garden trellis

A few weeks ago I mentioned, in my column for The Leaf Chronicle, the fact that I had assembled a pyramid-shaped garden trellis using some inexpensive, pre-made trellises.

Here’s how you can make one, too.

You will need:

Three rose trellises

one 8” terra cotta pot

plastic tie straps

shovel

a good friend, flown in from Norway and her adorable daughter

vine seeds and water

First, ask your friend to hold the first two trellises in position, while she is also attempting to explain to her 3 1/2 year old why she must wait to attach the plastic tie straps.

Quickly mark position for the points of contact  for each of the trellises in order to “plant” the ends in the ground.  This will give the structure additional stability when it “runs into” your 90 lb dog.

 

Once you are sure you’ve got the three pieces positioned correctly (check to ensure it relatively level—I used a brick to level this one), then pack the dirt around the points of contact.

You can then turn the three-year-old loose with the strip ties.

I also used basic “L” shaped stakes to add a little more stability.

Plant seeds and enlist the help of someone interested in topping-off your efforts with a little water.

Add an inverted flower pot to the peak of the pyramid.

I have a finial for the top, but wanted to make sure the contraption would withstand the typical elements of the area before I topped it.  (I think the storms tonight will give me the opportunity to find my answer.)

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for your indulgence,

fall porch

No way!  Are you kidding me?!?  It’s already the weekend before the first weekend in November???

Well, that can mean only one thing . . . it’s time to pull-out the Christmas decorations at the shop.  argh!

Please don’t hold it against me.  We’ve got to play by some of the rules set-up by the big guys.  heck, if you gauge me by most of the “big boxers” you will find me lacking.  I’m sorry.  I am doing my best.

So, today it began and I am amazed at how much we were able to get done.

Around the house we are enjoying the warm glow of the fireplaces, but falling behind on the current holiday season, let alone the future ones. 

I finally got the front porch situated, sort of.  I hung a tobacco basket instead of my fall wreath.  I found several at the flea market a few months ago.  The really cool thing is that they were all marked with  Clarksville, TN.   I was already fascinated with the barns all over Tennessee.

I moved the wicker chairs we once used in the kitchen to the porch.  I tried wrapping the legs with sisal rope (the wicker wrapping has come undone); it probably would have worked if I started the process a little differently, but for now, they could stand a little more attention.

 

A few weeks ago, I participated in a wonderful barn sale hosted by Shirley and Knox Thomas.  When I went out to see the barn—prior to the event—I noticed stacks and stacks of tobacco sticks.  (These are the sticks the tobacco is hung from while curing in the smoking barns.)  Shortly after returning to my shop, I messaged Shirley to ask if I could buy a bundle of the sticks from them.  She happily obliged and even delivered them to me!  I’ve decided to display a bunch of them (7) in the rusty milk can on the porch.

 

Note the planter above.  This was an idea Patty found on Pinterest.  We used a vintage floor lamp and a wire hanging basket with a coco liner.  The Pinterest pic had the planter filled with succulents—it was lovely.  Mine is filled with ornamental cabbages and mums.

 

I need to find a better color for the wicker chairs.  I had painted them a greyish-taupe when they were destined for the kitchen.

 

 

Those tall flowers blocking the view of the porch were a mistake, but I cannot get rid of them.  I think if I took the time to cut them back before they develop those white blooms (which blow around like dandelion seed), I think we’d have far fewer, but . . .

 

The others, the peach colored asters at the front should be named Clarksville official flower.  There are actually more of them than the tall white-flowered things (can’t remember their names) in our yard—on Dog Hill—all over Clarksville, for that matter!  They are prolific.

My yard has more color in the fall than the spring.  Is yours like that?  I’d love to hear from you.  Thanks for sticking with me—especially while I’ve been a sporadic blogger.

Thanks for your indulgence,

barn sale EXCITEMENT!

Okay . . . yesterday I visited the location for The HayLoft at Port Royal—it’s a barn sale that will take place Oct 19 & 20th—and to say I was blown away would be an understatement! The host, Shirley Thomas, had a vision; with the help of her husband, Knox, and friends, Bubba (introduced as “like a son”) and Dave, she has brought that vision into reality.
Shirley has been a long time customer and, as I tend to do with my customers, we have becomes friends. Often she will stop by Hodgepodge just to kick-around an idea for decorating, but about six months ago she brought the idea of a barn sale with her. We talked about it for quite a while. I told her I had been hoping to have something like that take place here in Clarksville for years. I have been invited to participate in numerous barn sales in the past few years, but I am often stymied by the issue of distance. (I just can’t be away from the shop—with inventory—for very long.)
Anyhoo, long story, longer . . . Shirley and crew have been working like animals to get their former milking barn ready for the big event. So I went out to see it yesterday.
On my way to find it, I was happy to notice a few barns were being utilized for smoking tobacco. I am fascinated by this practice, which is rather ironic, as I really abhor the use of tobacco products, but we all have our vices, don’t we? (As I live in a glass house, I will leave it at that!)
Back to smoking (as in, “curing”) tobacco . . . the scent is a herald of the season for many folks living in the south. Imagine my thrill when I pulled-up to The HayLoft location and saw those wistful plumes of smoke billowing out of the eaves!
Shirley was gracious enough to stop her hard work and take me on a tour of the place.

