What To Do With a Garage Door

We can't get over just how clever this garage door is - check it out - look close! It's a fabulous trompe l'oeil painting job - look at the kitten up in the faux side window up top. You have to look twice when you see this - So creative and fun!!
Do you have any fun and creative ideas for you garage door? Share your ideas with us!!

New Things to Inspire

We just love these new prints by local Ohio artist Billy Jacob. Why we love these:

1.) The artist's name is the same of our nephew
2.) All of the artwork is of local Ohio homes and barns
3.) Great size to put in laundry rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, or any other small spot
4.) The black framing looks so sharp and complements his work so well!

Well, she did it again! More beautiful wreaths are adorning our walls - this is truly eye candy!!

Our new little mannequin necklace holders are oh-so-cute! We've sold so many ring boxes, that we thought we'd try these - LOVE THEM!!

We just got in lots of little journals. The "Sewing Notes" is just adorable. There is a journal that has "My Great Adventures" on it. We think it would not only make a great vacation journal - but a great place to write down your favorite junk and antique stores that you've visited!!

How inspiring!!

Island Living - Ohio Style

As I was on a field trip with my daugher's class, I stopped taking as many pictures of them, and started snapping pictures of the wonderful houses of Put-in-Bay to share with all of you! Don't worry, I took pleanty of them.....just look at island life in Ohio...I know, I know.....Ohio has an island???


There are so many fun homes on Put-in-Bay, from little shacks to huge castle looking houses! I prefer the little homes that are perfect for vacationing in....especailly if they have a great view of the water. This one was very sweet!


All around PIB, people have used the local rock found on the island to use as borders, fences and decorations. I love this rock wall with a place to plant flowers




Look how the plants creep into the rock




Ahhh, the porches on islands - what a way to spend the day!




I adore this porch, and I think that owning this little cottage would be the most fun thing to decorate - all in 1940's style - don't you think??




I'm thinking that this is the only house (that I saw) on PIB with the shutter windows - reminds me so much of the houses along the atlantic ocean in all of the little beach communities along there - very fun!



















PIB grows a lot of grapes on the island and Heinimen's makes a lot of wine and grape juice out of those grapes.










This is the Crew's Nest - a private club on the island. I love this yellow building - it is one of my favorites to look at.




How many of you have mermaids sunning on your patio furniture? I had to chuckle when I saw this!


This is the Dollar House. I've always admired it - it's not too far down from the Crew's Nest. They just opened the Dollar House up as a museum - the poor, poor girls I had were troopers, as I proptly took them up and into the house. At least it got them out of the heat for a bit.....but it was a quick tour!!
I will be posting some of those pictures for you tomorrow......




Here's more island homes......have you picked out your favorite yet?















Put-in-Bay is not only home to some lovely places to abide...but there is a national park on the island with a huge landmark on it. When you see Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial as you cruise along the lake to PIB - you know you're almost there!!
Perry's monumnet was established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie, during the war of 1812. It also was a reminder of the long-lasting peace between Britain, Canada and the U.S. If you're a history buff - take a look at this web page for the monumnet!

For more pictures of our beautiful island - check out this link For more history on the island go here to Put-in-Bay's web page.

Well, there you have it - Ohio Island Living! Hope you enjoyed seeing a few homes and sites on Put-in-Bay!

What's A Mantle To Do??

Our friends Kari & Kijsa have asked the question.....and we thought that we would give our suggestions along with some inspiring pictures.

Here is mom's mantle. Karrie lovingly decorates it for the seasons. We wish that we had the picture of it for Christmas - it is so pretty then!! This is her "everyday" look. In an old Queen Anne home - it's perfect....and oh-so-mom!! We love using different heights, and colors on our mantles - it is so important to make your eye move along your display - it makes it more interesting to look at. We love using different textures too. Obviously we like mirrors!!



Here is Karla's mantle - once again - Karrie's hand is in this one - with one of her beautiful swags adorning the top, and a matching arrangement on the mantle. With the mirror in the fireplace backing - it is a bit of a challenge to find things that look good from the front - and the back!
We change this out for spring, fall and Christmas as well - it is soooo fun decorating your mantle. We find that we change this with the seasons more than anything! What are your favorite things to put up on your mantle??

Water Works

This weekend we were graciously given a miniature tub garden for the Garden Party. We enjoyed it so much and loved hearing the trickle of water from the display! The Pond Builders over in Burgoon brought it over Thursday so that we could have it all weekend long. They had brochures to hand out, and we thought that we would share it with you. We really had no idea what was involved in a patio, tub or container garden......

"A container or tub garden is easy to build and is a great addition for a deck or sun porch. Just about any container that holds water can be made into a tub garden. If you use a twenty gallon or larger container, you can add a few goldfish. Allow ten gallons of water per goldfish.

A tub garden does not need to be filtered unless you want several fish or the sound of moving water. A small pump and filer with a spray head will make a nice fountain display. A decorative water spitter may be added on the side also.

Begin by selecting a container that you like. A container only a few inches deep will work for some plants. If you want fish or water lilies in your tub garden, look for a container at least twelve inches deep.

