Summer Foyer

The closer I get to getting my home completely decorating the more I love to add seasonal decor. I typically only use fresh florals and candles. It doesn't take much! This year I decided I to deck out my blue and white vases with palm fronds. My current home doesn't have palm trees to cut fromnlike my last one so I bought faux ones. It was such a great choice, especially with all of our summer trips we had planned. It was nice to have one less thing to water!

I know I always say it, but "blue and white goes with everything!"

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DIY Backyard Landscaping Reveal

I think I've written so many times about wanting to have our backyard landscaped! We have had zero luck with contractors over the past two years. Their vision and/or pricing has not been even close to what I had in mind. My husband and I had mentioned just planting trees and shrubs ourselves, but we were still thinking it over until a few weeks later when we noticed Houston Garden Center had 50% off all their plants. They have the sale every year and even discount them to 75% off in August. This sale is also how we landscaped our last backyard for cheap. It's not exactly ideal timing with the Houston heat, but if you're willing to sweat you can save big. We decided we were ready to sweat!

When we built our pool a couple of years ago we added the Italian cypress trees behind the pool wall within a few months. They were a little thin and short at the time, but they have grown so much the past two years. The new landscaping is all along the fence line in the back. I'm hoping in the next year or two the plants will grow a couple of feet taller and wider so you don't even see the fence.


We only addressed half the yard, from behind the hot tub to the side gate by the front of the house. It's the main area you see when you walk outside. I'm hoping we will landscape the other half next summer. I'm already going to start planning it out to get a head start!

This is the starting point. I'll take you you on a little tour all the way to the side gate.

We used Japanese blueberries and magnolia trees where we will eventually need privacy on the side fence (directly in front of you in the below photo). Hopefully, it will be a couple of years before the lot is sold and the house built so they have time to get big. The area to the left (the fence behind the pool) will never have neighbors on that side so we used wax myrtles that will just cover the fence. I also added Texas sage that's a bit lighter in leaf color to add a bit of variation. It has a pretty purple flower that blooms in the spring and summer too. 

I like how the new flowerbed creates a little walking path in the back. We also added solar lights to the beds. They are only $10 each and it's so nice not to have to worry about using timers and electricity. It's also a no-brainer to install. You just stick it in the ground and switch it on. There's no lines to bury at all. My husband says he would eventually like to get real lights, but I think these are fine. They are bright enough and last all night.

The view from behind the cypress trees.

The side fences-The one with the magnolias is one side fence on the unbuilt lot. Their house will back up to the corner of our house on this small section. The one with the cypress trees is the second side fence.

The other side fence. It's a strange shaped backyard with two neighbors on one side. Here's a close-up of the Japanese blueberries that will eventually reach 30 feet tall. They are about five feet tall right now. I'm hoping next year they will cover the fence. Then we start a line of cypress trees. These are what ours looked like when we planted the ones behind the pool wall. It's amazing how big they get! I'm not quite sure if these are going to stay. We were honestly out of options because we needed something big, but didn't want to buy too many of the same plants. They may end up being transplanted to the other side of the yard next year.

I absolutely love these holly trees! I kind of wish we had continued these down the fence line, but they were a little pricey. If they're still available next month at 75% off I may buy several more. I love that they almost cover our neighbor's house. It's so nice to look out the dining room window and see greenery instead of fence and a house so close by. They still need to get a bit taller and grow wider, but it's already a huge improvement.

The small shrub with the roses and vincas around it were my idea of a divider between the holly and cypress trees. I'm not so sure that worked out so great in reality! I'm thinking of curving the bed a little more so it's not such a half circle. If I copy it on the other side against the house I'm hoping it may look like the grass is in an oval shape.

I still haven't planted anything against the house yet. I'm not sure if I'm up to it this year!

This is just a first layer. I'd like to tweak and add more in front of the large trees and shrubs. I decided to get the big stuff in first so we can add privacy from the side neighbors and cover the unattractive fence.

To recap, here is the before.

After

Before

After

It was so worth it to DIY our backyard landscaping. We saved so much money that instead of landscaping one small section we were able to do half the yard. How much did we save? The quote we received for the same landscaping area was $35,000 and we spent $3,000. No joke! Half our budget went to hiring someone to shape the beds and mulch it. We could have saved several hundred more, but we wanted to have it completed in time for our 4th of July party. We decided we were on a roll so we installed a new outdoor speaker system for the patio and saved 70% there. It was already pre-wired so it really wasn't difficult at all.

What's in store for next year? I mentioned I'd like to landscape the other side of the yard and it's what I'm most excited about. I'm going to create a formal garden! It's something that I've always wanted. I'm a little nervous because it's so different from anything I've ever done. At least the yard on that side is less challenging because there aren't privacy issues or weird lot angles to disguise. I've got a year to draw it out instead of just grabbing what was on hand at the garden center with no plan!

