Outdoor Decorating with Chalk and Fabric Flowers

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There's a reason our nicknames are Lauraroni & Aaroncheese; we're the cheesiest.

I laugh at my husband's cheesy jokes. I coax my husband into indulging in cheesy, sappy movies with me. And I like cheesy gifts.

This is why I've held onto my collection of fabric, bendable flowers gifted from my husband.

It all started when we were first dating in the summer of 2004. We went thrifting and Aaron found a fabric flower. Naturally, he bought it for me. He said it was the first flower he'd ever bought a girl. I loved it.That silly little flower made 20-year-old me smile.

On a later thrifting trip, another flower was found. And so began the tradition of Aaron buying me fabric flowers.



Eventually, he found fabric roses and oversized, fabric sunflowers. Oh, and a butterfly. I hung up my fabric flowers, knowing I was a bit old for them, but not caring one bit.

At some point, I told my now husband that I had plenty of fabric flowers, and he didn't need to keep buying them every time he saw them. We agreed to end to end the tradition.

My flowers decorated my office until it was time to move. Into a garbage bag they went for protection, and tossed atop the top garage shelf they stayed for two years.

That is, until Aaron pissed me off one night (it happens), and I took my anger out on the messy garage.

My rage cleaning led me to stumble upon that bag of fabric, bendable flowers. My heart softened, my anger subsided, and I realized I missed seeing those cheesy little love reminders.

I decided to do something with the flowers, but I really didn't have a place for them in the house.

So I turned to my outdoor oasis.

I love my backyard. It's peaceful. My DIY porch couch is so comfortable. It's the perfect spot to relax, read and refresh.

As much as I enjoy my backyard and my house, I'm not a fan of its exterior stucco walls. I yearn for the ability to hang decorations with hammer and nails.

Since that's not an option, my porch light served as the next best way to hang one of those giant fabric flowers. I attached a long loop of fishing wire, and voila, floating daisy.

The wire running along the porch wall provided the perfect spot for the butterfly.

The fabric flower decor inspired me to decorate the plain wall next to the porch with flowers. Although I've pinned lots of crafty, DIY ideas for that wall, they all involves drilling into stucco, and that is work I'd rather not do.

I needed something temporary. A trip to the 99 Cent Only Store provided a pack of sidewalk chalk for the job. Fifteen minutes of coloring the wall later, I transformed a blank space into cheery decor.


I know my chalk flowers are nothing special artistically. I'm sure my wall looks as if a little kid decorated it, but I like it, and that's all that matters.

I love my cheesy backyard flowers of fabric and chalk and the memories they conjure.


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