House Happy

May 17, 2013

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year around here, because my azaleas were blooming:

azaleas

They only have blooms for a few days, but it is FANTASTIC when they do. Long time readers may notice the window boxes are gone – I took them down this week because they were literally falling apart. (Figured I’d spare the neighbors that much longer.)

I’m planning to make more soon, but while the azaleas are blooming it’s kind of nice to just let them shine. ;)

Because I may or may not have backed over a bike with my SUV a few weeks ago, we were in a local bike shop getting a new tire when I fell in love with these bright bicycles:

bright bicycles

I WANT!! All I would need is a basket and a bell!

I pinned these Ball jars (from HGTV.com) the other day because I loved the idea to paint them metallic:

metallic mason jars

I’ve painted some of my mason jars but never thought to do a shiny metallic like this. Wouldn’t that be so pretty for a wedding or shower this summer? LOVE!

Remember the super easy pineapple cake I told you about? Well many of you said you’ve made it with other fruit fillings as well, so I tried the cherry version:

cherry angel food cake dessert

And it was REALLY good too! I think I still prefer the pineapple, but both are yummy. I’m going to try strawberries too. :)

It was a thrill when I got the Ballard Designs catalog a few weeks ago and saw this shot:

photo 4

I was there to see this photo shoot in action and it was a BLAST! I still need to tell you all about that trip. It was surreal to see that same space in the catalog!

I love finding my boy sitting at the new kitchen table:

DIY farmhouse table

We have so much more space on there now, I absolutely love this table! I was a little careful with it at first, but I’ve found the top holds up GREAT. No worries anymore. :)

I had a video shoot with Home Depot this week, so I’ve been working like a mad woman to get the patio ready for it. I took a minute to sit down and enjoy it last week:

patio with fireplace

Facebook folks were loving the pillow – isn’t it awesome?? I found it at Home Depot and it works perfectly with the colors on our patio!

The good thing about having to have everything prepped for the shoot was that most of the outside is ready for us to enjoy for the season. I cleaned my house really well too, but I don’t think anyone noticed by the time the crew set up:

photo 2

It was CRAZY! A really fun experience, I’ll tell you more about it next week!

I shared this one on Facebook too, perfect for Mother’s Day:

Mother's Day cartoon

So worth it and so true! :)

Have you seen the new Threshold items for summer at Target? I’m obsessed with the whole line. I thought this shadowbox art was so pretty:

target shell art

And I took a pic because I have all of the pieces to make this at home – a shadowbox, burlap and shells. I’m going to try it!

I pinned this pretty purple plant from bhg.com – it’s called a Oxalis purple clover I believe?:

Oxalis purple clover

Holy canoly, that would look so amazing on the patio!! Anyone have one? Are they a shade plant or full sun? I’m going to try to find one today. :)

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Comments

  1. That plant at the bottom is so pretty! I have a similar oxalis plant, but it isn't quite that bright purple so maybe they are different varieties. Mine is a house plant so probably it would be more of a part sun/shade plant. (Hopefully others can chime in about it.) Your azaleas are great!
    And...I LOL'd at the Mother's Day quote. So so true!

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  2. my parents have those clovers and they have the cutest little white flower later on! I adore them and I bet you would be darn happy with them!

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  3. What great inspiration photos!! And yes, love the shell shadowbox. I too could easily create one with what I have on hand.

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  4. The clover plant (which is sitting on my front porch right now (:!) is a shade plant. Mine gets about 3 hours of morning sun, but it's shade the rest of the day!! And they LOVE to be watered! I water it every other day! They are quite beautiful, my 6 year old calls it the "kite plant"!

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  5. LOVE the shiny silver mason jars, but I just learned how to can my own veggies and I'm hoarding my mason jars for Purple Hull Peas right now. :) LOVE your ideas!

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  6. Your patio looks beautiful! Great post. Have a good weekend!

    Susan
    http://simplymodernhome.com/

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  7. I can't tell you how many times I've passed that sea shell shadow box at Target and ALMOST put it in my cart. My guest room is beach themed and my loft is boat themed. It would be perfect in either. But making your own might be the best idea yet - then you could use your own shells that you've collected at the beach! I have a similar thing in my loft where I've collected sand from various beaches and put it in jars with rocks or shells I've found too. Then I put a tag on each jar with the place and the date. (Too bad Mexico confiscated the sand I tried to bring back from Cabo. Smuggle fail.)

