gardening and landscape
Herringbone Rolling Plant Caddy
We might have leveled up our reuse and repurpose game with our latest DIY project – a Herringbone Rolling Plant Caddy. We created it from items we had in our house, which made it a zero cost project. And I love it so much. Three main items were repurposed to make this rolling plant caddy. The first item was an old board that we cut into a square. What would I do without old boards in my life? The second item was a set of wheels that we removed from this thrift store dresser. The third thing we repurposed to make this plant caddy was a set of wood blocks that…
3 Unexpected Succulent Planters
I’m excited to show you how I’ve planted my succulents in 3 unexpected planters. I do not have a green thumb, but I seem to be able to keep succulents alive. This is probably because succulents tend to do well with a little neglect less watering than regular houseplants. Now that I’ve inspired your confidence in my abilities (ha!), let’s get to the fun stuff. Pretty much anything is fair game around my house to be used or reused in an unexpected way! Unexpected Succulent Planter #1: Shot Glass This idea could go very tacky very quickly. Believe me, I know. However, we happen to have a brass shot glass that…
Our Backyard in Winter
There are certain athletic pursuits I am comfortable saying aren’t for me given the high likelihood of falling and/or crashing into stationary objects. Yes, I’m speaking of sports that involve snow and ice and hurtling yourself down or across slippery surfaces at high rates of speed. That’s why I find it slightly ironic that I’m excited to share our winter ‘backyard’ with you. What looked like this in the summer… Now looks like this in the winter… That’s right! Our pond has frozen over. Also, we have neighbors! Who knew?!?! Before the grandparents start sending me messages about being careful about skating on our winter backyard, let me reassure you…
The Best $16 I’ve Ever Spent
I should have called this post “welcome to our backyard,” but I went the sensational route. That sometimes happens when I write late it was actually 9 p.m. at night. The home we rented for our arrival back in the U.S. has a cute cabin-y exterior. This is from the day we moved in… Fun, right? But my first impression was OH. NO. WAY. Truly. What the pictures don’t tell you is that the location of this home has some drawbacks due to its close proximity to a busy road and some commercial development. However, the backyard almost makes me forget all of those things and I can see why the owners…
Living in Ireland: That Time A Tree Came Down
In mid-August the Irish village I live in started replacing sections of sidewalks (aka footpaths) on our street. It’s now October and they are still working on it. One might assume I live on a really long street. Nope. Not at all. There are probably 14 houses along this stretch of road. One might also assume this construction crew is juggling projects all over the area. Wrong again! I know this because I finally broke down and asked. Anyway, the point is I like to judge things I have no expertise in I don’t understand why, but it’s taking a really long time to replace the sidewalks. So imagine my surprise when…
Natural Rock Soap Dish
The last day of our trip to the U.S. was pretty special. First, we got to spend the morning playing with friends. Can’t go wrong there. After that, I ran into my very first piano teacher. There are a few people God gifted with a sweet spirit and an abundance of talent and she’s one of them. You really need to see her portfolio of oil paintings. Then, my son got a lesson on how to operate the tractor bucket. Apparently, he now thinks that makes him qualified to help Grandpa make hay next year. He’ll be 8. Finally, we capped the day off with a trip to the creek…
Living in Ireland: Spring Flowers in Our Yard
Can you believe it is April already? Time sure is flying! Last April we visited Ireland for the first time. It was rainy, windy and miserable. To which we said, “Yeah! Let’s move here!” Now that I have an Irish winter under my belt, I can say spring in Ireland means the rain is…a little bit warmer. Ha! There are nice days too. More than you’d think. One thing I’ve learned is that the Irish do not squander a nice day or a nice hour. I’m a quick learner, so I try to follow their example! Sunday was super nice here (upper 50s Fahrenheit – practically summer weather), so I spent…
The Tale of 3 Houseplants
I bought a houseplant. Yay me. It’s still sort of alive a month later. Yay me? It’s not looking good though, which is a shame because I had to carry it home from the grocery store like this. People don’t even look at you strange here for carrying home a plant on the train. I’m not confident the plant is going to survive. Something weird is going on with the soil. And the stem. If we’re going to be thorough, then fine. The leaves too. As for the obvious question, yes, I have watered it. And not just that one time. I have dutifully followed the directions that came on its…
Shovel Head Owl Art
It’s hard to find an appropriate title for “she took a rusty old shovel head and a bunch of random metal scraps and made something cool.” But that’s what happened. As you might have guessed, this is a Junk Whisperer project. Who else do I know that would turn a shovel head into a funky, awesome piece of outdoor art? No one. The Junk Whisperer had the vision for this shovel art project, but she used the mad welding skills of my uncle to make her vision come to life. Interestingly enough, my uncle is quite the talented guy, as are many of my relatives. He made my first car –…
Riveter Tool Turned Hanging Flower Basket Holder
(House hunting in Ireland has commenced! Updates coming soon! If you’re just joining me today, I wrote about why we are in Ireland on Monday.) If chippy paint makes your heart skip a beat, then consider yourself warned. Heart palpitations may follow. Behold the machine I call Red the Riveter. (Rosie was already taken.) This gorgeous, chippy red hunk of equipment is an old rivet press. At least, that’s our best guess. It would have been used to make rivets in leather and textiles. Now it stands tall and proud in the backyard of the Junk Whisperer’s home. (The Junk Whisperer is my stepmom and she really needs her own page on this blog.)…
