Cottage Review: Vintage Birds

Hi Friends, welcome to the Weekend Cottage Review, where I share a bit of what I'm up to this week, some ideas and inspiration, and a few bits of past posts that are seasonal...

May is Bird Month around here. I've really enjoyed watching and feeding the birds at this house since we moved here 4 years ago. This house has been unique in that we have a back porch that is so fun and perfect for hanging feeders and the ability to have stealth viewing...

Creating A Potting Bench with Reclaimed Wood

Hi Friends, welcome to the October edition of the Lifestyle of Love blog gathering where a few of us share our love for decorating with vintage items. This month our topic is using and decorating with items created with reclaimed wood. Our blogging bud Cindy from County Road 407 is our host and creator of this fun get together. If you're coming from Lora's Blog, Create and Ponder, thanks so much for continuing the Hop!

Summer to Fall Garden Florals in Vintage Containers

Today I thought I'd share a few pics and posts with my garden grown Hydrangeas from this house. I've really enjoyed the large lush bush out front and start snipping those blooms in late June for display and drying. After a few weeks of enjoying the fresh cuttings, they can be dried into lovely delicate dried specimens that range from delicate pinks and greens to darker mauves and purples in the Fall.

Vintage Watering Cans for the Patriotic Porch

Hello Everyone, we all have a real treat today with a fun vintage Hop. I'm joining today with a great group of gals who love vintage goods and absolutely love using them to decorate our homes and porches. Our friend Cindy of County Road 407 came up with this unique way to share our vintage pieces with the Lifestyle of Love Bi-Monthly Hop. Our theme this month is galvanized tin containers and vintage items. Summer is the perfect season for sharing our metal farmhouse goods with an industrial and garden vibe.

Vintage Cottage Weekend on the Patriotic Back Porch

Hi Friends, Happy Sunday. I think most of you know by now, and after 13 years, that I'm not the type of blogger that's into big reveals, major projects and complicated DIYs. I consider you all friends and I'm just looking to share my interests, little decor things that excite me, and my daily life. When I find something I love and enjoy I want to share it with you all. 

Vintage Cottage Weekend: Seasons on the Potting Bench

I shared the Potting Bench on the back porch a few days ago, so I thought I'd have a look back at a few other seasonal potting bench posts. I love having this outside spot to keep my gardening tools and necessities corralled. It's an anchor piece for one of the seating areas, where we enjoy a break during the day and evening. 

If you missed my last post you can find it HERE

Back Porch Potting Bench

When the weather starts getting warmer and planting time is here it's time to get out on the back porch, do some clean up, and put together the potting bench. With all the trees around, our back porch can turn into a bit of a leaf dump. Starting in early April we get a variety of "tree droppings", which can get a bit overwhelming to stay on top of. Oaks and walnut trees are lovely except when they're dropping helicopters, fringe-y seeds, peapods, pollen... nuts, and oh and leaves.

Wooden Christmas Star on the Potting Bench

Hey There Friends, you know me, there's always a last minute bit of holiday fun that I want to share. My sister brought by my Christmas gift last weekend so we could enjoy it a bit before Christmas this week.

Vintage Step Ladder on the Back Porch

Hi Friends, so glad you're here today. First off, I could subtitle this post as

"One Vintage Ladder- Two Seasons for Fun Vintage Decor".

Our friend Cindy from County Road 407 has created this fun vintage Hop, where we join in to share our vintage pieces in fun ways and to hopefully bring some great inspiration. Today there's a small group of us showing how we've used this month's topic which is.... drum roll please... vintage ladders! 

Cozying Up the Back Porch for Fall

November is here and it's time to bring out the warm snuggly blankets, long underwear, and cups of yummy hot cider. My wish for cooler, sweater weather has arrived and plunked itself down right here in Southern Missouri. It seems like each year the summers get longer, but then poof... overnight we plunge from the upper 80's into the 50's with an overnight jet stream.

Foraging for Fall on the Potting Bench

Hello friends, hope you're having a lovely Fall weekend! Earlier in the week I shared my meager Fall Cottage Front Porch with a few fall accents, mums and pumpkins. So today I want to show how I foraged around my yard to put together a couple of floral arrangements gleaned from bushes and the last of the summer flower containers. I'm out on the covered patio out back with the Potting Bench.

Summer Containers on the Porch and in the Garden

Hi Friends, I thought I'd share a quick post with some pics of my containers out back and on the front porch. These were taken a couple of weeks ago, so they are just barely blooming, not really filled out at all. This is my first time posting since I had the back surgery a week ago today. I had to have my husband help with all the "heavy lifting" to get these containers put together. He's not a gardening fan; I can barely wring enough sympathy out of him to water them while I've been "indisposed". He enjoys seeing how much color they add to the porch and the pretty blooms, he's just been trapped in an office for years, so his mind doesn't gravitate to extra stuff outdoors that might be considered work.

Backyard Naturals Bouquet

One of the reasons I love Fall so very much is the change in the coloring of leaves, flowers, and shrubbery. Where Spring is full of greens and lovely pastel shades of flowers and buds, Fall can be just as amazing visually with all the glorious brilliant color. 

Early Fall Naturals Garden Tote

We finally had some rain Saturday afternoon, 

which always causes tree debris to fall.

We headed out with our yard containers but I quickly 

got waylaid with some interesting leaves, walnuts, and acorns.

Before I knew it I grabbed one of my chippy white totes

and put together a fun gathering of natural elements.

(Ok, maybe one or two faux, that brought in a little fall color.)

Potting Bench, the Back Porch and New Landscape

I got a late start on the back porch and container planters this year. My cervical spine surgery really put the kibosh on my fun this Spring. We had a cold and rainy May this year which didn't help getting things put together on top of everything else. My husband and I finally got around to doing some outside clean up and then for Mother's Day he helped me pot some sun-loving plants to get the back yard up to speed.

(cast iron rabbit on the back porch retaining wall)

Back Porch and the Potting Bench

This has been the week to finally share my outside spaces... good and not so good. Earlier in the week I posted my front porch that's in the middle of a facelift. That post is a kind of a cringe-worthy "before photo", but I know it's going to get better. So now to the back of the house. I'll show you the potting bench first, since it's the most fun to look at.