Quick and Easy Patriotic Potted

Hello, friends!  Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by!  

Typically for each holiday, I decorate for the entire month beginning on the first of that month. For example, if it is December, I try to have the Christmas décor up by December first (try being the operative word, lol).  I've found blogging to be a challenge, really you need to be a month ahead, oh dear.  We are almost into July, so today I wanted to share a potted plant idea that is very simple, and can bring patriotic charm to any décor.  

You will need:

A large pot for planting

Garden soil (I used and prefer the MiracleGrow Flowers and Vegetables mix)

Assorted blooms in red, white, and blue

For my red, white, and blue, I chose specific plants.  

For red, you cannot go wrong with vibrant-colored geraniums. 

For my white, I thought Vinca Cora Whites would do nicely. 

Finally, the most tricky is finding blue.  Finding blue flowers without ordering them special can be a challenge.....luckily for me, Armstrong Garden Center was flush with lovely Lobelia.  Lobelia are really pretty dainty blooms, and can vary in color, really contingent upon lighting. They can appear as dark blue or near purple,

or as a soft periwinkle. 

After I chose my pretty petals, it was time to pot them. I began by creating a foundation of vitamin-rich soil in my pot. 

I added the flowers.....breaking apart the roots a bit before placing them into the pot, and then filled the rest of the pot with more soil. I used a pot from another plant, and because it will be hidden, it didn't need to be pretty. 

Once I arranged all of my little guys in their pot, I watered them.  Finally, I placed the pot right on my front porch in a darling little rustic cart.  I adorned the cart with a patriotic bow, and voilà!  So simple. 

Here's a closer look.  Sweet, no?  

How are you preparing for the festivities next month?

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Set Your Table With Flair--Patriotic Summer Setting

Hello, dear friends!  Thank you so much for stopping in to visit!  I greatly appreciate it!

Wow, it seems the year has practically flown by!  I cannot believe it is officially Summer again!  Summertime is the consummate time for backyard barbecues, family gatherings, and picnics!  Such fun!  We are a few short days away from celebrating our beautiful country's independence, so for today's tablescape, I hope to incorporate some of the fun elements of the summertime season.  I hope you enjoy the post.   

I began in the middle of my backyard with my little bistro table and chairs, free of linen. 

I wanted this tablescape to be indicative of a picnic, so for the centerpiece, I added a red soft woven basket next,

and filled it with red, white, and blue blooms. 

My navy blue chargers came next, 

followed by clean white plates. 

Closer look. 

Nothing says backyard barbecue, Summer, or picnic quite like red and white gingham!  I adore these plates......they look like paper plates, but they are actually a very thick, sturdy melamine. 

A closer view.  So fun!

Next, I placed navy napkins folded in fourths,

and crisp white napkins adorned with whimsical bicycle napkin holders. 

Aren't these cute?  I love bike riding whenever I get the chance!  Such a great activity during the summer for the whole family!   

Finally, I placed simple blue flutes at each setting,

and for a bit of patriotic flair, bows with the Stars and Stripes on the backs of each chair!

Here is the completed tablescape. No flatware needed!  :)

Summer is all about wonderful comfort food you eat with your hands if you are like me! 

A few more......

Here are a couple of up-close shots of the setting.  

From my collection:

Bistro table and chairs, Target

Navy chargers, Horchow/Neiman Marcus

White plates, Ralph Lauren Club Collection

Gingham melamine plates, Horchow/Neiman Marcus

Navy napkins, Hotel Collection, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods 

White napkins, generic, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods 

Bicycle napkin rings, Steinmart 

Blue flutes, generic

Red basket and florals, Hobby Lobby

Stars and Stripes bows, Big Lots 

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

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Presto-Change-O! Making A Modern Kitchen A Classic

Hello, friends!  Thank you so very much for stopping by my blog!

The months of April through June are typically very busy in my home.  During the months of April and May, we celebrate four of our five children's birthdays, and our wedding anniversary (Número Twenty this year)!  Whew!  My apologies if posts have been sporadic. 

If you have been visiting my posts, you know we are in the middle of a complete kitchen overhaul. Now that our cabinets and countertops are installed, I felt it was time to start looking at hardware.  The cabinets we have chosen for our new kitchen are from Ikea.  If you have visited an Ikea before, you know that the cabinets are typically very modern.  Making specific choices in hardware and other decorative elements is great way to transform a kitchen!  

For a couple of weeks now, I have been trolling some of my favorite antique shops in search of drawer pulls.  My thought was to use very old or similar reproductions of antique hardware in the new kitchen.   The choice of this specific type of hardware melds well with the décor in my home, which is classic-European-meets-modern.  Here is a peek of what I found. Aren't these gorgeous!!?  I'm so excited!

