A Blondie Day

Lace in the Garden

A few weeks ago, I went to an estate sale, where I found such wonderful treasures.  It was the same sale where I found HER.

Amongst the many goods I discovered that day was a vintage vinyl lace tablecloth.  I was not sure where I would end up finding use for it, but at $2, it was not to be left behind.

Well, now that I am in "garden mode", I got to thinking that just maybe that pretty vinyl lace may be the perfect way to have lace in my garden.  After all, there is lace in just about every other place in my life, it was fitting that it should be in the garden too.

So I got to thinking about how to use it for planting, and then got the idea that were I to combine it with burlap, I may just be able to make pretty little hanging lace "sack-lets".

So I did.

 

 

The open weave of the burlap, plus the openings in the vinyl lace provide drainage for the little flowers.  

The burlap and jute that I used for the handles are natural fibers, so they wear pretty well outside.  And the lace - well, it's vinyl, so water doesn't bother it at all.

 

If you would like to try them, it is simple!

 

Make 2 "sacklets" in a rectangle shape, the size of your choice (but keep them on the small size - the soil you put in them can get heavy!).  Make the inside burlap sack a 1/2 in. smaller than the outside sack so it will fit inside easier.  Also make the burlap sack about 1 in. longer so you can fold the top over.  It gives it a nice "sack" appearance.

Vintage vinyl tablecloths can often be found on eBay and sometimes on Etsy - or you may find one of your own at a sale!

 

 

Then cut little holes on each side top so you can insert your jute string.  After inserting the string through the hole, tie a knot to hold it in place.

 

 

Next, decorate your little sack-lets with fabrics strips, buttons, lace - any odds and ends you have about.

 

 

Fill them with soil and assorted little flowers.  Give them a touch of water -

and hang them up.

 

 

I hope you enjoy these if you decide to give them a try.

I have my "thinking cap" on to come up with other ways of using the rest of this pretty vinyl lace tablecloth!

Much love,

Helena

 

Ghost in the Garden

About a year ago, I purchased a big 'ole lampshade at a yard sale.  I could not resist it.  It had such pretty lines, and at $3 I knew I would find something to do with it.

A few weeks ago, JW looked at it perched upon the top of one of my fabric stash cabinets, and I was asked the question "Are you ever going to do something with this thing?"

I knew the time had come.

 

 

 

As most of you know, ghost shades are all over the crafty corners of the internet, and I did like them.  But I wanted to do something a little different with this.

So I thought - Why not the garden?

I stripped off the dusty old fabric and out to the garden it went.

 

 

It made the perfect pretty cage for flowers!  I loved the way it looked.

 

 

You can hang all kinds of pretty bits off the shade, as long as it is something you don't mind getting wet or blown around a bit.  Old lampshades are so easy to find at yard sales and thrift shops.  Find one with a shape you love.

 

 

And as the flowers grow and poke through more here and there, it will look prettier and prettier.

 

 

 

Now there will be those who will be curious...

 

 

 

...and those who may look at you as though you've lost your mind...

 

 

...but don't you mind them one bit.

 

 

You just enjoy your Ghost in the Garden.

 

Much love,

Helena

 

The Thrifting Fairy is Nice

Not only has the Thrifting Fairy been smiling upon me with great regularity, but I have also had the privilege of meeting such very lovely people at tag sales and estate sales.  It's been good fun.

I feel very privileged when I am at an estate sale.  It is a glimpse into an entire lifetime, and I feel very respectful and a little bit sad when I am walking through a home.  But at the same time, the items I choose to take home with me are going to a place where they will be loved, appreciated and sometimes even given a second career.  

And that is why I am sure the Thrifting Fairy is so nice to me.

 

I could not resist the swirls of colors in this textured painting, nor the bright and colorful graphics of this vintage chinese checkers set.  This Jesus statue belonged to a grandmother, whose grandaughter said she had it for as long as she could remember.  

The vintage thread and sewing box, well... need I say more?

 

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I am truly unable to walk past these old wooden boxes anymore without taking them home, and this old Long Island Farmer's Exchange thermometer just had to be mine.

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This green door was mine for $5, and who could possibly resist the roses?

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The old pottery jug was my Mom's, and the iron bed will grace my new garden in the Spring.

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I am most grateful.

XOXOXO

 

Golden Gown

There are many things I love about summer. 

The long, lazy days.  My Girl home from school.  Having her climb into bed with me in the mornings to snuggle, as the smell of coffee wafts up the staircase and breaks thru my sleepy haze as I hear JW clanking about in the kitchen. 

The lovely feeling of no “have to’s” – well, at least on most days.  Deciding what we feel like doing on that day.  The serenade of the crickets and falling asleep to the bullfrog’s love song coming through my window.  Staying up late and sleeping late. 

