herbal wreath

 i will take a little break from all the wedding activity recap (however, we will return as the photos come in) and head to the quiet, patient, but still vibrant herb garden before the cold weather descends.
gathering fresh foliage of sage, rosemary and thyme, i was inspired to make a herbal wreath.

after cutting the herbs, i gathered my other materials:

8 inch wooden embroidery hoop

floral wire

wire cutters

i used sage as my base herb, tying small bundles together with wire.

10 bundles of sage were used to cover this 8 inch hoop.

i began attaching the herbs to the hoop wrapping wire over a sage bundle and adding a sprig of thyme and rosemary.

i continued this same process using the subsequent bundles to hide the base of the previous bundle until the hoop was covered and the wreath looked full and abundant, all the while luxuriating in the fragrance of the process. mmmmmm.

i love this little fresh and fragrant wreath and plan on including it as a centerpiece for our up and coming thanksgiving and christmas dinners. finally, i will hang it in the kitchen adding the then dried herbs to roasts, soups and sauces throughout the winter.

have a lovely weekend.

foyer bench seat cushion

in a post at the beginning of the year, i confessed to not being a new year's resolutioner but instead, a new year's home projects dreamer. for 2016, i had three d.i.y. projects planned. the first project was making and hanging guest room shelves, the second was repainting our footed bathtub and the last was making a foyer bench seat cushion which i finished this weekend (insert pat on the back).

 

as with the footed bathtub, this project has been ten years in the waiting. when we renovated our house, we had a wooden locker/storage area built in the foyer by the front door our family uses most. a good first stop drop spot to hang backpacks, coats, leashes, toss shoes, shelve sunglasses, keys, footballs, etc. etc. etc....

 it has been a brilliant (the word essential could be used here as well) and much used addition to our family's comings and goings through the years. i had always planned on sewing a cushion for the bench as a comfortable spot to sit and take off shoes, sit and tie shoes, sit and communicate last minute arrangements before heading out. but alas, i never got to it until now but now that it's done, i'd like to share the process in case you have a cushion you've also been meaning to make for a decade. 

this was a discover-as-you-go project as i had a picture in my head of what i wanted but no instructions. 

here is how it went.......

first, i gathered all of my materials:

large 3" thick foam pad

large exacto knife

yardstick

black marker

scissors

glue gun

safety pins

large roll of 3" wide jute tape

 i had always planned on sewing a covering for a foam pad but what i decided to do in the end was weave a covering using jute tape/webbing. i love the natural color, durability and texture of this product.

next, i cleared e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g off the wood lockers and gave it a good wipe down and polish. (bonus: found a missing shoe, key, lens cap and long lost scarf)

 i measured the wood bench space and marked the measurements on the foam pad using the exacto knife to cut to size.

i measured and cut one long strip of the 3" wide jute tape to cover the entire 3" thick edge of the foam pad and safety-pinned the ends of the tape together. 

next, with the jute taped edges of the foam pad in place, i held one end of the jute tape at the top edge and wrapped the jute tape the length of the back side, edge, top, edge of foam pad pinning jute tape ends together on the back side of the pad. i continued this step using separate long lengths of jute tape laid side by side until the foam pad was covered. it took 5 long lengths to cover my foam pad.

now the foam pad is completely covered top, bottom and edges with lengths of jute tape. next, working the width of the foam pad, i wove a shorter length of jute tape over and under the exisiting longer lengths of jute along the back side, edge, top and edge of foam pad safety-pinning edges of jute together on the back side. i continued this step using separate shorter lengths of jute tape laid side by side until finished. it took 18 separate shorter lengths to finish the weave on my foam pad. almost done and looking good.

*all of the pinned ends of jute tape are located on the back side of the pad.

to finish, i was debating between hand sewing all of the pinned jute tape ends together or using a glue gun. in the end, i decided to use hot glue to secure the tape ends together which also stopped any fraying. it worked well.

finally, i flipped the finished cushion over and fit it on the bench.......

tah dah.

love, love it!