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  8. I have been looking for baskets to hang on my walls & I just spotted one in your kitchen pic. Can I ask where you found it? I have been having the hardest time finding just a nice, neutral "wall art" type of basket. Thanks!
    Andrea (andrea.sotomayor@yahoo.com)

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  9. Sarah, I have that Oxalis Purple Clover! I live in central TX. It will thrive in shaded areas best, although if it starts growing in a full sun area then it will do OK there as well. The plant will get these tiny trumpet-shaped pale pink flowers, too. It will take root anywhere and can have a tendency to be invasive. The roots are pencil thin purple tubers that can be stuck in moist soil and will take off again.

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  10. Have a great weekend!

    Jenny
    www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com

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  11. Sarah, your oxalis is in the Shamrock family. I have them in hanging baskets and they are so pretty. Some are just green, some purple and green and then one like you picture above. Get some, your love it. And if you cant find it let me know. I would be happy to ship you a cutting or two.

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  12. I too have the purple shamrock and they are awesome plants (even with my black thumb!). Last spring the birds stole almost all of mine to build a nest and I was only able to rescue one shoot. It still rebounded enough that we were able to split the one plant into four at summer's end. Which is why I keep it as a container plant . . . just don't forget to let it hibernate over the winter to keep it healthy and you'll do just fine.

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  13. The Mason jars are cute and a great idea! If you wanted to personalize them and spice them up a bit, there's this project I saw on Kickstarter that you could use. The link is http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/376749862/tag-on-that-print-anything-on-anything?ref=live if you want to check it out.
    Hope you have a great weekend!

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  14. Love the idea for painting the Ball jars metallic, I tried to spray paint a glass Christmas Tree jar last year for the mirror look but alass ended up having to just paint it on the outside so maybe this year I'll paint one of my Ball jars on the outside & put those hard ribbon Christmas candies in it next to my poor tree jar. Going to look up those Purple Oxalis too.

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  15. I LOVE purple Oxalis!!! I have a couple of them. The ones I keep in the shade do OK, but the ones I have in where it can get morning sun and bright light the rest of the day gets really huge. Water often if you have it outside, esp. here in Indy where the summers are more like living in a greenhouse.
    Your azaleas are gorgeous! I have yet to have any luck with growing them.

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    Replies
    1. I love them TOOOOOAH!! I hope I can find them at the nursery.

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  16. You seem to be the target of some spammers there. I just don't get spam. Does anybody ever get any business out of it when they do that?? Anyway, that aside, that Oxalis plant is amazing!! I might have to look for one at our local nursery. I really love that Threshold shadow box. I think I love the grey frame the most. I am going to keep my eyes open for any shadow boxes at the thrift store and do a bit of a hack. Just loving that grey... Can't wait to hear about the photo shoot!

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  17. Sorry about the spam :( But, just wanted to add my two bits about the purple plant that so many seem to love. My first impression is that it looks like a bunch of huge purple moths ... and I have an aversion to moths! Love the mason jars and the bikes though!!

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  18. Love that plant...and my gosh, how cute is the shot of your boy sitting at the table!!! He's getting so big!!! #makeitstop

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  19. You can find the plant at most nurseries. I grow all of mine in our flowerbeds outside. They flower each year. Most of mine are in deep shade; however, I do have some in dappled shade. I am in Arlington, Texas, and it gets really hot here. I don't do anything special for my plants, just water them twice weekly. They come back more profusely each year. These are my husband's favorites! Love your blog and all your creations.

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  20. Purple shamrock are beautiful.I have kept mine in shade where filtered sunlight comes.In India where I stay temperature goes up to 43degrees.During this I have to do so much effort to save my plants.

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  21. I grow mine all year. They do better in the shade but you can maintain them in the sun if you water them frequently. If you know someone who has them ask them for a seed (bulb). I have made 10 plants from one plant I received as gift. This plant is indestructible. If it looks dead just water it and in no time it comes back. Good luck!

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  22. The purple oxalis plant, called various names, is so full. I have never grown one so full. It seems I need a smaller container and more korms/seeds. I just love it. They are strictly shade and inside they like bright indirect light. I love the pillow. Everything looks great.

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