Thursday, June 28, 2012

My Window Boxes: I Must Be Doing Something Right!

2012 Window Boxes Square Banner

We will have lived in our house for four years this August. Coming from apartment dwelling, I didn’t know the first thing about maintaining a garden. Luckily I have two great resources – my Mom and my Mother-in-Law who are both avid gardeners. Much of our first summers here were spent asking “is this a weed?” because they are incredibly clever! If only the actual flowers were as genius as the weeds that mimic them.

Last summer, we started to take more risks with our gardens after completely digging two of them up to repair a parging problem that turned out to be much bigger than it looked.  After adding our own flower and shrub choices, it started to feel more like our garden instead of whatever the previous owners had thrown together.

In addition to multiple gardens, our house originally had 7 wrought iron window box frames mounted on the concrete sills. For the first two summers I filled them all up with an assortment of annuals that were on clearance, paying little attention to their sunlight and/or watering needs. It only took one year to learn that me and Lobelia do not get along!

Last year we took down the window boxes across the front of the house because they made it look too cluttered.  The two remaining window boxes sit underneath the garage and guest room windows. In June 2011 they looked like this:

2011 Window Box WM

(This would be the year that I discovered my go-to combination of chartreuse green sweet potato vine and purple heart)

I love the look of dark purple flowers against our red brick.

For my 2011 planters, I used store-bought liners from Canadian Tire. They weren’t a perfect fit, but they did the job. However, as the summer went on, squirrels started to dig in the soil and pull pieces of the coconut liner out at the ends. They looked really pathetic by the fall!

Window Box No Flowers

Guest Room No Flowers

I ran into a problem when I was getting ready to plant this year’s window boxes. I could not find any liners to fit a 30 inch window box. The 24 inch liners were too small (obviously) and the others I found were way too big.

What did I do?  I had to get creative!

I bought a 2 meter long piece of replacement coconut liner from Home Hardware that I cut in half to make the trough shape but then I had to find something to finish the ends. I had purchased one hanging wall planter from Dollarama to test whether it could be used to replace baskets on the other side of the garage. It came with a liner and looked like a much less glamorous version of this:Coconut Liner

It was too small to use for its original purpose, but that’s alright! Mr. Mechanic took one look at it and suggested that we cut the liner in half to create caps for the ends of each window box. He’s so smart!

After buying a second wall planter I was able to finally finish assembling the liners for my window boxes. I wrapped each half around the trough shaped piece to make a cap and then set the whole thing into the wrought iron holder.

Getting Creative

It ended up making the window box planter look much more finished than any of the replacement liners that I could have purchased.

Guest Room May 28th WM

I had one more trick up my sleeve to improve upon last year’s planters.

I read on a few gardening sites that coconut liners make your planters dry up very quickly. Not only that, but when you water them, the soil drains out the bottom. To combat this, I cut the bottom off of two heavy duty garbage bags (love these for renovation garbage) and cut several holes in them for drainage. Once the planter was filled, I trimmed any excess that showed above the soil.

I planted these beauties on May 28th. Take a look at how much they have grown and filled out in just one month!

Here’s the window on the left (the garage) . . .

Garage Flowers One Month Wow

. . . and the window on the right (the guest room).

Guest Room Flowers Collage One Month WM

When we came home after our week up North we couldn’t believe how much they had grown!

I have not used any fertilizer on these planters, but I’m starting to think that the fancy potting soil I used this year was worth every penny. There is some sort of fertilizer additive in the soil that lasts 6 weeks. I am watering these about every 2 to 3 days and there is very little water that drains out (thanks to the garbage bag liner) yet they are not waterlogged, either. Last year I had to water daily!

So, what did I plant for 2012?

Being frugal, I searched around for the best deals but did end paying quite a bit for this year’s flowers (in comparison to my clearance window boxes of 2009 and 2010). They were far from inexpensive, but the curb appeal that they have added to the side of our house (which is what you see from the road – we’re on a corner lot) justified the price. That, and they make me so happy when I pull into the driveway!

Window Box Flower Labels

I originally bought purple petunias but at the last minute I decided that they would be competing with the planters we have on either side of the garage door as well as the purple heart. You can barely even see the petunias in last year’s window boxes.

The bacopa is meant to have little white flowers on it. So far, it is the only plant that has been a bit of a disappointment.

They were blooming in May . . .

May 28th Trailing Plants

but disappeared in June!

June 28th Trailing Flowers

Here’s what both window boxes look like together:

Both Window Boxes WM

(The rest of the garden is still a work in progress)

I still have a few more garden projects to share with you including a planter that I assembled using a great blog tip.

It is officially summer vacation for me now which means that I can blog whenever I want! I wouldn’t normally post twice in one day, but when I discovered that I planted my window boxes on May 28th, I just had to post about them today.

