A Busy Gardening Weekend

Monday is almost upon us, and for me that means I have to go back to work. Sometimes I wish every day was a weekend, but I know going to work during the week makes me even more thankful for sacred weekend days.

I spent this weekend shopping with friends and gardening. My best gal pal and I went to Anthropologie. It was both of our first times there and I do have to say it was an experience. I took some photographs on my Iphone and I will likely share them later in the week.

I completed a small project in my garden I've been meaning to get to for awhile. The ground around my rain barrel gets very muddy in the summer and it drives me crazy. I decided to put down some wood mulch to prevent this problem this summer. It was an inexpensive project and I'm happy I finally completed the project.

Here is the area before.


And dug out a little later on.


This project was a good opportunity to use my gardening wheel barrow.


I used this packaged mulch block for the area. The block is 6$ and covers 2 feet of area. I used this mulch last year to make pathways in my garden beds and it worked wonderfully.


With just a bit of water added this baby plumps up.


And up!


I love that this wheel barrow pops down like this,



Here is the area all mulched in.



I think the mulch is going to work very well keeping the area mud free. The wood chips absorb extra water nicely.

I also planted some potatoes while out in the garden. I'm a little concerned as the area is pretty rocky. I think once the plants start growing I will mound lots of dirt on top so the potatoes grow up, and not as much in the rocks.

I don't plant potatoes by seed, instead I take some nice organic Canadian potatoes and let them grow eyes.



Then I dig some nice holes, not too deep as I will be mounding dirt on top.


And toss some potatoes in.




Then cover those babies up! I will update with pictures once these guys start growing. This is how I started my potatoes last year and I had great success. It's amazing how many potatoes you can get from just one potato thrown into the garden.

Have a wonderful start to the week.

Loves!

Saturday Inspiration

source

I. Love. This. I want to print it out and put it on my bathroom mirror.

Treating Yourself

Happy Thursday friends!

Friday is almost upon us! I can't wait for tomorrow afternoon, the end of my work week and the beginning of the ever so coveted weekend.

This work week has been a little trying for me so I decided today to treat myself to this lovely linen scarf. A little bit of shopping therapy is an easy way for me to boost a negative mood.

source

This lovely scarf comes from a cute little Etsy shop called WhiteMoth. WhiteMoth has a nice variety of beautiful scarves but I loved the softness and simplicity of the one I chose. I can't wait to snuggle up with it on cooler summer mornings and wear it into the fall.

What do you do to boost your negative moods? I love treating myself in simple ways, not always with a purchase but usually an iced coffee drink or some quiet time with a book.

Potting Bench Inspiration

I have always wanted a potting bench. I long for the days of standing in front of one, gently seeding in terracotta pots and transferring small leafed plants to larger pots. There is nothing quite like getting your hands dirty and planting some seeds. We have some space on our sad old back porch that would be perfect for a potting bench. Right now the space is cluttered with gardening tools and bags of charcoal for the barbecue.

Today's inspiration for me are these lovely images of potting benches.

source

source

source


source

I'm still not sure which style I love the most but I am inspired! I'm considering scooping up an old dresser and converting it into a potting bench sometime this summer!

Have a great start to the week!

Seeding and Baking

Happy long weekend and Victoria Day Canadians!

We had a lovely weekend filled with gardening, baking, barbecuing and sleeping in. It was rejuvenating getting to relax and get lots of things done around the house.

I made this blueberry crisp that was inspired by Nourishing Traditions/WAPF.


Blueberry Crisp

Topping,
3/4 c whole almonds
1 c oats
1/4 c butter
2tbl maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla

In a food processor pulverize the almonds into a coarse meal - then add oats and pulse a few times. Add butter and remaining ingredients and pulse until coarse (I did have to break apart some of the butter lumps by hand)

Filling,
Blueberries
Zest of one lemon
Maple Syrup
Vanilla Extract

In my baking dish I just dumped some blueberries - as many as I could fit. Then sprinkled on lemon zest, vanilla extract and cinnamon. I poured a small amount of maple syrup and stirred everything around. Top your filling with the yummy oat/almond mixture - and bake for an hour. I baked at 375* - half uncovered and half covered.

I spent several hours today in my garden weeding planting some beautiful tomato plants and strawberries. I also seeded cucumber, peas, broccoli, cherry tomato, pumpkin, squash and corn.

These are the strawberry plants in a planter on my lovely wooden benches. I really need to stain the benches, this last winter was hard on them!



This is one of my garden beds. The green plants to the left of the bed are some lovely tomatoes I picked up today at a local nursery. I use rocks as markers in the garden.




I seeded some tomato plants in the plastic garden boxes.

This empty bed will be filled with some potatoes I'm going to plant this week sometime.


I'm also happy to report that my flower garden is looking lovely and full.


I hope you had a lovely weekend! Happy gardening!



P.S.
I'm linking up here


&

Traditional Tuesdays at Cooking Traditional Foods

A Pause In the Pastel

Happy Friday!

I do feel like lately I've had a majority of inspiration posts.

Next week I am planning on getting started on a new DIY project - it involves tracking down new glass drawer pulls like these,

Hopefully I can find some this weekend and not have to purchase online and pay shipping.

My Friday inspiration comes from this website called Livet Hemma. The site (from the looks of things) is run by Ikea. The website isn't in English but I just popped it into Google Translate and viola! I can understand it!

I came across this beautiful post titled A Pause in the Pastel. I adore the text as well as the delicate photographs.



Here is an excerpt,

"Bright colors, crisp white and delicate pastels gives peace and tranquility in your bedroom and invites you to sweet dreams. Färska rosor i ljusrosa och vitt doftar ljuvligt och skapar dessutom syrerik luft i rummet. Fresh roses in light pink and white smells lovely and creates oxygen-rich air in the room.

...The vitsåpade hardwood floors and white walls provide an airy feeling in a small bedroom and is easy to decorate and transform with the help of textiles.

...Carpet Åborg with long pile is soft and comfortable to put your feet on while it has a sound dampening effect... All soft pillows, fluffy blankets and textiles provides a cozy atmosphere and makes you want to stay in bed a little longer."

I love that the translation is a little broken, it adds to the romantic feel I get from this space. I encourage you to check out Livet Hemma.

I love that I can actually buy everything used to design this space - and the items are at great Ikea prices.

I have been eyeing the Ofelia - the white fluffy throw blanket on the bed for ages now. I'm considering purchasing it for a fun summer throw. I didn't know it was only 24.99 either, not a bad price!

source

source

I may also need to pick up Sockerart (9.99), the lovely vase they also used.

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Loves!

If I could live in a world,

of Ikea,

Life would be functional and beautiful.

source

of Anthropologie,

Life would be sunny and fresh.

source

of Pottery Barn,

Life would be bright and organized perfectly.

source

of Restoration Hardware,

Life would be chic and clean.

source

Instead I live in a world of dirty dishes and orange counter tops.
But I'm happy to gain inspiration from everywhere I can.

Tuesday Inspiration

Source