SOA-Guest Blogger Shellie Warren

Welcome, Shellie! Here's our first guest blogger post:

I'm so excited that I get to blog first about the Summer of Awesomeness! After all, that's exactly what Summer is, isn't it? Hanging out in flip-flops, bbq's with friends, swimming, hiking, and just being outdoorsy and taking lazy day afternoon naps. Everything seems like a brand new start and I'm so ready for some warm weather.

One of my favorite parts of Summer is watching the different plants in my yard start to bloom. Here is my first poppy of the year, isn't it beautiful? Martha Stewart's last issue was on decorating with them and she had some fabulous ideas so if you haven't checked it out already then do, it's worth it.

This Summer I thought I would make it all about COLOR! It's so energizing when color is added into life. Here are some super easy things that I am doing around the house and you can too in order to brighten things up!

Starting with flowers, Choose bright reds, oranges and yellow or even pink ones and put them in a contrasting pot. For this one I chose a cobalt blue pot with red and yellow flowers making it all about the primary colors. Delicious!

This one is a little bit more subtle but just as beautiful!

and you never can go wrong putting a flower in its

complimentary colored pot. Complimentary meaning its opposite color on the color wheel. So blue is opposite of orange, red is opposite of green and yellow is opposite of purple. This will always result in both colors looking their best when next to each other.

Another fun way of adding color to your yard is to re-paint your yard furniture. I just finished painting everything I have in the color scheme of turquoise and red. Two of my favorite colors and perfect for my Alice in Wonderland picnics and outdoor adventures. No more tan, boring, blendid in stuff for me!

Before throwing anything out I always ask myself...

Can it be re-painted a different color and used?

Can I use if for storage or a planter?

It's amazing what a difference paint can make and the money it saves.

I love my newly colored pieces.

I was also looking at trellises yesterday and couldn't find one that wasn't ugly, inexpensive or small and flimsy. Luckily I found this old gate hiding in storage and am making it my new trellis. I can't wait to plant something and watch it climb away. I'm thinking trumpet vine....

Here is something that I think would be fun to make. I saw it in a gardening magazine and it just has a straight piece of rebar going through the middle of it. What a conversation piece huh?

Or how about this one? It's an old frame on an easel with plants bursting out of it making it quite the masterpiece.

and here is my favorite addition to the yard........I now have FIREFLIES in my tree!

ok not real ones, but they're as close as I will ever get here in Utah!

Aren't they magical?

It's just a light that you stake into the ground and it shines up into the tree. Same kind that Disney uses I read. I think it's going to be so much fun for the upcoming Summer nights and I hope my neighbors are super jealous of my sparkling firefly lit tree.

Ok some Summer Ideas or suggestions.......

How about finally taking that new class you've always been curious about?

Here I am doing flying trapeze school recently...For real, it's really me! ;) I'ts never too late.

Or how about learning or improving on a new skill?

My next adventure is going to include some of these:

and some of these

I am a self taught sewer and only know how to sew pillows and curtains, so some sort of fashion design class is very appealing to me right now.

Speaking of design

I am drooling over the lastest trend of colored denim pants. Especially the red and blue ones! I love them all, how do you choose?

Maybe I will try a few colors....just to see ;)

Thanks for stopping in, It truly has been forever since I have consistently posted anything and It has taken me hours just to do this much, I had to lock myself up in the room and hide from the kids! lol

but I am hoping to find more time to post more.

I hope your Summer is going to be full of awesomess and If you want more ideas or suggestions or want to participate in the S.O. A. then visit www.rhinestonearmadillo.typepad.com

Happy summer days and nights! ;)

Comments

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Love the tip about reconsidering cast-away items by asking yourself if they can be painted! Something so simple yet I never remember to do so...

Posted by: Marty | June 14, 2011 at 09:55 AM

L-O-V-E-R-L-Y! Starting with those beautiful blooms; stunning me with the trapeze work (I wanna do that!), ending with a nice personal pic. SOA has begun.

Posted by: Charlotte | June 14, 2011 at 04:13 PM