I hope your first week of summer has been wonderful!


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P.S. Check out my other great gardening success – rain boot planters! Soon I’ll have to pick a new flower for the summer.

P.P.S. Remember to enter my giveaway before July 5th!


I link up at: Serenity Now, I {Heart} Naptime, Under The Table And Dreaming, NiftyThrifty Things, Simply Klassic Home, Home Stories A to Z, Craftomaniac, Skip To My Lou, Not JUST A Housewife, A Bowl Full Of Lemons, Alderberry Hill, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, A Diamond In The Stuff, Creatively Living, The Winthrop Chronicles, Clean & Scentsible, Oopsey Daisy, Lil’ Luna, Live.Laugh.Rowe, The 36th Avenue, aka design, House of Hepworths, 52 Mantels, Thrifty Decorating, Crafty Scrappy Happy, How To Nest For Less, Tatertots & Jello, The Grant Life, It’s Overflowing, Lolly Jane, Too Much Time, Six Sisters’ Stuff, Positively Splendid, My {Re}purposed Life, Just Us Four and The Crafted Sparrow

Thank you to all the hosts!


My First Giveaway! {My Memories Suite}

Yesterday, I shared two free printables that I created for Canada Day using the digital scrapbooking software My Memories Suite.

Canada Flag Provinces Printable WM

Oh Canada Printable

I was given the opportunity to play around with my own copy of this software and then give away a second copy to one of my AWESOME readers.

 

The first thing that you should know is that it is a digital download so the lucky winner will simply need to plug-in a download key and just like that they will have their own copy.

My Memories Suite software is very user-friendly and enables you to create scrapbook layouts, printables, blog design elements etc. using a combination of pictures and fonts already installed on your computer. You are also able to purchase additional digital layouts, paper packs and embellishments to suit your needs.

I think this would be a great program to use to create your own subway artwork. If you do a quick search in blogland for My Memories Suite, you will discover a wide variety of ways to utilize this software. It’s not just for scrapbooking!

One of my favourite features is the ability to convert your projects into JPEGS and PDFs. After selecting the ‘Share Album’ button, you can “export pages” in your preferred format. This reduces the size of your file and makes it easier to print and share with other people.

I have only just started to explore all the great features of this software. I know you’ll have fun doing the same!


The Giveaway Details

One winner will be randomly selected from the comments below.

To be eligible to win there are two things that must be included in your comment below:

1. Visit the My Memories website and select your favourite digital paper pack. Tell me which pack is your favourite.

2. Tell me how you found my giveaway or how you read/follow my blog (GFC, Linky, Google Reader etc.). I want to know about my wonderful readers!

* Make sure that there is a way for me to contact you via email if it is not already linked to your comment profile *

The contest will close at midnight on Thursday, July 5th.

The winner will be announced on Friday, July 6th.

Good luck!

P.S. If you are interested in purchasing this software, a little something in the meantime readers will receive $10 off the purchase of My Memories Suite as well as a $10 coupon for the My Memories store, using this code at checkout: STMMMS94569


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Canada Day Mantel and Free Printables

Mantel Spread WM

July 1st, 2012 will be Canada’s 145th birthday. To celebrate my Canadian roots, I made my first ever Canada-themed mantel!

I dipped into my stash of red decor from my Valentine’s Day mantel, and then added some Canadian touches.

1955 Plate

The license plate was something that Mr. Mechanic pulled out of our fireplace when he attempted to repair the masonry. The previous owners modified the size of the firebox and tried to fill the gap between the bricks by stuffing it full of random metal garbage. We found at least 6 plates, but this one was definitely in the best shape.

Provinces Flag WM

The Pop Shoppe bottle brings back memories of drinking Lime Rickey pop at my Grandparents’ house growing up. It was originally bottled very close to where I live. There was always a crate of these hiding in a closet somewhere. This is a fairly new bottle, but I have a crate full of these waiting for me up north in the shed at the cottage.

The globe was from Michaels and I bought it with a 50% off coupon so it only cost me $2.50. You will see it popping up in another vignette that I created with some fun garage sale finds.

The flag artwork is my first Canada Day printable created using the digital scrapbooking software My Memories Suite.

I created an 8 x 10 printable that has a background made up of all the names of Canada’s provinces and territories.

Canada Flag Provinces Printable WM

{Download your own copy here!}

I also created a second My Memories Suite printable that is not shown on the mantel.

The burlap paper effect that I chose for the background has a more rustic look to it that did not go as well with the white of my other mantel decor. It is on display in my Kitchen instead.

Oh Canada Printable

{Download your own copy here}

On the other side of the mantel, you will spy this little vignette.

Ombre Maple Leaves WM

Of course, I had to include some red paint chips in my Canada Day decor!

