Cottage Beach House: May 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

Redesigning a Patio area

There is a young kid in the neighborhood who comes around and helps us with our yard work which seems to be becoming an overwhelming amount to do during April and May. We call him "Magic Mike"

because he has an abundance of energy and the desire to carry out a plan until something looks "magical".

Last week, Mike and I were both tired of the maintenance involved in keeping this one area looking clean. Stuff gets lodged in between the goose egg rock and it all needs to be pulled apart and cleaned and put back together... hello?!!!? Work much?

Years ago this strip had yucca plants that got too big to have by the pool, because as you walked past them, they stick you) so we moved the yuccas down in a garden and replaced their old spot with the rocks.

You can see the debris and weeds we were left with each spring.

Weeding, blowing out the fallen leaves and winter mess that accumulates each year, has become harder as time wore on and it was time for an updated, lower maintanence plan..

So hubbo and Magic went to Home Depot, and came back with these choices..

...which I wasn't too fond of ...for this spot.

Hub and I agreed we both liked the grey patio stone, we already had, that was interspersed, but the goose rock had to go.

We just could not agree as to what we were going to combine those grey slabs of patio block with. :(

He liked the small dark grey. I wasn't nuts about any of them. And lets face it... this kid is not a brick layer, so....the small stuff would be way too many cuts...And the other stuff was rubber... I tend to like more natural looking stuff and have a lot of slate and flagstone around my yard....so off to Home Depot I went, to figure what we could do for the least amount of cuts. And to accent the slate look of my old patio blocks which no one around me is selling anymore! There must be some option my design challenged hub overlooked.

I found a smaller patio block 12 x 12 that went pretty well with my original

So Mikey piled them into the truck and off we went home, to see how it would work.

And Magic Mike did his thing!

And I am super happy with my "no weed pulling, sweep the dirt and debris right off " results.

Cleaner and easier.

What do you think?

All I need now is a few palms in pots.

Now I can think of a few other places that need...some Magic Mike

Before

After

The kid did good didn't he?

Thanks for stopping by!

I will try to make it to these great linky parties!

Masterpiece Monday

Amaze Me Monday

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Making The World Cuter Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

Tuesday's Treasures

Twice Owned Tuesday

Tuesday Trash to Treasure

Good Life Wednesday

Show & Tell Wednesdays
Your whims Wednesday

Transformation Thursday

Home Sweet Home Friday

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Vintage Bottles get a new home

Last week I posted here, about my vintage bottles haul that I found while driving down the shore.

See the beach glass?

Completed Kitchen Tour before and after "The Good the Bad and the Ugly"

Because I have previously posted bits and pieces of my new white kitchen as it was getting done, I thought now that it is complete with dishes all put back, I would give a complete tour.
A 360 * tour .....

An old School House, A yard Sale, Vintage Bottles

Saturday Fun Times....Capturing Time in a Bottle.

Wow I really enjoyed myself this past Saturday. I'm just getting around to posting it now.
I headed down the shore to do some more cleaning on my Cottage Beach House, for the upcoming summer season. The 90 mile drive down here is always enjoyable, but I never really take my time to stop and smell the roses. You know what I mean?

I've been driving this route for well over 15 years now, and always wanted to stop at a few scattered antique shops and such on the way but never have. Mostly because I always had the kids or hubbo along and of course ..they would never go for that.
But as I was driving down on this past saturday, I said to myself, For heavens sake I'm such a creature of habit that even though the kids all drive their own cars now...And I have the pleasure of the car, alone.
I still just drive right past these places!!

Always in a rush to get here or there and get stuff accomplished.

Well this weekend I stopped. To snap some shots.
A small marina along the way.

A lovely old church in Goshen.

(Goshen.. a small town in Southern New Jersey recently mentioned in the movie "Water for Elephants") which by the way I really enjoyed.

Then I come across this old school house:

Boarded up but saved from demolition... for now.
The sign says Goshen Public School... the clapboard is all chippy but still in great shape and it appears to be structurally sound.

I have admired this building for years and I am so glad I finally stopped to snap it.
How quaint is this?

Like something out of an old movie.

Wouldn't it be a great location for an actual shoot?
Imagine the kiddies who ran through these doors.

Then I came upon a yard sale....A quick stop because it started to rain..
I had to stop..
Look at these cuties...

pristine condition

who could resist this group?

