Green and Growing

The last several days have been full to say the least...no new projects to unveil yet,
but lots going on around here.  Namely a bedroom re-do for my daughter, 

homecoming for my mother who is recovering from a broken ankle, and
a birthday party for the 1-year-old granddaughter.  Never a dull
moment for sure! And while all these goings-on have been taking
place, there's been a whole lot of growing going on too....

I'm starting only four varieties of tomatoes this year.  Thought I'd stick with my
favorites, because I just can't get enough of those Green Zebras!

 

Yes - that IS grass....Ponytail Grass actually.  It is a beautiful ornamental that bobs

and sways gracefully in the lightest breeze. These will be the centerpieces 

of some of my porch planters this summer.

 

The cherry tomatoes are the fastest growers - though they were sown the same time 

as the other varieties they are nearly twice bigger already!

 

Looking forward to planting these beauties outdoors in a few weeks....

come on spring!

Twiggy Spring Decorating

I'm seeing a lot of twigs in spring decorations this year.  

How great is that?!  I have an endless supply of sticks, twigs, limbs, vines and
more here on the farm! An armful of twigs combined with some
tiny wooden eggs and creamy wee blooms now adorn our
vintage screen door monogram on the front porch.

I bought a large bag of miscellaneous eggs at the thrift store last week for $5 -
among them was a collection of tiny wooden Easter tree ornaments, many
of which were itty-bitty eggs. I painted a couple of those in a pretty blue and
speckled them good with a bit of brown paint.  Then using twigs from the
yard and a bit of faux moss (another thrift store find - a big bag for $1) 

I wired and hot glued them to create a nest.

That was great for one corner....but it needed something to balance it. So out came
my bag of creamy fabric scraps - muslin, burlap, osnaburg - you name it, if it's
off-white, cream, oatmeal, wheat, tan, or anything in-between, it's in there!
I cut simple 4-petaled blossoms to my heart's content.  I scrunched them a
bit and hot-glued them to the wreath I'd wired together from the

same batch of twigs I'd used to construct the nest.

Love the twiggy-ness of this!  Also love the pop of color from the eggs and the

simple, sweetness of the blooms.  But...now I'm thinking maybe my blooms

need some color....they just don't have much impact with the creamy yellow

background of our house siding.  They would look gorgeous on my green

wall in the front room...Hmmmm....may have to find a new spot inside for

this wreath and have another go at this spot with more color

 So, what's happening on your front porch this spring?

Have twigs found their way into your decorating scheme lately?

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Baby Toms Up!

Those who know me well, know that one of 

my ultimate gardening pleasures is seeing seeds germinate.

 

I never get tired of seeing the tiny threads of green raise their heads from the soil in search of light.  And it's so amazing to me to know that these tiny tomato babies will be standing as tall as myself in a few months, bearing fresh, juicy gems from my summer garden!

 

I've cut waaaayyyy back on the number of varieties I'm starting indoors this year.  I've got too many other irons in the fire to take care of more than I really need.  So my tomatoes this year, will of course be, my favorites: Green Zebra, Kellogg's Breakfast, and a cherry tomato I purchased at a plant sale - saved seed because we love this but don't have a clue what variety it is.  Oh, and one newbie - German Red Strawberry, from seed my sister saved and shared.

 

I hope to sow a few sweet peppers this week and that's it for my indoor seed starting this year.  Just can't give it up completely though - seeing these babies pop out of the soil is just too good a reminder of all the miracles that take place

around us every single day.

Happy gardening!

Boudoir Organizer or Spice Rack?

 

The little spice rack I updated last week went so well, I thought I'd give another dowdy, outdated spice rack a new life as well.   I've had this in my stash for 2-3 years - time to do something with it or get rid of it!

 

Plain, boring, dirty, scuffed - not looking very loved.  I'm about to fix that!

 

My daughter hated the font "Spices" was carved in, so that had to go.  

A little wood filler and a good sanding took care of it.

 

Loved the tag on the back, but there was no easy way to save it...it's 

hidden under the paint now :(

 

Above is the rack after wood filler, sanding, and a couple coats of spray paint - Valspar's Pewter Gray in gloss finish.  A very light gray really.

 

And  fast forward to done!  This is the finished project after some distressing, walnut stain, and a cute little embellishment was added.

 

Perfect for the boudoir - to hold girly things like scarves, 

jewelry, sun hats, perfume....

  

maybe I should add a couple of cup hooks to the outer sides to hold more...

 

And of course it could still work great in a shabby kitchen 

with spice bottles lined up on the shelves.

What else might you use it for?  

Would love to get your ideas!  

Leave me a comment!

Cost: $5 for the rack at a yard sale

$1 for the embellishment

Maybe $1 for paint and stain, sandpaper, etc.

Total: A cool $7!

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