Propagation Station

 

...and the easiest way to get new plants yet! Clip a green stem 4 to 6 inches long. 

 

 Angle your cut slightly.

 

 Take the lower leaves off of the stem so that none will be under water. Then simply place in a glass or vase for a few weeks until you have roots, and plant it!

 

This is my propagation station. It's a sunny kitchen window that faces west, and I often experiment with new cuttings to see what will root. Here we have oregano and sage started, and the middle plant was given to me by a friend to root. It evidently attracts butterflies; we'll know soon enough since it's nearly ready to pot. You'll notice from the pit suspended in water by toothpicks on the lower shelf that I'm hoping for an avocado tree too. I'm not the best gardener (Sam makes me apologize in advance to the cilantro every time I buy it), but we'll see. Maybe I'll improve since I know you're watching.

Getting Back to my Roots

 

When I trimmed the bougainvillea HERE, Issy over at Swimming on Dry Land 

    asked about rooting it. Brilliant. I had to. More paper cups please!

 

You will need:

1. Paper seed cups with potting soil

2. Rooting hormone

3. Clippers

4. A cup of water

Clip a woody stemmed healthy branch about 8 inches long just below a leaf. Strip any leaves or twigs for about 3 to 4 inches.

 

Dip the stem in water, then rooting hormone to coat to just above where the stem will sit in the dirt. 

Poke it in the soil.

 

Yeah, that's it. Mist with water daily, and you have
FREE shrubs.

Recycled Seed Starters

 

Ready Made Magazine had this awesomely cool idea for sprouting seeds in their latest issue, and Eric

 over at My First Garage did this the same weekend I did, but he took his a step further. If you can't get a hold of a wine crate, definitely check out his tutorial on how to make perfectly sized wooden boxes.

To make 4 seed cups, you will need one full sized sheet of newspaper. Cut it in half horizontally, the cut each of those strips horizontally.

 

 Roll the newspaper around a small glass wit straight sides, keeping it cylindrical.

Tape the sides, then fold one end in to form a bottom and tape it shut. 

You now have a free seed cup! These take about 30 seconds to make. In fact, I spent more time convincing Savannah to fill them with dirt while Thom and I cranked them out. 

Wine crates are a huge favorite of mine for projects. They look good, they're sturdy, and most of the time they're free for the asking. Call your local wine merchants and ask. A shout out here to Crown Wine and 

Liquors for always having these on hand for me.

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I put an old plastic tray in the bottom, labeled each cup with a Sharpie, and then put my little seeds to bed. 

 

Leftover seeds went into snack sized ziplock bags to stay dry in this tropical humidity.

The cool thing is, those little cups can go directly into the soil when my seedlings are big enough to transplant. No waste whatsoever. No additional purchases. FREE.

I am, however, out of tape.

Getting Growing

 

We hit the garden center for a quick $17 worth of seeds. And people, that's all it's going to cost us to get this garden going. How is this possible? 

Show up tomorrow and you'll see.

Inspiration Point: Crate and Barrel

My husband.

 I love him.

Truly, with all of my heart. A romantic, epic love for the ages. A bodice ripper novel in the making. He makes my knees weak, makes me giggle like a girl, talks me into things no sane woman would do.

Like going to Crate and Barrel to buy a food processor.

My 25 year old La Machine was not good enough, evidently, and he had a gift card burning a hole in his jeans, so off we went to replace my offending appliance with "Oooooo, SHINY!"

 

Bad photo, sorry, but I'm a very cute reflection.

  

I fell in love with this. Tell me that key lime green isn't me! And since I have a huge tiny problem with coffee, it may have been worth it...

 

...to someone with a whole lot more expansive checkbook. This has to go on clearance sometime.

...

 I loved the bright vibe of this display. Oh yes, I am in fiesta mode.

Can this be my patio? I'll have to work on that.

Savannah and I actually both stopped and drooled over this display of tealight holders. The colors just burst. But we both saw the same thing: a line of these going down a yellow runner, filled with water, and each holding a single blossom snipped just beneath the head. 

k

This will be mine. Oh, it will. But I promise, the price tag will be VERY different.

The Cuisinart? They're having some alone time at the moment. Yes, he got it. And tomorrow, that man owes me some blog time.

She Came and Removed the Bathroom Window...

Destruction! And camera-shy Teen Minions. No flash photography please.

 

Peter was kind enough to give me a tutorial in how to yank windows out of their surprisingly makeshift housings. We actually had some fun once they were out when we found the original lead pulleys and hardware were left in the walls.

 

It felt like an archaeological dig at some points. This window is getting replaced by a french door.

 

One last shot of Thom looking a little post-apocalyptic in his gear. Honestly, I'm wondering if he's going to design a demolition game in the future. Can I get Kelly at Tearing Up Houses to consult...?

Your Life is on Hold? Mine is in Storage

 

I've mentioned the 20x8 foot POD that's been destroying 160 square feet of grass for 4 months, right? 

Welcome to where everything we seem to need is.

 

And no matter what is right HERE in plain sight, if we need it, it's BACK THERE.

 

Please, no running. We mean it.

 

If you're going in there, I strongly recommend buttering yourself first.

It's a Hodgepodge Life

One more awesome site, if you aren't double booked completely like I am!

Fingerprints on the Fridge

NOW do you have ideas for the weekend?

The Shabby Nest

Pop over to Wendy's blog. She does a Frugal Friday link party that will have you digging through your craft cabinet for supplies.

There's Always Room for Inspiration

 

Go see what Chelsea has going on on her blog! You'll love her adorable ideas.

We Apologize...

We apologize, but the light at the end of the tunnel...

  

...appears to be nothing more than a missing door knob.

 

Sorry for the inconvenience. And Happy April Fool's Day.