Monday, April 15, 2019

My Backyard Garden Tour



Hi Friends,
 
Spring is here ! It is probably my favorite time of year.
 
Well it is the best time to be in the garden.
 
I have to admit I am a bit of a lazy gardener.
 
 I love letting the plants do their own thing.
 
  We fill our yard with perennials and native plants and recently
 
 we have added some succulents.


Mr. Freshvintage is anything but lazy! I am blessed that he loves working in the yard.

He mows and digs my holes, I get to do the fun part of planting and trimming.

We are going to start in the backyard....and just look around a bit.

This beautiful combination below is Feverfew and Forget-me-nots. 
 
 
 
Towards the front is Lambs Ear, then Freesia bulbs and  Nasturtiums.
 

 
This is part of my Herb garden. The tall plant in front is
 
Oregano. Behind that is Thyme with more blossoms than leaves....and lots of bees!
 
Behind the Thyme is Lavender and Mint.

 
Some Pink Lantana

 
The railroad sign was another gift from a different neighbor and more Lavender.

 
 
 
Come sit for a while.
 
I call these my Motel chairs! Comfortable even without cushions.
 
 
 




 
 Our window box was made with pallet wood. I designed it to fit 5 gallon buckets  so we can change
 
the plants for the seasons if we wish. This way the box doesn't get wet. It is attached to the
 
stucco wall with a hidden ' L ' bracket.
 
My gate holds my garden tool claw collection.
 
 
The tractors belong to my son when he was little....and they were vintage then.
 
I keep them under the window out of the way. 
 
 
 
 
Across from the window there is more seating- 
 
 
 
 
  Gardens need lots of resting space-
 
 
 


 
More rusty tools and a whirly gig we bought  more than 30 years ago.
 
When it's windy, the farmer  milks the cow in double time speed!
 

 
An old bird bath, Mexican Marigolds and Lemon Balm.

 
 
Our Lemon tree and an old wagon wheel on the fence.

 
We added the rock paths through the garden.
 
Mr. Freshvintage made this archway out of scrap wood.
 
We can sit under the grapes.
 
One side is Thompson and the other is Flame.
 

 
My husband made the rusty heart from a broken whisky barrel.
 
This bird house is attached to an old shovel.

 
A corner of the yard for sitting!
 
Old smudge pots and miscellaneous rusty goodness.

 
My gate and bottle garden

 
Back to my raised bed veggie garden.....day 1.....so far volunteer onions
 
and Blackberry bushes on the fence. I will update vegetable garden in summer.
 

 
 We  use our Compost Bin is used year round.

 
 
 
Next to our garden shed, I keep the potting bench made by my husband and son.
 
They made it from scrap wood- I use it as an extra table when we eat outside.
 
I love it! They added wheels and I can move it all over.
 
 
 
 
Another pallet planter with succulents.

 
  A Dwarf  Darcy Tangerine tree and some purple Lantana
 
 
 
That's a Pomegranate bush on the left. We recently added the Santa Rosa Plum on the right.
 
In front Mexican Sage, Autumn Sage, a dwarf Butterfly bush....beyond the rock path
 
Cat Mint and Tropical Milkweed.
 
 
 We have Trumpet Vines on the patio for shade. 
 

 
 
....by the way my house is blue.... not purple! :)

 
Some Daisies ready to open!

 
We don't get snow here.
 
I am always happy to see what survived the winter frost.
 

 
This mailbox was a trash rescue.
 
It's all wood covering a plastic interior.
 
My secret hiding place for an extra weeder tool and clippers.
 



 
All four corners!
 
 
 
My Husband found this Cream Separator and gave it a coat of paint.
 
 
 
Our side yard has 2 separate Chicken Coops.
 
These chickens below are my favorites. They are Japanese Bantams....
 
so friendly and they love to be held.
 
 
Yes , they lay eggs.
 

The chickens take turns in the run and on the grass.

 
The other flock of 4 are in their awkward teenage stage.
 
They are loosing their baby feathers and don't like the camera.
 
I'll get a picture next time.
 
 
 
 Sorry this was such a long tour!
 
I'm glad we could hang out together.
 
