Summertime in Our Backyard...

Summer is finally here in upstate NY.  We JUST got out of school on Friday and the weather couldn't be better.  I thought I would share with you my little corner of paradise.  My husband and I have been working really hard to get the weeding, trimming and mowing done, the pool nice and clean and all of my pretty summer stuff out. 

First, I have to show you how pretty the laurel is in our area.  These white flowers are like little lanterns that open to reveal a pretty little pink polka dots.  I love it in my pink pail.  This is on our back screened-in porch.

Next, is the small flower bed.  My boys and I ripped out all of the rocks from around the bed because you could barely see them because of the weeds and grass growing through them this spring.  So, the other day, we spent the day taking them out and putting them back after my husband weed-whacked around the garden.  It looks so much better!

 I found these pretty little flowers growing in this garden.  So pretty!

This bench is beside that flower garden.  I had planned to paint it, but now that I've taken pictures of it, I am thinking I won't paint it.  It has such a nice patina!

What do you think?  Paint or no paint?

I used the hedge clippers and cut all of the hedges on the back of the house.  I still have more to do on the side of the house.  They will be done soon.

 I also ripped out a dead bush from this small garden on the backside of the pool yard. 

 Another picture of those pretty flowers!  Columbine, if you were wondering.

My dear husband did a whole lot of weed-whacking back by the fence and all around the pool yard.  It is a huge job. I appreciate him so much!

On the stairs of our back deck, I planted some planters full of begonias.  I just love begonias because they never fail me.  I've had them in my house and they bloomed and outside and they bloom beautifully.

So here are a few pretty pictures of those double begonias...

Here is my view from where I sit and read, relax or play on my tablet.  I've changed the umbrella on the table to a real market umbrella and moved the striped beach umbrella over beside me.  Also, I used a heat-proof black paint to paint the fire pit.  It looks SO much better.

Here is my view overhead.  I love paper lanterns. They make me happy. 

 Here is an accidental photo taken while carrying the lanterns out to put them up.  Isn't that neat?

 This is where I plop my butt when I want to relax.  It is nice and shady and I can watch the boys in the pool.  I re-covered the cushion that was on this bench and made matching buttons.  I also made the pillows on the back by cutting an old bed pillow in half (don't use a down one!) and covering the halves to make two cushions.  The bottom of each cushion is thicker than the top. They stand up nicely.

I also repainted the furniture from hunter green to this glossy black.  Love how it turned out.  So simple, but such a huge difference!

This is my outdoor livingroom.  I suggest everyone have one!  The little table will be the next thing to be painted.  It is still the old hunter green.  It will be black very soon!

And here is the actual market umbrella I just bought.  Perfect color!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the little tour of my back yard.  Welcome, SUMMER!!!

Here are some adorable products I loved on Amazon.  Enjoy!

Olympic Fire Mountain Laurel - Kalmia - Very Hardy

K. Van Bourgondien 73915 Double Hanging Begonia Collection (10 Bulbs Per Bag)

Polka Dot Garden Square Dinner Plates (8 count)

Set of 4 Polka Dot Napkins

Pink and White Polka Dot Print - Set Of 4 Ceramic Tile Coasters

Polka Dot Ice Cream Bowls (set of 4)

Terramoto Ceramic Polka Dots and Stripes 9-Inch Medium Mission Bowl, Black

Tropical Flip Flop Paradise Summer Fun Garden Flag

Life Is Better When Shared Birdhouses Large Flag

Handmade Tablet Cover and Carrying Case

I recently became the owner of a wonderful little piece of technology that I just love.  My Acer Iconia A500 tablet!  What a great idea these things are!  Anyway, if you have a tablet, you know they are very easy to sit down just about anywhere.  That anywhere may be a counter top that is wet, or dirty.  I looked online for a cover to protect the the back and pad the sides of my tablet, but couldn't really find anything I loved, so I decided to design my own.

I made two, but the first one wasn't really working for me.  After that trial run, I came up with something else that I really think works perfectly for me.  The edges are velcro'd so I can remove it from its cover and use the camera easily.  I also came up with a carrier that doesn't look so techie.  It looks more like a handbag.  The good thing about making my own?  The case and carrier, coordinate with my camera bag and my camera strap which I also made!

I started to make a tutorial, but honestly, I was winging it and it was WAY too many steps.  I guess I'm posting this so that you can use it as an idea of how to make your own.  If you can construct things from fabric, it won't be too hard.  If you have any questions about how I constructed it, you can email me at

t DOTpixeltrash AT gmail DOT com. And I will try to help you with it.

This is the padded cover.  The left and right sides are stitched in place, so they hold the tablet perfectly.
The top and bottom sides velcro around the back so I can tighten them just as I need them.  I also made a hole under the velcro tab on the right upper side so I can plug it in without removing the cover.

See the velcro tabs on the left and right? 

 I also included a handle of sorts to make it easier to hold. 

There is thicker felt inside the top of the back.  I did that so that it will sit at more of an angle on the desktop.

This is the carrier.  It is lined with a fusible fleece to protect the tablet.  I made it from a white canvas.

 I added two pockets to the back- one to store the cleaning cloth and one to store my cell phone.

Here is what it looks like with my tablet in it.  Fun right?

This is my camera case that matches....  

I am going to try to draw some instructions for this project, but can't promise when I will get them done.

Hope you are having a great week!

I shared this at

Acer Iconia Tab A500-10S16u 10.1-Inch Tablet Computer (Aluminum Metallic)

Acer Iconia Tab W500-BZ467 10.1-Inch Tablet (Silver)

Gizmo Dorks Hard Shell EVA Case (Black), HDMI Cable, and USB Cable with Carabiner Key Chain for the Acer Iconia Tab A500