DIY Saturday-Garden Special!

Hello all! Happy Saturday :-)

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I had to share this lovely image with you as it seems to epitomise the atmosphere in the UK at the moment. With the Jubilee weekend now only a week away, the Union Jack can be seen round every corner and in every shop window. It's lovely to see the country come together like this and now we have the sun to make it even better!

Now that the Summer finally appears to have arrived (fingers crossed it's here to stick around!) I'm spending a lot more time in the garden. Of course, I'm always coming across fantastic DIY ideas for the garden online that I long to try, so for May's edition of "DIY Saturday", I'm sharing my favourites.

I have divided them into sections five sections; Alterantive Planters, Plant Labels, Garden Furniture, Decoration and Pathways. I hope you find yourself super inspired after seeing them!

Alternative Planters

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I'm in love with this quirky way of growing plants! How lovely would these look hanging from a tree? So pretty :-)

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This hanging-gutter display is a great way of growing plants if you have a small garden, or even if you only have a patio area with no grass.

Plant Labels 

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These are absolutely adorable! If you've collected pebbles on the beach or just have some lying around then get creative with the paint! A fun little project to do with the kids too :-)

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This project screams upcycling to me. Who says broken pots should be thrown away? I think this would look so cute and rustic in a flowerbed.

Garden Furniture

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I'm blown away by the creativity here. A very practical transformation that is lovely to look at as well. A great way of keeping your wine cool outside.

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This bird bath sink is so sweet! You could easily pop to a salvage yard to pick up a small sink if you don't have one already. A very quirky decoration for the garden.

Decoration

 

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Allowing moss and ivy to grow across an unusable piece of furniture would be a gorgeous way to add a little theatrics to your garden. Almost like bringing the indoors out, you would create a rather ethereal, fantasy effect-the garden that time forgot!

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I know the moss graffiti idea has been around for a while now but I still felt inclined to share it today. The result you get from such a simple idea is beautiful and the possibilities are endless!

Pathways

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This is very clever and yet again, so simple. A circular mould, a bit of concrete and a leaf all add up to create unique stepping stones. Definitely something I would like to try in the future.

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I love a good old upcycle project involving old pallets. Here, the pallet has been dismantled and the planks have been used to create a simple wooden path. It is very effective and visually pleasing, creating a feature in the garden.

There are way too many amazing ideas here to pick my favourite, so I've managed to narrow it down to my top three-the sink bird bath is definitely one of them and the leaf-print stepping stones and recycled plant-pot labels are on the list too!

I have to say, writing "DIY Saturday" each month is slowly becoming quite punishing, only because I collect together all these wonderful, creative ideas and I am just so desperate to have a chance to try them all out myself!

One day, I will have my own house and garden where I can run amok, upcycling and DIYing...one day.

Have wonderful weekends filled with everything you love!

Emily

xxx

Trend of the Month-Casual Country

When it comes to magazines, I am 100% more likely to pick up a copy of "Ideal Home" or "Country Homes and Interiors" than any of the fashion or lifestyle mags. I literally gasp with excitement when I see a glossy new issue has been published; I'm always drawn in by the gorgeous cover photos.

One of my absolute favourite trends at the moment is the country look. This has been around for some time now and is one of those particular styles that is so versatile, it will surely be sticking around.
It has to be the floral patterns, natural textures and soft tones that have me hooked and wishing for the day when I can turn my own home into a beautiful, casual, country getaway!

I honestly think the best way of tackling this as a decorating trend is to go with subtle colours in soft, neutral shades of creams, browns and greens, then to add accents of pattern and texture.

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There is nothing more quintessentially 'country kitchen' to me than the use of a Butler or Belfast sink. The cream units and large feature window in this image contrast beautifully with the warm wooden worktops. Just a few plants complete the look.

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The use of floral textiles and accessories bring the outside in with these living areas, without overwhelming the spaces.

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The subtle use of very soft greens and blues in this room is gorgeous, really connecting with the outdoors through the window.

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House Beautiful Magazine-June 2012

I love the clashing patterns used in this bedroom, all tied together through the blue colouring.

Ideal Home magazine, June 2012

 *Sigh* Don't those images just make you swoon in a decor-induced faint?! Gorgeous!

Emily

xxx

A Fruity Afternoon!

Long time no speak, everyone! For this, I must apologise. I've have been shamefully neglectful of my poor little blog, despite it constantly niggling in the back of my mind. You know when you just can't find the time? I didn't want to hash anything out in a rush because that's just not fair to you lovely readers! You need quality! You need substance and thoughtful writing!

I am going to attempt to entice you back in with a scrummy recipe perfect for the summer months. If you live in the UK, you will already know about our complete lack of a Spring but for those of you elsewhere I will summarise-the weather is pants!! The word 'drought' was thrown around a bit and ever since then the sky hasn't stopped pouring for more than two days!! The temperature feels as if we are still in the depths of November and my scarves are working overtime! I feel as if I should be buying Christmas presents, it's that wintery-so messed up for what is very nearly June.

So today was the first proper hint at Spring/Summer-hazy sunshine, warm air; bliss. I went for a bike ride (the first in ages and oh how I've missed it!) and, as is always the case after I exercise, I was peckish. A quick flick through the cupboards and fridge then round again to double-check (you're a liar if you say you don't do this too!) but I came up with nothing.
These very sad-looking bananas were staring at me from the fruit bowl-turning brown, which I hate and well beyond what I call an accpetable state of mushy-ness-and I had a flash of inspiration. Smoothie!

I have to admit, I've never been a massive fan of smoothies. I don't dislike them, I can just never be bothered to faff around with making them. But these poor bananas really needed using and I hate throwing food away. So this is what I came up with after a little experimentation:

Let me tell you, it tasted amazing! I'm not exaggerating, I used three bananas and made a quantity of smoothie probably meant to serve two people, but polished it off completely myself. It was gorge :-)

I know by now you're absolutely dying to make your own so here's how you can:

3 bananas (ripe tastes better-no green ones!)

200ml orange juice

Two generous splashes of milk

Splash of vanilla extract

I made my smoothie in a food processor as there were unresolvable issues with my smoothie-maker (it still had the NZ plug on it from when we lived there! Shows how often I use it...) but the processor worked just fine.

Simplest thing in the world to make: slice your bananas into the processor. Add your orange juice, milk and vanilla extract, then pulse until the banana has been chopped out of existence! Mmmm!

I promise I will be posting lots more in the coming weeks to make up for lost time. I have this month's "DIY Saturday" coming up and I am also starting a new monthly post called "Trend of the Month" which will feature exciting interior ideas that are popular right now! So plenty of reasons to come back soon :-)

I hope you are all well and enjoy your smoothie-making!

Emily

xxx