Be sure to place the container where you will see it often. Water is heavy, and you most likely will not be moving the tub around once the water is added. Select an area with at least four or five hours of sun, if you want to grow a water Lilly. Protection from the late afternoon sun will be desirable, as goldfish, tadpoles, and snails do not like very warm water. To place the plants, you may need to use bricks or other support to elevate them to the right height. Most bog plants should not be covered with more than two inches of water from the top of the pot. If you use a pump and a spray head, you can not use a lily. Lilies do not like splashing water and will not grow. Be sure to add a few oxygenating plants to keep the water clear. You may add a few gold fish, snails and tadpoles if desired. If you are adding these - be sure to add some beneficial bacteria. Fish may be fed sparingly.

You should not have to change the water once it is set up. You will need to add water as it evaporates and trim the plants occasionally.

Lastly, sit - and enjoy your beautiful miniature water garden!"

Thank you to The Pond Builders
1639 SR 590 in Burgoon

We really appreciate their knowledge and great display!!

















Do you have a fantastic water feature or pond? We'd love to see it! Email it to us - and we'll share with everyone on the blog..... the picture in the middle, and the picture above, are from our trip to Savannah last year - the last picture is one of my favorites - I call it "Three kids in a Fountain" (sing it Frank.....) Sorry, I couldn't resist!!

Presto - It's Pesto!

Oh yum - you guys....wish every one of you could have been there! Catherine from Reiter Landscaping was at the Garden Party tonight - and she made two beautiful pestos - perfect for summer entertaining! Here's one to try:

Sage & Roquefort Pesto
1/3 cup fresh sage leaves
3/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
3/4 cup fresh spinach leaves
2 tablespoons toasted walnuts or pecans
2 large garlic cloves, smashed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 oz Roquefort or other strong blue cheese

Blend the herbs, nuts and garlic in food processor until finely minced. Add the oil and cheese and process until blended.

Enjoy!!

Seeing Green & A Winner!

Well, here we are - Garden Party is scheduled to start in 9 hours and 45 minutes! We can't wait. Today we finished up our displays and putting out all of the new things - what fun! Look at the new topiaries - use them inside or outside - they look fab either place! One of our favorite things for the garden party is our new citronella candles - aren't they gorgeous?? After you burn them - put another candle in them and re-use.....pretty cool huh??







Below we have our favorite mushrooms tucked into our topiary pot - and last, we have new jute bags to carry all of your stuff in - while looking stylish!
Hope you've enjoyed "seeing green!"

















A special "Congrats" goes out to Bethany Widmer for winning our mushroom under a cloche & one of our Summer Kitchen Blend teas!! (Bethany - you can thank the hubby for picking your name out of a big bowl this evening!!)
Thanks to all who entered - it was great chatting with old friends, as well as making a lot more new ones!

GARDEN PARTY!

We are just so excited - for this week is our Garden Party! We have great things planned - and wonderful people coming to help celebrate our week. Not only will you be able to enjoy some of our delicious iced tea, and some lovely lemonade we will have cookies & breads made from herbs (don't worry, we'll have the recipes!!) and most important - we'll have cool ideas for your outdoor living spaces!





GARDEN PARTY
Thursday, June 12th
10am-8pm
Friday, June 13th
10am-6pm
Saturday, June 14th
10am-4pm

Thursday night, June 12th, Catherine from Reiter Landscaping will be joining us from 6-8pm. She will be making some fabulous pestos with fresh herbs. Catherine will have her herbs for sale on Thursday night, and throughout the Garden Party Weekend. Stock up and cook fresh all summer long!

Friday afternoon, June 13th from 12-2pm, Nancy from Pond Builders will talk about different types of water features for your garden and around your home. Come and get your questions answered, and view the beautiful water feature that the Pond Builders will have set up in our yard - all weekend long!

Saturday - all day, join The Summer Kitchen Girls, as we share ideas on bringing the indoors......out!! We will be showing you tips on how to decorate your outdoors - Summer Kitchen Style!!

**just a quick note - the give-away is still going on until Wednesday - enter down below!! Want to enter more give-aways?? Hop on Joanne's blog and she has a list of blogers just waiting to have you enter their contest - go try your luck!

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Last weekend we heard of a place in Perrysburg that had guys that flew kites after dark.....so this weekend we decided to go check them out.

The group goes out every Friday and Saturday night, weather permitting, and whoever comes can sit down in the chair to fly a kite. The kids have so much fun.....as well as the adults!! Now, this is the extremely cool part: They will make a kite for the kids....the only catch is that the kids have to memorize Psalm 1. After flying the kites, my kids couldn't wait to try to memorize this passage - now that school is out, I guess they have something to do (at least for this week!!) to try to get their own PS1 Kite.

When we got home - we found the article that was in the Toledo Blade about this group - they are the Perrysburg Night Flyers, and what they do is a great ministry for the area.

Psalm 1
BOOK I : Psalms 1-41
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Happy Sunday everyone!!

Papa Says...

You're giving me a splitting headache!

If I have to stop this car.....
somebody's going to be sorry!
If you're hunting for the perfect man, go to the movies
You kids are growing like weeds











Just a few excerpts from our Papa Said books.....thought you'd enjoy!