Slices of life, both written and photographed.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Backyard Beauty Bargains


For years I have kept a "Back Yard and Garden" scrapbook.

Every time a magazine had  articles or photos of plants, yard decorations or containers that I liked, I'd clip and paste them into the scrapbook.

Little by little, some of the ideas were transformed into reality but with low cost always in mind.



Thanks to the hundreds of ideas, the backyard is now coming together nicely and fairly on-the-cheap.


The fountain came from Home Depot one late fall day. 


Nobody was in the market for it at that time of year so the price was lower than usual.

If interested, there are posts about the fountain here.

I love to hear the sound of trickling water!

 It's covered and protected during the winter but come spring, hubs starts her up on the brick half-moon "patio" he made for the fountain.

The birdbath came from a big thrift store  and cost $20, a perfect price for the sturdy, wrought iron beauty.

A post about it on the last November day I found it,   if you are interested, can be found here.



The matching wrought iron plant holder came from the sales rack at Joanne's Fabric store.  


It holds a pretty plant plus two birdie houses.  


Angel dear came from a Christmas Tree Shops which has tons of bargain prices.  Seeing  how sweet the little winged one was, I couldn't resist.

Angel spends winter in a downstairs bathroom but come spring, our picnic table has a celestial presence!



So there you have  it!  

Several backyard decorations that cost little but give reasons to smile throughout the spring, summer and autumn !

Jointing Thrifty Things Friday on Diann's blog, The Thrifty Groove and Linda's blog, A La Carte. Stop by their sweet blogs for a visit!

HOW HAS YOUR SUMMER BEEN GOING SO FAR?

19 comments:

Merlesworld said...

I have lots of things in my backyard in summer I will do a post and tell you where they all came from you have some nice things in yours.
Merle..........

Merlesworld said...

I really like the fountain.
Merle.....

Chatty Crone said...

I think I would love to be a bird in your beautiful backyard and I could feast and then take a bath! Get some shade. Visit with some friends ...

My summer is going fast.

sandie

diane.stetson said...

The yards in Orange County are tiny so you ought to thank your lucky stars that you have a big yard to put all your treasures in.

middle child said...

Love the fountain!

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Susan,
LOVE your fountain!! Beautiful!! And I also adore everything else that you have shared with us today!!

I really appreciate your visits and kind words.....

Hugs,
Debbie

Unknown said...

Really nice post. This is what i have been looking for and you have done a great job. Thanks for sharing.
Scrapbooking Stores

Bookie said...

Your backyard looks like a lovely place to spend time! A private park really.....

Barbara Neubeck said...

I like your bird bath and fountain, Susan. The bird houses and hanging flowers are lovely...It's wonderful to see your plans take shape and become reality...
Hugs and Blessings
Barb xxx

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Susan your yard is filled with lovely things. I adore the fountain and birdbath! I know buying at the end of a season really gets the prices down on items like that. Thanks for joining TTF this week.

hugs,
Linda

The Painted Garden said...

Hi Susan,
What a lovely backyard you created on a budget- goes to show you do not have to spend a lot of money if you are creative. I love your beautiful fountain and birdbath - water is so nice for the birds as well as calming for us to listen to.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful space.
Blessings, Erin

Paula said...

Oh Susan your fountain is just beautiful. I had not thought of a garden scrapbook. That's an awesome idea.

Paula
Your newest follower.

Ivy and Elephants said...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I forgot to mention it's me Paula from Ivy & Elephants. xoxoxo. Love your blog.

Paula

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Oh sweet friend I love your fountain, I never had one, even when we had a big house and huge garden, lol.. You know, your know, your idea of a garden scrapbook is fabulous, wow, I really like it! Thank you for your sweet and kind visit and we did have a nice luncheon with 'mamita' too! Have a terrific weekend.
FABBY

Tammy @ A Walk in the Countryside said...

I love the sound of water flowing, too! It's so relaxing! Thanks for sharing!

Joyful said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joyful said...

What a great idea to keep a scrapbook of garden ideas. I haven't done that but I did formerly cut photos and pages from decor magazines and keep them in a box. I no longer do that as my box broke during the fire we had a few years ago but I managed to salvage a few pages. What I learned is my style is way too eclectic for me to be able to pick one image and go with it. It makes it hard for me to decorate because I like too many things! LOL But I do like to look at lovely photos.

Your garden is coming along nicely. I have the exact same bird bath as you do but somehow a piece of the "wood branch" broke off after one season of use. I was disappointed because I really like it.

Nellie said...

A bit behind on my blog rounds. Summer is going well here, even with the excessive rainfall we have been having. With only two more inches, we will be at our average YEARLY total!

Red Rose Alley said...

Oh my gosh, I LOVE THAT ANGEL, it's beautiful!

It has been very hot here this summer, and I'm hoping it will cool off a bit next week. Have a nice week ahead, Susan.

Love,
~Sheri

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