Pot Head

"What I dream about is a proper potting shed."
- - Thomas C. Cooper


(Photo Courtesy of cardsinfrance.com)

For as long as I can remember, I've adored potting sheds. I even have a book that I own in my decorating/gardening book collection called The Potting Shed by Linda Joan Smith. The book was copyrighted in 1996 and I am sure that I purchased it new; I would have been out of high school for 1 year and already dreaming of someday owning a potting shed. I've always had domesticated ideas of what I wanted my future to be like. Potting Sheds are so fantastical and charming. I don't dream of climbing ladders to penetrate glass ceilings; I dream of donning a pretty pair of garden gloves, piercing into the blackest soil with a sturdy shovel and putting it into a pot...along with today's choice green. For those of you who know me, you know that I am JUST getting into gardening. In fact, currently, the only garden I have is in container form - but I am LOVING it. It's so exciting and fulfilling to see new growth. And I LOVE POT. And by that, I mean pot-ting...of course. ;) Terracotta pots are my favorite - though I HATE the way that they feel on my skin, I do love the way that they look. Especially on a windowsill in France - but that is a whole other blog post. I worked on my own little potting shed today. It's actually just a regular work shed that I am trying to adapt into a potting shed and it still needs lots of work and lots of personality but here is what I have at the end of today...

My ultimate goal is to completely rehab this with rustic french doors and some new windows etc but there are other things that need my attention so...she waits...


I'd like to paint the walls and floors eventually as well...give it a white washed or super fun pop of color look...never completely sure until the work is about to begin but this is what it currently looks like - a bit sad, wouldn't ya say?

This is my new work space - ugh, you should have seen what it looked like before - the horror!

Do you remember the FREE mirror that I got at a yard sale a month or so ago? Well...doesn't she look pretty here?


I'd like to get some raddy old garden prints to hang up in this space as well - the "theme" is definitely shabby garden chic.

I'm also thinking about making a pleated skirt for this table - something fun - need to find some good fabric! (For anyone wondering, I have potting soil in that white bucket)

And of course, no potting shed would be complete without...pots...


Tools...


Baskets for harvest...


Bulbs to plant in the fall for blooms in the springtime...(I am probably definitely not storing these correctly)


And some festive planting lights as well as a radio/cd player that you cannot see here
(Turn on some potting music maestro!)

Now that I have my potting shed all clean and organized, I can't wait to start shopping for fun little garden decor items! ;)

XO,
Jennifer

"You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt."
~Author Unknown

How Does My Garden Grow AND 100th Post Giveaway Instructions

...my garden patch = success!

Okay, so it's not really a "patch" per se...but rather more like a garden via pots sitting on a baker's rack on my deck. In my mind though, it's still success. :)

I've been wanting a container garden for as long as I can remember but when I visited my cousin, Kelly and her boyfriend Steve in Arizona, I got inspired to just do it already!

This past Friday, I made my someday dream a reality and purchased some herbs and veggies...finally! Potted them last night and here it is...my very first ever container garden...

I'm starting out with the basics...

Parsley...Sage...Rosemary and Thyme...

The thyme is located in the front left - chives and basil are also included in this pot

I also got THIS basil plant...which smells DIVINE - actually all of the herbs smell DIVINE which is part of why I love them and am becoming a huge advocate for FRESH herbs


Okay so that's it for herbs...now let's move on to veggies

I got a couple of tomato plants...

This one already has 2 tomatoes on it!

As you can see, I even got a cage for it - can I tell you that I am a COMPLETE DORK and haven't felt such elation at purchasing an item in a long time as that silly tomato cage.

This is a smaller tomato variety - kind of shaped like a Roma tomato - her name is Juliet. HAHA - I just realized something ROMA-EO and Juliet. K, now this has become my favorite plant 'cuz I totally love that. My wish is that thou dost produce a vast amount of fruit...


Here are my Larry the Cucumbers

And I'm gonna call these guys Sergeant and Mrs. Pepper


I can't tell you how much joy potting these plants gave me last night...and to somehow put my joy into display, my neighbors literally set off awesome fireworks at the very moment I watered my last pot. Ha! :)

I'm hoping that my new veggies and herbs do well...I'm working on making my thumb a little greener...

My pansies which I've had for a couple of months are still doing remarkably well in the heat...


A couple of other things of note since I don't quite feel like coming to a close just yet...

I got this cool little lantern thingy at a yard sale last weekend...

It's kind of a lot of glass for a tea-ny (Oh, I am cracking myself up today) tea light so I may switch it out with a votive. The tea light came with it so...whatev's.

Also, check out this little rooster I got at a yard sale for $2 last weekend...


