It’s about time: Veggie Garden Update

I bet you thought we had a major vegetable garden FAIL and we’re trying to brush it under the rug by never again talking about our project of the century.  Well, you’ll be happy to know the garden is actually been growing like crazy!! Take a look:

New to Me Backyard Fire Pit

I was right.  Not a huge surprise, but the most important thing to remember is my bf was WRONG! Ha.  We have a lot of sticks in our backyard.  Not a couple here or there, it’s extreme, the entire yard is covered in sticks. Entirely.  Of course the dog loves it, but my paranoia only sees all the ways she can hurt her clumsy self.  So, I had the brilliant idea of buying or making a fire pit.  And I love having fires in the summer.  So, I started doing some cheapest options research.  Eventually we got our hands on a cast iron chiminea that someone was getting rid of.  They only wanted $30.  Nice!  Pitched the idea to the bf, he thought it looked like a piece of junk and no amount of DIY would make it look good. 

Cork Wall Art

I've had a vague idea of some sort of spherical cork wall art floating around in my brain for some time, so I asked family and friends to become alcoholics drink more wine and start collecting corks.  Luckily I also have connections to a wine maker, my grandpa. After a few months of collecting, I rolled up my sleeves, did some good ol' fashion paper mache and hot glued some corks.  Sounds simple, it was, and kind of fun.

Knit Knit Pouf

I’m a multi-tasker.  If I’m only doing 1 thing at a time I get antsy.  I’ve been known to watch a couple of shows at once during commercials, while also scouring pinterest, checking out the weather on my phone, reading the weekly flyers, cuddling a cat, and eating a sandwich.  That’s my normal down time.  For a change of pace, I wanted to take up knitting again as a new project to do while watching a movie or arguing debating with my BF, entertaining the dog, you get the idea. 

Chalkboard Kitchen Jars

I've been collecting random glass jars for a while.  Anything from jam to salsa,  tomato sauce to pickle.  I have a special place in my heart for glass. It is too useful to just get rid of and I’ve always rationalized that I’ll keep them for storage some day. Then, gasp, I actually did use them and gasp again, I combined my love of glass jars with my lust for chalkboard paint.  (Remember the chalkboard fridge)

Twine Jar Cover

I hated looking at our stupid change jar/piggy bank that used to sit on our coffee table, so I made a cover for it.  It is super easy and a quick project that can easily be re-sized to make larger storage baskets and they can even be used without an inner vessel because they support themselves.  So many possibilities to add a little natural texture to your decor.  Here's how to make one for yourself...

*P.S. I have never made, let alone shared, a crochet pattern in my life so your comments would be appreciated!! My grandmas would be so proud :)

Go Ahead, Write on the Fridge

When we signed the lease on our place the landlord graciously told us he'd be removing the nasty fridge the previous tenants left.  This was GOOD because I wasn't about to stick even a gloved hand in that fridge to clean up the mysterious green gelatinous puddle living in the bottom, BAD because that left us fridge-less.  Luckily, my parents were looking to get rid of their extra fridge in the basement. Turns out it was a hand-me-down they'd acquired when my grandparents got their new fridge years and years ago.  I'm sure this fridge was a beauty in its youth, but by the time it was passed on to us, it was quite rusty on the front.  Good news though, the inside is nearly perfect, except for the interior light that doesn't turn on.  Needless to say we took the fridge with open arms.

P.S. having to look for food in a dark fridge is a surprisingly good dieting trick.  If you are anything like us and have containers and produce stacked in a delicate Jenga-like balance, you really don’t want to put your hand into the darkness and risk falling food just for a snack.

Here are some before shots:

Meet Oscar

Since we’ve had to move so many times in the last year, we have an abundance of cardboard boxes.  And since I’m thrifty cheap I like to use what we already have on hand to make many of my projects.  And so Oscar was born.  Well cut out and assembled.

