Crazy for Succulents - A Few Projects Done!

I have been just crazy for succulents and it all started when I indulged myself in planting them last year. You may remember these pictures from last summer....


I found whatever I could around the house and garage to plant them in. We planted large and small succulents in an old vintage Radio Flyer wagon for my husband's garden....

I planted a few different varieties in a large birdbath....

There are petite succulents in my fairy garden....

Some Hens and Chicks dug from a friend's garden in an old galvanized pan....

This year is no different. I will be re-planting the wagon, the birdbath, and the fairy garden with new succulents. The advice I got via the internet on how to winter them over failed miserably.

I hope to find a good variety at good prices at our local public market. They have Flower Days the whole Memorial Day weekend, so we will be there.

In the meantime, I decided to "cheat" a little to make a wreath and planter for my front porch. Michael's craft stores have a nice selection of faux succulents in all kinds of varieties, sizes and colors. Right now they are 40% off too!

I have had this vintage chicken feeder for awhile. I bought it to resell but can't bring myself to do it yet. So glad I didn't! I saw a picture of my project on Pinterest, I think, and knew that is what I wanted to do with it.

Off to Michael's to get some faux succulents....



These faux succulents are unique in that they are attached to a plastic backing...

I just cut them each off of the plastic grid and left a piece of the plastic on to stick in the dirt.

To help make my project believable, I added some potting soil all around the feeder...





Then it was just a matter of sticking the succulents in the dirt and arranging them to my liking.

It goes so well with my new wreath filled with faux succulents...

I found the wreath at a pricey gift shop nearby, so I paid way too much for it. I had to have it! It is made of rusty metal flower pots. I found three of the faux succulents at a Salvation Army store and the other three at Michael's. It hangs on my chippy vintage window.

It makes a nice vignette and it is something different than last year's porch décor.

I never plan to redo my decorating every year, it just happens that way! Really! I find something I love and it replaces the thing I loved and had to have last year.

I know I am not the only one that does that. C'mon fess up!

Anyways, I keep all my décor items from year to year and that is another problem for another post!

On to the side porch. It got some new decor too.

I subscribe to Magnolia Market's newsletter and Joanna offered some free printables to download. They are so cute, so I downloaded them without knowing what I would do with them.

I have no before pictures, just the afters.....

My husband printed them on nice card stock. I bought some $3 white frames at Walmart and painted them English Ivy Green. Because I was too lazy to sand or prime them first, it took three coats!

Learn from my laziness.

Aren't they cute? They are watercolors of potted plants with their names in script.

Of course I had no wall space to hang them so I used a beam. Why not?

The full view.....





We are just getting started on Summer weather in Upstate NY and the porch's and yard and gardens are starting to come together. After I get all my succulents and annuals planted I will just sit back in that Papasan chair there and relax for the summer.

Yeah, right! Scroll back up to where I say I never PLAN to redo my decorating, and you can get an idea of what I'll be up to!!

It's all good and it's all fun.

Happy Summer!!

AnnMarie xoxo

I'll be linking up to these fun blog parties.....

Vintage Charm Party

Share Your Cup

No Rules Weekend Blog Party

Home Sweet Home

Anything Goes Pink Saturday

Happiness is Homemade

Cooking & Crafting with J & J

Share Your Style Link Party



A Flea Market Kind of Mother's Day

The flea markets are just starting up around here so I wanted to get to one as soon as I could.


We planned our outing for Mother's Day. What better way to spend Mother's Day than indulging my pickin' passion?


"We" included my husband, son and I. They are such troopers when it comes to things I want to do that they may not necessarily choose. They got to pick the restaurant for dinner though....more on that later.

We had to drive an hour and a half to the flea market I chose, since it was in Clarence, NY, which is near Buffalo. I was attracted to that one because there were supposed to be tons of vendors outside and lots of indoor flea markets too. As you can see the skies were a little ominous, so the turnout was not great.

We ended up dodging raindrops in between the sun and downpours, on and off most of the day. Only in NY.


I had my cart in the truck and I was all ready to go, rain or shine. My husband made it a little game for me. My mission, should I choose to accept it, was to spend as much of this wad of money as I could while we were there. He wouldn't tell me how much was in it and I was not allowed to count it. And, I had to give back whatever I didn't spend. Oh boy! Easy peasy!

Or so I thought. I found a lot of stuff but couldn't help being thrifty minded even though I wasn't spending my own money! I passed by a lot of good stuff that was too pricey for me to buy and resell, even though it would cost me nothing. Believe me, by the end of the day, that changed and I spent with abandon!


Here are some of my finds. I realized once I went through them all that I had a variety of different styles of vintage, which I love. I didn't purposely look for different styles, I just picked what I love.

