{Feeder turned into Bird House}

On May 25 I did show you the special Gift Bird Feeder that we received in The Netherlands. Two sweet little kids had hand painted it for us and Pieter hung it up against a tree. There was a jar inside with some kind of peanut-butter-like bird food. It got emptied but all of a sudden some critter had tossed the entire jar out of the feeder! That happened more than once, we knew that could not be done by a squirrel so maybe a raccoon or possom did it. Pieter decided to change it into a Bird House instead!

Here it is; converted into a Bird House!

That was quite a large and heavy jar with yummy food but it got pulled out of this Feeder several times...

This little girl with her brother had hand painted it...

Pieter, being color blind himself, tried to match the artwork of the little girl and her artist brother...

In the back you can see a hand made Squirrel Proof Bird House by Pieter, link you find below post.

This was a new addition and supposed to be squirrel proof. There is a spring that shuts off by weight but the squirrels hang upside down from the roof tip and easily manage to grab whatever they like.

It does not have enough height for keeping the squirrels from reaching far enough. Too bad!

A hummingbird feeder hangs to the right.

Related link:
{Gift Bird Feeder} | previous post by me
{DIY Squirrel Proof Bird Houses} | previous post by me
{HOME SWEET HOME} | previous post by me

Mariette on Google+

{Umbrella Pole Recycled into Bird Feeder Post}

Our old Umbrella Pole from the balcony got Recycled into a Bird Feeder Post...

Here it is...

Closeup

The feeder is holding suet blocks on the side...

Even though the squirrels benefit most from all the bird seeds and suet!

As you can see here; completely empty and being plundered by the squirrels...

Whenever I take photos, our felines go with me...

Barty showing to the right of the feeder; Spooky on the platform below the steps and Tiggy-Tiger to the left in front of that planter near the gazebo.

Loved the light around 6:30 PM in which our gazebo is being shown here...

All those huge trees make our garden a bird's paradise!

Related link:
{Our Balcony} | previous post by me showing the umbrella pole on our balcony...

Mariette on Google+

{Our Patio Pot Plants}

On April 10 you could read my blog post {Our Patio Tiles Are DONE!} and since that day we have been adding Pot Plants to Our Patio...

This is the kitchen bay window area on April 10...

Moving to the right where you can see the front porch as well.

Pieter has been painting several pots so they better match.

Stepping a little bit closer now.

The white trellis with our Clematis lanuginosa 'Candida' got made by Pieter himself.

Stepping further back towards our white vinyl picket fence you can better see the house.

Here is also an Oxalis patch near the lantern.

So happy to see green leaves on all our trees by now!

The patio starts looking nice with these pot plants.

This photo is taken on April 23, from underneath the huge Dogwood tree's canapy.

You can see the bird feeder hanging down from it.

When stepping back you can also see our squirrel proof bird feeder that will close down access to the bird feed when a squirrel's weight is on its bar. BUT those acrobats hang upside down from its roof and get what they want...

The Japanese style bird bath is also in sight here.

Closer towards the steps to our veranda...

Zooming in on this group of Pot Plants.

The purple one is the Patio Peach that I have shown earlier when it was blooming. See below post.

Our Clematis lanuginosa 'Candida' next to our Bonfire Prunus Persica - Patio Peach

Our front patio also is getting more and more Pot Plants out.

Will follow up when more are added...

Do you like the way they are being added on to the tiles?

Related link:
{Our Patio Tiles in the Front} | previous post by me
{Our Bonfire Prunus Persica - Patio Peach} | previous post by me
{Our Patio Tiles Are DONE!} | previous post by me
{Our Patio Tiles & Freeze Warning} | previous post by me
{Water Control Project Finished} | previous post showing you the tile sample on the concrete

Mariette on Google+

{Gift Bird Feeder}

When we were in The Netherlands we did receive a very special gift...

Such a hand painted Bird Feeder by little kids' hands is unique...

Indeed, made in The Netherlands WITH LOVE!

Serious painting...

Here it is hanging on a tree...

Holding some yummy bird food.

Guess it will need a perching stick for birds to actually sit on when snacking. Stick got added yesterday so birds can now sit on it!

