Plant a Chair or Planter Chair and a Surprise!

I started this project the other day and even remembered to take before, during and after shots. But then my SD card got uppity on me and refused to give me my photos I took. I had to reformat the card. 

Which in turn deletes the whole card and POOF all your photos are gone.

I even tried to use a recovery program and got nothing. Luckily I only had those photos on the card. I know a lot of people store their photos on those SD cards. Get them off and back them up if they mean anything to you. You never know when your card is going to act up.

So I retook them yesterday and the light was not great.

Just imagine the chair in it’s natural stained brown state. I picked it up for $2 somewhere. 

It was in great shape but I had no need for a seat-less chair so I decided to plant it.

Like I did for this one many moons ago.

I had these coffee sacks in the garage for quite some time. I have several of the one on the left so I decided to use that one for the seat/pot instead of using window screen like last time.

I left it doubled up since it was a loose weave and trimmed a bit off the top. Then I just maneuvered and stapled it onto the seat frame. Photos would be nice huh? Stupid card.

This is how it turned out.

I spray painted the frame aubergine. Not a color I would normally use but I really like it with these flowers. It’s sort of a fall color too. I gave it a good covering, even the bottom of the feet in hopes of delaying the inevitable rotting. 

My blue chair is now toast.

But you know what? For $2, a can of spray paint and some free burlap sacks, I don’t mind if it doesn't last forever. 

Right now it looks cute and I like it. 

So, what’s the surprise you’re wondering?

Do you remember these cute little stockings from last year?

Well, Sailor Bags has sent me something new this year and I get to have another giveaway!

What is is? Well, come back tomorrow to find out!

You might have caught a glimpse of them in a previous post.

I think you'll love these as much as I do! :)

linking up with:

Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

End of Summer?

Someone needs to tell my green beans.

And my peppers.

I’m picking green beans every day now.

They have gotten their second wind I guess.

That basil plant needs to be made into pesto as well.

It’s not the sweet basil you normally see. It has a slightly different taste but we really like it.

This one has much cleaner leaves without being bothered by as many pests.

I’m not pointing any fingers. 

But I have found several of these guys this year and they still freak me out!

Anyway, with my bean stalk not quitting anytime soon I decided to start freezing them.

It’s pretty simple. You just blanch them. Fancy word for boiling like 2 or 3 minutes. Then you throw them in some ice water to halt the cooking. Then they are ready to freeze if you want. Or you can do this prior to sautéing them in some garlic and olive oil. Or you can dip them into a dill and greek yogurt dip and munch away.

They stay nice a bright green this way too.

I froze some of my peppers as well. I did not blanch them. I just washed, sliced and put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then after the froze individually I put them in ziploc bags. That way I can take out what I need without them all being frozen in a big clump.

I planted more lettuce now that it cooled off a bit. I hope they do better then in the spring.

Anyone still have a garden growing?
Whatcha got left? 

I'd love to hear.

Giveaway Reminder and Toe Kick Advice

Don’t forget about the FOLK magazine giveaway I have going on.

You have until Friday night to enter!

LOOK!

I went outside this morning to check on my garden and was surprised to see these little guys.

My first sugar peas!

and this…

Zucchini blossoms!

The garden is coming along nicely. I'm really looking forward to the green beans and tomatoes. 

My carrot seeds even seem to be coming up. I'll be shocked if I get actual carrots!

The rest of the day was not so much fun.

I’ve scrubbing down cabinets and taking off hardware. So my kitchen looks like this now.

(Whoa, that is a little blurry! These were all taken with my iphone. 

I think I was just too tired to hold it still for that last shot!)

It was disgusting just how dirty they were. I know some people don’t like white cabinets because they will show the dirt more. Well, I think I’d rather see the dirt right away so I can wipe it down then for it to hide and build up like it did. 

ICK!

Both pairs of my rubber gloves were ripped so I spent all day with may hands in bucket after bucket of water. They now feel like paper.

I am off to fill some holes so I can add new hardware later.

Hope to start the priming tomorrow.

Oh hey, see that toe kick down there below the cabinets? I'm thinking they should be white too.

What say you? There is something in a vinyl I could put down there. Anyone have that?

Okay, everyone go look at their toe kicks and get back to me.

I'll be waiting.

Cucumber Trellis

Finally got around to making a trellis for the cucumbers. 

I wanted something bigger then last year but I didn’t want to spend a lot.

I had the chicken wire, which I found for .99 at Goodwill last year. Then I when I was at Lowes getting the 4x4 for the mailbox I picked up these 1x2’s. They were only a dollar each for 8’. 

Not bad at all.

We (okay, he) just made a simple frame and screwed them together.

