Homeowners: Bits of Color

Having an awesome backyard space is something that's a huge priority for J and I. Between enjoying dinners on the patio together, having a space for our O-dog to play, and hosting lots of get togethers with friends and yard games we can't wait to get our yard in tip-top shape. 

When we moved in the yard was in rough shape, not quite as bad as our first yard, but it still needed a lot of work. The former owners knew they were selling so they spent little time with anything yard related, even watering unfortunately. I spent a whole day pulling weeds and wild-grass (something that we'll always have to deal with since we back to a green belt) and we're still working to get the grass back to life. Lots of water and some new seed should definitely help in that area. 

But we have been making lots of progress in the yard already and I can't wait to share! We've spent a ton of time getting our planter boxes filled with gorgeous perennials and have made some progress with shrubs around the edges of the yard as well. We wandered around the nursery for quite some time picking out items that we love, things that will fill out in years to come and I can't wait to see them grow!

J named our smokebush Smokey Robinson, such a silly husband I have.

Here's a list of what's in our yard so far!

Double Play Gold Spirea :: Gaillardia // Celosia // White Sage // Coneflower :: Aurora Deep Purple Delphinium // Purple Picotee Dianthus :: Royal Purple Smokebush :: Blue Mist Bluebird :: Rabbitbrush

Now if only we could get our patio furniture and fire pit from the movers. It seems as though the moving truck took a detour to Alaska before delivering our stuff so it could be a while still. Oy vey!

Tying the Knot: Post-Wedding Bouquet

I absolutely loved my bouquet for the wedding and knew I wanted to do something with it post-wedding instead of just tossing it in the trash. Especially since J and I decided not to use flowers in any of our wedding decor, the personal flowers we did get were that much more special. 

After the wedding was over my mom went to the venue the next day to pick up all our "stuff" and included in it was my bouquet that had kindly been placed in water overnight. For the rest of our stay at home it stayed in water in the fridge to keep it fresh. Once it made the trip back to San Diego I decided to hang it from fishing line in our coat closet to let it dry. It stayed in there quite a long time, mostly due to the fact that I forgot it was up there. Oops :-) 

Once it was completely dried I started on the project I was envisioning. I made a quick trip to Bed Bath & Beyond to get a pretty vase as well as some potpourri scents to mix in. I carefully untied the ribbon from around the stems and clipped both flowers and greens into a big bowl. I left some of the roses intact and separated others into individual petals. When I had enough to fill the vase I added about 20 drops of the lavender oil and gave it a quick, careful mix. 

I filled the vase, strategically placing certain items along the edges to be featured and then placed it on a shelf above our entertainment center along with our cake topper and lots of my favorite photos. The lavender oil makes it smell fabulous and now I have a memory from our wedding that I can see every day.

So tell me, what did you do with your bouquet after the wedding? Toss it? Save it?