they would not be able to enter your house because they thought the blue ceiling was water.  

The front flower bed had an old overgrown boxwood hedge.  Roger had to cut it back so drastically in order to do the carpentry on the porch that it looked awful.  The whole back side of the hedge was just bare sticks.  So one day I said, "Roger, do you have your chainsaw with you?"  He said,
"Now what are you thinking about?"  But he did admit after the hedge was leveled to the ground, that it did open up the porch and make it look a lot better.  I actually thought that the hedge would come back from the roots, so I planted Knockout roses, perennials, and annuals around the stumps, and mulched heavily.  However, the boxwoods gave up the ghost, so I now have a front bed that I am proud of, and I get lots of compliments on it from neighboors, or even strangers who stop to compliment it.



I recently bought a Ninja frozen drink maker, and I love to sit on the porch and sip a delicious fruit smoothie for breakfast.  Mama cat likes them too, I always give her a little taste.

I bought this blue gazing ball and stand on sale at Hobby Lobby and planted a dark blue salvia next to it.  Also I picked up this yellow butterfly stake.  I like it because it sways and the wings flutter in the breeze.  I hope you enjoyed your tour of my porch, you are welcome to visit any time.





http://www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2012/08/wow-us-wednesdays-78.html

http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/2012/08/mod-mix-monday-62.html

http://www.cozylittlehouse.com/2012/08/tweak-it-tuesday-2.html

Today I will be linking up with Nita at Mod Vintage Life for Mod Mix Monday, and with Metamorphis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.  I will be giving you a tour of the sitting area in my bedroom.  We painted the walls a medium teal and added white beadboard wainscotting.  The floors are cherry wood laminate, and I really like the contrast with the white beadboard.  I love oriental style furniture, and I recently purchased a coffee table and a chest in black lacquer with mother of pearl inlays and decorations of Geisha girls.  The two pieces were purchased months apart at different thrift stores in Greenville, Texas where I live.

Here are a few pics of these two pieces.

The settee was given to me by my sister.  It was her husband's aunt's who lived in Maryland and worked at the Pentagon. Aunt Frances was a lovely woman, I am honored to have a part of her furnishings in my home. 

I am mixing these pieces with a mid-century Safari or campaign chair.  I really had no idea that it was valuable, I just liked it.  Last week when I was browsing on 1stdibs.com, I was astounded to see a chair almost exactly like mine.  Would anyone like to guess the price of the chair that I am showing here?

Here is a link to the chair on 1stdibs.com,  http://www.1stdibs.com/furniture_item_detail.php?id=531422.  I contacted the dealer and he replied to my email that the chair was listed for: $9,500.00, and was designed by Arne Norell circa, 1964.  Wow!  Who knew?

Here are a few pics of my chair.

I love to have my girlfriends over and make some cocktails and entertain them in my own little art gallery and sitting room.  The art has been collected over the years at thrift stores, Goodwill, estate sales, garage sales, etc.  I hope you enjoyed my tour, and have a great Monday.

http://betweennapsontheporch.net/metamorphosis-monday/

http://www.modvintagelife.blogspot.com/2012/07/mod-mix-monday-61.html

Here are a few pics of my kitchen.  The walls are butternut from Sherwin Williams.  I bought the tea cart at an antique store in Greenville, at Antique Boutique.  The owner of the store painted it red for me. 

The black hutch was ordered from J.C. Penney, and it was hard to put together, but it serves the purpose for extra display area and storage.

The framed print over the black hutch was purchased at an estate sale in Paris, TX.  I love old prints of birds and other fowl.

The teapot lamp was purchased at a local thrift store called twice is nice.  My appliances are black, so I bought the microwave to match.



I bought the still life oil painting of fruit at Twice is Nice also.  I thought an original oil painting signed by the artist with a nice frame was very reasonable for $37.00











Summer Recipes

In the summer, I don't like to cook with the oven because it makes the house so hot.  Here is a great recipe that is good for you and doesn't require heating up the kitchen.

Summer Berry Chicken Salad.

On a bed of mixed greens, add fresh sliced strawberries, fresh blueberries,green seedless grapes, sliced nectarines, cherry tomatoes, chopped green onions, dried cranberries, sliced grilled chicken breasts, and top with grated parmesan cheese.  I bought the dressing, Wishbone Superfruit Berry Vignette.  I also bought fully cooked frozen chicken breast patties, and heated them in the microwave.  My friend, Cassandra, her daughter Alex, and my two sons Will and Paul gave it two thumbs up!! 

Another recipe that I tried is a mixed fruit smoothie.  It is good for you and very refreshing. 

Add 3 cups of frozen mixed fruit, I used mango, pineapple, peach, and strawberry medley. to a blender, add water to get it started and puree until smooth.  Then add one can of frozen white grape concentrate and a 12 ounce Sprite, puree until smooth.  Add a cup of water and 2 cups ice, puree until smooth.  Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and stir.  I served my smoothie with a sliced peach and of course, the little paper umbrella.

Here are a few pics of my red and black, Marilyn, glam bathroom.  I found the jewelry display case and Twice is Nice, a local thrift store and added some of my vintage costume jewelry pin collection.