Our Funky Little Garden

We live in a funky little beach house

so it stands to reason that our garden would be funky too.

It is filled with old things we aren't ready to throw away -

favorite surfboards Steve no longer rides,

license plates from cars we no longer own

and an old school chair - I have no idea where I found it.

Things we find on our walks often make their way into the garden like buoys that wash up on the beach.

This rickety chair tucked into the garden was not red when we found it on the side of the street, but the red makes it stand out in a sea of greenery.

An old wheelbarrow our neighbor was throwing out holds our tomato plants and we are looking forward to tasty homegrown tomatoes soon.

The driftwood for the BEACH sign was found on one of our beach walks.

As if the garden didn't have enough funky junk, 

 I spotted this rusty old chair on a street corner yesterday and it came home with me.

This is not the final resting place, but it works for now.

You've gotten a peek at our funky little garden and now time for you to share a garden post.

Remember, linking up here at Art and Sand will link you to:

Poofing the Pillows

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

At Home With Jenna

White Spray Paint

Decor To Adore 

An InLinkz Link-up

What Makes Me Smile

It didn't take much to make me smile this week . . .

a gorgeous Double Delight rose captured on a morning walk . . . 

an old box

 to which I added a vintage look handle, meaningless numbers and greenery . . . 

primary colors throughout the house . . . 

setting the table for an evening with friends  - metal initials were tied to sprigs of rosemary to indicate seat assignments . . . 

flowers in the garden . . . 

a sweet gift from a friend

who found the mirror and said it had to be mine because it had my initials . . .

flowers sitting on a garden bench waiting to be planted . . .

Sky Flower just beginning to bloom . . .

walking on the beach with Steve and Lulu after dinner . . .

and the unexpected spotting of the Goodyear Blimp escaping into the clouds.

What made you smile this week?

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Please join us for a Garden Party - you can link up with any of us.

Sharing at Poofing the Pillows for Thoughts of Home on Thursday

Puttering

I read a lovely post shared by Dotsie of Podso this morning titled More Bliss

and she talked about a luncheon she shared with a group of friends where she asked each woman to share how they found their bliss.

Dotsie found that each of her friends savored the days when they could just putter around the house.

I must agree with Dotsie and her friends that having time to putter is bliss to me.

Frequently the puttering is productive - Steve and I puttered together to create a new sign for the porch.

I messed up on the spacing of the letters, but Steve saved the day by suggesting that we add a starfish to solve the problem.

Steve is busy working on a commission so I had time to putter around in La Petite Maison.

It started simply by taking an old chair out of storage and adding a basket of flowers.

Then, I decided to organize the shelves so I could take photos of the fun items I received from Kathy of Kluless.

I had inquired about some cute tart tins Kathy posted on Instagram.

She sent me the tins and included the cutest wooden blocks - I wonder why she thought of me when she saw the blocks?

The shelves are organized,

like items are placed together

and there are only a few baskets on the floor.

You wouldn't think a space this small would hold much.

I really need to stop puttering,

but it's so much fun to pick flowers and play around with pictures.

What about you, is puttering your "bliss"?

However you find it, I wish you a blissful day.

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Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday

Join me at Stone Gable for The Scoop

Busy Bees

 

Summer days are here

and the garden is looking like a jungle -

from the lavender

to the fortnight lilies

to the Matilija poppies beneath the living room windows.

The sidewalk between the lavender and the Matilija poppies is completely covered and almost impassable. 

 I have to be gentle as I walk past the fragile poppies, but I have to be particularly careful around the bees.

The bees love our garden and they aren't especially happy when I snip off stems to use in my bouquets.

I managed to get to my little potting bench to freshen up all my wilting bouquets, 

 without upsetting those bees.

After the bouquets were arranged and set around the house,

I decided to dress up this old bench for summer.

A little fishing line and a bunch of mini beach balls from Oriental Trading Co.

and things are looking fresh and summery.

The bees and I were both busy in the garden - I just wish they would help me pull the weeds and tame the jungle.