Super cute, right? I'm strangely attracted to roosters at the moment. Like I have some kind of rooster radar or something...oooh, I like how that sounds..."Rooster Radar". Told you - COMPLETE DORK.

Um...in other news...I rearranged my living room furniture...again...

It feels a lot more intimate...wish that I could do something about the darkness of it all though...when I walk into the room, it automatically makes me feel HOT...and not like "Oooooooh, Salvatore brothers hot"...(lol - had to throw that in there)...like "Ugh, I'm stifling, get this wool blanket off me in the 100 degree weather hot". Any good thoughts on how to lighten things up while keep the same color scheme?

OH! I almost forgot...I picked these babies out of my neighbors trash the other day...


I broke out into a nervous sweat and gawked around like I was guilty of a major felony before I carried them across the street but hey...what really matters is that I got them. I also bribed my 5 year old son to come with me...I don't know why...for protection?! lol

I took 3 at first...not wanting to be too greedy...if someone who trash picks could even be considered something as posh as "greedy"...ew, rats are coming to mind now. Gross.

Anyhow, I decided to go back for the 3 remaining shutters (this time, Nicolas could not be bribed so I had to brave it alone). I prayed that no one saw me and I know this is WAY LAME - but remember, this is coming from someone that USED TO want to literally wear sunglasses and a hat into Wal*Mart so that no one would think that I shopped there. And no, I don't know why. It's not like I grew up Miss Megabucks or anything. I'm a whackjob...there I said it so you don't have to. ;)

So...now I have...

6 metal shutters and I know exactly what I am going to do with them...or at least most of them...not sure exactly how many I'll need for my project.

But tell me...

This is going to be your entry comment for my 100th post giveaway.

Put your creative thinking cap on and tell me in a comment...what would you do with them? Also, please feel free to tell me if you "shop at the curb" (I just made that up and am seriously cracking up in my mind about it) and what was your most favorite trash to treasure creation that you've done.

K? K.

Everyone who comments (And sorry...but entries of "I would never trash pick, how disgusting!" will not be valid - if I can do it, you can do it. lol) will be entered in my 100th post giveaway drawing. Prize still to be determined as I did not get to HomeGoods today.

Can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

XO,
Jennifer

Container Gardening

Viva Terra

When I was in Arizona, one of the things that inspired me was my cousin, Kelly's, container vegetable/herb garden. Though, I definitely would like to have a "real garden" sometime in the near future, it's just not going to happen this year. So, next best thing, I thought would be a classic container garden. Just another thing to make a house feel like a living home. I have a black bakers rack that isn't being used and thought that it may make a pretty plant stand. I may even bring it out of hiding tonight and see what we can see. I'm going to need some new containers and potting soil though. Hmmmmmmm...perhaps I need to make a trip out. We'll see. I'm anxious to get started! In the meantime, I've been doing a little "site seeing".......


I just think that there is something so charming about container gardens, don't you? Can't wait to get started on mine...

Maybe tomorrow... :)

Posts Within a Post

WARNING: This is gonna be a looooooong post with LOTS of pictures...please bear (or is it bare?) with! :)

Mommy's Little Lady

Just because I think that she is so darn pretty.


Man Purse?

My son, Noah, is a huge fan of girly things...baby dolls, make-up, purses...

Um...yeah...

Being beautiful is hard work!

Flower Rehab

I got these cute garden gloves at the Dollar Tree! They were...as you probably guessed...$1.

They even have those polka-dotted grippy things on the palms!

The problem
(These flowers are outgrowing their current homes)

The solution (I hope)

The finished product...so sad that the wind knocked the petals right off my tulips as soon as I walked outside. :( These do look rather pathetic but I'd like to see if I can bring them back to life...

Their new home.

My neighbor was pruning his forsythia bushes and I asked him if I could have some of the clippings for a few vases...I love the bright splashes of color it brought to our home!

What's For Dinner?
The case of characters (not my own phrase but I cannot remember where I got that from...thought it was cute though!)

Not pictured: Chicken tenderloins

Step #1
Place tortilla shell on top of a piece of aluminum foil.

Step #2
Place chicken tenderloin on top of tortilla shell (or if desired, begin with Step #3 and once cooked, THEN place ingredients in tortilla shell - warning: if done as shown, the tortilla shell will get semi-mushy (but I sorta like that)

Step #3
Add blackbeans

Step #4
Add salsa

Step #5
Add onions and peppers

Step #6
Roll it all up into a square of aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet

Step #7
Bake @ 350 for approx. 35 minutes (time will vary)

Step #8 (once the cheese is sprinkled, close up the foil for a couple of minutes to allow melting)

Step #9 Plate and enjoy! Decorative polka dots of hot sauce are optional. ;)
Not pictured: A dollop of Daisy

My Lovely Sioux Chef

And that's all she wrote!
XO