Category: Garden

Favorite Things

January 6
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I know Spring is several months away…and I’m truly not trying to rush winter!  I really enjoy the snow (when we get it!) and love the long nights by the fire!  But a quick trip to the grocery store led me to a favorite find that I just couldn’t pass up!  I had to think for a sec to make sure I shouldn’t wait to purchase this touch of springtime, but worried that they might quickly be gone–I grabbed one to take home!  Winter has me wishing a bit for something green and fresh…so I often buy a bunch of flowers or potted bulbs to bring life into the house until the seasons change again.   Today I’d like to share this fave that I can enjoy now…and later when spring shows it’s happy face!

sweet, springtime succulents!

Happy Hostess!

October 28
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At our little soup soiree one of my fabulous guests brought me the most lovely hostess gift!  It was such a cute idea…and with all the holidays speeding toward us I thought I would share this sweet offering for all those hosts and hostesses you may be encountering!  A really nice idea for favors as well…this little gift will bring big smiles to anyone receiving it!  The holidays can get a little overwhelming and I don’t know about you but I can be stumped sometimes trying to find new ideas for tokens of appreciation to present to hosts, teachers, or anyone I’d like to thank or that might be in need of a little joy!  Have a look at this wonderful DIY gift idea…I’m sure you will love it as much as I did!

give a little happiness…

Tiny Vessels…

October 16
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While I was cleaning out my kitchen cupboards the other day I was inspired to turn some items I found crammed in the back of my spice drawer and catch-all cabinet into sweet little vases for the last tiny blooms of the season!  It’s funny how something almost forgotten can transform into a thing of beauty!  What got the ball rolling was an old spice tin…and I mean OLD!  Not just one that’s been in my spice drawer for a year or so past it’s expiration date–but a vintage one!  It was a tiny can of chili powder that must have been pretty spicy because on it was an image of the devil stirring a cauldron over fire…how cute for Halloween!  So I set it aside and then found another…an ity bity bottle of olive oil!  Then, a single salt shaker missing its pepper…ok, maybe I can do something with these?  Even though they’re small, they’re just right to make tiny containers for flowers…and since there’s hardly anything left in my garden, small is just perfect!

tiny vessel…big fun!

Fresh Flowers

September 14
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Do you ever find yourself at the market or a roadside stand wishing you could pick up a bunch of fresh flowers but it’s just not the last stop on your errand list?  I hate having to forgo blooming beauties just because I can’t get them home before they begin to wilt!  On occasion I’ll bring a wide-mouth canning jar filled with water if I think there’s a possibility of finding flowers…but as nice as that is, it’s really not that convenient or easy to tote.  But today I’d like to share a simple revelation…a trick from a florist that I had never seen before and a super easy way to get those flowers home without wilt!  As I walked into the market the other day I was greeted by a huge floral display filled with a late summer favorite–sunflowers!   I so wanted to grab a bunch but since my grocery list consisted of non-perishables, I’d planned to make several other stops on my way home–so flowers just weren’t possible…or were they?  A couple quick questions to the helpful florists behind the counter and I was walking out with my canned goods…and my blooms!  Let me share with you what I’ll be keeping in my car from now on…

a “fresh” flower kit!

Diggin’ Taters

August 14
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One of my favorite things during spring & summer is planting and harvesting our vegetable garden!  Even though it’s pretty small…over the years we’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with new things and enjoying our tried and true favorites!  There’s nothing quite like savoring a dish with veggies you actually picked that very day!  And since we started planting we’ve always tried to make the vegetable garden something our boys could be involved with.  When they were little it was so much easier to get them to try new veggies…especially when they chose what to plant and helped it to grow!  And to this day, we all still take part in choosing what we’ll be planting–and picking–or digging up!  One of our all-time favorites that we plant every year is potatoes!  Our family preference is the red potato…and it always amazes me how they grow!  I can’t get over that you can take some chopped up sprouted spuds, bury them–and they turn into mounds of beautiful potatoes that almost burst from the soil!  Professional gardeners we’re not…but after a few years of potato planting we have cultivated some pretty nice crops!  Unfortunately some of our other plantings weren’t as prolific this year…but the season must have been right for potatoes…or maybe we do actually know what we’re doing after all!  They never go to waste ’cause we all LOVE eating them!  Mashed, baked, in soup or stew, fried, hashed, or waffled…you name it, my family would probably like it!  But our ultimate favorite…simply roasted!  it seemed a bit early this year but our potatoes were practically screaming to come out of the ground…so we did a bit of digging and then went directly to the kitchen and roasted up some tasty taters!

