Front Porch "Garden Dresser" Photos

I'm really not sure what the technical name for indoor pieces of furniture used for outdoor gardening purposes, but I shall call mine my "Garden Dresser". Or maybe my "Dresser Garden"? At any rate, I have moved it into place and have begun adorning her with fresh floral goodness. I still need to order knobs from Ebay and I do have my eyes on some vintage glass ones. I thought that until I ordered them, I would make do with some little metal ones we had lying about the house. I even painted them white to match the dresser, but when I tried to attach them, only one would screw in properly. Seems I need longer screws for the others.


Here is a before photo. I found the dresser for a mere $25 at a roadside junk store!



And here she is now with a couple of coats of primer and a couple of coats of white exterior paint (just try to imagine the glass knobs for the top drawers, lol)....Click to enlarge photos.


The plants are new and look a bit sparse right now, but the verbena and vinca will grow tall and thick (I'll have to remove that little watering can in the basket, for sure!), and hopefully the ivy will thicken quickly, too. The flowers/ivy in the drawer are actually planted in a basket. I placed the basket in the drawer and covered it all in dry moss to make it look as if the drawer was the planter. I just remove the moss and the basket when I need to water to avoid water damage to the drawer.



I felt like the dresser needed a "mirror" above it so I took a frame that I had and painted it white. I'm not sure if I like the color as much as I thought I would...it blends in with the white lattice too much, I think. But it does make a pretty frame for the clematis:) I wired the frame to the lattice so the wind doesn't blow it over. I would *love* to figure out a way to have ivy growing just in the center of the frame, but I'm not sure how I would go about watering the ivy as it would be potted and sitting right on the dresser. I would want to move it to water it...hmmm.



You can't see it in this photo really well, but the red folded matelasse quilt on the bottom I found at Goodwill the other day for $9.99! It's in perfect condition, and is 100% cotton. I can't believe I found it in red! The apple basket and the wooden tray are Goodwill finds as well.



I'm currently reading this scrumptious old book called Elizabeth and her German Garden. I found out about it here at Brocante Home and couldn't wait to order it. There are modern editions, but I just longed to have an antique copy. This one was printed in 1901 and I love to imagine all the hands that held it before mine:)



I gave the old wooden handle of my gardening trowel a facelift by painting it red. Now it's functional and beautiful:)





The tall, ivy topiary behind the red chair is another Goodwill find. It is artificial so I won't be leaving it out on the porch, but it gives me an idea on how I may be able to fill in that space in the future. Oh, and the big white bowl is filled with birdseed! Hubs said I'm going to have a porch full of bird poop now but I want to experiment to see if that will be the case. I'll be playing with this arrangement, taking away from and adding to, all summer. It probably won't look the same from one day to the next:)



What next in my crazy gardening adventures? I would love to have a garden tub! Corey from Tongue in Cheek graciously allowed me to borrow this photo of her mothers red tub. Love it! I've been on the lookout for inexpensive or free old tubs for weeks now and almost had one a couple of weeks ago...but scheduling a good pickup arrangement was a nightmare for us that particular weekend so I told the owner to pass it on to the next person that wants it. Another one will come along...and the last thing I need right now is another project, hehe.



Speaking of projects, my fingertips have healed, gloves and grout have been purchased, and I'm ready to finish grouting the last 25% of the brick backsplash. Now if only hubs would remember to move the stove before he leaves for work (*hint hint*) :)

Oh, and speaking of hints, hehe - keep checking in on the Cottage Charm Give Away post for new giveaways between now and May 25th. May 26th is the big day where we announce the winners! Feel free to join up - there is still time!

That's all for now...It's late and my-new-bought-in-February dishwasher decided to stop working properly today so we have a sinkful of dishes to wash, not to mention the dishes that are in the dishwasher. The repairman can't get here until MONDAY. Joy. Perhaps hubs will move the stove and do the dishes?

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"Cottage Charm Give Away" Participant List - To Be Updated until May 25th

1) Midwest Neurotica
2) Rags to Riches
3) Hearth and Home
4) Like Merchant Ships
5) Hidden Haven Homestead
6) Niesz Vintage Home
7) Ivy and Lace Cottage
8) One Woman's Cottage Life
9) Home Made Simplicity
10) Nonie Mae's Shabby Shack
11) My Indulgences
12) Princess Nimble-Thimble
13) Bella-Enchanted
14) Mother and Child
15) Trinkets and Treasures
16) Casa Amada
17) Ric Rac
18) From the Pines
19) Little Penpen
20) Artistic Creations
21) Karla's Cottage
22) The Bunnies' Bungalow
23) Serious Mumbo Jumbo
24) Ancient One's Place
25) Coasting Along
26) Cottage Magpie
27) Petit Pois
28) Life at Number 17
29) Lallee's Cottage
30) Creativity in Progress
31) Digi Scribbles
32) Day in the Life
33) Pretty Petals
34) Paintin Patti
35) I♥Upstate
36) Simply Me
37)Honeysuckle Lane
38) Nestled in the Singing Woods
39) Painter of the Past
40) A Day in the Country with Farmer Di