Landscaping, coming along...

Per Darren's request, outdoor photos/Summer/early Fall....(no snow!) :)

Please keep in mind, our landscaping has been focused on the front, (for now) due to the chickens & puppy in back yard...& 'cause we had to start somewhere! :) A lot of time has been spent by the ice cream widow just regaining control of the overgrown shrubs, plantings etc....from years of neglect....still working on grass growing in front, although much on that was accomplished out back.

Ignore the driveway, I keep hoping it disappears altogether...the eventual plan is to put in 2 tracks of pavers and grow grass in the center of the tracks.

This will look horrendous to you all, however when I began the rose hedge was out to the road on the left, and equally about 2' on the right, in the middle of the rose hedge were 2 holly bushes! (yes, Christmas in July around here!)  IT took me SO many days of cutting & digging and being scraped to bits by thorns! & they look HORRIBLE now!  But I am SURE that next year they will be grand! (there was brick landscaping strips outlining the original hedge, that I uncovered once I really got in there, so this is what I used as a guide to re-establishing the original hedge.) The spot in the middle where the holly once was, I had to transplant & will take some time to fill in.
The shrub on the right against the house, which is planted far to close to the house, and off center of the window (which drives me crazy), was out of control as well & grew off to one side, so we agreed to hack it down much smaller & see  how it grows back.

This front garden is a spring/summer garden, so much of its color has now disappeared...Will have to work on adding some fall perennials next year!

This area is all new, it has filled in very nicely this summer- will be even better next year we're sure!

There is so much more "front lawn" than before!  I am starting to create this bed on left, closest to front, took advantage of 40% off sale at local nursery just this week!

From across the street, Sept 2011

What oh what to do with the stairs...?

We debated this for quite some time, then left them as we tromped over them a gazillion times...finally I got up enough nerve to tackle what I thought I wanted to create.  Part of the hesitation, was due to the fact I knew well enough it would not be easy.

1) using painting tape has NEVER worked for me...this is the reason I learned to "cut in" w/out taping, well and because its MUCH quicker not to have to tape off!

2) There was no way those stairs were going to be level or even in any way shape or form, so trying to create a "straight" line on them...never mind many - was not going to be "fun".

3) I have NO patience for slow progress!  I want to see results- quickly- this is not a job I looked forward to!

In the end, the paint leaked under the blue painters tape (big surprise!) and the measurements ended up being "connect the line" & use your eye...! :)
Scott helped rescue me when I'd had enough..but here is the process: One day, we will splurge and put a beautiful oriental runner on the stairs...but paint for now will have to do!

Before wallpaper came down...it was a hard choice, it was SO pretty! (& clean)! (a year ago...)

After wallpaper came down, before skim coating of all walls...

Frannie posing on our newly painted stairs!

Complete, minus the adorable rascal dog!

This was the image I used as my inspiration....

A recipe for each day...

Careful what you "create"...

Another few posts, because our "following" doesn't seem to have had enough of Vanilla Farm.. & we've had some special requests for photos, I will indulge you all a bit more. (really!?)

For quite a few years, I have admired a 'saying' that Pottery Barn uses in some of its images.  It rarely shows the entire saying, and does not sell the item at all....I have for quite some time wanted to re-create it as mine.  We had some chalkboard paint left over from a task at the Scoop Deck, and so I painted the chalkboard part, and put Scott to work, using these awesome Chalk Ink markers that don't rub off like chalk, but do wash off w/ a wet rag...
I found the saying in its entirety fairly simply, by just entering into a Google search what I could make out from the latest image out of Pottery Barn.
Thank Goodness for Scott's skill, it's safe to say my penmanship is not quite so cool, and my patience not quite so long!!! :)