from the garden to the table…

Inside Out

June 19
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On our recent trip to Disney I had so much fun checking out all the wonderful gardens on the properties…talk about floral inspiration! But of all the gardens, one in particular caught my eye… such a fun and whimsical idea that you could even do at home with younger gardeners. With the new Disney-Pixar animated movie Inside Out in theaters today, I thought it fitting to share these adorable blooms planted just for the new flick! Take a peek at this garden that represents the emotions from Inside Out!

add a little emotion to your garden…

Pretty in Purple!

June 3
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It seems like I’ve been focused on the gardens lately…but it’s hard not to be — the rain and cooler temperatures have helped the flowers to be simply stunning!  After the last two winters we’ve had, it’s a refreshing change to see lots of color in the garden and it seems especially vibrant this spring!  In a good year, my spring plantings start off yellow…then the garden evolves to blue, turning to purples, pinks, and then back to yellows, reds, and oranges. It’s so fun to see the colorful changes throughout the spring and summer… and great for making bouquets for many months ahead!   Right now, purple is in season and I have to say it’s one of my favorites! From bright and bold to soft and dainty…

check out this palette of purple!

Sweet Succulents!

June 1
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I love succulents!  They’re easy to grow and require much less attention than many plants–which makes them very popular with me!  This year I decided to fill my fairy gardens with multiple varieties of them…and lucky for me, my mother came to visit with two pre-planted pots in hand–packed to the brim with these little lovelies!  She thought I could take out what I wanted for my fairy/gnome containers and plant the rest with my perennials.  After finishing my mini gardens, I decided to highlight the remaining plants in the urns on my sidewalk leading to the house!  I forgot how wonderful these little plants are…multiple shades and shapes of foliage looking every bit as beautiful as the colorful blooms of traditional flowers!  During the dog days of summer, these plants will handle the heat and look great…even when I forget to water!  So have a peek at these sweet succulents…a summer favorite!

let your planters try on some new foliage…

Blooming Stripes!

May 22
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If you saw any of the posts about the Giggle Spring Show you may have noticed all the stripey mason jars!  I love canning jars for a multitude of uses…they make great storage options, cute vases, pencil holders–and the list goes on!  Right now I’m infatuated with painted ones…particularly the stripes!  So I not only created plenty for the show–but I have a fair amount around my own home!  They’re really easy to paint to match your decor and they look especially fresh and fun on the patio!  I added a little springtime to my dining room buffet with nothing more than a collection of mason jars painted with stripes…filled with blooms and candle light!

simply blooming!

Window Garden

May 20
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One of my girlfriends asked me to make her some garden tags for her windowsill herbs…and I jumped at the chance to create something fun for her mini garden!  She already had a vision of a printed banner pick…which is perfectly fine for plants living indoors.  Knowing the garden markers didn’t need to resist the elements made the material selection open to more options…including  printed paper!  So off to the craft store I went in search of something to create the base of her garden tags that would suit her style and personality!  I love shopping for “unknown” items…it keeps my mind open and is usually a situation of “I’ll know it when I see it”–and I saw it!  Today I want to share this DIY for indoor garden markers…or make one for a cake topper or anything else you can think of! Take a peek at this fun and easy craft…

labeling the window herb garden…