So the other day I was perusing through Menards like I so often do, grabbing my weekly supply of paint, stain, glue, nails, you know…every girls accessories, and I came across a major score!  Now that the outdoor department is open, I just had to see if they had any fun shrubs or trees that needed to be planted in my yard:)  You probably don’t know this but my mom is a major green thumb.  She know just about everything there is to know about gardening, perennials, and shrubbery.  So, a “little” of this hard worn off on me.  I love to play in the dirt and make the outside of my house try to match the time and effort I put into the inside of my house.

So, I was walking in their garden center and found some amazing topiaries.  I have always loved the look of pruned and manicured shrubs, so 2 tiered topiaries were right up my alley.  The problem is, is that they are usually quite spendy.  When I saw that these were only $25 a piece I was quite excited.  1.) I had a rebate for $10, so that made them even cheaper, and 2.) I don’t do annuals or flowers in pots, so I justified this as my “flower” budget:)  So, here was what my front porch looked like before I painted the steps…

sorry, I could only find a fall shot…

and here’s last summer after the stairs got their makeoever…

And here is this year….with my two new topiary’s.

I love the height it gives.  and they fit perfectly alongside the door.  Some people have asked how the stairs have held up threw a brutal Minnesota winter of shoveling and more shoveling and more shoveling and all of the elements.  First, I should have swept them, but I was feeling a bit too lazy.   This belly is starting to get in the way:)  Second, they have faded a bit, but I kind of like the worn in look of them.  I would still definitely recommend it.  I haven’t regretted it yet!

and there’s our scary guard cat, keeping out he predators:)

I also am still in love with the little dwarf korean lilac tree to the right of our steps.  I love that it blooms about a week or two after the lilac bushes, so the smell can continue.  And it seriously smells up our whole front entry!

She not hard on the eyes either:)

and just for fun I thought I’d throw in another shot from our house…because bloggers so often forget to show what the outside looks like:)  And right now in Minnesota it is raining every other day, which is a major bummer for a lot of things, but it does help to keep everything gorgeous and green!

But it also grows all of the weeds as well.  Speaking of which, I better get on that!

Whimsy is in a week and a half, next Thursday and Saturday, the 26th and 28th from 9-3. I gotta make this place look pretty before all the ladies show up!

Stay tuned for a few of the fun projects we’ve been crafting for our sale next week!