it’s been hot around here.  HOT.  today it looks like we got a break – it’s only 93 degrees!  no really, it feels much cooler than it has been, so i ventured outside to do something i love to do:  take photos in our back yard.

you’ll notice it’s mainly photos of decor items and container plants.  we rent this house, and haven’t really wanted to plant lots of flowers and plants because we don’t plan to be here forever.  we plan on buying our own home, then we can invest in plants, trees, landscaping…(fingers crossed; hoping it’s a reality soon!)

a gift from my mom…

a gift from my father-in-law…

the back yard is my favorite thing about this house.  it’s big; we’ve hosted lots of parties with friends and families, with one of the highlights being my dad ALWAYS climbing up the stone wall to pick oranges, limes, apples, or nectarines (whatever is in season at the time).  even when i tell him to wait until lawrence or i are nearby to ‘help’ (really, it’s to make sure he doesn’t fall).  he never waits.  never…

my husband calls these yellow flowers ‘weeds’. i like them!

when the weather’s nice out, the yard becomes my photo studio – i drag out a folding table, dropcloths/backdrops (if needed), and boxes of artwork or whatever needs to be photographed for the website or Etsy shops.  i’m still trying to perfect my photos for online posts, so i’m usually out there most of the day…

we have tried to add color throughout – this bench was the standard brown wood color, until i decided to dig into my acrylic paints and give it some life.  it was actually my husband’s idea to paint it ‘Calypso Blue’ (from Americana), a color we both love and use a lot in our work.  i LOVE how the bench turned out!  we found the medallion that’s hanging over the bench at a discount store, and i spray painted it black, making it look like it cost more than it did.  the frame on that table also got painted, but i don’t remember the original color…?

when i have a supply of spray paints – watch out!

i can’t wait to have our own home – i’m dying to paint a mural on a fence – something large scale, colorful, and vibrant!