I lined a Gem mason jar (made in Canada) with a large paint chip and also used one as the background in my Michaels dollar bin frame. I happened to have a package of Canada-themed charms from a Walmart clearance jewelry purchase last year. My school hosted a Canadian citizenship ceremony so I wore a flag charm on my necklace to show some Canadian patriotism. I mounted the charm onto the paint chip with a foam dot.

The ombre artwork was created in Silhouette Studio using this tutorial and the Print and Cut feature. It was so easy! Even if you don’t have a Silhouette machine, the software is free to download and there is a free weekly shape released every Tuesday.

I also created my banner with my Silhouette and my favourite pennant shape.

Canada Day Banner WM

I cut three red pennants, four white pennants and two maple leaves (divided in half). Then, I attached the maple leaves to the white pieces with spray adhesive.

Once the pieces were cut and assembled, I used a punch tool to add silver eyelets and then threaded all the pieces onto red and white Baker’s twine.

I knew that I wanted to use an odd number of pennants so it worked out perfectly that the center piece of red could tie together both flags.

Canada Day Banner Zoom WM

That’s it!

Mantel Spread WM

I had so much fun putting together all the elements of my Canada Day mantel. I hope that if you’re a Canadian you might include one of my printables in your decor this July 1st!

Come back tomorrow for the giveaway details on how to win your own copy of My Memories Suite!

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P.S. Check out my other seasonal mantels here, here and here!

P.P.S. The red bandana was just a Dollar Store purchase.


I link up at: Serenity Now, I {Heart} Naptime, Under The Table And Dreaming, NiftyThrifty Things, Simply Klassic Home, Home Stories A to Z, Craftomaniac, Skip To My Lou, Not JUST A Housewife, A Bowl Full Of Lemons, Alderberry Hill, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, A Diamond In The Stuff, Creatively Living, The Winthrop Chronicles, Clean & Scentsible, Oopsey Daisy, Lil’ Luna, Live.Laugh.Rowe, The 36th Avenue, aka design, House of Hepworths, 52 Mantels, Thrifty Decorating, Crafty Scrappy Happy, How To Nest For Less, Tatertots & Jello, The Grant Life, It’s Overflowing, Lolly Jane, Too Much Time, Six Sisters’ Stuff, Positively Splendid, My {Re}purposed Life, Just Us Four and The Crafted Sparrow

Thank you to all the hosts!


Monday, June 25, 2012

Back to Reality

I’m back after a very busy week!

It was crazy hot working away without air conditioning (during a heat wave) but the cottage looks completely different from when we arrived last Friday.

The water is not yet drinkable and the plumbing needed to be off for most of the week so we were very fortunate to be able to stay at the home of a family friend during our time up North. At one point there were 9 of us staying there!

Since there were at least 6 people vying for shower time each day, I always opted for a morning shower (one of the drawbacks of short hair – bedhead!). As a result, there were several mornings where I walked over to the cottage on my own after everyone had left (usually to make a Home Depot run).

The cottage is located on a long, winding road lined with pine trees.

Cottage Road June 2012

Mr. Mechanic’s Grandfather planted these beautiful trees and this was once all his property.

Pinegrove 2012

Through the trees you can see a sliver of the bog or pond that sits at the edge of the cottage lot.

Bog View From Road

This is what is looks like when you stand on the beach of the cottage.

Pond 2011

The cottage overlooks a small lake that is already really warm. No swimming for me this time, but definitely next time.

Lake 2011

Turn around, and this is what you see.

View From Lake

I was in charge of mowing the lawn with the riding mower. I did pretty well aside from the time that I drove over a tree stump! Oops . . .

Even the weeds were pretty!

Cottage Daisies

There was no shortage of nature while we were there.

Over the weekend we were greeted by this little dog – Maggie – jumping up at the screen door wanting to visit with my 18-month old niece, Arabella. She (Maggie)adored her! One day she even followed Mr. Mechanic’s Dad all the way into town when he went for a walk with Arabella in her stroller! 

Since it’s a small community someone recognized her and drove her back home.

Maggie the Dog 2

Maggie was my Pumpkin substitute while we were away.

On our second to last day there I almost drove over a turtle that was searching for a place to lay its eggs.

It started out on the road but eventually made its way down the long driveway (much faster than I would expect a turtle to travel!) to a sandy spot by the front door of the cottage.

Painted Turtle Laying Eggs

From the window we could see it rocking back and forth, digging a hole. It laid its eggs and then filled the hole again. If we hadn’t seen the hole you would never even know it was there.

Turtle 2

Then, she (I’m assuming!) got the heck out of there! I could hear this rustling in the woods and discovered that it was the turtle off-roading to get back to the pond!

In 2 to 3 months there should be some baby turtles hatching provided the other wildlife up there doesn’t get to them first.

