It was a beautiful weekend here at the cottage and we took full advantage of it.

We haven’t done a lot of projects outside since we moved in last July (besides yanking a couple of bushes out) because we’ve been busy with our long list of projects to do inside. All of that’s about to change though because, like the inside, there’s a ton of things that need to be done and we can’t put it off anymore. This was our first winter here so it’s the first time we’ve really gotten to see the whole front flowerbeds and back yard without all of the leaves, weeds, trees and bushes in bloom. Wow, it was a rude awakening. We knew the yards were a mess but we didn’t realize how bad it was until this weekend.

The list is long, and overwhelming, but we’ll do what we did when we lived in Illinois and confronted that messy yard…take it one project at a time.

This is the house before we moved in. The front flowerbeds were sparse and in need of care. The pine tree at the corner of the house would drop needles at the slightest touch (plus I just didn’t like it).

I won’t bore you with the whole list just yet but I’ll fill you in on what we accomplished this weekend. I don’t have any of my indoor projects done, and I’m still working on painting the kitchen windows black, so today is all about outside progress.

Starting in the front of the house, I took the scraggly bushes out from one of the front flowerbeds and left the boxwoods, liriope and hydrangea (that I planted last fall). The little pine tree that was losing it’s needles also came down.

One of the previous owners planted azaleas everywhere on our property, even in the middle of the back yard. We had six around our oak tree, all in poor condition, so I dug them all up.

The next bed to get the treatment was the one in front of the porch. There were a couple of junipers that I removed last fall (too many memories from our Illinois house 😉 ) and a few dying bushes. The rest of the dying bushes were dug out this weekend and all we’re left with are a few nandinas.

The last flowerbed that I cleaned up was the one on the side of the front porch. Tons of weeds and 3 scraggly azaleas used to live here. Now it’s a clean slate and ready for something new.

I’ll rake the beds out next weekend and then they’ll all get fresh pine straw. I’m going to take my time to decide before I plant anything new.

This is my ever growing pile of junk, misfit bushes, an unused satellite dish that was still on the roof and some rocks and cinder blocks.

One bright spot was the pretty daffodils that are popping up.

I also have a beautiful red camelia bush on the side of the house with tons of blooms.

Another surprise was this bird bath that I unearthed in the back yard. After a good cleaning, it was ready for visitors.

I didn’t take any photos of the back yard this time. The only thing we did was rake the leaves and pick up some of the bricks scattered around the property. So many bricks and rocks…

It will take us years to pick them all up.

It was a full and busy weekend that left us tired and sore. If it’s nice next weekend though, we’ll be right back out there.

I’ll keep you posted on our front flowerbeds.

Have you been able to get out and work in the yard yet?

Check out some of the outside projects we did at our last house.

Hanging Outdoor Cafe Lights

Front Flowerbed Makeover

 A rustic flower window box with vintage charm.

I showed you my new, rustic window box that I found at the flea market, and I promised to share what it was and how it looked planted with pretty blooms. It’s taken awhile for the weather to warm up but the flowers have finally grown enough that I can show you.

So, what is this thing?

When I posted this earlier, asking what you thought it was, there were a lot of good guesses. One of you smarties knew exactly what it was.

It’s part of an old corn crib conveyor system that carried grain in the cups and was chain driven. I found it at the flea market and knew it would be perfect for a window box for the garage window.

I didn’t want to lose its rustic-ness so I kept it pretty much as is. It did get a good cleaning and a couple of holes in the bottom for drainage, but that’s it.

To hang it up, I put two screws under the window sill and hung the curved edge right on the screws.

After I hung it up the front was hanging low and, when I watered the plants, the water would run out and onto the ground. To fix it I put two small pieces of scrap wood behind it to keep it level. The wood keeps the front up so the flowers could get a proper drink.

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I love that it’s rustic and different.

How many people can say they’re using rusty farm equipment as a flower window box? 😉

Talking about repurposing…I took an old, metal tomato cage and turned it into a plant stand. Check it out here.

Have you reused or repurposed anything lately? I’d love to hear about it.

Thanks so much for stopping by.