WHEN IS A PIANO NOT A PIANO?

When it is a fountain of course. I have always recycled things in my garden. If a chair gets broken it has new life as a planter. Even the broken clay pots go to use at the bottom of other planters. When I saw this lovely old piano being given a second chance as an elegant yet funky garden fountain it just made me smile.

We live in a throw a way society which is just sinful as far as I am concerned. I have tried to get some small appliances repaired and there are no handy men anymore, not here anyway. Things are so cheap and accessible that you just buy a new toaster or coffee pot instead of getting the old one, which still looks perfectly fine, repaired.

Well, at least in the garden you can bring old things back to new with a reincarnation as something else.

How about using an old sink as a fabulous birdbath? Stop by my gardening blog LUCYS GARDEN today for some other great birdbath ideas.

Don't throw away those old utensils give them new life as garden markers.

Old wine bottles make great hanging garden holders.

This is a fabulous idea. You can find old wooden pallets just about anywhere and they can be transformed into a raised garden and much more. Drop by THE MICRO GARDENER for all al the amazing ideas.

Living in farm country there are always tractor tires to be recycled. This is a great idea but if tires aren't your thing go and visit DAILY BUZZ MOMS she has made gardens out of just about everything.

I really like this idea of using an old set of drawers that is either outdated or damaged as a planter. So it only lasts a couple of years because of the moisture from the garden, at least you reused it and it would look really cool.

Even your old garden tools can have a second chance. Look at these cute ideas. I never would have thought about reusing a rake to hold my other tools which I tend to misplace. I am doing this for sure.

So before you toss it away have a look and see if you can repurpose it into your garden. Maybe paint it first but when something is full of flowers or herbs it always looks beautiful. I will leave you today with a picture that has nothing to do with recycling but I just thought it was so cute.

Images from PINTEREST which is also a great way to see some incredible blogs.

LITTLE WHITE LIES......ARE THEY OKAY?

We have all done it at one time or another. You don't feel like working that day, you really don't want to go to a certian party or you just don't want to hurt someones feelings. Yes, we have all told a little white lie now and then.

There is a fine line between being honest with someone or telling that little white lie to protect their feelings but when is it appropriate? If you are out with your friend trying on clothes and that dress looks just terrible or makes them look awful do you tell them. I think you can in a nice way say something like " You would look great in this one but maybe that's not your colour." Now if they have already bought a dress that does not suit them what do you say? I don't think you should say how horrible it is, maybe just tell that little white lie and tell them it looks great.

Now this is another dilemma completey different. Have you ever had a friend who just slapped on the makeup? Whether she was young or older she just did not know where to stop? I did. Many years ago I had a friend who just put on so much eyeliner you thought she was in an opera. She was very pretty and in her 20's but thought she looked great. I did not want to hurt her feelings so I went to the trouble of hosting a makeup party, do they still do those, and asked the makeup artist beforehand to pick her as the model. Now, she had a makeover and looked amazing but it took her a while to let go of the eyeliner wand. Eventually she did. But really what do you say to someone you care about when they ask you before you are going out on the town " How does my makeup look?"

I was shopping the other day and there was a woman of a certain age there who was dressed like a 19 year old. The skirt was way too short, the crop top and belly button ring, well you know. She was very attractive and had kept in shape but was really dressed like her granddaughter may have. All I thought was "why does her family or friends not say something?" I really do not know what I would do in this situation. She obviously thinks she looks great but she would look so much better dressing a little more age appropriate and I don't mean orthepedic shoes and track suits. Have you ever been put in this situation where a good friend or family member just does not have a clue how bad their clothing looks? I really am at a loss with this one.

We have all seen those Wedding programs where everyone hates the dress and is quite vocal about it. Now here is somewhere I completely think you have to use the White Lie. Unless the dress is so horrible or too inappropriate for words, just tell the bride-to-be if she loves it you love it, after all it is her wedding not yours.

The not so cute baby is a slippery slope. I have actually heard people comment to the parents about the lack of cuteness of their newborn. How can anyone do that? Everybody thinks their baby is the most beautiful baby in the world so please hold back and just oooh and aaah over the little sweetheart.

You will never lose a friend faster than if you insult their hair. Woman are more sensitive about getting a compliment on their hair than on their clothing. Bad style, bad cut if not asked do not give an opinion. My father always said if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.

