Pocketful of Blue

Wishing Everyone A Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season! Love & Peace, JoAnne

I happened upon this kitchen recently on the blog, Natural Calico. This adorable and charming space resides in Ireland and it's owners refer to it as their "economical hand painted bespoke kitchen". So many cute details like this chalkboard used as part of a coffee station.  And this retro fridge! Who wouldn't love that? I think the soft, muted colors of the cabinetry and the butcher block countertops are really pretty. (Not to mention that amazing dutch door!) There's a lovely dining area at one end of the kitchen  with a beautiful chandy that reflects in the large mirror. At the other end is a comfy sitting area - love that! I found this kitchen to be sweet and inspiring. I hope you liked it too! Have a wonderful day!! joining Dagmar's Home Link Party A Delightsome Life - Home and Garden Thursday Imparting Grace - Grace at Home French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday Litt...

Today I would like to show you the transformation of our patio.  With a lot of work, it has come a long way since we moved here ten years ago.  In the picture below you can see how it looked after we had replaced the ugly brown shingle siding on the house and added the patio doors. There was actually no direct access to the patio before this. The concrete blocks that made up the patio always looked dirty and they were uneven in many places.  They also went right up to the house so there was no space to plant anything between the patio and house.   Do you see our kitty waiting to get back in the house?  I don't blame him for not wanting to spend too much time our there.  We didn't want to either!  A few years ago, my son and hubby tore out the old concrete blocks and laid new pavers.  Such a huge improvement! With some landscaping and pretty flowers, it has become a space we can really enjoy.   It's been especial...

What have I been up to this summer?  Yard work. Lots of yard work. As of August, we have lived in our house for ten years.  Most of that time was spent raising our kids and working on the inside.  Little by little, we worked on the landscaping. Now that we have a sophomore in high school and a sophomore in college, we have more time to work on the outside.  I actually enjoy yard work and we have had some unusually nice weather this summer, not too terribly hot, so you could find me outside most days. I wish I had taken more pictures of the outside ten years ago, but that was prior to blogging so I didn't really think that much about it.  We have come a long way though. All of the landscaping around the house has been replaced over the years.  We tore out the old, crumbling sidewalk, and added a curving gravel path. Things we have planted are filling out and of course there have been things that we've had to remove or transplant.  Las...

I'm unpacking and catching up on laundry since returning from  our annual vacation with my husband's family. We always have a great time and I love that we have this tradition. It's such a cute little beach town and I always enjoy taking long walks and looking at the charming houses. Want to come along? The house above has its red, white and blue going on  all ready to celebrate. Adirondack chairs always look great and I think they look very inviting on the front porch. I like how neat and tidy this pretty blue house looks. The landscaping isn't anything extravagant but it looks great. In the picture below you can see the pretty, soft light green on the screened door and the same color is on the door to the house as well. Here's another screened door that is just so charming. The little spindles in the center are painted the two  colors of the house - such a great idea. The red door on this house really stands o...

The 4th of July is two weeks away so it's not too late to pick up a couple new cute things to help celebrate the holiday. Here are a few I think you might like. Pretty red, white and blue flowers on this grapevine wreath. The unique flower with the flag print is made of paper. This would be the perfect welcoming touch on your front door. OSweetGoodnessShop Here is some melamine dinnerware with a sort of  distressed or denim blue color. This would be great for a 4th of July BBQ or just about anytime really. Melamine is so lightweight and no worries about breakage. pier1imports I love the simple star design on these cloth napkins. They could be used with the melamine dishes above or  just some plain white plates. World Market A pretty hand painted pitcher to serve your favorite drink!  pier1imports Of course every holiday needs a banner.  Isn't this one cute? World Market Chunky wooden firecracke...