Then we (I did help with this) stapled on the wire. The wire was only 2’ wide and we made the frame about 5 tall. So we ran two strips of chicken wire across the frame and then wired the two panels of chicken wire together. Like a whip stitch with wire. The bottom 1 foot is open. I can run a string across if I have to but I think the cucumbers will be a foot tall before they start to grab on anyway. It’s hard to see but the chicken wire does hang down below the bottom bar.

These guys were watching us just outside the garage. It was raining on and off all day.

We just leaned them together and tied the tops with more wire. 

The legs are resting up against the garden box.

Nothing fancy but it’s pretty sturdy and should hold the cucumbers well. 

It will also provide shade for the lettuce that is underneath it.

  

I guess I can take that back hoop off now. 

My plan is to cover the whole thing with mesh if I see any critters munching away. 

But so far so good. 

And why do all the oak trees have to shed now? What a mess they make.

I have my first pepper!

Have you started gardening yet?

Outside Gardening and Good News

Oh my, time is flying by! Son #2 was home on spring break last week. It coincided with son #3 so it worked out well and they got to hang out together.

Also too, I had some free labor. Well, not free. He has been going to college for the past 5 years.

Graduation is coming up, yippee!

But as one finishes up college, one is getting ready to start.

We started this last year but only got a little bit done. This time we got the whole back area cleared out. It was just a mess back there. I have visions of layers of plants back there.  So, while both boys were home we spread out all the mulch. Four truck loads full! Now I have a lot of space to add some new bushes and flowers. I can plant a little at a time now which is great.

Some more oak leaf hydrangeas are on my list to get along with another butterfly bush.

I know it looks a little empty now but once I get things planted I’m sure it will fill out nicely.

I am still moving things around. Transplanting a few things too.

I got my vegetables planted in my new raised beds. They are small now but it won’t be long until they take off. I have tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, squash, eggplant, strawberries and some lettuce. I hope it’s not too late for the lettuce. Oh, and I have carrot seeds to plant.

The sweet peas are already grabbing hold.

We moved the blueberry bushes last year so this is the first year we actually have berries!

I’m so glad we didn’t kill them.

The almost engineer made me a teepee with some bamboo I had laying around.

I planted my green beans around it today. I’ll show you again once they start to cover it. 

I also want to thank you for all the good wishes for son #3 and his college interview.

It worked! He got accepted to Florida State and even more exciting….

he got accepted into the Film School! Did I mention that part? That was what the interview was for. They only accept a small amount of freshman. He’s thrilled! He will go to FSU in Tallahassee his first year but then he goes to West Palm Beach to study animation and digital arts. So, that means he won’t be close to home. 

 I’m trying not to think about that part.

Hope you all have a great week!

Indoor Gardening

I’ve had this shallow dish for awhile now. Wasn’t sure what to do with it. I bought it an estate sale because it had a frog in it, a floral frog, not a ribbit frog. I just wanted the frog, but for a dollar I got both.

 

I’ve never grown succulents before but I thought I’d give it a try.

I started with these little guys that I found at Lowes. I bought some special soil for cactus and succulents and some small white rocks. I always plant in pots with drainage holes. It is the smart way to do it. This dish had no holes. I know I could have drilled some but I thought I’d try some rocks on the bottom and just be real careful with watering. Fingers crossed I don’t kill them!

 

I used the rocks as a cover too and then added some shells and a tiny piece of driftwood.

Have you grown succulents inside before?

Let me know if you have any tips.

I broke off some of that little one up front. Can you just plant those leaves?

I’m also getting busy on my outdoor gardening.

We brought home a truckload of soil to fill my raised beds.

Hubby built me another bed so we needed a lot.

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend!

Backyard Bench

I finally got around to potting some mums for the backyard.

I didn’t do anything to the bench I um, acquired.

Other then putting some wood hardener on the legs.

I put a couple of stones down for the uneven legs too.

See that blob next to the mums?

Our little backyard turtle came out to say hello.

And Henry went right to it and tried to play hockey with it.

I kept shooing Henry away so he’d poke his head out again but it was a no go.

A neighbor’s tree came down about a month ago and the debris has still not been picked up. So I had #3 son and my hubby grab a couple of stumps for me to use as plant stands. 

They were thrilled. 

The bark is peeling off but it looks pretty cool without any bark.

I haven’t put anything out front yet but I have a lot of my summer plants still blooming.

Besides, we can enjoy them more out back since that is where we usually are.

I had this odd little cluster of mushrooms growing in the yard.

I found them so interesting looking.

They might be why our grass isn’t looking too hot right now.

Perhaps it's time to fertilize again.

 

It’s also time to start doing some projects inside.

I really want to get the kitchen done before the holidays get here.

It the one room in the house that is still bugging me.

I just have to jump in and get going.

Do you have any projects waiting to get done?

Linking up with :

Fishtail Cottage: Outdoor Fall Decor