Take a Sneak Peek into my Garden + My Lemonade Recipe

Hello Friends, 

             I am so sorry about the slacking I have been doing lately, I have been extremely busy for the  last couple of weeks and getting a chance to sit down and write for you guys has proved a challenge. I do have some adventures planned for the summer and I hope to blog them for you guys. 

               Today I am sharing a look inside my garden! If you follow me on instagram, you know that my hybrid Tea Roses are my pride and joy and that I have been really helping my mom work on getting our garden in ship shape this summer. We moved into this house about two years ago and the yard was unkempt and disastrous. My Mom actually wept when she saw the state of our yard. So, for the last two summers, we have been working at it and we are finally so happy with it. I only wish I had a before and after shot of this place. 

Pretty pleasant to look at, eh? (I'm so Canadian) Today, whist cleaning up the yard and enjoying the weather, I decided to whip up a pitcher of lemonade. Lemonade is pretty straight forward but I thought I would share my easy little base recipe. 

I start with a clean pitcher (duh Sarah!) and add about a cup of lemon juice, a cup of sugar and pour in about 5 cups of water. Stir it up and garnish with lemons and strawberries. You can add sugar or lemon juice to your taste, but I thought this worked perfect for me. Also, you can throw in some fresh mint to add some more flavor. 

I hope you all enjoyed a sneak peek at my garden. Follow me on instagram for all my garden updates. 

Until next time...

D.I.Y - Chic Metallic Garden Flamingo

Hello friends,

       First off I must apologize for being so rotten about the challenge, I have failed miserably. I will explain why, a few weeks back, my cheek literally swelled to the point where it looked like I had a golf ball stuck in my cheek. I ended up on anti biotic for two weeks. Anywho, my dental appointment is this week and I DREAD going to the dentist. I know I have some teeth problems I need to work through and I don't like hearing about it all the time. That is why I hate the dentist. Anywho, I have spent the last two weeks mentally preparing myself for Thursdays ordeal, so my mind has been pre- occupied.

   I decided to share a weekend DIY with you guys today. Lately, I have been into gardening. To be 100% honest, I used to hate the thought of gardening. You know, the worms, the dirt, the bugs, yik!! Anyways, I recently planted a hydrangea and a rose bush, which I am super excited about. I wanted to add some lawn ornaments but my mom refused to let me have the ones I wanted. What I wanted was a lawn flamingo but without the tack factor. I used pinterest and found a really cute set that were a metallic rose gold. They looked super chic but cost my right arm so I decided to come up with a DIY. This project is super easy and only takes a day to do. So, without further ado, let's get this thang started...

What you will need:

- A plastic garden flamingo (I got mine at the dollar store for around $3.00 but it's a little smaller than I would have liked. I would check home depot for a.better one)

- A can of gold, rose gold or silver spray paint (I used the shade nickel with a satin finish) Also, make sure this is an outdoor paint.

- Old newspapers

- A garden (duh!)

First things first, if your flamingo comes with the legs already attached, remove legs. Mine did not, so this step was unnecessary. 

Next, lay down some old news papers down to protect the surface you are working on.

Lay your flamingo down on its side. You will need to paint each side separately. Be patient!!

Shake the can for a good minute or so to get the pigments nice and mixed up. 

Spray the flamingo in sweeping motions until covered. Note: Depending on the brand of spray paint, you may need to build the color on. Allow to dry for about 25 minutes. Flip and repeat. You will need to allow it to dry for a good two hours in between coats. Mine was covered in about 3 coats. Hot pink is super hard to cover so you can still see the slight hints of pink when harsh light hits it. 

I let it dry overnight to make sure it's good and dry. Reattach those body members and stake in your garden. 

I staked it in front of my rose bush. This gives the garden a chic Alice in Wonderland vibe. 

Bonus: Here is a little sneak peek of a pot of miniature roses I picked up at Walmart. 

Hope you enjoyed this fun little garden DIY. 

Until next time loves...