Clematis

Clematis (KLEM-ah-tis)

This is the Martha Stewart preferred pronunciation...

or

Clematis (kli-MAT-is)

This would be the Ohio version...

No matter how you say it,

it's a show-stopping, dependable and hardy perennial.

Here is mine in the dead of winter.

 This is late winter after the snow melts away...

I always worry that it's dead.

If you ask me...it looks dead.

 Then all of a sudden, almost overnight, green starts popping

out on the brown, brittle vines.

The buds start to appear after the leaves.

And at almost the exact same time every year,

right around May 15th,

gorgeous pink petals emerge.

 Each flower has 8 pointed petals.

The furry little center stays even after the petals have fallen.

I have to say that of everything I have ever planted,

this climatis is my favorite.

Possibly because it actually blooms. 

(I have issues with things blooming for some reason...)

But also because it's so dependable.

No matter how hard the winter or how wet the spring,

buds and then blooms appear.

I will show you the front of my house after it's mulched.

My spring front porch becomes my summer front porch.
When I place big ferns in my planters
I know that summer is here to stay.
And after the winter we had, I have never been more ready.

What says "summer" to you?

Thanks for visiting!

Linking to:
Sunday Showcase Party at Under The Table and Dreaming
Mosaic Monday at Little Red House
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative
Creative Bloggers Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Newbie Party at Debbie's
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch

Back Porch B and A

This is our back porch.

Honestly, it doesn't have a whole lot going for it.

Pretty basic as far as porches go.

So to give it a little personality

I add layers of texture and fabric.

Here is the BEFORE...

The first layer is the rug....actually 2 rugs laid side by side.

The room is a funny shape.

Sort of long and skinny (so not like me!)

2 smaller rugs were more economical 

and fit better than 1 larger rug.

Next are the white blinds.

The afternoon sun gets a little warm.

The blinds really help with that plus they

protect the inside when it rains.

Then come the valances.

A few years ago I bought a bunch

of outdoor fabric on eBay.

I got this sort of floralish toile, polka dots and a stripe.

I made the valances and hung them on inexpensive hooks.

The furniture is next.

The wicker sofa is a Craigslist score.

The chairs I have had forever...they were a Mother's Day gift

many years ago.

The little chest was on my grandmother's back porch.

It was painted brown...I changed it to white.

The shelf unit is from my husband's bachelor days...seriously.

And yes...it was a million years ago!

It was in our garage for a long time.

I resurrected it when I decided I needed a TV out here.

I slapped some white paint on it and it works just fine.

Now the fun part...

The AFTER.

I made all the pillows.

The green chair cushions are from Pier 1 a few years ago.

I recovered the couch cushions as well as the lamp shade.

The blue and white accessories are gathered up from around my house.

I ordered the little footstools from Fran's Wicker.

They were on the clearance page...

the cushions were originally pink.

Every couple of years I put all the wicker

out on my back lawn and spray it white.

Other than that there is no upkeep to anything out here.

In the fall, I stash all the cushions in big bins in my garage.

The most time-consuming thing is cleaning the dang blinds every year!

I have tried many different techniques...

from spraying them with my hose (not a good choice)

to putting them in my bathtub.

The bathtub actually worked well.

I let them soak for a while first and they came clean with a good rinse.

I googled what cleaner to use and in the end

decided on liquid dishwasher detergent and bleach.

Worked like a charm.

So there you have it...

another little corner of my world.

As always, thanks for visiting my home.

Linking to:

Sunday Showcase Party at Under The Table and Dreaming

Creative Bloggers Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime

Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch

Newbie Party at Debbiedoos

Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative

Link Party #3 at Us and Them

White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

DIY Thrifty Thursday at Thrifty 101

Outdoor Ideas Party at Centsational Girl

Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence

Living Room Refreshed

Slow but sure I am making a few updates around my house.

We have lived here so long that things 

we did when we moved in were looking

a bit on the drab side.

I had trouble with some of the pictures.

The window is so big that even on a cloudy day it was 

really bright in the photos.

You are probably getting tired of seeing this living room...

but it looks a little better so I'm sharing it.

Here is a post I did a while ago where I was talking, 

actually more like complaining,

about how dark things were. 

It shows what the room looked like before...

Here is how it looks now...

I talked about ordering this rug when it was on sale.
I waited to put it down until I also got a new sofa.
Yep...I went to IKEA.
If you have any doubts about this couch
you can put them to rest.
It went together with only 6 big screws.
Really easy.

This end of the room is totally different.
I don't know why I never thought of this arrangement before.
I was in such a rut!

More on the bookshelves later.
 I had the best time putting them together.

I still want to paint this TV cabinet.

I just received my chalk paint from Classic Wall Finishes.

It was back ordered for a while but it was worth the wait.

They included 2 sample colors and a set of brushes to 

thank me for waiting so patiently.

I highly recommend them if you are in the market for 

anything "Annie Sloan."

This is the sofa table that was at the other end of the room.

The lamps were in the dining room and 

I had the shades in a room upstairs.

There is a thermostat buried in that wreath...

it was the only way I could think of to hide it.

I'm going to paint the wood tray on the coffee table too.

I have a Canon PowerShot SD 1400.
If anyone has advice on how I can take better
pictures with this camera I would be FOREVER grateful.
I must be using a wrong setting but I can't for the life
of me figure out how to get it right.


Thanks for visiting my home...
come back soon.

Linking to:
Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Fireplace B & A

The transformation of my family room from brown to white happened sort of by accident.  I have always wanted to paint this room.  The problem was that I knew it was not going to be easy or quick. Therefore I just put in on the back burner.  For years.  Several months ago my husband, out of the blue, mentioned that he would like to get it painted.  I quickly clarified the part about "get it painted."  Did he mean hire someone? The answer was "Yes.  Call a painter."  I didn't need to be told twice.  The next day I was on the phone with a painter and off we went.  So here is the only before picture I have...actually my painter took it.

I give you the Before...

Red brick.

Brass fireplace doors.

Cord cover visible.

Not good.

And the After...white brick.

Black fireplace doors.

And the cord covers just go away.

Much better.

More of the family room reveal later.

The next part of this post is dedicated to the sticks in my urns.

Thank you to Kara at Tizzi Lish for the great idea.

They almost look real don't you think?

Cost of my twigs?  $0.00.  

I got the twigs in my back yard and the blossoms are cut from some silk flowers I already had.

Linking to

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Terrific Under Ten Tuesday At Home with K.

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage

Whassup Wednesday at Elements Interiors

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence

Sunday Showcase Party at Under The Table and Dreaming

Happy To Design