let us remember and give thanks
to those that have given everything
for our freedom
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
our tiny visitor
I heard cheep-cheeping in our shoppe today and followed the sound to find this little guy sitting on our window ledge
had to share even though it is not a great pic, as birdie hopped around a lot before flying back out the front door
had to share even though it is not a great pic, as birdie hopped around a lot before flying back out the front door
Saturday, May 22, 2010
share
my favorite time of the day is early morning on our front porch
sipping coffee, listening to our bird friends,
flipping dreamily through a magazine
or simply gazing out at the beautiful mountain view
and fertile fields that stretch off into the distance
sometimes I can't help myself and I stroll through our gardens in my pjs, coffee in hand, to admire nature's work
I thought I would share some glimpses from this morning...
it was difficult to get a good pic as it swayed in the breeze but our Trollius europaeus is in full bloom & is just gorgeous
Phlox subulata - so easy and such a charmer
Who can resist that face? Pansies always make me smile
it may be "common" for some folks but I just love my Centaura montana
one of my favorite shrubs we planted last year - I am a sucker for anything gold, orange or chartreuse in the garden and this beauty stole my heart with its foliage
sweet little Heuchera blooms gracefully nodding their heads
and here is my summer experiment...please do not pass judgment on the weedy unfinished paths - that is next on the project list :)
we are gaga over recycling and repurposing wood pallets - not only can you help save them from a landfill ( as many businesses just throw them away) but you can usually find them for free. My hubby has become a pallet expert using them for all sorts of projects that we've dreamed up - we've made a plant house, compost bin, low walls/fencing, furniture, etc. You can paint them which looks nice but I prefer to let the wood age & weather. It's quite addictive, once you start you can't stop!
so this spring I had hubby help me build wood pallet raised veggie beds - these were super simple and will be easy to maintain. Since we moved here we have practiced a modified lasagna gardening approach which we swear by...it cuts down on weeds big time. Never tried this? It's super simple, we lay down thick sheets of newspaper, soak it really well with the garden hose and then topdress it with mulch and soak it again. Then you let it "mellow" for 2 weeks or so. Once its mellowed its super easy to dig into and begin planting. The idea is that the newspaper suppresses weeds and their seeds, yet breaks down and gives back to the soil. The worms contribute too - they just love it! Some folks swear by tilling but we've found that it only gives weed seeds a better chance and we aerate with a pitch fork prior to applying the paper.
we've experimented a lot with this technique
sometimes before mulching in spring we lay down some fresh paper around our plants in existing beds then mulch
we almost never rip out sod when starting a new bed - hubby scalps the sod with the mower, we cut a clean edge and then lay the newspaper right on top and mulch. The sod breaks down and feeds the soil and it saves a ton of digging and tilling time. its very effective for us
So back to our summer experiment...
These beds were suited to our lasagna gardening which was a big plus as well. Once we laid out all the beds, we proceeded in adding our layers of newspaper and then on top we added our own mix of quality soil until it was almost level with the top of the box. Will take more pictures to share as we make progress throughout the summer - my hope is that we will have a wonderful bounty of veggies. Oh and the weedy paths? we will use the same lasagna approach only modified further - we use cardboard instead of newspaper as it takes much longer to break down and then topdress it with either mulch, gravel, etc depending on the application.
sipping coffee, listening to our bird friends,
flipping dreamily through a magazine
or simply gazing out at the beautiful mountain view
and fertile fields that stretch off into the distance
sometimes I can't help myself and I stroll through our gardens in my pjs, coffee in hand, to admire nature's work
I thought I would share some glimpses from this morning...
it was difficult to get a good pic as it swayed in the breeze but our Trollius europaeus is in full bloom & is just gorgeous
Phlox subulata - so easy and such a charmer
Who can resist that face? Pansies always make me smile
it may be "common" for some folks but I just love my Centaura montana
one of my favorite shrubs we planted last year - I am a sucker for anything gold, orange or chartreuse in the garden and this beauty stole my heart with its foliage
sweet little Heuchera blooms gracefully nodding their heads
and here is my summer experiment...please do not pass judgment on the weedy unfinished paths - that is next on the project list :)
we are gaga over recycling and repurposing wood pallets - not only can you help save them from a landfill ( as many businesses just throw them away) but you can usually find them for free. My hubby has become a pallet expert using them for all sorts of projects that we've dreamed up - we've made a plant house, compost bin, low walls/fencing, furniture, etc. You can paint them which looks nice but I prefer to let the wood age & weather. It's quite addictive, once you start you can't stop!
so this spring I had hubby help me build wood pallet raised veggie beds - these were super simple and will be easy to maintain. Since we moved here we have practiced a modified lasagna gardening approach which we swear by...it cuts down on weeds big time. Never tried this? It's super simple, we lay down thick sheets of newspaper, soak it really well with the garden hose and then topdress it with mulch and soak it again. Then you let it "mellow" for 2 weeks or so. Once its mellowed its super easy to dig into and begin planting. The idea is that the newspaper suppresses weeds and their seeds, yet breaks down and gives back to the soil. The worms contribute too - they just love it! Some folks swear by tilling but we've found that it only gives weed seeds a better chance and we aerate with a pitch fork prior to applying the paper.
we've experimented a lot with this technique
sometimes before mulching in spring we lay down some fresh paper around our plants in existing beds then mulch
we almost never rip out sod when starting a new bed - hubby scalps the sod with the mower, we cut a clean edge and then lay the newspaper right on top and mulch. The sod breaks down and feeds the soil and it saves a ton of digging and tilling time. its very effective for us
So back to our summer experiment...
