~my teeny tiny container garden~

Way back in 2012, I saw this article in Better Homes & Gardens and fell in love with the use of these troughs for garden beds.

That picture has stuck in my mind like glue.

So, I finally saved up enough dough and bought 3 troughs.

You can find them at home improvement stores, feed stores, or amazon here.

I bought 3, and when I got them home, they looked a little out of place on top of the ground, so I dug and dug, and dug, and dug some more, until they were close to ground level, then filled them with soil.

So far this year I only have tomatoes, bell peppers, and a variety of herbs. This little garden is close to our kitchen, so it's very handy.

Yesterday I got this wild idea to put flagstone all around. I am not quite done yet, but I like that it turns it into more of a distinct garden area.

Still lots of work to do, but here are my containers so far!

This is making me hungry!

xoxo

~think outside the {window} box~

The little window boxes on my studio were in need of sprucing up, but I wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary.

Instead of planting in them, I planted on top of them!

I cut a piece of wood the length of each window box, and set on top.

I had 6 of these little French clay pots, so I planted them all with the same plant for a cohesive look and set them on top!

~Love thinking outside the box~

The winner of the ESCAPE bag will be posted on my instagram this morning!

xoxo

~garden goodness~

My neighbor Carol's garden is magical.

It has it all, fruits, veggies, gorgeous flowers, a cutting garden, and a place to sit and relax. 

I could lay in that hammock for hours. 

We have been working a lot in our own yard, and while it is not nearly as fabulous as this, I can't wait to show you soon!

xoxo

~spring potting bench~

This weather has me longing for spring.

I dusted off the old potting bench on the deck and filled it with all the necessities for a little gardening.

My favorite piece is my green tiered tray from The Painted Fox.

You can find it here.

Hooray for sunny weather!

xoxo

~reclaimed wood planter boxes~

It's that time of year to spruce up the gardens and deck areas, which is what inspired today's project.
Warning picture overload coming….

I am so in love with these new planter boxes I made that I think I might cry.
Happy tears of course.

Would you like to make your own?

Great!

Let me show you how.

Start with a basic wood planter box.

You can buy them new or you might happen to have a couple laying around like I did.

Lay it on it's side and mark the center.
Draw a straight line down the center of it.

Now comes the fun part. 
You will need a ton of scrap wood.
I didn't worry about the thickness of each piece, I just sorta went for it,
 using up all my scraps in my studio.

Cut 2 corner triangle pieces, and lay those down.
{#1}
Whatever you do on the right side, you will do on the left side.

Next you are going to cut
{and every time I say cut, it's on a 45 degree angle}
the pieces that say #2. You want these pieces to touch the top and join together at the center line you drew. 
{look for my purple line I drew on mine} 

Notice how mine hangs over on the bottom right?
Using a pencil make a mark on the underside flush with the edge of your planter box. This is where you will cut.

Now using a nail gun {or by hand}
nail on your 2 #1 corner pieces followed by the 2 #2 pieces.

Once those are in place measure the spot between #1 and #2 and add those pieces.

Then you are just going to work your way down all the way to the bottom.

Repeat on the other 3 sides. 

Once all 4 sides are complete you will need to add your trim pieces.
For the trim I went down to a salvage yard and bought enough matching white trim to cover both planter boxes. 

"Frame" out each side, cutting on 45 degree angles again, and nail in place.

For the tops I used more salvaged wood, cut again on 45 degree angles, nailed into place.

Plant them and you are done!
Stand back and enjoy your handiwork.

The sky is the limit with the scrap wood.
As you can see, I used old signs torn apart on one of mine.

The one below even 
has a piece of rusty metal on it.
Can you spot it?

Let me know if you make some, I'd love to see!

xoxo

~garden pallet wall clock~{thrifty thursday DIY}

This is a fun pallet project.

It combines my love of rustic weathered pallets and gardening.

First though, I would like to say hi to my first grade school teacher Mrs. Heckendorn who apparently reads my blog every morning with her coffee.

Susan, I love you!! 

Ok, are you ready to learn how to make your own?

You will need an old pallet. I am lucky enough to have a place near me that always has a pile of them for free. So I went there and picked out the most weathered one I could find and wrangled it into the back of my sequoia. 

Then you will need to cut it into a circle with a jigsaw.

Mine is approx. 40" diameter. 

I attached a string to the very center and then using the string and pencil I 

 marked 20" out all the way around, and cut out on the line.

The back of my piece was super rickety so I attached a 2x2 to the back with 

a nail gun to secure.

Next up you will need 12 old rusty garden tools.

I got a couple at a thrift store and found the rest at The Farm Chicks this past weekend.

I am certain you can find these at garage sales for way less than I paid per tool.

Mine ranged between $3.00-$10.00 each.

Lay everything out and when you think it looks good, screw them into place.

Obviously this is not a functional clock, but I am sure you could easily do that if you wanted too.

I think the rustier and chippier the tools are, the better. 

I especially love the ones with the faded colors.

And it's a perfect addition to my potting bench!

Have a great day! 

xoxo