SaveSave

veggie lables and seed tape - winners!

the garden has been calling. it is that time of year!

so, i dedicated the morning to filling the first planter box with rows and rows of veggies-to-be.

but before putting on my work gloves, i made some quick garden vegetable lables. each year i wish i had labled the rows....."are these snow peas or sugar snap peas? what type of lettuce is this?"

 enough of that! 

and they took just a few minutes to make: 

first, i walked around the garden gathering straight twigs.

then, i shaved off a small section near the top of each twig with a pocket knife.

using my leather letter stamp set, i pressed each letter stamp onto an ink pad and then lightly hammered the letter imprint into the twig spelling the name of one of this year's vegetables: 

spinach, carrots, sugar snap peas, cucumber, lettuce, radish.....easy, peas-y.

spinach 

something else i discovered that will/has made gardening even more enjoyable this year is seed tape!

why hasn't anyone told me about seed tape? it's brilliant!

talk about cutting planting time in half, i mean it.

- seed handling is easier

- perfectly straight rows

- just lay tape on well worked soil, lightly cover with 1/2 inch fine soil, 

basically just making sure the white tape is covered

- there will be less or possibly no seedling thinning needed

carrots, you're next!

have a lovely weekend.

footed tub re-do....at last!

raise your hand if you have ever done a house renovation....

me too. we are soul mates. no one else really understands unless they have shared the "renovating experience".

today, i will share a minor renovation story with you and i mean mini-minor. the major ones are too horrific, you'll never be the same, change your way of thinking forever nightmares.

we did our house renovation/addition ten years ago. it was on the larger side, moving all of us (7) plus a large dog out of the house for a year and a half. 

first, grandpa gerry the architect hand drew the amazing plans. we were game, we were excited and we were very much looking forward to finally settling down after years and years of a nomadic family lifestyle.

i have always wanted a vintage footed bathtub so this was on my dream list for the master bath. 

well, as you renovators know after months and months of the big stuff, close to the end of the process, contractor timing is crucial. all of a sudden, painters, plumbers, electricians, tilers, installers, etc. are climbing on top of each other finishing off.

one day terry, our general contractor, confronted me, 

"janet, your tub needs to be here tomorrow. the plumber is coming to fit the pipes and the tiler is all set next day to lay tile. the plumber is back to fit the tub and painting starts next week."

"tub? oh tub. hmmmm, kind of forgot about that..... no problem?" yikes!

paul and i were on it! paul went online and found a footed bathtub rescued from an old hotel being torn down. i went to check It out and pick it up. luckily, the tub was in great condition and except for the exterior paint job, i loved it. done!

cutting it so closely, i didn't have time to repaint the exterior so i told them to go ahead, install the tub, i will paint it later..............

so.....ten years later i am painting the tub. 

i was a bit hesitant about painting cast iron so i did some research.

after taping and prepping, 

i first applied a water-base, interior/exterior primer for all surfaces with a roller and let dry.

then using a sponge brush, i painted primer on the golden tub feet.

all these years, i have pictured painting the exterior of the tub white. but at the last minute, i decided i wanted black. paul liked the idea too.

again, using a roller, i applied a high quality interior semi-gloss enamel paint and primer. it actually only took one coat with a few touch ups and it was done! easier than i thought. should have done this years ago!

and here it is!

love, love it!

once the tub was done, i was motivated to do simple touch ups and additions around the bathroom creating a 

spa-like atmosphere. nice.

i found this ikea metal cabinet to fit in the skinny space between the tub and shower.

it now holds all of the ingredients for my lotions and potions, essential oils and such.

and they bathed lived happily ever after. end of story.

have a lovely weekend.

new year's shelves

january is almost at its end and i have yet to set any new year's resolutions.

