Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 94
Hi there!
I hope you had a great week!
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Random Things Happening Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms
What a week it was!
Family Life
Shana went back to Ohio State, Tori spent her last week of summer vacation at the Jersey Shore, and we spent the weekend in Vermont at the lake.
While we were there we had THE BEST time with one of my blogging besties, Jennifer from Cottage on Bunker Hill.
Jennifer and her husband Chuck came out from New Hampshire to spend some time with us out on the lake.
And it was such a beautiful weekend and we had the best time!

In the Garden
The gardens are still pretty crispy with some trees and shrubs NOT LOVING the dry climate.
We got about an hour’s worth of a good rain, but it’s still really bad.
I’ve got these gorgeous hydrangeas and I’m not sure they’ll survive. They are hanging on though.
Even one of my dogwoods is begging for more rain.
I’ve been trying my best to hydrate what’s here, but as you know the property is quite large and it’s no small task. So I’m doing what I can to keep it going. Fingers crossed these plants survive!

While I was walking around this weekend checking out what’s doing OK and what’s not, I noticed my my Mexican sunflowers are blooming!
I planted SO MANY seedlings in the pool garden. But the bunny mowed them all down.
When I was planting, I had a few leftover, so I threw them in the stone wall garden in the front yard and a few of them took!
Yay!!!

What’s in My Shopping Cart This Week
As I’m preparing for fall, I’ve been making a few purchases to decorate my home.
Some I bought already and others I’m still thinking about.
Here’s what I’m shopping for:
- this media cabinet for our bedroom
- these throw pillows for fall
- and this throw pillow too
- these lanterns
- these decorative birdcages that are too adorable
- this side table

Not sure what to get friends, family, and others in your life this year? I got you!
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My hope is that this guide will help you knock this part of the hustle and bustle off your list so you can sit back and savor the season a bit more.
Grab your free guide here.

What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms
It was a fun week on the blog!
We did a lot of fun things this week.
To start, we stripped the fireplace mantel with oven cleaner. Have you used this method of stripping wood furniture before? It’s been all the rage on Instagram and blogs lately I decided to give it a try.
Wait until you see how it turned out!

As I’m starting to decorate for fall, I shared how to make faux flowers look real. There are some great faux flowers out there, but there are also some not-so-great ones.
Here are 7 easy ways to make faux flowers look real and be sure to see what not to buy when shopping for fake plants.
Speaking of fall, we also started dreaming about decorating the porch this year as I shared some autumn decor ideas for outdoor living spaces.

I also shared the highs and lows of my summer garden.
While everything still looks good for the most part, some of the plants and lawn are really in distress.
In addition to highlighting the highs and lows on the garden, we toured the front yard gardens in my latest video where I share some fresh new blooms that are unexpected and some fall garden planning ideas for the stone wall garden and front yard koi pond.
It’s exciting stuff so don’t miss it! You can watch it here.

Amazing Inspiration from Around the Web
I love finding cool inspiration from around the web and wanted to share some of what I’m loving right now.
These tips for safely digging up and storing dahlia tubers.
This sunflower decor.
This easy and affordable way to update a light fixture.
These blueberries in Maine.
These college move-in day tips.
This early autumn kitchen.
The best trash to treasure project ever!

About Me
Want to learn more about me?
I’m a master gardener who’s been gardening and growing things for over 25 years. With a deep passion for gardening, I enjoy helping others find their inner green thumb with all things plants and flowers, as well as find ways to bring the outdoors inside their homes too.
Get the inside scoop about my background as a master gardener, education, and experience, as well as why I started blogging.


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Enjoy a beautiful day! xo

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