My Garden Diaries

Saturday, January 5, 2013

supporting my habit

As I look ahead to the spring months, I am excited about some new steps I will be taking in the garden this year. With much work ahead, I have to get creative on how I will pay for my habit!

That's why I went here today....

A delightful experience really, with a crew of characters young and old. I handed over a couple of small items that had been sitting in a box unused for years. As the gruff man behind the counter was doing his inspection, I spied this mirror.

HMMMM lovely! And only 12 dollars!

The whole time thinking this will match the gallery i am creating in the weeks ahead.

Some inspiration for that project...

via-hautefavesdeux.tumblr.

via-Pinterest (original source unknown)

via-Shades of Gray Blog

via-Pottery Barn

It was meant to be. The owner handed me some cash and because people can be just plain good, he threw in the mirror for free. Score! I will be visiting this shop again as it had some lovely vintage pieces for a steal!

For now the cash is tucked away in a little envelope and will be used when the gates of my local nursery swing open!

http://www.thegrowingplace.com/

Lastly, I was truly tickled today when I learned that my bedroom redo was featured on a design blog. Thank you Kelly at Restyling Home by Kelly for making this little blog smile. You can check it out here

linking up with The Shabby Nest..... here

Sunday, December 30, 2012

bringing in 2013

So I told my sweet bean about New Year's Eve and guess what? It stuck! She reminded me today as we went to the store about sparkling grape juice. Ah great! Pressure! What can we do with these little ones??? Hmmm? With some creative thought came an idea. With an idea came a new family tradition.

I rounded up the videos I had of the kids on my phone and with the help of my Mac, was able to throw them all together into a slideshow with music. Hey, if I can do it anyone can!

We are making ice cream sundaes and playing the slideshow for the kids on New Year's Eve night. A chance for us all to look back before we go forward into the new year.

With some homemade shakers (cans filled with coins) and confetti we are ready to bring in 2013!

Here's wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

art finds

Oh how I love to find art that tells a story! Interior spaces that are layered with art old and new feel lived in and interesting.

via-Pink Wallpaper

via-Pinterest {original source unknown}

via-Be Mine Interior Design

Today I found some amazing pieces at a local second hand shop in town. The large piece is a lithograph by Rudolph Veil and the smaller piece is an old oil painting of the sea. I also picked up an antique frame for my own art. It was only 12 dollars! The great thing about these pieces is that not only are they affordable, but the tell a story. They feel lived in like an old pair of jeans. So next time you are tempted to buy a mass produced piece from your local chain, do a little hunting. You will be amazed at what you can find!

linking up with...Young Heart and A living Space

Thank you Wendy for featuring my FINDS on your beautiful blog.....here

Friday, December 28, 2012

a good read

On the road to creating my dream garden, I know I am going to hit all kinds of road blocks and bumps. Hey, I have a ton to learn! So my goal is to hit the books in these winter months ahead after the kids go to sleep. (that is if they sleep!) I just finished Larry Hodgson's book....

Making the Most of Shade

A straight forward read with helpful tips for those of us with a lot of shade. I liked how Larry uses humor to cut through some common gardening stressors. An example of this is his take on staking. "In my opinion, a plant that flops deserves to be moved or removed. I refuse to stake anything but tomato plants!"

A few pointers I walked away with....

planting petunias in different areas of the garden to test the varying degrees of shade
planting fast growing annual vines for coverage while waiting for perennial vines to fill in
when planting in shade dust a pinch of mycorrhizal fungi in the hole-very beneficial to plants and is lacking in most home gardens
spot planting with newspaper and using newspaper in general to give your new plant time to establish itself (do this for veggies but should start in my shade garden as well)

And of course some inspiration.....

Elaine Sander's beautiful Montreal garden. The link is below.

http://www.finegardening.com/item/25518/elaines-garden-in-montreal

Monday, December 24, 2012

my elves

We are off and running! My elves are hard at work putting berries (red hots) in our wreath cookies. This is a family favorite and my job every year.

Cornflake Wreaths

-one bag of marshmallows

-3 tablespoons of butter

-6 cups cornflakes

-green food coloring

-red hot candies

Now on to another family favorite. My grandmother's butter cookies. We bake these for every occasion in our family.

Gram's Butter Cookies

-3/4 cup butter

-1/2 cup sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1 egg yolk

-1 cup and 1/2 of flour

roll into balls and bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes

ice when cool

Icing

-one stick of butter

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1 tablespoon of milk

-2 cups powdered sugar (add more to taste)

Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New
Year!!

Linking up with Sarah.....here

Thursday, December 13, 2012

between naps

My brother told me a long time ago to try to paint one painting a day. Yea right! Who has the time. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought he was right. I don't have time to work with oils, though they are my favorite. Plus, I have little beans in my home and mineral spirits are too strong for them and hard on the environment too. So it's time to learn something new. Between naps I have picked the brush back up and have started using acrylics. I have a lot to learn about this medium but, having that brush back in my hand feels so good.