It got moved towards our huge dogwood tree and you can see it to the right. This is the main Bird Restaurant area of our garden and we always can watch them from the bay window of our kitchen during breakfast and such. Our Spicy girl loves to go there after her breakfast but the early birds have already eaten!

Now the wooden perching stick has been added and a lot of the seeds with peanut butter have been eaten away.

Those two kids did a great job and it blends in with nature so well! Do you also feed your wild birds? Mariette on Google+

{Orange Michael Kors Bangle from Last Call Neiman Marcus}

So sorry for not being able to visit other blogs because of Internet problems. As soon as I get those resolved you will see me around! 

As mentioned several times before, it really pays off to shop at Last Call by +Neiman Marcus either at their stores or on line at Last Call. This really is like The Rich Life on a Budget as blogger friend +Adrienne Shubin puts it. So please see my newest addition:

This is me on a very bright and sunny day, March 14.

Also showing off our happy white pansies inside our Fiberglass Window Boxes! For sourse see below post.

Wearing my Escada Outlet orange top and black jeans.

Moving inside our gazebo barely does escape the almost too bright light!

Wearing my silver and gold earrings, necklace, bracelet and ring from Tane, the Mexican equivalent of Tiffany & Co.

And here you see the Mexian Tane jewelry next to the new Michael Kors Orange Buckle Bangle...

Michael by Michael Kors Golden Buckle Bangle, Orange 

Signing up for email notification from Last Call pays off as they frequently run these sales for one day with 30% off or higher! 

Do you love shopping from outlets?

Related link:

Flower Framers of Cincinnati | Source for Fiberglass Window Boxes

google.com/+MariettesBacktoBasics

{Our 'GREEN' Bedroom}

As promised yesterday, today I will show you our bedroom itself. Maybe you get an idea for keeping the planet Green, by conserving energy... We at least tried to reach that goal. Too bad that those Historic Windows indoor shutters from Virginia are no longer available. We fell in love with them and had them already in our previous home in Georgia. My brother Harry than even made a set for us, for the guest bedroom; proving his woodworking skills successfully! So we were thrilled when we built this house in 1990 to find once more those solid oak Historic Windows indoor shutters. We painted them white however! But come on in...

This is where we left yesterday, the new 'Green' indoor shutters hung by Pieter himself. These are ready made Masonite bi-folds from Home Depot. 

Our floors are Bruce solid oak planks of 5" width and we're very pleased with that quality. Consumers Report gave them the highest rating at the time we were doing the research.
Our furniture we did ship 3 x across the Atlantic Ocean and due to the solid French oak, it survived each time, without any damage.

Here you see those solid oak (painted white) Historic Windows indoor shutters. The six panel is called 'Charleston'. The same hand crocheted filet lace valence, in French DMC, for the window as I had on the shades for the French door. We both love the unobstructed view without curtains and yet have privacy with the shutters and they're the ultimate for Going Green for saving energy!

When opened, they fold away to the side and they close with a magnet that you see at the top.

Closed view

Our six pound Tiggy Tiger, she loves the French Yves Delorme bed linens... We've been lucky with an Yves Delorme Outlet in Chattanooga, TN; a four-hour drive for us. They also sell the lightweight batiste down duvet and down pillows. We have on all our beds the European squares and the standard down pillows from +Yves Delorme. That makes you sleep like a rose... while being watched by wooden Cherubs from Italy.

The double oak armoire with tassels from Yves Delorme...

The door to the hallway, of the same Masonite with six panels and matching the oak indoor shutters.

Our build-in closet with the very same Masonite bi-fold doors that Pieter got the idea from! Except that he needed to add a third one to each folding unit.

The door to our bathroom and again back to the balcony...

Our walls + ceiling are painted in Benjamin Moore® Natura® 2096-70 Early Sunset an eco-friendly choice.

The all cotton Vista area rugs in natural are from Solutions and are very practical and hygienic.

Hand crocheted filet lace rose doily in fine DMC thread and cross stitch alphabet letters are done by me. Not the tablecloth. The braid on the ombré silk in the shadow box, is of course mine and not Pieter's...

Hand embroidered silk doilies on the table are from China. Pieter did bring them back from his trip as Citizen Ambassador.

Our Balcony with teak table and chairs...

Vintage Woodworks balustrade in wood...

Home is where the heart is...
Heart shaped bird feeder with pull out drawer

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