I also happened upon a beautiful pillar.  I absolutely adored the lines of this pillar, so I snapped it up immediately.  This pillar will be featured underneath my quartz countertop on the corner of the slab.  She just needs a little love, which I am more than willing to give!  

Before I happened upon this gorge pillar, we had already chosen one from the local hardware store....but I felt it paled in comparison, so back it went!

The final decorative elements I found on my latest excursions were a gorgeous cast iron trivet,

a wonderful cast iron letter holder (which is in severe need of cleansing),

and the Pièce de Résistance:  a fantastic cast iron welcome sign with bell.  

Please stay tuned, I will be featuring a post explaining how to add the hardware very soon.  To give you a sneak peek, here is a snap of the dishwasher, where we have already added the hardware (please keep in mind our dishwasher is not bracketed in place yet, so this is not its final position).

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

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Granite Or Quartz?

Hello, friends!  Thank you for stopping by!  I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Father's Day. 

The age-old adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" is certainly true.  There are quite a few older homes in my community, ours being one of them, and several homes here have the same tile or comparable. It wasn't until I started writing my blog (and snapping pics) that I realized how extraordinarily dated my countertops looked. Yikes.  We are almost into the home stretch of our kitchen renovation, and we recently came to decision-making time!  Time to choose the countertops. We looked at a few options, and finally settled on quartz.  

Granite vs Quartz:

⚫Both vary in price. 

⚫Granite is 100% Natural, quartz is manufactured. 

⚫Being that granite is 100% natural, there can sometimes be flaws in the slab

⚫Quartz is fabricated, so there are likely no flaws

⚫Granite requires sealing, quartz does not

⚫Quartz is nonporous and more resistant to bacterial growth, and also more mold resistant. 

I chose a grey quartz with sparkling flecks.  Here is a snap of the island. 

Another. 

Quite a difference from my outdated tiles.

I hope this information has been helpful.  Thanks again for stopping in, keeping my fingers crossed we will finish soon!  

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

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Kitchen Update

Hello, Friends!  Thank you so much for stopping by!

Well, things have been extremely busy and quite chaotic here at the Parsimonious House, and I certainly will be glad when we finish!  I wanted to give you a quick update of our kitchen work-in-progress.  

All of our kitchen cabinets came from Ikea.

What is great about Ikea cabinetry is that the elements are fairly easy to assemble because they are basically boxes.  If you'll note, to give the cabinets a little facelift, as with my previous kitchen, here on the island, I am adding wainscoting and corbels again.  Adding wainscot or corbels is a quick and inexpensive way to customize your cabinets and really make them pop!  

We still have quite a way to go....but it'll be well worth it!  Thank goodness for Summer Vacation!  

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

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Set Your Table With Flair--A Classic Father's Day

Hello, friends!  Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of blogland. If you've read any of my posts, I'm sure you know by now that I appreciate the old traditions of both France and England. In honor of Father's Day, I wanted to set a masculine yet elegant table steeped in a traditional English theme.  I hope you enjoy the post.

I began with a handsome tweed tablecloth. Although tweed originated in Scotland, it is a very popular fabric in the UK, and has long been one of the traditional cloths used in jackets of game hunters and horse riders.

I love the houndstooth pattern of this cloth!  Houndstooth and herringbone tweed are such wonderfully masculine fabrics!  Here is a closeup.

Next, I stacked three of my Encyclopedia Americana editions.  I wish they were Britannica, but those are incredibly expensive collectors' items now that they are no longer printed, and haven't been since 2010.  

On top of the encyclopedias, I set a rustic serving dish. 

The serving dish was followed by simple white plates,

clear plates,

and brown saucers. 

A large goblet and coffee mug came next.

I adore the print of the polo jockey riding full-throttle, mallet ready.  

To serve as either ashtrays or as a place to discard nutshells, at each setting, I set one of these wonderful coasters. Each depicts a scene of hunters and hounds.  Aren't the English Foxhounds and hunters in classic regalia charming!? 

Shown here.

At each setting, I placed a tan napkin adorned with a wooden napkin holder. 

Next, I placed one of these handsome hand-painted wooden mallard decoys at each setting. 

Shown here. 

A tortoiseshell butter spreader was placed next to each mallard.  Finally, in the serving dish, I placed pirouette cookie "cigars."

A few more shots of the complete tablescape.

A closeup of the place setting. 

From my collection:

White plates, Ralph Lauren Club Collection

Clear plates, generic

Brown saucers, generic, from Tai Pan Trading

Mugs, Ralph Lauren Polo for Wedgwood Collection

Coasters, Lindner Kueps Bavaria 

Tortoiseshell spreaders, Ralph Lauren Wentworth Tortoise Collection

Goblets, generic

Napkins, generic, from HomeGoods

Wooden napkin rings and rustic serving dish, Target Home Collection

Wooden Mallard Decoys, People's Republic of China

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