Gardening Tips from Southern Gardeners

Last week I, along with a group of other area bloggers, got to attend a wonderful preview tour of the Nashville Symphony Show House.  It's a beautiful home to say the least.

You can take the tour with me here, if you missed it.

As a part of the preview, our group was treated to a session with Carmen Johnston to make our own container gardens.  Yes, that's the Carmen Johnston of Southern Living Plants and Carmen Johnston Gardens.

photo via CarmenJohnstonGardens.com

Love The Home You Have by Melissa Michaels

Do you dream about having the perfect home? I do.  I think mine started back when I was in elementary school and we took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina (one of my favorite cities), to visit Biltmore House.  Talk about an eye-opening moment.  I remember it.  I couldn't believe how big and how beautiful it was.  It had a room for everything.  Literally, everything had its own room...fruits and veggies, own room...meats, own room...gardening, own room...hunting, own room...guests, own WING, hello?!  That was officially the beginning of the house bug for me.  And, I haven't recovered yet.

So, fast forward 30, uh, many years and becoming an actual homeowner.  My husband and I have bought and sold houses over the past 25 years.  Our first as a young married couple, just looking for what we could afford and call our own.  A zero-lot line house with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath and the place we brought home our first daughter.  It became too small, very quickly.  Between that home and our current large home with 8 acres in the country, we've owned many sizes and kinds.  

Each was my dream home even though none of them were the same.  What do I mean?  Well, I wasn't certain myself until I read Melissa Michael's book, Love The Home You Have.   Melissa, of The Inspired Room blog, puts into words how most of us feel about our dream home and how we can actually have that home right where we are now.  
                                       

Some of you are probably like me and struggle with being content with my home when the grass always appears greener on the other side of the fence.  To quote Melissa, "the grass is greener where it's watered."  

"Studying why I love beautiful things challenges me to see them as works of art and not as impossible dreams...it inspires me to recreate it in my own way, in my own four walls, and within my ability and means."  

Yes!  That's it!  Finding inspiration and using it to create our dream home within our means.  

Back to Biltmore House, which I've visited several times since elementary school, what I found as inspiration from it was its ability to host guests, hold parties and events, provide a place to relax.  Ok!  That's manageable in the home I have.  I can't quite throw a bowling party in my basement but we have hosted guests, threw birthday parties, wedding showers, and holidays that were a lot of fun.  

It really is about finding inspiration and then using it to make your current home what you want it to be.  

That's just a taste of Love The Home You Have.  It offers so much more.  It includes a 31-day challenge that would be perfect for a ladies' group to do together!  

If you're interested in purchasing Melissa's book, you can find it here:

Love The Home You Have 

(affiliate link)

Ok, I'm getting back to my copy of the book.  I've got more notes to make.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

I was provided a free copy of the book to help spread the word.  All opinions are mine.  The affiliate link, should you purchase through it, would provide The Altered Past with a few pennies :)  

A Hunt Themed Office Makeover

I've been wanting to makeover my office (aka dining room) for a while now.  It had potential to be a nice space but the busyness of life and my own procrastination had left it unorganized and less than pleasing looking.

Well, fast forward to a few weeks ago when I found an amazing antique table online (for $25 including chairs, crazy, I know!) AND then Edie, my 18 year old daughter, mentioned her interest in interior decorating, more specifically learning staging for real estate.  Hello makeover time!!

So, let's look at the unorganized, no-plan BEFORE photos:

I know!  It's bad!

Map gallery wall that I'd fallen out of love with

We began by removing everything from the walls, putting extra tchotchkes in totes, and patching nail holes.  My favorite pieces that remained all had a similar theme...dogs and horses...so a hunt theme seemed obvious. 

Next, we decided to move the bookcases on a different wall to elongate the room.  I liked them flanking the window but it did make the room seem smaller.  We also added a 6-foot shelf between the two bookcases to create a type of credenza behind my desk.  

Here, it's probably easier to see than explain.  Let's check out the AFTER photos!

Bookcases moved, shelf added between, new table for a desk

My $35 auction find leather chair and thrift store dog pillow

Another thrift store dog pillow (sorry for the yellow photo, haven't mastered editing yet!)

Former map gallery wall now home to antique frame, mirror, and antlers

Beautiful new table - notice the pull ring on the right side.  It releases a leaf that pops up in the middle of the table!  Cool design

Federal mirror found years ago at the thrift store

Copper Scottie dog is a recent thrift store find...LOVE him!

These round brass frames were found at a thrift store many years ago.  I don't know the history of them but they have convex glass in them.  I added a textured paper background and glued vintage toy horses inside each one.

This tole planter has a simple design on one side.  I added my initials using a gold paint pin to the other side.  

The bookends were ordered from Joss & Main. 

I found these prints at Goodwill a couple of years ago and loved them.  They were $7.99 each.  The horse hook in the middle is from Hobby Lobby's clearance section (love their clearance items!) and the old horse bit was picked up at the scrap yard.

This!  This candle is a-m-a-z-i-n-g!  My all time favorite scent that smells good all year round.  I get mine locally but you can find them at Anthropologie or a little cheaper on Amazon.  

  It's the Aspen Bay Capri Blue Volcano Candle (affiliate link).  Try it!  You won't regret it!

I have to clarify here.  This beautiful makeover was done pretty much by Edie.  I think she's got an eye for decorating and a bright future ahead.  

I hope you enjoyed seeing my "new" office.  Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

Here's a pinnable photo for you to pin or you can click the pin it button on any photo above.  I appreciate it!!

I'm linking here:

THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE
HYMNS AND VERSES
MISS MUSTARD SEED
CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT

The Curiosity Cabinet and a Gallery Wall

I love old curiosities...don't you?  I'm not talking about freaky, weird things like they made the TV show about.  I mean everyday things, old books, old coins, starfish, rocks...things like that.

Years ago, my husband built this cabinet for me using an old window.  I love, love, love it.  It's simple but has always been one of my favorite pieces of furniture.

I began filling it with old books and I liked the way it looked.  They seemed to be meant for each other.  As time went one, I added other "old" pieces.  Tarnished silver.  An old brass ship.  Pewter goblets.  And I just kept filling.

The vase hold river rocks and river glass.  (I'm from the foothills of the Smokies and I love river rocks. 

These all came from the Little River in Townsend, Tennessee.)

The rock piece with a hole was found in the creek bed at the back of our property.

I believe it is part of an Indian artifact.  The other rocks have shell fossils.

It even spills out on to the top.  Old bottles found at my grandfather's farm.  Foreign coins.  Pennies flattened on the railroad tracks.  An old globe, minus the stand.

I left you hanging a while back when I posted about my gallery wall of vintage maps.  This is the wall above the cabinet of curiosities. You can see that post here.  I had most of the wall done except for the upper left corner.  I needed something for that spot.  Well, I did finish that wall finally.  I found the right size frame, painted it black, and added a vintage map of the State of Tennessee.  I think it fit perfectly.

Thanks for stopping by today and God bless!

Angie

I'm linking here:
THE STYLE SISTERS

JENNIFER RIZZO

FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON

COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW

SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE

UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE

ART IS BEAUTY

 

CLEVER CHICKS BLOP HOP

DIY SHOWOFF

IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS