Relaxing Saturday Garden

Saturdays are a time to relax and rejuvenate.  This beautiful patio garden would be the perfect place to have breakfast or lunch.  I love how the tables and chairs are small enough to fold up and become portable.  The splash of red on the chairs adds a nice pop of color.

If your home or apartment does not have a yard only a patio area planting plants is a great idea in pots.  This garden has a variety of plant pots in the same slate gray, which brings a type of consistency to the space.  Due to the neutral colors the different plant colors can really shine.  A great variety of plants that are also edible to to include in your garden are: tomatoes, basil, thyme, peppers, lavender to name a few.

Another thing to note about this garden is the height variety of the plants, with the taller ones in the back the the viewers eye continues to move.  Having plants of different sizes helps to keep the garden looking fun and inviting. 

What space in your home do you use to rejuvenate and relax?  Do you have a preference for a type of plants in flower pots?

(Image source: Pinterest)

Have a great weekend and find some time to rejuvenate yourself!

DIY: Recycled Flower and Candle Holder

This project is tons of fun to make and you probably have the things lying around your home! Or they are easy to get.  First off you need a glass jar.  I used cleaned out salsa jars. The labels are easy to remove under hot water, and peel right off unlike the paper labels.  After cleaning up the jars and taking off the label you are good to go.  

The next item you need is wire, or flower wire.  I had flower wire on hand from a previous project.

Instructions:

1.  Wrap the wire around the top of the jar lip and go around a few times to make sure it is wrapped on there securely.

2.  Take two pieces of wire and criss cross them at the bottom of the jar.  Make one wire shorter and connect that to the wire circling the lip of the jar, and make a secure twist.  The other wire piece that is left long becomes your handle.  Connect this to the opposite side of the wire circling the top of the jar, and secure by twisting the wire around.  (It took a few tries to figure this out and might take some creativity)

3.  Check to make sure the circular wire, base, and handle are connected securely by tugging on the handle.  If anything falls apart be innovative and try again.

4.  Use another piece of wire to twist around the handle and make a grip area.  This part is fun and can be done free hand or with needle nose pliers.  Make sure the wire is wrapped smoothly to prevent pointed edges.  

5.  Tie raffia to the metal handle securaly, hang up the vase somewhere, fill with water, and a flower.

6.  Enjoy!

{Glass Jars}

{Wire}

{Wire wrapped around the lip of the glass jar a few times}

{Wire criss crossed at the bottom of the glass jar}

{Twisted wire for the handle connected to the circular wire around the lip of the glass jar}

(Notes:  For this project I used my hands to twist all of the wire, not any tools.  This is a good option if you lack pliers.  Wire cutters would be helpful, yet mine were left in my art room.  Remember to check that the vase/candle holder is secure since you are working with glass- eek breakable.  This project takes creativity and each one will look very individual to fit your style, depending on how you wrap the wire.)

Flower Braided Hair

I love how this beautiful hair style incorporated bright flower blooms into it. The bright colors are perfect to wear to a summer music festival, and could be a great romantic style for a relaxed wedding.

The flowers used in the look are: daisies and roses.

I will definitely have to try putting some blooms in my hair soon and let you see how they look. Do you ever style your hair with flowers?

Image source: pinterest

Pretty Eating Area

This is such a pretty lil eating area. The rustic looking tables and chairs along with the unkept plants give it a relaxed feeling. The arbor or patio is nice because it provided shade.

This would be the perfect patio garden to have lunch a light some candles on the table for a late dinner.

I have always liked the look of older pieces and this table is beautiful. Happy Friday and thank you for reading!

Image source: pinterest

Summer Blooms

I love bright colored flowers for summer! Lately I have been keeping fresh sunflowers in a vase to liven up the kitchen table.

Here are two lovely bouquets I saw on Pinterest today. I think the combination of orange, pink, and mint-green are stunning in the first arrangement.

The second bouquet has softer colors of peaches, pinks, and brown. Another feature to point out is the free flowing nature of the arrangement, which gives it a lovely whimsical feel. This would be beautiful for a spring or fall bouquet.

{Colors: turquoise, orange, pink, mint green, and peach}

{Colors: light blush pink, peach, brown, yellow, and white}

Hakone Japanese Garden

Today I explored the beautiful Hakone Garden. The experience really made me feel like I was traveling in Japan. A few highlights were the Bamboo Gardens, Wisteria Lane, and Zen Garden.

This garden is one of the eldest Japanese gardens on the west coast. If you ever get a chance to visit look up the garden name in Saratoga, California.

Do you know of any gardens to recommend to visit?

Peanut Butter and Jam Cookies

Peanut butter cookies with jelly at first sounds kinda of strange. I was really curious how these would taste once they were done.  The combination of the peanut better was rich, and the jelly added a sweetness to it.

These cookies are perfect to serve in the summer, because you only need one (or two) for your sweet tooth to be met.  I enjoyed exploring different types of jams, and also made a few cookies using honey jam from Trader Joe's.  Hope you enjoy a new fun recipe and have a great weekend!

{Peanut Butter Cookie Batter and Recipe}

{Jams used:  Strawberry Jam, Red Raspberry Jam Seedless from Oregon Coast, Honey Apple Butter}

{The cookie dough rolled and jelly jam added and ready to bake}

{Yum}

{Cooling and almost ready to eat!}

Makes about 25 cookies

Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
-scant 3/4 cup superfine sugar
-1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-scant 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (or smooth)
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-4 tbsp grape jelly (or other jelly, variety is always good!)
-a pinch of salt



Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F/ 190 degrees C.  Line 2 cookie sheets with baking parchment.

2.  Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon, then beat in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and peanut butter.  Sift together the flour and a pinch of salt into the mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.

3.  Scoop out tablespoons of the mixture and shape into balls with your hands, then put them on the prepared cookie sheets spaced well apart.  Use the dampened handle of a wooden spoon to make a hollow in the center of each cookie and fill the hollows with grape jelly.

4.   Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes, then using a metal spatula carefully transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. 

(Note:  The cookies taste a lot better when they are cooled, unlike some cookies that are great fresh out the the oven.  These cookies store well, and taste great a week later is sealed in an air tight container)

Recipe from:  1 Dough, 100 Cookies by Linda Doeser

The wedding bouquets for my cousin

Two weeks ago I was a bridesmaid in the most fun wedding for my cousin getting married.  The bride loved all things pink.  The wedding flowers were beautiful peonies, small pink roses, purple flowers, white carnations, and a few more.  I like the variety of flowers in the bridesmaids bouquet, and how the bride choose flowers in different shades of pink. 

The celebration was tons of fun and I can't wait to return to see my family again for the next wedding.  I wonder who will be next? 

{The bridesmaids and their flowers: my sis, me, my cousin}

{The bridal color= pink}

{The bride's bouquet- hot pink and light pink roses, light pink peonies, and small pink roses

Have a great week and wonderful Fourth of July!  I hope to try a Fourth of July recipe and post it up with some pictures.