Category Archives: in the garden

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I joined a sorority!

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Ok, maybe I didn’t actually join a sorority BUT I did paint some FOUR FOOT TALL lawn letters for one!  The super nice ladies of Ioma Gamma Upsilon at U-Mass Amherst contacted me to customize their new letters and I couldn’t wait.  It’s probably the most unique (read: weirdest) request I’ve had to date so I was obviously all about it.
  
Ioma Gamma Upsilon’s colors are ultramarine & green and they wanted an all-over floral print on the letters.  I created a custom light teal color for the background and then did a simple white, blue & green design over the entire surface.   I also sealed the letters with a matte clear coat so that they wouldn’t have a glare during photo shoots but would be resistant to beer-bong mishaps.  (Or is that just in fraternities?  …Either way.)    
Now, before you tell me how great my all-over design is, because I can tell you’re dying to…I have a confession…this is actually my best-friend Liz’s design.  It’s what happens when she’s distracted and doodling.  These awesome little flowers and swirls just pour out of her pen…and then I snatch them up and make them life size on huge letters.  That’s what friends are for, right??  Thanks Liz!!

Sadie’s all ready to pledge.  Get this girl a paddle!

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Geometrical Block Printed Planter Makeover

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I made this beautiful block printed planter first thing this planting season and then forgot to share it.  This essentially means it never happened at all and all of my priming and painting and sponge cutting was for not.  So I’m posting it now, just in time for the end of planting season.  Luckily, I think it’s going to look just as lovely stuffed full of Mums and tall grasses as it looked chock full of petunias.  
And the best part of this project?  It  was completely free!

It was super easy (and free!) and would make a great weekend project.  
It took me about 4 hours start-to-finish including the time it took the paint to dry.  
Here’s how I made it…for FREE!  (Did I mention this project didn’t cost me anything?)
  1. I took an old banged up pot that wasn’t being used and gave it a good scrubbin’.
  2. Then I sprayed the inside of the pot red with some paint I had on-hand; spray the inside first because there may be some over-spray
  3. Then I primed the outside of the pot white and covered the over-spray
  4. After that I gave the whole thing a coat of Cream colored paint and let it dry.
Cost so far: $0.00
While the paint was drying I made the stamp.

  1. To make the stamp you’ll need an old sponge, scissors, a Sharpie & a ruler
  2. I used the ruler to measure out a 2″ x 2″ x 2″ triangle
  3. and drew it on the sponge with my marker
  4. Then I cut along the lines and now I have my stamp…and it’s still FREEEEE!
Now you should test your stamp to experiment with how much paint to use, 
how hard to press down on it and to decide on the pattern you’re going to use. 

I used a piece of blue painter’s tape to create a line to follow while I stamped.  
This helped a little bit but it would be ok without it also.  
I continued to stamp all the way around the planter, 
moving my piece of tape to the next row as the paint dried.
Then I removed the tape and I had a perfectly printed, perfectly d.i.y.’d, 
perfectly FREE brand spankin’ new planter!  And, I can’t remember if
I told you this or not yet but it didn’t cost me a thing!!  
Rit Rooooo!!  (that’s a whistle noise)
I’d love to see your pictures if you decide to make one of your own. 
Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful weekend!  
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Custom Artwork with a Paisley Print

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 These paisley paintings were done for a little lady’s room inspired by the lampshade her Mom bought  at PBK from the Tera Paisley Collection.

All of the designs mimic the style of the fabric but are completely original to match the overall color-scheme of bright pinks, purples, greens and blues in her room.

Because there is no discernible top or bottom, left or right, they can be hung in any order and any direction.  They can be hung separately, one on each wall, in a row, in a grid, in a circle, on the ceiling…whatever her little heart desires.  
This one kind of looks like some sort of weird amoeba.  I’m ok with that. 

Contact me if you’d like some custom paintings for your own little one.  Thanks for stopping by!
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The Apple Pickin’-est Guys Around

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Apple picking is a sure sign of better things to come.  Things like sweaters and leggings and tights and boots and scarves!  I love dressing for fall ALMOST as much as I love punkin flavored beverages and punkin flavored foods.  Almost.

 I wish I could give Fall a big squeeze to show it how much I missed it.  Like this guy with his apple.