I will add some pictures of the vegetable garden in summer-
 
Thank you again and have a wonderful week!
 xo Lisa S
  


Monday, April 8, 2019

Printable Carrot Seed Packets and Garland Update

 
Hello Friends, 
 
I wanted to share an updated version of
 
my original Carrot Garland  shared here.
 
 
 I showed you how to make these carrots with Dollar Tree candy containers.
 


 
This spring I added these Carrot Seed Packets
 
 
 
 

Copy, Save and Print
 
Use mini clothespins to attach to jute or ribbon.
 

 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I hope you enjoy these seed packets!
 
HAPPY SPRING :)
 
xo Lisa S


Sunday, April 7, 2019

Concrete Bunny Makeover

The weather is warming up and I can't wait to get out in the garden!
 
My husband bought this Bunny for me over 30 years ago.
 
It has been in our garden ever since!
 
He is made of concrete tinted in a terra cotta color.

 Recently I noticed one of his ears has worn away.
 
 
 
His color has faded and kind of just faded into the background!
 


 
I wanted to give him a little makeover for Spring!
 
 
I just love the grey concrete/ cement Bunnies ......
 
Let's see if we can update his look with paint.
 
I used Acrylic Paint in Cobblestone- I added about 1 teaspoon of sand to my paint.
 
 
 
 
Over the years my Bunny was worn down smooth.
 
 
The sand sticks to the paint and it worked great!
 

 
He is starting to look better already.
 

I let him dry overnight.
 
Then went over him with a white wash until I liked the color.
 
 
1  part paint to approx.4 parts water
 
 
 
 
Let him dry again.
 
I used a spray Matte Sealer to protect the paint
 
 because I planned on putting him back in the garden.
 
 

I think he has a cute face!
 




 
 
Back in the Garden!
 
 
 
I love it!
 
 
 
 
 
 
I found these small resin bunnies at the 99 Cent Store.
 
 
They had great detail so I painted and white washed without the sand added to the paint.
 
 
 
I had extra paint so I painted a few pots-
 


 
 
and a few more....
 
 
 
 
 
Here's a few of my other backyard statues-
 
My neighbor was throwing them out and asked if I wanted them.
 
YES! YES! YES!
 
 I put them out in the garden.
 
 
These are vintage and I love the way they look- even with a cracked beak!
 
The ducks get to stare at the real chickens in the Run.
 
 
This guy is a favorite resting place for lizards. They lay on his back and sun themselves!
 
 
 
 This chicken has house privileges.
 
She sits in our kitchen.
 

Thanks for letting me share a bit of my garden with you !

xo Lisa S
 


Monday, April 1, 2019

Repurposed Vintage Dressmaker Tool

 
 
When I stopped by my local Thrift Shop I found this-
 
 
 
 
 
It is a Vintage Dressmaking Tool used for hemming Dresses and Skirts.
 
I am sure your Grandma would have used this to hem her skirts.
 
Maybe you remember having to stand on the table to have your Mom hem a dress.
 
 
 
 
 
 
You can adjust the height when marking your hem.
 
There are wing nuts on the base and top.
 
 
 
 
I noticed that the wood ruler portion can be swapped out if you come across one
 
that is broken. The wood portion can also be changed to  a wood yard stick.
 
 
 
 
I was really surprised that the base was so stable.
 
 
My plan was to see if I could repurpose this tool into a Table Top Wreath Holder!
 
......and...... It worked !
 
It was able to hold a wreath without tipping over.
 
 
 
Seed box filled with Lavender
 
 
 
 
 
What a great way to hang a lightweight wreath on a table top.
 
It also would be a good way to display a wreath in front of a mirror or window.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Here it is on the bathroom counter in front of the mirror.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The paper wreath is made with pattern tissue paper.
 
 
 
Cut into 2'' x 2'' squares
 
 
 
 
Use the eraser end of a pencil, in the center of each square and
 
  
 
 a dab of white glue and attach to a single embroidery hoop.  
 
 

Glue inside the circle edge, and the outside edge and top.




 
Just like back in Elementary School!

Do you remember tissue paper art projects?  It will ALL come back to you!

Thank you for your visit, it means so much to me.
 
XO Lisa S
 
 
 


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