Everyones taste in interior design is different. I bought two lovely sofas years ago and redid my whole room around them. Now, I have studied design and work very hard on my home. Not to blow my own horn but I am pretty good at it. The same friend with the eyeliner dropped by with her mother for a visit and had not one good thing to say about anything in my room. As a matter of fact she ripped it to shreds. Her mother was embarrassed and all I could think was "this from someone who painted their kitchen peach and beige and glued paper flowers to the door fronts and thought it was lovely enough to be in a magazine." I alway find something nice to say about a room or new piece of furniture. After all it is something someone has gone to the trouble to pick out a piece or decorate a room and they are proud of it.

So all in all I don't think a Little White Lie is a bad thing if it is saving the feelings of someone you care about but I do hope that in certain situations we all have someone who loves us enough to tell us to lower our hemline & get rid of the layers of makeup, but in a nice way.

A LOVELY MOTHER'S DAY IN MY LOVELY SCREENED- IN ROOM.

It was a perfect Mother's Day. The sun was shining but not too hot, my house was full of three generations of woman and of course my husband and son. My husband had to go to work until 9:00 but still got home to visit with our sweet little baby girl. As you can see by Luca's face she kept us all quite busy. She is just over 1 years old and she is like a little Hurricane, nothing is missed by her little eyes. It was wonderful watching that little peanut running around.

We sat in the screened- in room all day enjoying the weather without the bugs. It is so lovely there. I just finished cleaning it from being packed up all winter. I did some redecorating too.

This is my best find ever! The gorgeous sectional sofa which I reupholstered, was just $20.00 at a thrift store. It was custom made in Toronto and has all of the makers labels on the bottom. I was looking for a long sofa when we decided to build my studio but it ended up in the screened-in room until we actually built the studio 6 years later. It was so comfortable that it ended up staying in there. That is one of our coffee tables from our Reclaimed Pine Furniture business, 13 Mockingbirds.

This was our sons bed when he was little. It is a beautiful four post bell bed. I moved it in front of the screens from the back wall this year. I like it even better now you can sit and read and enjoy the view.

These chairs came with a lovely sofa to match which I have had for many years. It was in the original green paint but I really hated the colour. My grandmother always said not to paint over an original finish but when they moved from the house out here and the sofa went to the studio I just had to paint them white and they look so much fresher, I love them now.

This is a great lamp from the 1940's. It had the original pleated paper shade that matched the flowers on the lamp but it got damaged. I love the shape.

This is one of the first pieces we ever made. Living on a farm you get mice. I got tired of them getting into the bread so we made a hanging pie safe. The little so and so's managed to bite a hole through the side screen and got in anyway so now I keep my bread in the fridge and retired this piece to the screened-in room.

This is one of our Harvest Tables from 13 Mockingbirds and I hung my whole basket collection out here too.

Everything came together nice and cozy this season. The bed looks so inviting in front of the screen and I even had enough of my favourite monkey fabric from the studio for a couple of pillows.

The chair was another $20.00 find. It is nice to sit there in the mornings and listen to the birds and enjoy the view. Rufus loves it too.

Pop over to LUCYS GARDEN
we have started construction on the new Heirloom Vegetable Garden today.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!

MAY YOUR DAY BE FILLED WITH LOVE!

It is a perfect morning today. The sun is shining down on my little side porch. I got up early, made a coffee and sat on the porch enjoying the serenity of this fabulous morning. I suddenly found myself smiling. I realized that at this moment I am truly happy. I have found bliss. I was smiling because the other man who has come into my life was contently staring up at me with so much love in his deep brown eyes.

Yes, as my husband slept contently in this morning, the other man in my life and I enjoyed the beautiful morning sharing a cookie and coffee. My gorgeous boy, Rufus, just brings a smile to my face every time I look at him.

Just watching him play with the endless supply of sticks he finds and rips off the trees, or the balls that had been long forgotten in the field, brings joy to my life.

It brings me such happiness knowing that we have given this beautiful creature a forever home. Seeing him bolt through the trees and gallop towards us when he see us is just so wonderful.

He has managed to do what none of our other dogs have done. The first day he jumped into the big kitchen chair ( which is now officially his, until we get him a friend anyway) and he now resides on the sofa in my computer room as I work.

I don't care about having to wash the wood floors three times a week or covering the chair with a blanket, something that would have driven me crazy a few years ago. Having this amazing, loving, wacky dog in our lives is worth every dirty paw print on the floors.

WHAT IS A MOM?

She always gives you kisses.

She is great at bathtime.

She keeps you nice and warm.

She picks you up when you're feeling down.

She protects you.

She is always there for a cuddle at bedtime.

And she always makes sure you have a clean face..........I love being a mom!


Images from PINTEREST.