These beds were suited to our lasagna gardening which was a big plus as well. Once we laid out all the beds, we proceeded in adding our layers of newspaper and then on top we added our own mix of quality soil until it was almost level with the top of the box. Will take more pictures to share as we make progress throughout the summer - my hope is that we will have a wonderful bounty of veggies. Oh and the weedy paths? we will use the same lasagna approach only modified further - we use cardboard instead of newspaper as it takes much longer to break down and then topdress it with either mulch, gravel, etc depending on the application.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
retreat, relax, create
things are really heating up as we coordinate our unique art retreat
Art in the Rough - Art Retreat for Women, August 13-16, 2010
all sorts of exciting stuff in the works and we've had a slew of really excited attendees & we are psyched too!!
(pssst...if you are interested in attending I highly encourage you register soon as space is limited)
in case you have missed my previous posts here is some info to wet your whistle...
Robin Betterley's Class - "al-ter-a-tions"
Kecia Deveney's Class - "Snippets"
Taryn Reece's Class (hey, that's me! :) - "Dreamcage"
Robin Betterley's Class - "Footloose"
Kecia Deveney's Class - "Voices from the Heart"
Taryn Reece's Class (hey, that is also me! :) - "Let it All Hang Out"
Art in the Rough ~ Art Retreat for Women is an intimate gathering of like-minded souls, set in Maine. If you enjoy creating, celebrating simple pleasures, exploring new techniques and want a truly unique experience...join us for a fabulous weekend of funky art & friendship.
ART in the ROUGH - ART RETREAT FOR WOMEN
AUGUST 13-16, 2010
FOR MORE INFO - CLICK HERE
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy
If a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you
If the simple things of nature have a message that you understand
Rejoice, for your soul is alive.”
~Eleonora Duse
Art in the Rough - Art Retreat for Women, August 13-16, 2010
all sorts of exciting stuff in the works and we've had a slew of really excited attendees & we are psyched too!!
(pssst...if you are interested in attending I highly encourage you register soon as space is limited)
in case you have missed my previous posts here is some info to wet your whistle...
Robin Betterley's Class - "al-ter-a-tions"
Kecia Deveney's Class - "Snippets"
Taryn Reece's Class (hey, that's me! :) - "Dreamcage"
Robin Betterley's Class - "Footloose"
Kecia Deveney's Class - "Voices from the Heart"
Taryn Reece's Class (hey, that is also me! :) - "Let it All Hang Out"
Art in the Rough ~ Art Retreat for Women is an intimate gathering of like-minded souls, set in Maine. If you enjoy creating, celebrating simple pleasures, exploring new techniques and want a truly unique experience...join us for a fabulous weekend of funky art & friendship.
ART in the ROUGH - ART RETREAT FOR WOMEN
AUGUST 13-16, 2010
FOR MORE INFO - CLICK HERE
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy
If a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you
If the simple things of nature have a message that you understand
Rejoice, for your soul is alive.”
~Eleonora Duse
Saturday, May 8, 2010
another season
our antiques shoppe has opened for the season and its been so wonderful thus far...our dealers have been fabulous, we've grown and have a great mix of stuff
we meet so many interesting folks and we are surrounded by inspirational goodies - hubby runs the shoppe and does a great job & we have a lot of fun
love this old cutlery
adorable Faux Bois mugs
it may no longer work but this antique sewing machine is a great decorative touch
oddball signs are fun
this room is filled with items perfect for a lodge or cabin feel
I have such a fondness for metal picnic baskets
vintage music sheet booklets - such great names and images
americana corner
such a cheery display with touches of my fave color - yellow!
retro Maine linen
I adore the little red shelf and stacking luggage in this booth
this booth is chock-full of vintage linens and I LOVE the bassinet!
shabby, pretty little things
this chair makes a grand statement - the aged velvet is yummy!
wonderful tins, boxes, bottles fill this booth
goodies galore!
I am coveting the aqua plant stand and vintage paint by number...
and this zinc-lined planter and chippy garden statuary...
and this old milk chest and name plate...
its tough to resist buying it all up! :)
we meet so many interesting folks and we are surrounded by inspirational goodies - hubby runs the shoppe and does a great job & we have a lot of fun
love this old cutlery
adorable Faux Bois mugs
it may no longer work but this antique sewing machine is a great decorative touch
oddball signs are fun
this room is filled with items perfect for a lodge or cabin feel
I have such a fondness for metal picnic baskets
vintage music sheet booklets - such great names and images
americana corner
such a cheery display with touches of my fave color - yellow!
retro Maine linen
I adore the little red shelf and stacking luggage in this booth
this booth is chock-full of vintage linens and I LOVE the bassinet!
shabby, pretty little things
this chair makes a grand statement - the aged velvet is yummy!
wonderful tins, boxes, bottles fill this booth
goodies galore!
I am coveting the aqua plant stand and vintage paint by number...
and this zinc-lined planter and chippy garden statuary...
and this old milk chest and name plate...
its tough to resist buying it all up! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
