I Love Muskoka Chairs and White Dishes

Muskoka chairs, also called Adirondack chairs, have always been a favourite of mine. We use real size Muskoka chairs in our backyard and I love these miniature Muskoka chairs in white and two shades of blue.



Blue is my favourite colour but I always have trouble giving the shades a correct name. Aquamarine?, turquoise?, azure?, robin's egg?, not navy in this case. There is at least a touch of blue in all rooms in our home. After moving the shelves three times, drywall holes, patching and all, we finally settled on some shelves in an awkward spot beside our kitchen cabinets. The cabinets ended at the breakfast bar and the header above them continued for two more feet. I think the brackets should be moved in a bit but this is the stud location and I wouldn't want my little pretties to come crashing down.








 The photos were taken in the afternoon and the Stone House is not looking great in these photos. It is a great tan/beige colour and I love it at all different times of the day and in different rooms in our home.





My beloved aqua CROWN canning jars with the yummy old zinc lids. I will be looking for more of these! I also need to collect more white dishes for these shelves and the china cabinet in our dining room. I hope you like it so far.

 


Once again I'm linking this up to the Ready Set Vignette Party happening at The Stories of A to Z. Stop by to see some great vignettes.



I'm linking up to 'Shelves' SNS at Funky Junk Interiors.

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Playing with a cabinet in Blue and White

I love the pop of blue on the inside of this white cabinet. We've been working on freshening a few things in our kitchen. Inexpensive changes that help tie our rooms together. The tan, cream, blue and white are repeated in other rooms too.

We purchased this cabinet from a local unfinished furniture shop. I originally stained the pine but a couple of years ago decided to give it several coats of my 'go to' white, Benjamin Moore Cloud White. The inside is painted in a BenMoore mis-tint, a pretty blue. I showed this cabinet before, here. Recently,  I took the basket off the bottom shelf after some advice from my readers that the basket was drawing too much attention.
                                                                          BEFORE

The walls are Benjamin Moore Stonehouse. The curtains on the patio door are drop cloths. I can see this corner of our kitchen from our computer chair in the family room. It makes me smile.

The patterns are Cream Lace and Cottage Rose, both by Skye McGhie. I added a few beehive pieces for filler. I think I need to find some more things that will give the displays some height. Any ideas?
 
I will add more photos of the kitchen as we finish more projects.

The weather in southern Ontario today is lovely. Lots of sunshine and warmer this afternoon. I hope you enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.





Thanks to Beth from The Stories of A to Z for inviting me to her Ready Set Vignette party.

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Anticipating Our Spring Garden and a Look Back

I'm waiting to work on my gardens and for inspiration decided to look back in my garden photos.





I love irises and have several kinds. I discovered I have taken very few garden photos, though I have some that aren't in digital format. I have a bad habit of waiting until things 'look better' or 'are just right'. This year I am going to try hard to take lots more photos. Perfect or not.




The corner above needs some weeding, but the plant in the back is Solomon's Seal, a perennial that you can almost see grow. It seems to grow inches each day.




Our front porch a little later in the year. Lots of shade here so I used pots full of white impatiens.








Later in the summer, I love the pop of colour and dependability of Rudbeckia, Black Eyed Susans. Also, a peek of coneflower.





I have planted several hydrangeas and this one finally grew well last year. We had a problem the year before (all our neighbours did) with rabbits. Population explosion and we would see them day and night in our yards, sideyards, nesting under decks. They ate anything they could get, right down to the bark in many cases. I lost one of my holly bushes and the male wasn't doing too well last year. I'll have to see what happens this year.





The backyard garden wraps the fence line on three sides. We don't have a big yard, but the gardens really help to make it feel larger. I use a lot of perennials and love that there are different things blooming at different times. {Having trouble lately getting photos to center}


                                     


I came across this picture from 2007 of our oldest son. He loves working outdoors and was so eager to 'weed' the garden that year. I lost most of my hostas, and many other plants weeds. But he sure had fun!





The weeds aren't the only thing that grow well around here. He was ten in these photos, turns 13 this week, and was 5'6" the last time we measured. Taller than his mom and he loves that. Oh, and he has learned to mostly tell the difference between weeds and plants. Thanks to his interest in 4H, farm animals and crops, he can usually identify most of the bugs too.





Our backyard has really changed in the eleven years since our home was built. The first summer it was a construction zone. The next year we got grass and built fences. Then it became a place for the kid's climber and slide. They outgrew that and now we have the new patio and enjoy it in a quieter way. Looking forward to lots of new growth, pots full of plants and relaxing in our yard.