i actually took a moment to think about this yearly expectation/tradition/opportunity and decided..........y'know, i'm just not a new year's resolutions kind of girl. i think i once was or was at least a wanna-be resolutioner but no longer and that's ok.

new year's resolutions..........eh.

but, i will tell you that about now, at this fresh, clean canvas time of year i dream up projects i want to do and updates i want to make for our home....... 

and then i get motivated....... 

and then i get going.......

here's my first diy project for 2016..........shelves in margo's the guest bedroom.

to start, i ordered the perfect shelf brackets from here 

(they look to me to be straight out of a 1940's french passenger train car).

the day they arrived, i was super excited and measured, leveled and screwed them into the wall studs.

next, i measured the length for my wood shelves and headed to the hardware store to choose the wood. 

the nice guys at home depot cut it for me.........thanks guys.

i also chose my stain. then i gathered together the rest of my materials and since it was 

freeeeeezing cold outside and in the garage, i set up my workshop on the dining room table

........shhhhh, don't tell paul.

next, i sanded the cut edges and wiped them with a damp cloth.

then it was time to stain the wood. pine is a soft wood which has a large grain and knots.

soft woods will not stain evenly, which is the look i wanted. hard woods will stain more evenly.

this was my first ever staining project so i will share what i learned along the way:

1. the pigment can settle to the bottom of the tin so shake it or stir it well before you start.

2. apply the stain with a paint brush following the grain of the wood. complete the section you are working on. do not stop to answer the phone :)

3. once applied, use a wet rag to rub the excess stain off the wood. this will give you a nice, uniform finish. make sure the rag is just damp, not too wet. 

4. let dry 15 - 20 minutes and then decide if you are happy with the color or would like it to be darker. reapply, if necessary.

let dry outside.

attach shelves to brackets and.......

there they are!!

love them!!

have a lovely weekend.

lavender pillow

i have finally finished harvesting this year's dried lavender. what a precious cache!

harvesting dried blossoms from their stems isn't a task to complain about since it involves evenings sitting, watching movies and being enveloped in lavender's soothing, relaxing, healing aromatherapy.

with jars filled with dried blossoms just waiting to be appreciated even more, i decided to make a lavender pillow for our family room. it's an easy, quick, rewarding project that i'll share with you.........let's do it!

you will need: 

- 2  12-inch X 9-inch pieces of fabric, ornamented as you'd like. 

*i chose black linen and decorated it with a printed image from an iron-on printer transfer sheet.

*i would recommend a 100% cotton fabric for this project.

- 8 cups dried lavender blossoms

- needle and thread to match fabric, pins, scissors

- sewing machine and iron

- lay right sides of fabric on top of each other, pinning edges.

- leave a four-inch opening on the top edge for turning fabric right-side-out and filling

*i used pinking shears to cut the linen as linen is a master fraying fabric, pinking edges helps avoid fraying.

- using a sewing machine, stitch a 1-inch seam on all four sides remembering to keep a four-inch opening on the top edge

*this larger seam allowance also allows for linen fraying

- cut 3/4 inch off the 4 corners to help create a finished pillow with sharp looking corners.

- press

- turn right-side-out maneuvering fabric through opening

- working from the inside, gently push corners taut to create a sharp and finished look

- press again

- fill pillow with dried blossoms

*the amount of lavender needed to fill even this small pillow is probably only feasible if you grow your own or have a generous friend who does!

*if you are short on dried lavender blossoms, you can blend other herbs and grains with lavender to use as a filler: catmint, hops, rose petals, buckwheat or flax go well together.

you are almost finished!

- use a stem stitch to sew closed the top edge opening.

*each year, the lavender pillow will need an extra cup of lavender blossoms added to renew the fragrance and restore the pillow's shape. after adding new blossoms, resew opening.

done!

this little pillow fills the entire room with its scent even as it rests in the chair

and each time someone sits against it....the pillow releases soothing and calming magic!

have a lovely weekend.