Are you a Dirty Girl?

And by that I mean, ahem, gardening, ladies. 

My mother-in-law refers to a club in which her friends and her shared gardening tips,

and they call themselves Dirty Girls.

Love it.

I have faint memories of helping my mother and grandmothers in their gardens when I was little.

I also have many memories of me killing plants throughout my life.

I do not have a green thumb.

However, like most things I'm not great at, I try not to give up.

My ability to bake and cook did not develop on the first batch of cookies, or the first time I made pasta.

Practice makes perfect, and small victories build confidence.

It also helps to have really good gardeners in my life!
My friend Jill helped me pick out flowers that would work best in part sun/shade,

since we don't get a lot of sun on the back deck, which is where I wanted to put the pots.

I also had her come over and give me some tips on how to keep the front gardens looking better.

My mother-in-law is the greenest person I know {in more ways that one!}

She has huge gardens with all fresh veggies and lots of pretty flowers and plants.

She's very good at it.

So this was me yesterday...

I am still working on the front gardens and they are not ready for viewing;

once I pull all the creeping Myrtle out and finish weeding, we're mulching, and then I can share.

My six pots came out pretty darn nice if I may say so!
As I put them together, I think of it as styling an outfit.

Which colors look best together?

You don't want too much filler, but you need enough to look put together well.

Don't pair all big fluffy plants all together, but rather  mix and match.

It really is like clothing/jewelry, but they're flowers!

Here are the looks--errr--potted flowers, I came up with!

[Note: You're getting a sneak peak of our deck, since we don't have patio furniture yet,

I haven't unveiled what it looks like. Also, the spindles are in the process of being painted]

This one is my favorite!

 Joe said this is his favorite;

it reminds him of fireworks shooting out.?

So it probably took me two hours, to plant/figure out how I wanted it to look.

I am so, so happy with them!
So, if you're still not plant savvy, just get a pot, some dirt and pick out some flowers/fillers

and play around!
The worst that can happen?

They die.

The best?
Beautiful flowers to smile at over a cup of tea, and a sense of accomplishment.

If you use Miracle Grow potting soil, water them, give them sunlight, and love them, 

you'll make a fabulous dirty girl.

My neon mani may be a bit ruined, but that's OK.

My pretty new flowers are worth it!

My other new mini project:
Decorating the Mantle

I love changing up the looks of things around here.

So, with the help of photos, I put away/pull out from storage

and a quick trip to the Dollar Tree,

a fun & festive mantle to last up through early July!

Bird: Gift from my MIL

Star: $1 store

Garland: $1 store

 Sun: $1 store

Flip Flop photo frames: My sister's bridal shower favors I bought

 Frame: a gift from my step-mom

Photo: Vegas--summer 2008

So there's my Suzie Homemaker update for the week!
What are some fun things you're doing around your home?
I love inspiration.

Happy Digging!!