These are the colours we are going with for the new seating, found here.


I'm linking this to Green Thumb Gardening at The Blessed Nest. Be sure to stop by Stacey's party!

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New Colours for our Outdoor Room

With Spring just around the corner, I decided it was a great time to start a plan for our outdoor spaces.


Late last summer we built our patio and bought a sectional set and gazebo to make better use of our backyard. I've collected some fabics, dishes and accessories to add some much needed colour this year.  Our new patio and furniture last year:





Inside our home we use lots of neutrals with blues and greens being our accent colours. I was going to play it safe and use neutrals outdoors but decided some brighter colours would be fun.The principle of using similar colours and materials both inside and outside will, I think, help to make our new outdoor 'room' look like it belongs with the rest of our home. These colours will go well with our exterior house colours too.


                                    


I bought these fabrics for $4, $7 (half price outdoor fabric) and $5 a metre. It is decorator fabric and nice and wide. Three metres for a less than 20 bucks. The safe me first chose the stripe and then the paisley. Totally me. The other floral is really stepping out of my comfort zone, but I love the aqua blue it adds. My plan for now is to make some pillows for the sectional and Muskoka chairs. 





We don't want to spend too much so I shopped the house and in ten minutes came up with a few accessories that we can use for relaxing or entertaining.





This dinner set is from The Evelyn Collection by Tracy Porter and I found them on sale at Canadian Tire last year. I love the floral pattern and the wavy edge of the plates. 




I will add big pots of plants and maybe some small shrubs to the patio. Lots of candles in mason jars and hopefully this year when we set up the gazebo we will remember to add some mini LED lights.


We have a ton of spring yard and garden work to start, but for now our lawns are too soft and wet. By late April and early May our garden centres will be full of beautiful plants, shrubs and accessories. I would love to buy it all, but I will keep our budget in mind as I make choices. With the patio as inspiration this year, I think that will be harder than ever. I can hardly wait to get started! I'll have to see what else I can find in our basement to use in our new outdoor room. We also need to come up with some kind of small table and chairs for dining. I'm not overly fond of traditional patio table sets and would like to use a real table. I'll have to see about that though. Have you started planning or sprucing up your outdoor spaces? 


I'm linking to Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage. Stop by and check out all the other great links.




I'm also linking to Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest. Fabric deals and shopping the house should count, eh?



I'm also linking to Just A Girl's Show and Share Day. Stop by!

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Springridge Farm ~ My post works this time

This beautiful home was featured in Style at Home magazine last year.

 This modern farmhouse is the home of Laura and John Hughes who own Springridge Farm in Milton, Ontario.  

 The views over the Niagara Escarpment would be spectacular from these windows.







Above Images: Style at Home magazine
 On the same property is Springridge Farm, a wonderful example of local agri-business. Springridge has seasonal activities for young and old and a gift shop, cafe, bakery, farm yard, and wagon rides to pick seasonal produce and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
All Images below: springridgefarm.com

I'm really looking forward to local strawberries in June. We ran out of homemade strawberry jam in December and our kids are really missing it.

The farm has special events including Harvest Festival, Christmas Open House, Easter Egg Hunt, school tours, birthday parties, Strawberry Festival and more.

I'm longing for flowers and starting my gardening!
The gift shop has so many neat home and garden accessories and unique gifts. The restored 19th century barn is nestled on the side of the Niagara Escarpment. The setting is spectacular. The farm yard is full of fun activities for kids. Straw mazes, a giant sandbox, farm animals, corn trails, straw bale jumping, straw bale pyramid, antique tractors and wagon rides. 
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The gift shop is located on two levels of an old 19th century barn. The main entrance to the barn is an enclosed deck with outdoor decorator items and gifts and the main floor has a wonderful assortment of home items, bakery, cafe, and preserves. I can easily spend an hour or more browsing while my husband and the kids spend time in the farm yard. I have even made trips by myself just to enjoy the cafe and gift shop.


 

I'm getting hungry looking at the next pictures!


Springridge has a 'green statement' and visitors can learn about the many many ways the family has run a green business and the history of their farm in this their 50th year. The washroom facilities are very clean, modern and are eco-conscious.

If you visit, let me know what you think.


Springridge Farm


7256 Bell School Line


Milton, ON L9T 2Y1
Open from April 1st to Christmas.


 
{Note: This is not an advertisement. I have received no compensation for this. It is a local farm our family has enjoyed visiting for many years and one I thought people in our area may enjoy visiting.} 

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