Projects of 2012

It seems odd that we will be starting a new year in just a few days.  2012 has flown by.  So what did we do this year???  It is nice to look back and see. (click on the photo to go to the actual post)

Sewed some dresses.  All scrap material I had on hand, cost: a few hours of my time. 



I spruced up a couple chairs with paint and roses.  They now reside in front of my sewing table.  Cost: zero, the chairs came with a table I had bought at a thrift store eons ago and I just had them in storage. 



I crocheted a cardigan that I still love out of bamboo cotton yarn.  Cost:  $30



We made our straw bale mini greenhouse garden.  It worked fantastic last Spring and now I need to toss in some lettuce and spinach seeds to get started.  Cost: 6 bales of straw at $7 each.  The lumber was scrap we had on hand and the plastic was too.  Total = $42.00



I bought an incubator to hatch chicks.  My first batch of Swedish Flower hens.  This was so much fun I did it again with Black Copper Maran eggs.  Cost for incubator about $150 (which worked great!), the eggs ran about $50, this is a new breed to the US so the hatching eggs are pricy, but a hen alone if $50 to purchase so the eggs were the way to go. 



We built a faux pew bench from plywood. 



One of the most popular posts this year was this on of the old buckets stacked and planted.  I did enjoy this all summer.  I think I would like to make a real fountain out of buckets this next summer.  



Another highly popular post was this one on How to Paint a vintage saloon sign.



I also shared tons of signs I shipped out to my wonderful customers.   Now I am working hard on a new website, trying to improve and make it easier to navigate.  

I am looking forward to another productive and exciting year!
Have a great day. 

  





 

Old Buckets and a Waterfall

I have been dinking around with an idea in my head for awhile and it finally started to come together.

I gathered up my supplies and went to work.  Some old buckets I have collected and a big galvanized tub that has had many uses over the years. 



We took down an oak tree last Fall and I am left with this stump in my front garden.



Not the prettiest of sights and I have wanted to do something to disguise it. This section of my yard needs a lot more help but this is a start.

First, we drill holes for drainage, a regular drill bit did the job just fine. Both of these already had some small holes from wear and tear but we made sure they really drained well.  The smallest of the three needed no extra drainage as it did not have much of a bottom at all left, it was pretty well rusted off.



I added a good inch or two of perlite to keep the roots airy.  I buy perlite in big, big bags as I make my own potting mix and need a lot of it.



I use an empty plastic pot as some what of a filler so I do not have to use more potting soil than absolutely necessary.  Plus it will be a stand for the next bucket.  I place it towards the back as I am going for a more waterfall effect than all around planting.



The next bucket I could’ve used another upside down pot, if the top bucket had a bottom at all, but since it did not I filled the middle bucket with the potting soil.  I planted them up and watered it in. 



I had at first thought to only use the trailing lobelia in all blues but I do love the Easy Wave petunias and could not resist, and the Margarite sweet potato vine. 



here they are at another angle.  I transplanted some larkspur around it, let’s hope it takes, even if it does not it is full of seed pods that will reseed in place. There will be plenty of larkspur here next year.

We celebrated this morning, our first tomato from the garden.  It is a Super Sweet 100 cherry tomato and it was just that, super sweet and yummy.  We split it.



Isn’t it so pretty.  Love that color red!

Off to work I go.  I have another garden post full of gorgeous flowers for you so check back soon. 

Come see what I have been up to in the studio.

 DIY