Upcycled Hand trovel

We are still in the grip of a major heat wave that is supposed to last all week.  Today's forecast is for 108.  Definitely not stepping foot outdoors.  I got up early this morning while it was only 85 to water my potted plants.  Thank goodness for the drip irrigation because there is no way I could have watered everything by hand.

All this heat has left me with Sciatica pain in my left hip to the point I could barely walk yesterday.  Today I am doing everything to try to stay cool.

So, while cleaning out an old garden box last week I came across a few rusty old hand garden tools.

  My first thought was to toss them out, then I decided to see if I could make some use out of them.

I try not to throw anything into the landfill that can be re used for a new purpose.

Among them was a small rusty hand trowel.  The first thing I did after cleaning it off was to coat the entire piece with acrylic varnish and let that dry.  

A while back I saw a similar trowel partially painted and used as a memo holder for the garden on Pinterest.  That's it, that is what I decided to do with mine.

Here you can see where I partially painted the lower half.

Next using the hole in the end of the handle I threaded some tea dyed seam binding through the hole and attached a bulldog clip to hold notes or seed packets or whatever I need to remember for the garden.

 

I next went through my photo files and found a victorian lady with a few flowers in the picture, sized it on my computer to fit the trowel and printed the image on my laser printer.  Next I roughly tore the image from the paper in the shape of the trowel and adhered it to the trowel using Mod Podge.  I also sealed to surface of the image with more Mod Podge.

Then I wrote on a tag, "It's time to garden"  and added some dyed seam binding to the tag and clipped  it into the bulldog clip.

I tied some pink dyed seam binding around the handle and added 3 paper flowers I made from scrapbook paper.

Isn't she adorable?

Now I can hang this near the door leading to the garden with any note I need to remember for the garden chores.

This rusty little trowel has a new purpose and won't be thrown out for a very long time.

Happy Crafting!

Shabby Chic Basket

Alright, it actually managed to get hotter today.  Supposed to be 103 degrees today and cool down a couple of degrees tomorrow.  Wow, now that is a cooling trend, Not.

So while hibernating in the AC today I decided to give a basket a make over.  Have been planning to do this for quite some time.

I have a few of these baskets.  I just love the shape and the fact they have lids.  They are also quite large.  

I plan to use mine for storage.  Possibly to store napkin rings.  Hum, will have to give that some thought.

I began this project by spray painting the basket white.  Then I choose a scrap of fabric from my stash to line the inside.  Once I had the shape I wanted I used my hot glue gun to glue the fabric to the top edged.  Then glued a row of ruffled lace at the top to cover where I glued the fabric to the basket.

fabric glued inlace before lace added

I glued a doily to the handle for decoration.

Then on one lid I added a couple of pieces of lace fabric and topped that with a variety of flowers, hat pins, pearls and crystals along with a big satin bow.  I also glued a row of ruffled lace along the outside top edge.

 I made tag from from several different layers  

of paper and images glued to one another, punched a hole, added bakers twine and tied this to the handle.

On the opposite lid I added another fluff of lace fabric and to this I glued a few more flowers. On the basket top between the lids I added 3 metal embellishments topped with flat back pearls.

And here is the finished basket ready to go to work as a cute storage basket.

Happy Crafting!

Rescued Little Table

Wow, we are having our first really long heatwave of the the summer.  So no outside projects this week.

I lost my mother a few years ago and I am just now starting to incorporate some of her things into my home.  

This little table is one of the items I am moving out of storage.  It started out as a beautiful little table, but one day my mom had her window open and the sprinkler accidentally sent water through the window.  She didn't see that it had hit the table.  The backside suffered water damage to the finish.  And the leather top had seen better days, too.  I brought it inside and cleaned it well.  

 I knew one day I would change the finish and here is how I did just that.

sitting on a box to make it easier to paint

I began by turning it upside down on a box to make it a little easier to paint the legs and center column.

On this part of the table I am using a light gray chalk paint.

I painted the trim on the tabletop gray, also.

Next I painted the top and sides with a cream colored chalk paint.

I ended up with a crackle finish on the top.

When the gray was dry I used a dry brush to lightly brush on a silver paint on the tops of the legs, feet and center column.

I ended up using 3 coats on the top of the table and when those where dry I used the gray and silver  and stenciled a medallion in the center.

I painted the inside of the little drawer a pretty shade of aqua and then stenciled another silver/gray medallion in the center of the drawer.

And here it is finished in front of the fireplace.  Now I need to refinish my 2 chairs to match and my little spot for tea will be complete.

Happy Decorating!

Refreshed Terrarium

Mr. K is off to a concert with a buddy so I am happily home working on the project for today.

Now that summer is here I am trying to give everything a fresh coat of paint that I have been neglecting for some time.

And this little terrarium is no exception.  When I first bought it I loved it,  But last winter I forgot about it and left outside on the patio.  Needless to say it suffered from the weather even though it was under cover.

Originally I had wanted to remove the glass to paint it but upon further investigation I notice it would have to be taken completely apart.  And that would be too difficult to tackle.  Well, taking apart would be a breeze but getting it back together would be another story.  So instead I washed the glass inside and out.  That made it look cleaner all ready.  Next comes the paint.

I painted it inside and out with a small paint brush.

Wow, this looks really nice.  Can't wait to fill it with something pretty.

Now my little terrarium is back to it's pretty self and serves as a new home for this cute little royal bird (notice the crown) and nest.

Happy Crafting!

Week in Review

                              

                                                   Here's a review of this week's posts.

Monday

Saturday with Peter Max

Tuesday

Sunday with Chris DuRubeis

Wednesday

Summer's Orange Crystal Earrings

Thursday

Painted Yard Ornaments

Friday

Summer is in Full Swing

Happy Weekend!

Summer is in Full Swing

Yes, summer is in full swing. LOL

The yard is finally ready for summer.  Everything has been trimmed and staked and pruned.  Flowers are blooming and the heat is upon us.

When I first first moved to this property there was not a tree or a flower in sight.  Just an empty field.  15 years later I have a cool oasis in the middle of a very hot valley.  When the temperatures hit the 100's my trees and plants keep us cool.

Here you can see my assistant on the patio watching me take these pictures.

Here is one of the natural plant archways I am starting,

As of last count I now how over 25 trees.  They really make a difference when the high temps. get here.

This is an old bird bath that started leaking so I planted plants in it.

And I  have a bunch of herbs growing in pots like this beautifully lush basil plant.

Apples

Tomatoes, lemon cucumber and hot peppers all have blossoms, fruit and vegetables not far behind..

And lots of flowers blooming all around.  Each  morning I pinch back the petunias removing the seed pods so they will continue to bloom throughout the summer.

Also each morning I give the birds fresh water for the day.  The rock in the bird bath is so the bees have a place to land and not drown.

My horsetail is now almost 5 feet tall.

More shade trees along the side of the house.

And here I have a bottle tree.  Oops, not a real tree.

And here is another natural plant arch I just started training this year.

Now my only goal for the rest of the summer is to keep everything watered.  We have great drip irrigation system so I will have a lot of time to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors while watching the birds and other wild life that graces our yard during the warm summer months looking for a little bit of shade.

Happy Gardening!