Some industrial finds included two oil cans, a red fan blade, a GE fan that works and a rustic turquoise box.

I never pass by Christmas items, any time of year, if they are a good price. These were.

My Farmhouse finds....

I think I have to keep the paper mache rooster basket/planter for awhile and I am definitely keeping the tablecloth.


After I found the turquoise wicker shelf I found the green one. Why not? I love them both.

I always grab feed or potato sacks when I see them. They sell well in my Etsy shop.

Here are my girly girl finds. The wicker vanity and hand mirror are so unique and the turquoise zippered bag has gold handles.

One of the first things I found was this vintage gold daisy bracelet. My favorite flower is any variety from the daisy family so it was a "gotta have it" purchase. It is a keeper.



When it started raining too much to keep walking around, we went into some of the Antique stores. I found some unique and very pricey items that were fun to look at but not to buy!



Yup, it says $14,500

It was time to head toward the restaurant for our reservations. Guess what kind of restaurant my husband and son chose? Steak and seafood of course! I don't eat red meat so I was hoping to find something I would like on the menu. I did.

It is called Lobster Mania.

I don't think an explanation is needed.....

The restaurant is a rustic cobblestone fine dining place where they make your soup and salad table side and cut your meat to order table side. My son couldn't resist sitting in the chair in the front.

Speaking of my son, he gave me the sweetest card and gift. A few weeks ago we both had our hair cut by my daughter at her salon (girly) and after I wanted to go to a kind of girly shop nearby to see what they had. Michael was a trooper and came in with me. I found the most delicious smelling candle called Dancing in the Rain. The owner was hinting to him what a good Mother's Day gift it would make. Fast forward to this past Friday night when he asked my husband to take him to go get it for me.

That picture of us was taken about 10 years ago!



So how do you think I did spending the money?

I did not spend it all but put a good dent in it. I reluctantly handed the remainder back.

When I counted up what I spent compared to what was in that wad of money, I'd say I did pretty good. I felt a little guilty for how much I spent.

For about a minute.

I know, I'm spoiled.

I prefer to think of it as being blessed :-)

Now to inventory all my treasures and decide if they are going on Etsy or to my booth.

Woe is me, how will I get through it all ;-)



To those that celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday.


One last thing to share. Have you heard of the bitmoji app for your smart phone? You make an avatar of yourself and then it is attached to all kinds of emoji's that you can text to anyone.


Does it look like me?

AnnMarie xoxo


I am linking up with these fun blog parties:
Amaze Me Monday
Let's Talk Vintage
Share Your Cup
No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Vintage Charm Party
Friendship Friday Blog Party
Friday Feature Linky Party
"Anything Goes" Pink Saturday

A Sweet Gift to Myself

Today I received a very special package in the mail all the way from Oregon.

I have been waiting for a chance to have one of these treasures so I treated myself to one. It is a hand made collage made on a loom with colorful fabrics and pretty appliques and buttons.

A personal note was included.


Some close ups...

The sweet daisies caught my eye. They are my favorite flower.



I originally thought it would go in my kitchen but when I saw it in person, it has all the colors in my bedroom wallpaper and quilt.

I hung it where I can have a view of it every night while reading in bed...



And I will pass by it every time I shimmy around the blanket chest by the window and the end of my bed. Yup, I get to do that in the dark in the middle of the night too!

I wanted to share it with you and where it came from as soon as opened it. If you follow Nancy at A Joyful Cottage then you may already know that she just opened a new shop featuring her charming collages and prints of her husband Dennis' paintings.


Here is sweet Nancy in front of a beautiful handmade rug....

Her shop, A Joyful Cottage Shop, has the tag line "More than a name. It's a lifestyle". Nancy calls herself the cottage lover and her newly built and decorated cottage home is a lovely example of how she and her husband live their lives, cottage style.

This is her blog header

When she first started showing her sweet collages on her blog, I instantly wanted one. But, I live in New York and she lives in Oregon. She recently had a Spring show in her town and I so would have been there if it wasn't on the other side of the world!!


I am currently threatening to visit someday though. I have never been further west than Ohio. Sad, I know.


I am so excited for Nancy and her new adventure with her shop and there is such a great variety of her husband's beautiful watercolor and oil prints.


Her blog is equally charming, where she shares cottage living in the great northwest. She has a feature every Saturday called Living Large in Small Spaces where she finds the most unique, eclectic and beautiful private and vacation homes to take you on a tour of.


I hope you will visit this sweet lady and enjoy her simple way of living and her beautiful handiwork, around her home and in her handmade treasures.


AnnMarie xoxo


I am linking up with these fun blog parties:


"Anything Goes" Pink Saturday
Happiness is Homemade Link Party