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.....

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

Easy Doily Table Runner

Hello my friends !

I have been saving doilies for so long- who knows why-

I remembered seeing many different versions of table runners in the past

and thought I would put on together for Mother's Day Brunch.

I just did some layering. and used some white thread with a whip

stitch to hold it all together.

If you like the look but don't want it to be

permanent- just laying the doilies in place 

would work fine!

Nothing could be easier!

I added Milk Glass bud vases to the center-

 for a simple table decoration.

I hope you have special weekend!

xo Lisa S

A Vintage Find for My Homemade Salve !

 Hello Friends!

I found this tin the other day and 

thought I had the perfect use for it!

It was in great condition and the lid fit well.

I loved the raised lettering!

It's that time of year to collect

 my Calendula flowers to dry and make some salve.

My salve recipe really does use almond oil,

just like the tin mentions.

I made a whole batch-

I start by laying out my clean tins.

 

It's so fun to make!

Instructions on making the salve here 

I love the beautiful golden color-

I estimated my own large tin would

hold about 3 ounces.

I measured and filled the large tin first.

It firms up and sets in about 15 min.

I just love having my very own vintage tin to keep filled

with salve made from my garden.

xo Lisa S

A Happy Easter !

Hello friends,

I wanted to share with you a couple of adorable postcards

from my collection.

Both cards are from Artist Ellen H. Clapsaddle c.1910.

This boy has made a guitar from an egg!

This little girl has filled her egg with flowers and

Easter wishes !

I love the sentiment- joy and gladness without measure!

xo Lisa S