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Fourth of July Pool Party 2018

I can't believe we've been having our annual July 4th pool party for five years! We started it the year after we put in our pool at the last house. Everyone had so much fun at the first party that they asked if we were going to have it the next year. It ended up snowballing into an annual event!

Earlier this year we installed the terrace pillars and railing. It also ended up being the perfect spot to add bunting.

This green sweet potato vine had choked my pink petunias I planted earlier this summer so I added red vincas a few days before the party. When I was digging in the pots I noticed there were actual sweet potatoes under the dirt about the size of a golf ball. I guess that's why they call it a sweet potato vine! I also added small American flags to each pot. I just love how festive it turned out!

Here is the biggest change! We added landscaping to the back yard along the fence line. We started behind the hot tub and went all the way around the pool and up the side of the house. It's kind of hard to see anything but mulch in this photo. I will show you more as soon as I take pictures. It was nice we were able to finish just two days before the party. We also installed a drip system for the potted plants, added more landscaping and patio lights, and put in a new outdoor speaker system. We were able to DIY everything so we could have everything on our wish list. We spent an absurdly small amount of money for everything. I will go over those details in my next post in case you are also wanting to make exterior updates. There's still a bit more to add and tweak, but it's basically done. Our backyard has come a really long way from last year!

A quick family photo before the party started.

Thankfully, I have one friend that always remembers to take a photo during a party! She also has a home decor Instagram account. Follow Leigh @ourwoodforesthome.

I've been reflecting back this year on how my kids and my friends' kids have grown up over the past five years. They were so little back then, and now most of them are tweens and teens! I'm also thankful to have such great people in my life for so many years. I love their company and watching their kids grow up with mine. I hope they have fun memories of going to the Clark house for the 4th of July when they get older!

Beach Trip: Cabo San Lucas

We just got back last weekend from a fun trip to Cabo! My husband and I went for our friends' wedding. It was our first time there, but we have been to Cancun and Cozumel. It is a bit different with the desert landscape, dark blue Pacific water, gusty winds and really intense waves. The biggest surprise is that it was cool at night. I didn't bring one long-sleeved top since I thought it was going to be hot and humid. The weather is more similar to the California coastline, which makes sense considering the location. We stayed at Pueblo Bonita Pacifica and it was wonderful. The only downside is you can't get in the ocean because the waves are too big and there's a dangerous undertow. However, you can get in the ocean if you stay on the calmer bayside of Cabo. It wasn't quite hot enough to get in the water anyway. It was a rare sight to even see anyone in the pool! The weather was comfortable enough to sit on pool loungers in a swimsuit. That's such a change from our usual beach vacation.

I love a comfortable sundress for traveling. It can be tricky to wear them with a plunging back and/or neckline so I wear mine with a tube top underneath. I've linked a similar one at the bottom of the post.

I love a good swimsuit cover-up that can double as a dress. It's especially important at a beach resort when you may be walking into restaurants and having lunch pool side. I always make sure I have a maxi dress with me too in case I get too much sun on my legs.

I never thought I'd wear a crop top, but I fell in love with this cover-up when I tried it on. It's the beach anyway, right?! I love the high waist, too.

It felt like we were back in Capri on this sunset cruise! If you go to Cabo don't miss it. We were actually freezing on this boat ride. It was already cool so we texted our group and let them know we were planning to bring our hotel robes. Our Houston crowd didn't bring anything with sleeves either. There were 18 of us wearing white hotel robes. I'm sure we looked like we were part of a weird cult! We did take them off for photos, but I kind of wish we had gotten one with them on now. I had brought a maxi dress because I knew it would be windy, but it came in handy with the cooler weather too.

Dressed up for the wedding! I have wanted this Lilly Pulitzer dress forever and finally bought it a few months ago. It gets updated every year and comes in different colors too. I've linked this exact one from Ebay and Amazon to get you almost every size. 

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Summer Kitchen Vignette

I'm all about summer color in my home this year. I have no idea why, but I needed it asap once the thought entered my head! The easiest and most inexpensive way to make a change is by creating a vignette on a tabletop, mantel or kitchen counter with fresh florals. I decided a new arrangement on my counter would be the most visible spot since I'm always in the kitchen. Except for the green milk glass I found at Target and just had to have, everything else is what I had on hand. The best part is I can easily change the florals and/or fruit to create a completely different look. Hot pink orchids and lemons for a tropical look? Pale pink roses and macaroons for a romantic look? There are so many possibilities!

I'm also working on a couple of other summer vignettes around the house this weekend. You can see my latest projects on Instagram!