Monthly Archives: April 2012

Creating a Roof Top Garden

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I had to take a break from the yard work. Our yard is still in such a sorry state, it seems defeating to work so hard only to gain minimal results. I know I must have patience, but for now I thought I’d work on something I knew I’d be able to enjoy after a few hours of work. I’m sort of an immediate gratification sorta girl.

This is our roof top patio. I really love it. There’s a nice view and I imagine us having many relaxing nights dinning al fresco on warm summer evenings.  But as it looks now, it’s not the place you’d want to eat a bologna sandwich, much less enjoy a good meal.

Fortunately, I had everything I needed to create an inviting space here, with the exception of greenery and shade. But that only required a quick run to the garden center. It was just a mater of getting motivated to DO SOMETHING. Well, really I’ve had the motivation, but other projects have been taking  up most my time.

Though the view is enough of a focal point (minus the lovely power line…) I wanted to create a focal point on the brick exterior fire-place wall.  A nice place for the eyes to focus for anyone sitting with their back towards the view. Who wants to stare at a boring brick wall? So I came up with this:

 I fixed a string of lights to the backs of these screens and this became my inspiration for the space. I can’t wait for the plants to fill out, especially the Calla Lilly.

Here are a couple more photos of our new rooftop garden:

   

I’m quite happy with it, though I’m sure over time I will add a few more plants and possibly more seating,  I love it and I’m looking forward to having my coffee out here in the mornings, dinning in the evenings and just relaxing.

Well, that was my project for the week, not sure what I have planned for this week – maybe I’ll just be relaxing on my rooftop garden - IF the weather cooperates.

Digging in the Dirt (part 1)

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Spring is in the air. Or it was for a couple of days. We had a beautiful weekend which revived my senses and left me with a longing to be in the great outdoors. The great outdoors being our yard.

Attack of the blackberry bush

Here is a partial shot of what our yard looked like when we moved in. UGLY. Not exactly the kind of place conducive to relaxation.  But there is huge potential here. Obviously, the blackberry bushes had to go. I had mixed feelings about this. I feel anything that produces something as good and delicious as a blackberry should be allowed to live. All it would take is a little pruning and TLC to make them look pretty again right? Well, most people would say no. It seems to be the general opinion in these parts that the black berry bushes had to go. So out they came. However with one stipulation, my husband is not allowed to buy, or for that matter, eat another black berry again.

Then there were these randomly placed trees. I think maybe the previous owners just wanted to plant a forest in the yard. I really couldn’t make much sense of their placement. So of course out they came. Don’t worry, I put my foot down about tossing these little guys into the jaws of the evil chipper. 

The yard was very uneven which caused water to pool, creating a muddy swamp like mess. It seemed the only solution was to dig it up and start over. Of Course!!! So out came the grass.

It only took a few days to get the yard leveled and the trees moved. The grass is now coming in very slowly.

Here is the progress so far: We transplanted the trees along the fence line. They make for a much nicer barrier than those ugly blackberry bushes.

    

Yes, I realize the trees were just a bit crooked (ok – more than a bit) – I’ll try to get to those today. But I’m happier with their placement here rather than how they were randomly scattered around the yard. The white picket fence will come down soon – hopefully within the week and will be replaced with a taller privacy fence.

Still to do:
1. build a fence
2. build a retaining wall
3. pretty it all up a bit – ummmm A LOT!

So, I know what I’m doing on my summer vacation ( and right now it feels like for the rest of my life). What about you?

Really, what better way to spend a nice day than digging in the dirt? Although I’m not sure Peter Gabriel meant it so literally.

Quick Butterfly Art

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For the guest bedroom makeover (wich I am very much behind schedule on) I wanted to create a calming piece of art work that would work with the decor of the room, but would also be easy enough for me to produce in just a couple of hours.

The color scheme is black and white. The walls are aqua blue, which I am pretty tired of now, but being in a time crunch, they will have to stay that way for a while ( a very long while). I wanted to create a black and white piece of work for the space above the bed. Of course, I had some great ideas, all of them complex and time-consuming.

I found an image of a black and white butterfly which I though would be perfect, because it is a soothing image and subtle enough not to compete with the pattern on the bedding.

B/W butterfly

It took about 3 hours for me to do this, which might not be your idea of quick, but it took a while to get the wings just the right shade of silver.

Wouldn’t you know, I didn’t have the right sized canvas, but I did have an old Ikea Lack TV table sitting in the garage, the top was a perfect size, so I dismantled the table and used the top for my canvas.

When creating something as symmetrical as a butterfly it helps to draw the image out on a piece of paper. Just make sure the size of your drawing is the size of the image you want to paint. When you have one half of the drawing done just right, simply fold the paper in half and cut the image out (Just like the heart shapes from back in kindergarten), then you have a symmetrical image to use as a stencil on your canvas. Very easy.

So this weeks project was just a simple painting. I also managed to hang curtains. There is still a bit more do, but I’m almost done. Hopefully I’ll  have big reveal photos next week.

I should also mention I really, really wanted to paint a wall in this room black. I still want to but I’m very nervous about taking that step. I love color and have used bold colors on walls, but something about using black scares me a little. let me know if you have actually taken the bold move to paint a wall black, I’d love to hear about it and see pictures too.

Cheers!

Drab Dresser Redo

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plain old white

plain old white

This dresser is from the stone age. It weighs about 1 ton and is indestructible. In its original state it was even uglier than this. It’s solid wood with a veneer top. I painted it black once. My son had it in his room for a few years and decorated it with stickers. Eventually it ended up in the state it’s in now. However, it is sturdy with very few chips and dings – not sure where it was made, but they definitely don’t make’m like this anymore.

It’s in what will soon be the guest bedroom. We’re going to have an out-of-town guest next month, so I have been very motivated to get this room in proper order as soon as possible. I thought I’d start with the dresser.

When I redid the dresser for my daughter she didn’t have a care as to how it looked, she just wanted it white. I had envisioned something with a little more “wow” to it. I’ve been highly unmotivated lately, but I need to get this done. I wanted to get the greatest wow with the least effort.

The white paint job from a few months ago is still good, I decided all this dresser needed was new pulls and perhaps a simple design. I opted for decals rather than hand painting. I just don’t have the time or patience for that this week.

First, I applied the decals. Easy enough.

I then removed the old handles and used wire and beads to make these drawer pulls. This required a quick trip to the craft store (they happened to be  having a sale on beads!). I spent about $18.00 on beads. I bought more than enough because I really had no idea what I wanted to do. I ended up with this simple staggered pattern.

I sorted the beads for each pull into little bowls to make for quicker assembly time. I used the screw driver to hold the wire taught while I applied beads.

Then I  twisted the two remaining ends together inside the drawer.

I will be applying a liner in the drawers to cover up this wire. Maybe a bright yellow felt liner would be a nice surprise.

Well that is this weeks project. I was a little unsure of using wire to make drawer pulls I thought over time the wire would become stretched out, but it is surprisingly strong and sturdy. I used wire from a hard ware store not jewelry wire. Also, this is in a guest bedroom and the dresser will not get a lot of daily use. I’m not sure I would do this on a dresser likely to under go a lot of daily wear and tear. I am happy with the result though:

Have a great week.