Swimming and caramel colored skin.  Letting hair dry naturally and carelessly tossing it up in a knot.  Tank tops and painted toenails.     Watching My Girl learn how to snorkel and do under water somersaults. The list goes on…

 

But autumn, now that’s the stuff of magic for me.  When autumn spreads her golden gown, there is no happier time for me.  No time when I feel more inspired, more creative, nor more at home in my own skin - with a cuddly sweater on, of course.

 

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. 

~George Eliot

 

And that, I would!

 

 

 

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, "October's Party"

 

 

XOXOXO

 

Colander Pot

Do you remember in my last post I mentioned that I had picked up an old colander at the Thrift Shop?

It was a big 'ole dented thing, and it was also missing it's handles, but for 75 cents I couldn't leave it there.  I kept picturing the family dinners it must have helped with over the years, and thought it deserved a second life -

and maybe a new career.

 

So I went ahead with the plan to make it into a pot for the garden.

First I lined it with a coconut liner.

 

 

 

I was then going to fill it with potting soil, but I realized the plant I wanted to put in there fit perfectly in the pot it was already in, so I just laid it in there, and

 

VOILA!

 

 

It looked lovely!  

 

The annual I chose for it is the very pretty Lantana.  These are the sweetest flowers, and I have never grown them before, but so far they are very hardy, they love the full sun of my yard, and they seem to be happy as pie in their new home.

 

 

 

 

And that is the story of the colander pot.

 

xoxoxox

Thriftiness and Pickles

Yesterday, in an effort to escape the heat and feel like we were accomplishing something, My Girl and I headed to our local thrift store.  It’s a big, airy old warehouse, and even though there is no air conditioning, it is always pleasantly cool and breezy.  The mission was to get baskets, lots of them.  The usage would include storing misc. stuff around the house in them, and also to use them to give gifts of veggies from my garden.  Since the thrift shop charges 50 cents to $3 for them, this is quite affordable.  And it’s so nice to give veggies in a basket with a little vintage towel underneath.  So sweet!

 

Mission accomplished.

 

Here are a few that we came home with.

 

 

Pretty nice, huh?

 

And see what’s peeking out there on top?

 

Take a closer look.

 

 

Yup, a wire chicken basket.  Corny, yes, but I have wanted one for some unknown reason and have been searching for a while now.  For $1.50, I snatched it up.

 

Also, look further down in the pile.

 

 

I picked up a big ‘ole metal colander, which, on the spur of the moment, I thought might look cute in the garden with some annuals planted in it. 

 

Speaking of the garden, as I had predicted, we ARE up to our ears in pickles. 

 

 

But this is not such a bad thing.

 

At first, I made bread and butter refrigerator pickles.  Although my family liked them, they were waaayyy too sweet for me.  When I think of pickles, I think of the pickles of my childhood.  We used to go to a place called Stern’s Pickle Works. 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

It was a cool old building with a wooden floor and big barrels of the most delicious, garlicky pickles I have ever had.  I wanted to recreate THOSE pickles in a refrigerator pickle recipe.

 

I think I may have done it!

 

Would you like the recipe?

Good, I was hoping you would say yes!

 

Refrigerator Garlic Dill Cucumber Pickles

 

* Fresh Dill

*Pickle Sized Cucumbers (cut into spears)

*Chopped Fresh Garlic (don't be stingy!)

*1 tbsp. pickling spice

*Crushed dried red hot pepper to taste (I omitted this, but if you like things spicy - go for it!)

*Brine - 3/4 cp. distilled white vinegar

*4 tbsp. Kosher salt to each qt. of water

 

In a gallon jar (ingredients can be divided up into smaller jars if needed), layer fresh dill on the bottom and lots of chopped fresh garlic, 1 tbsp. pickling spice, some crushed red pepper. Pack in pickle spears, then add more dill.

 

For the brine, combine 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar and 4 tablespoons of Kosher salt to each quart of water that has been boiled and cooled first.

Poor brine over pickles, filling up to top of jar.

Refrigerate.  Pickles will stay good for several months.

 

Hope you enjoy them.

 

 

Keep cool and keep dreaming...

 

xoxoxox

 

farmgirl friday

 

 

 

Pesto Anyone?

One of my favorite things to grow in my herb garden is basil.  Is there any lovelier herb?  The sweet smell is so inspiring and it adds something special to any dish you add it to.  Something as simple as juicy ripe tomatoes from the garden, sliced, drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with chiffonade of basil seems elegant and is so very scrumptious.

 

 

I also love to make pesto.  Several years ago, I took a basic pesto recipe and experimented, taking a little of this, and a bit more of that, and came up with my own version.  When My Girl was a toddler, she would eat pretty much anything if it had this pesto on it.

 

I would love to share it with you...