DIY: Pompom Projects

the pop couture

Over the last little while I've been seeing spots, actually pompoms, everywhere! I especially love the above chandelier.  There are soo many great ideas that people have come up with on how to use theses fuzzy gems.  I've made pompoms for Norm & Meeka for a while, because Meeka, the kitten, loves to play fetch with them.  Yes she fetches & she's good at it!  With all the great ideas out there, now I feel compelled to give pompoms a new use!  After some inspirational ideas, I'll show you how to easily make your own pompoms.

Unbelievable DIY

Here are a couple of amazing, inspirational, & handmade projects!

DIY: Cheap & Casual Wall Art

Our bedroom walls have been looking a little bare lately & they needed a little art work.  Every year my mom gives me these great Ansel Adams calendars, he was an American photographer who did much of his best work, in my opinion, in black & white.  His calendars are filled with beautiful landscapes of the American West & I hated the thought of just throwing them out at the end of the year, so I've saved all the calendars over the years until I could figure out how to use the photos.

DIY: Jewelry Tree

I came to the realization that if I can't see the jewelry that I have, I forget about it & never end up wearing any, so I did some reorganizing & made this jewelry tree to keep some stuff on display.  I actually created this jewelry tree last summer, but because we will be relocating soon & it is too fragile to move, I wanted to share it before it gets put to rest.  A jewelry tree is super simple & quick to make, I'll show you how!

In Love With: Fabric Wall Paper

As I've said quite a few times in past posts, we're moving in a few months & I'm sooo excited! Literally, I'm already making plans for projects I want to try when we get out of here.  I know for sure that we'll be renting so I'm especially scouting ideas that are temporary, but more importantly cheap & amazing!

Holiday Spirit: Paper Snowflake Pt 1

I used to love making paper snowflakes when I was little.  Surprisingly I haven't tried it in a while, but the other day, while trying to think of more ways to decorate our place, I gave it another shot.

Holiday Spirit: A Gift of Food & Drink

I really enjoy baking, kind of like cooking, and used to be a bartender soooo love making drinks.  If you have anyone on your holiday list who also enjoys any of the above, these gift ideas would be perfect for them to try out some new recipes!

Multigrain Bread in a Jar - Our Best Bites

DIY Paper Wreath

I've been hearing a lot about vintage book wreaths lately, and as you know from my paper village and my wall art, I LOVE working with paper.  I found this really simple and easy wreath tutorial at Living with Lindsay so few nights ago after class I pulled out the glue gun and made one for our front door.  Here is my process in pictures...

Holiday Spirit: DIY Paper Village

 A staple decoration at both my mom's and my grandma's house for the holidays is the Christmas village.  My sister and I were always in charge of setting it up, making sure all the houses were lit and the trees would stand up.  Of course now that I'm living away from home, I needed my own holiday village...so I made it and you can too.  I came across the idea of using paper on Country Home, where the also supplied the basic building templates.

DIY: Mossy Terrariums

The cold winter weather has set in and they are even calling for flurries tonight.  What better time to make a mossy terrarium.  I did a post on my love of terrariums a few weeks ago, and have since longed to make one.  There are a few people on my Christmas list who love to take care of a garden, so I'm giving them a little piece of green to keep them company.  On a nature walk by the river a few days ago, we finally found an abundant supply of moss!!  My boyfriend scooped up a bunch and we searched the house for glass containers.  Terrariums are sooo super easy to make, give it a try and you too can enjoy some greenery while everything outside is a winter wonderland!

Unbelievable DIY's

We'll be moving out of our place soon (actually a few months, but I'm sooo excited) and I'm all over blogs and design websites getting ideas of what we can do with the next place to make it more our own.  There is literally endless inspiration, check out these unbelievable DIY's:

Holiday Spirit: Gifted Magazine

This e-magazine, Gifted by Creature Comforts, was discussed a few days ago on one of my favourite blogs, Chez Larsson, but I hadn't had time to take a look...until now.  I'm advising you to make time to check out this fantastic magazine filled with holiday DIY's, affordable gift ideas, decorating ideas, gift wrapping ideas, and much much more!  And its FREE!! Because of this amazing magazine I've added a ton of projects to my Christmas todo list, I've got great ideas for friends and family, and my wishlist grew!  Also take a look at the website for even more great ideas and tips.

Where do YOU get your gift ideas?