Just around the corner from where the turtle laid its eggs, there is a large patch of milkweed. On almost every plant you would find at least one caterpillar munching away. If I had a better camera I could have had some great shots!

Caterpillar on Milkweed

I don’t have any photos of the inside of the cottage because when we left the painter’s tape was still up in all of the rooms.

Once Mr. Mechanic’s Dad forwards me his pictures I’ll be able to show you some great before and afters (for which I can take very little credit – Mr. Mechanic’s sisters and parents were painting machines!)

Since returning home, I have been busy putting together a Canada Day mantel featuring some free printables that I made with the My Memories Suite software that I will be giving away to one lucky reader soon. I hope you’ll come back to check it out!

One more day of supply teaching and then I have a feeling that will be it for this school year.

Happy Monday!


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P.S. Check out my first free printable here.

Monday, June 18, 2012

I’m Not Here!

Hello!

I am away this week helping Mr. Mechanic’s family fix up their cottage so that it matches the beauty of the property where it sits.

Cottage Road

Lake

Please, take a look around and then be sure to come back next week when I will be running my first blog giveaway! Yippee!

*crossing my fingers that it’s not blackfly season*

Have a great week!

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P.S. I will definitely be bringing Angie’s great campfire recipes with me!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

{Carved} Woodgrain Father’s Day Card

Carved Woodgrain Banner

After much searching, I finally bought a woodgrain rubber stamp off of Etsy (BTW, amazing seller – shipped within hours of my purchase) and I absolutely LOVE it!  Just one stamp completely transforms Kraft-coloured cardstock.

I decided that I wanted to make my first woodgrain card look like a carved tree trunk. After searching for images of trees with limited success, I suddenly realized that I could use my Silhouette CAMEO and sketch pens to “carve” my image onto a a pre-stamped piece of cardstock.

I bought the upgraded Silhouette Designer Edition back when there was a really great promo code after learning that I would have more sketch options with this version. It definitely came in handy for this card.

After designing my heart and adding the text (Ostrich Sans Rounded – a great sketch pen font), it looked like this:

Father's Day Before

Pretty plain, but a good starting point.

After experimenting with the different edge sketch options I settled on “pencil” for the text and “charcoal” for the heart outline.

Father's Day After

Much better!

I loaded a black ball-point pen into my pen holder and sent it to sketch on a piece of Kraft paper that was already stamped with woodgrain in approximately the same spot.

If you don’t have a Silhouette, you could achieve the same effect by using a ball-point pen to repeatedly draw the same design. The harder you press, the more carved it looks on the paper.

Then, I took a blank card base (also Kraft paper) and stamped the woodgrain onto both halves. I thought that if I mounted the sketched image onto another layer of woodgrain it might look more like a tree trunk.

Father's Day Card Materials

I tried another  trick when I stamped the card base. I put a thin piece of masking tape in the spot where I always add “Claire Cards” to my handmade cards so that it would not stamp in this spot.

I also inked the edges of the card base and the message to add more depth. This time I used my blending tool and Tim Holtz’ Distress Ink in Walnut Stain. Vintage Photo has some competition!

Stamped Cards

Then, I added some dollar store foam mounting squares . . .

Add Foam Rectangles

and assembled my card.

Mounted Card

It’s hard to see, but in the bottom right-hand corner you will notice that the two layers of stamped woodgrain work together to look more 3-dimensional.

Here’s a close-up of the “carved” detail.

Carved Sentiment

Neat, right?

Off we go on the mandatory garden tour – you will come to know this brick wall and 4 by 4 very well over the summer!

Finished Woodgrain Card

 

Father's Day Card in Cypress

 

Woodgrain Father's Day Card

Wouldn’t this make a fun wedding or anniversary card?  I guarantee you’ll be seeing more woodgrain cards in the future!

Carved Banner Square

Since I have to be away for Father’s Day (for the first time ever!), here’s a special message for you, Dad, to tide you over until next weekend. Love you! XOXOXO

Father's Day 2012 Message

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I link up at: Serenity Now, I {Heart} Naptime, Under The Table And Dreaming, NiftyThrifty Things, Simply Klassic Home, Home Stories A to Z, Craftomaniac, Skip To My Lou, Not JUST A Housewife, A Bowl Full Of Lemons, Alderberry Hill, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, A Diamond In The Stuff, Creatively Living, The Winthrop Chronicles, Clean & Scentsible, Oopsey Daisy, Lil’ Luna, Live.Laugh.Rowe, The 36th Avenue, aka design, House of Hepworths, 52 Mantels, Thrifty Decorating, Crafty Scrappy Happy, How To Nest For Less, Tatertots & Jello, The Grant Life, It’s Overflowing, Lolly Jane, Too Much Time, Six Sisters’ Stuff, Positively Splendid, My {Re}purposed Life, Just Us Four and The Crafted Sparrow

Thank you to all the hosts!


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