I have plans for this piece below

This hobnail milk glass has a nice iridescence around the rim. That means it is an older piece.

But the best was yet to come...had I only known.. I would have spent less money at that yard sale.
As the rain was beating down now, I glimpse a sign that says "antique bottles"

=========~~~~~~~~~/////////////////

Can you hear my breaks squeeling to a halt??

Stepping out of the car in amazement..I see 2 tables filled with delicious vintage bottles.

AAAHHH Geeeessss, I'm a goner.

I have no self control! I thought I was done with my vintage bottle collection.

Eileen #1, might be done....

but Eileen #2 can think of about 4 more window ledges just crying for a vintage bottle or 2

Drooling at these.

Darn I wish I had more cash.
!!!

These are the ones I escaped with.

The beach glass scattered about my daughter found on the sandy shores of the Delaware river!

Love the irridiscence on this one

This one is so old it has the really old abbreviation for Philadelphia on it.
Instead of Phila. It says Philada. ( The Liberty Bell says Philada)

All in all the trip that normally takes 1 hour and 40 minutes, took 2 and a half hours.

And gave me some sweet photos and some fabulous new old bottles.

Now what would you do with a bunch of old vintage bottles?

So glad I decided to take time for me.

I have to thank Sarah at abeachcottage for the encouragement to indulge in "saturday me" time!

Now it is something I strive for on the spur of the moment. ;))
And I catch it any way I can.

Thanks for stopping by!

Some fun parties I will be trying to hop over to:

I Heart Nap Time

Under the Table and Dreaming

Masterpiece Monday

Amaze Me Monday

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Making The World Cuter Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Repurposed for Outside Living

One of my favorite ideas to do for outside is to create a table out of a large stone and an overturned pot.

I'm not sure if I want to paint this pot bottom, or leave it all chippy, cause I kinda like it beat up and chippy.

That stone is a huge piece of very old slate that came out of an very old sidewalk in Philadelphia that my husband had torn up. I wanted him to keep it there for historical reasons but he wouldn't hear of it.
So I made him bring a truckload of the broken up slate sidewalk home to me and I created a grotto down in the gully of the back yard for flowers and statues. I will post about that project later. I also use the small pieces of slate to create signs. More on that later too.
Back to today...

Today I spruced up the side wall of the shed out back, which was looking a bit shabby.

Below is the side wall that I wanted to make pretty. She's just not rockin my socks lookin like this:

As I was contemplating ... My overambitious brain burns with ideas, but the vintage body doesn't always follow.
I got this idea to hang a group of birdhouses on the side of it. Now this seemed easy.... And it was.
...Done in 15 minutes.

Bada Bing, Bada Bang, Bada Boom

All the items came from around the house,
I was thinking about painting some of them all white because some are chippy and faded, but I changed my mind the more I looked at them. They each have their own individual charm just the way they are.
Each has it's own story to tell.
One taken from an outdated calender, far to pretty to toss with the days gone by from 2003! and an old cross purchased on ebay at least ten years ago by a man who makes them out of old parts.

One my youngest made me many years ago.

A chippy grey one found at a thrift, used for a long time as a tealight holder. and a little feeder , around for years.

A lighthouse feeder from my son

The bottom cross was a gift and I never got the clock to work, so this is an ideal spot.

The fun is the repurposing of all these items that I found in the garage and the shed, during Spring cleanup.
Which once again proves the fun in shopping your own house, and grouping items together for some cohesive design.
I love the way the side looks now all decorated. Can't wait for the rose bush to bloom. It has one flower and a zillion buds!!

I just have to add some annuals, and fresh mulch. But at least we have begun!!
It's been cold and rainy here in Jersey!! Last year we were done with the outside by April 15th because of nice weather. This year was a long slow winter and wet, rainy spring. We always have so much dirt and leaves to clean up in New Jersey.

The flowers are always blooming in Florida

I wonder, how's the weather been in your neck of the woods?
Do you live where it is always nice? Like Florida, or Australia.
Or do you come out of hibernation from a long cold winter in the Northeastern, or Northwestern U.S., and bang away preparing for the warmer weather ?

Do you have big plans for your yard? And does it get messy in the winter?

My 15 minutes this morning lifted my spirits.