Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Old Chair into Planter


Hello my friend !

How are you today?

On the way to church we saw this sad chair with a free sign.

I am like a magnet to free...

Mr. Fresh Vintage said ''NO WAY, It's gross!"




I talked him into it -

with the promise that I would start on it 

immediately when we got home....

and I did !




Once the nasty cover was gone...

no more stink !



I thought it would be easy to turn into a planter.

The seat was old and the raffia type material was so easy

to remove with a utility knife.

There was old newspapers

 shoved in there too for some reason.


I was hoping for Red-

I needed to run to the store for more.


Have you seen these new Rust-oleum spray cans ?

It has 5 positions for the nozzle.

We thought we would give it a try.


It worked great, we stayed with 'standard' spray



It was a new learning curve and will take some

getting used to in the future.

For this project it worked fine.


It covered well



I wanted the color to pop in the garden.

We don't have a lot of red flowers so

 I thought it would be a good contrast.





I purchased a 16'' coco liner at my local Joann's fabric.

They are on sale right now.



I found a scrap of chicken wire in our shed.

I thought it would give the coco basket some support.



I thought I could staple the wire to the chair and form

a dip in the center.




It worked fine!

 I moved  the chair to a bare spot in the garden

 and filled the basket with potting soil.



It got moved one more time and added a few

starter plants that I had on hand.

I started with Lamb's Ear and Feverfew- they are hardy.

I also added some Oregano.




The chair was doing a good job 

of holding up the Larkspur





Well I had to add a couple flags too!





The wire was a good base and it doesn't even show.

Even though the chair was planted I could still move it around easily.

I like that it covers a spot that I had just cleaned up-






I know it will eventually fall apart and look shabby

but that's okay-






Have a HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!

XO Lisa S



1 month later.....



Saturday, June 10, 2023

Delicious Spicy Roasted Kale Chips

Hi there!

We have been busy in the garden- 

One of our favorite veggies to grow is KALE

It grows like crazy here!



It's easy to grow and a real super food!



We will be eating Kale 

ALL SUMMER LONG!


Pick a large amount-

about the size of a bunch of

Lettuce

Break or chop up pieces to about a 2-4'' size

about 4-6 cups total.

Remove the center stem.


Set aside stems for later, to  freeze for soup!


Rinse pieces in cool water



Pat dry with towels or

I like to use a salad spinner.





Put dry pieces in a sealable bag.





Pour a little Olive oil in the bag- seal and gently

squeeze bag to coat the pieces.

Start with a tablespoon then add more if needed.


Coated but not soggy!



I line my baking sheets with cooking parchment paper for

easy cleanup.

I divide what fit in the bag

 on two baking sheets,



single layer.

Sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes

to suit your families taste.







Heat oven to 300 degrees F



Just about 12 to 15 min.




You will know the chips are ready when they turn a  darker green.

Watch carefully at this point so the chips don't burn.






The chips are light and crispy!


Pull up the sides of the parchment to make a paper funnel and

fill a bowl with the chips !



So delicious!

Even vegetable haters will love these.


We never have any left over, but.....you could crumble a few and

use as a seasoning....like Parsley- who would know?



Here's a vintage seed packet you can print

to make yourself a plant marker!



If you try to grow some kale or make some chips, 

tell me what you think.

xo Lisa S


Make a Bird on a Perch

  Hello Friend! I found these birds at the local Garden Center. They had texture like hand carved wood. I think they may be made of resin or...