Happy Thursday and Happy Fall!!!
(nothing personal Summer but I’m so over you)

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trash to treasure: twine-wrapped planter

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I accidentally broke my favorite purple pot (aka my only purple pot) and just couldn’t bear to throw it out.  I considered gluing it back together but some of the pieces shattered so there would be holes all over it and the dirt would fall out.  Then I considered smashing it into little pieces and making some sort of mosaic out of it but then I remembered that I don’t like mosaics.  (No offense if that’s your thing, it’s just not for me.)  I also thought about taking a bite out of it like the girls on that TV show but my heart’s just not in it.

The only thing left was to fix it and figure out a way to cover the crack and make it super adorable- and I did just that.

Here’s how:

For this project you will need the following items:

  • a broken pot (or lamp or decorative vase or a little trash can, etc)
  • twine
  • glue gun/glue sticks
  • epoxy

Start off by washing your broken pot in hot soapy water.  **Careful to not burn and/or cut yourself!!**  This will remove any oils or dirt from the pot and make the epoxy hold better.

Next, mix your epoxy and add a generous amount to the break in your pot.  You should wear gloves during this and work in a well ventilated area, this stuff is smelly.   Put your pieces back together.

**You can put globs of the epoxy on since the seam doesn’t need to be beautiful because we’ll be covering the whole thing with twine.   Smear the extra epoxy around with a toothpick after putting the pieces back together to make a water-tight seal.

Now let your epoxy dry.  Mine says it takes 7 minutes to set.  

 Now you’re ready to start wrapping your newly fixed pot in twine.  I turned my pot over and started from the bottom.

 Begin by gluing the end of the twine to your pot and start wrapping, gluing the twine to the pot as you go.  

 I put a dot of hot glue about every 3-5″ on the entire pot.  This string’s not going  anywhere!!

When you’re done wrapping, throw a plant in there and you now have a custom, hand-wrapped planter to wow your friends with.  I’d recommend keeping this pot inside as rain or snow will get the string wet and it could possibly get moldy and gross.  And we wouldn’t want that.    

Thanks for reading!
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Tufa Pots by Jennifer!

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My very talented friend and gardener, Jennifer McCabe, recently started a blog (follow her here) and just announced that she’ll be selling her handmade Hypertufa Pots at Scrub Oak in Nantucket starting June 10th.



Hypertufa pots are lightweight pots made of a cement & peat moss mixture.  They’re durable like cement, lightweight like a regular pot and make beautiful additions to gardens, porches or table displays.  Jennifer’s Tufa pots are all one of a kind, shaped by hand and cured to withstand the elements.   You can also learn to make your own tufa pots from Jennifer herself during workshops she’s leading at the Nantucket Garden Festival, July 25th & 26th.  Contact Jennifer for more information or to sign up for a class.

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Why don’t you make me?: Three-Tiered Terra Cotta Planter

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With limited space in my small city yard every inch counts so each Spring I am faced with a decision: do I want pretty flowers or a functioning vegetable garden?  I envision myself having friends over for dinner and quickly running outside with my schears to an adorable, and lovingly attended to, little vegetable garden- I’d grab fresh herbs for the potatoes, pluck some peppers and lettuce for the salad and maybe bring in some grape tomatoes for my friends to snack on before dinner.  They just love that.  Then, after dinner we’d all get in my spaceship and go visit Unitron, the home of the last living unicorn.  In other words, it’s not going to happen.

What did happen however is this- a triple-decker half veggie/half flower tower of compromise.  I’m taking baby steps to becoming the world’s best hostess by growing only the greens to my future salads and I still have room for flowers! 

Here’s how I did it:

First, I invited Liz over who did everything.  (This was an important step because Liz is wicked good at this stuff and because I have a cast on my right arm up to my elbow right now.) 

Next, we took pots from the pot graveyard on the side of my house and selected 3 in decending sizes.  (These don’t have to match perfectly, as you can see.)

Pick a sunny spot in your garden to place the biggest pot- we nestled ours right into this Vinca Minor- and fill with soil until just below the top.

Add a small dowel or bamboo rod into the largest pot and thread themiddle pot onto it burying the pot about an inch into the soil of the largest pot.

Then trim the dowel until about 3-4″ is showing to be inserted into the smallest pot.

Now have Liz thread the smallest pot right over the dowel and press into the dirt on the lower level burying it slightly.  Great job Liz!

And finally, you are ready to plant your Garden of Compromise.  Liz and I decided on some green lettuce, purple lettuce, white & purple flowers, 2 small cascading plants and topped the whole thing off with a ponytail fern.

Now we truly can have our garden…and eat it too.

Thanks Liz!! ❤ ❤ ❤