 

HELENA'S ROASTED PEPPER PESTO SAUCE

 

* 2 cups fresh basil

* 1 cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

* 1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated

* 1/2 cup pine nuts - toasted

* 4 cloves of garlic - chopped

* 2 roasted red peppers

* 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

* 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

* 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

* 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

* 2 tbsp. water

 

Toast the pine nuts in a dry, hot pan, just until lightly brown. Keep a careful eye on these, as they brown very fast!  Remove from pan and put aside to cool.

 

You can roast the red peppers yourself, if you like.  There are instructions all over the internet on how to do so, and it's very easy.  But if you prefer, jarred roasted peppers work just fine.

 

Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and blend.  Add the cooled pine nuts and continue to blend until all ingredients are combined.

 

Slowly drizzle in olive oil until mixture forms a smooth, thick paste.

 

Enjoy on pasta, roasted veggies, bruschetta, grilled chicken… anything you like!

 

I hope you will try it!  It is the perfect thing on a hot day, and it is also a great way to use some herbs and veggies from your garden.

 

 

xoxoxox

Little Pieces of Happy

 

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are

the real ones after all.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

It is true, isn't it? I think most of us have heard this quote before, but it always strikes deep in me, and I keep those words in my pocket and take them out from time to time, look them over and re-examine them. 

Lots of pieces of happy have found me lately.

 

In my little garden that is healthy

and seems to reflect my general state of mind these days.

 

(Never mind that I'm going to have homemade pickles coming

out of my ears soon....

I'm thrilled.)

 

In a rustic bench we set up by the pond,

made from an old freeway tie and cement blocks.

 

In some new pretty flowers soon to be planted.

 

 

In silver sandals and silver toes.

 

 

 

In a quiet night to myself when JW is away on business,

the cats are snoozing

and My Girl is tucked in bed sweetly in dreamworld.

I am left to my own uninterrupted wide-awake dreams late at night

while the darkness wraps around my skin like a blanket.

The glow from the candle is golden and warm

and all about me are scattered my

favorite things... and a cup of tea.

 

 

Happy is in my new baby chicks.

 

And I am already completely in Love!

 

 

  

Happy is in moments of being creative.

 

And it's in finding the key to your heart.

 

Happy just is.

 

We are as happy as we make up our minds to be.
- Abraham Lincoln

 

Find your happy.

 

xoxoxox  

 

It's Complicated

There are certain movies that I can watch again and again… and again and never tire of them.  It usually has nothing to do with the movie being any great cinematic masterpiece (although a few are) or with the acting being particularly amazing.  It has to do with something in the movie or about the movie endearing itself to me, whether it be the characters or the storyline, or even sometimes just the setting.  

Whatever it is, the movie eventually becomes like a dear old friend to me. 

The movie could be older (Funny Farm; Groundhog Day; You've Got Mail; When Harry Met Sally; Defending Your Life; Uncle Buck; Bell, Book and Candle; An Affair to Remember; Dirty Dancing; Out of Africa; Trip to Bountiful, etc.) or it can be newer (Julie and Julia) and more recently, It's Complicated with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

OMG, what is it about that movie that I just keep wanting to watch it??  

For one thing, I do know that I adore her life.  I love her house, I love her garden and I love her business.  Oh my, her garden alone is a beautiful thing, and I love the scene of her walking around with a basket slung over her arm and a delightful, shady hat slightly askew on her head whilst she picks the most gorgeous produce and fills up the basket for dinner that night. Sigh…  And I picture myself this summer doing the same.

 

 

 And her kitchen - Oh my, her kitchen...

 I love it all.

I am most certainly on a mission this summer.  I feel like the Blues Brothers - "We're on a mission from God."  (love that movie too.)  My mission this summer, and really all the time, is to get back to living off the earth…grow things, get my hands in the dirt, cook with my own vegetables, learn to can, make my own dried herbs, start composting, recycle, repurpose and really just fill my life and my home with love and goodness.

I come from a long line of women who did all of that as a matter of fact.  It was just the way they lived.  My mother, grandmothers and great-grandmothers were wonderful seamstresses, gardeners and cooks.  They all grew they own produce, canned their own vegetables, made their own jams and jellies and also had chickens.

Did I mention chickens?

Yes, we are getting chickens.  

I have convinced JW to let me give it a go.  So Operation Chicken is in full swing. He will build me the coop (being the wonderful handy-dandy guy that he is), and I think we can expect 5 new little additions to the family sometime by the end of May.

For at least the past year, and especially since I lost my Mom, I keep hearing the Henry David Thoreau "simplify, simplify" quote in my head.  And I think that is what this is all about for me.  I want life to be less complicated.  I want simple. 

Now, how exactly does getting chickens, building a bigger vegetable garden, drying herbs, composting and learning to can and make homemade jam accomplish this?

Well, I'm not sure.  

But somehow it all feels right.  And I guess that's all any of us can ever really do. 

Follow our hearts.

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

xoxoxoxo