Friday's Fancy

Hi Friends!

Today I leave you with these messages...

Enjoy your weekend!

a Peek into my Garden

Hi Friends! Hope you enjoyed the weekend. 

Our weekend was low key, which is always welcoming at time. It is great not to have anything planned. We did had some crazy weather here, hot, humid and torrential downpours. 

But that didn't stop Otis from enjoying a cool Italian ice.

He also got a haircut on Friday, so he is prepared for the hot weather. 

My garden is starting to pop. My front area is always last to bloom, in our complex, since it is shaded in the morning. I thought I would share with you a few a glimpses into my garden. My lilies are ready to burst, I am hoping any day now. Once they do I will be sure to capture more pictures  and give you an update. But for now here is just a sampling...

To show a little patriotism we added a tin flag this year.

This is one of my biggest scores from the Elephant Trunk. (you can read about the adventure here)

Can you believe I scored this milk jug for only $15.00?!?!

We already have a tomato on one of our plants. We only have 2 plants this year.

Cute isn't it. 

And we have a flower on the another plant. 

Oh boy, we can not wait for the taste of home grown tomatoes. There is nothing better. 

Last but not least, here is a peak at our front door.

That is all for now. Once everything has bloomed I will be back to give you the grand tour.

        Have an excellent week!

 

Happy Father's Day

Thank you Dad for building a solid, happy life for me

For teaching me to stand up for myself, to believe in myself, 

to set goals and to strive for more.

Through your love I had faith that anything was possible

You see, I didn't need to idolize Superman, Batman or Spider-Man 

simply because I had someone who is all of them rolled 

into one cool superhero, that someone is you Dad.

I love you,

Friday's Fancy

Yahoo!!!

Friday at Last

I had a busy, but good, week at work.

I am finally starting to find my stride.

Today Otis is getting a bath and haircut.

It is so funny he bark and goes crazy at everyone who comes to the door.

But not the groomer, he is a completely different dog. Calm and polite.

We can always tell when it is time for a haircut

as he gets an alfalfa.

(Mimi and Poppy call it his "horn"...lol)

Oh if he wasn't so cute, he would be in trouble all the time!

      Have a blessed weekend!

Being Good at Hobby Lobby

Hi Everyone! I hope you had an enjoyable weekend. We had a pretty low key weekend here, though I did not get any crafting done... Oh well there is always another time. 

I did get to scratch an inch that I had... I made a trip to my beloved Hobby Lobby! 

I must confess, I have to limit my visits so I am not spending all our hard earned money... lol. I haven't made a visit in over a month, so Saturday was the day. I did have a small list and really stuck to it (it was hard, oh so hard), but that didn't stop me from walking the entire store snapping some pictures of items that caught my eye (for future reference, of course). 

The first item is a desk of drawers for your counter top. I could just see this in my "future craft room" storing all kind of do dads.

Next was the sign department. I just love the color red, so anything with that color catches my eye.

This one would be great for a kitchen wall

I am looking for something new to hang above my bed, this just caught my eye... sigh!

Now this is my favorite type of sign to see at Hobby Lobby...

Now doesn't that make you all happy and giddy!!!!

These next item were part of the 50% off....

This tin garden art sculptures were just precious.

These next 2 items are made of entirely of paper... amazing!

And these next 2 items were 70% off... If I only had a place for them they would have come home with me in an instant.

Drum roll please...

This is my small haul...

2 craft boards (I am going to build myself a wooden paper clip holder for my work desk), 2 rolls of ribbon, and clips for another project I am working on (more details to come on this one). 

See I was a very good girl sticking to my list. Tho, I can't say I will be as good next time!

Have a great week!

Friday's Fancy

TGIF

I hope you had a great week!

We don't have much planned this weekend, which is good.

Last weekend was jammed packed, but I did get to spend some time 

enjoying the weather on my front porch with a certain someone...

Have a blessed weekend!

Garden Stakes

Hi All! Hope you enjoyed your weekend. 

The Hubby and I got plenty done. On my way home Friday, I stopped at the Home Depot and picked up mulch for our front yard. When I got home the Hubby and I unloaded the car and I mentioned I might weed before dinner to get a jump on things. Before you could blink an eye, we weeded and put down all the mulch in only an hour. We were excited that we got it all done and did not have to worry about it on Saturday. We make such a great team!

On Saturday we did our BJs run to stock up on paper goods and snacks. Since BJs is in a plaza we hit a few other stores. For lunch we dined at the Olive Garden... Yum, we just love the salad and breadsticks. By the time we were done with all our errands the car was loaded. The worst part of it - going home, unloading the car and putting things away. We were glad we got all the errands done and we could now kick back and relax.

Sunday here in CT was simply gorgeous, low 70s with no humidity. A perfect day! I was in the house clean when I said to myself, "what are you doing inside?". So, I actually stopped cleaning the house to sit on my front porch and enjoy the perfect weather. The housework will always be there waiting, but the cool, dry days of spring will soon be ending. I spent a peaceful hour and a half with Otis, just enjoying the sounds of the birds and our wind chimes. The Hubby spent his time waxing the car (he is just like my Dad, spending his free time working on the car).

Today I wanted to follow up with you on my Urban Herb Garden and give you a quick and easy tutorial on how I made my garden stakes. 

Here are my supplies:

• Popcicle Sticks
• Chalk Paint in White
• Sharpie in Black

I first painted both side of the sticks with the white chalk paint. I didn't paint all the way to the bottom since this part will be hidden in the dirt.

I then took my Sharpie and wrote on each stick the name of the herb.

That is it! Simple and Easy!

Now I headed outside to put them into action...

What do you use as stakes in your garden?

Have a fantabulous day!

Friday's Fancy

Happy Happy Joy Joy... TGIF

I don't know about you but we have one spoiled puppy living in our house.

The "King" as my Mom likes to call him.

He just loves going to bed and hogging up all the space.

How do you spoil your puppy?

Enjoy your weekend!

Creating an Urban Herb Garden

Hello friends! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. I went to see my best friend's son perform in his senior concert. It was amazing, he brought us to tears. The talent was unbelievable, I had to keep reminding myself that these were high school students.

As many of you know I live in a condo and our outdoor space is very limited. I am always on the look out for ways to garden in a small space. Last year for my herb garden I converted a pallet (read about it here). Tho I did love that idea, this year I wanted to go more vertical. I don't know about you (being Italian) I go through a lot of tomato cans and thought man I should find a way to re-purpose all of these.

Here is what I came up with... 

The Vertical Urban Herb Garden 

This was simple and only cost me the price of the boards, under $15.00, but if you are lucky and have a stash of boards this will cost you nothing, but maybe a little sweat. 

I started this part about a month ago, saving up my aluminum cans from 28 oz crushed/puree tomatoes and 10 oz vegetables. 

I drilled a hole in the bottom of each can for drainage.

I then laid the boards out side by side, I screwed 2 strips of wood to the back to hold the boards together. I put a scrap piece of wood between each board to keep the spacing equal.

I flipped the boards over and began laying out the cans. I moved them around a little bit until I found a layout I liked.

 I pre-drilled a hole at the top of the can to make it easier to screw the can to the board.

 I proceeded to attach all the cans to the wood.

I then brought this out to my little patch of patio and leaned it up against our fence. Now for the finishing touch, to fill the cans with potting soil and the herbs.

Here is a closer look at the some of herbs. I planted basil, parsley, dill, cilantro, rosemary, and chives.

Not bad huh? I really liked this idea, it fits so well in a small space and the cost is low to nil.

In what unique ways have you planted herbs in your garden?

        Happy Gardening!