We started here—Shirley refers to it as “downstairs;” she was originally going to to just offer spaces on the main floor and had spent most of her time preparing that space, but the interest in this event has grown to the degree that she needed more space!

 Those are tobacco sticks she has used to fashion a wall to delineate spaces for the vendors. Love it!

Here is the main floor. It is vast and wonderful. I love the chandeliers—a barn isn’t a barn without chandeliers! Be sure to take a look-see at those lights around the perimeter of the Hayloft—they’re fashioned from Mason Jars, ingenious!

Tobacco sticks—I’m obsessed.

Here is a view of the chandeliers Shirley has constructed. She plans to add burlap slipcovers to those shiny new chains—a woman after my own heart!

A view of The Hayloft—food services will be available there in the room with the windows (she has thought of and provided for everything).

The smoking barn . . . major l-o-v-e!

As I was leaving, I turned around for one last shot—this is going to be so much fun!!!

Our booth will be located on the upper level, right next to Elizabeth Vaughn, of Artistic Works by Lu. I will have a full stock of Chalk Paint™, a few creative items, as well as some painted furniture samples; I will also be doing some demonstrations with Chalk Paint™. My sister, Kendall Welsh, will share the space with me. She will bring along some of her signature window designs and picture frames, as well as other items.
At last check she had more than 30 creative vendors beating down her door to participate! There will be handmade items, one-of-a-kind creations and antiques for the home and for yourself. You will not be disappointed!
I provided a link to her blog at the beginning of this post, but here’s her facebook page, too. (it’s her personal page, where she seems to be doing most of the posting about the event.)
One more item to note, there will be a special preview event on Thursday, the 18th from 4 – 7 pm. The cost is $10, which will cover your entrance to the event, food and music! (I say come early!)
Hope to see you at The HayLoft!
Thanks for your indulgence,

a romantic notion to do some baking . . .

About two weeks ago a few new books arrived at Hodgepodge, the one I was looking forward to the most . . . The Romantic Prairie Cookbook.  I immediately dropped my copy into my basket, fully intending to read through it that night.

Well, the reality is I am still reading through it, but I really like what I see so far.  The premise of this collection of recipes is a reflection of the prairie way of life.  Author, Fifi O’Neill has compiled recipes from the kitchens of those who value environmental harmony, as well as their family heritage. 

I don’t have my own garden, nor am I as dedicated to organic gardening as I should be, but this book—it’s delightful content of recipes, stories and photos—is sure to motivate me to do better. 

Often I wait for a special occasion to try new recipes.  Yesterday, I decided a Labor Day was enough of an occasion and I wanted to make something from The Romantic Prairie Cookbook.  I then commenced to cajoling my eldest daughter into spending time with me on my day off.  She agreed and came over to help me in the kitchen.

The recipe we chose was blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake.  It was very easy to make—the instructions were clear, the ingredients uncomplicated and readily available.  We decided to make half-a-dozen of the mini bundt cakes and we poured the remainder into a loaf pan.

When all was said and done, we learned that is is easy to overfill those mini bundt cakes and fresh blueberries make a better presentation than frozen, but the cakes were tasty and I will make them again.

There are more than 100 recipes packed into this beautiful book and I look forward to preparing many of the recipes I’ve already marked to try.  I will try to remember to let you know about my favorites.

One thing is for certain, this book will always have a place in my cookbook collection, just as Romantic Prairie Style has become one of my go-to books for home décor inspiration.

thanks for your indulgence,

a mossy recreation

Yesterday, I posted about a new “room” at Hodgepodge.  Part of the décor we added is this cool new chandelier:

And I promised a little more information about so here we go . . .

It all started when Patty came across a picture of a display in one of our numerous magazines.  (We were trying to remember where we had seen it, but couldn’t come-up with anything definitive—it was about a year ago that she found it.)  She showed me the idea and I swear I went looking for a candidate chandelier that very day!

I found the vintage fixture pictured below that very day, but didn’t create the moss covered beauty you see above until yesterday!

Here’s how I started:

1.  First, I fired-up the glue gun.  While that was warming, I started tearing sheet moss into strips.

2.  Then I started gluing—carefully!  The moss isn’t much of a heat barrier between the hot glue and your fingers.

3.  I decided not to do the inside of the fixture—it would have lost some of it’s definition.  I did do the ceiling cap, though.

4.  The finished mossy chandelier!

5.  Here you can see a shot of the ceiling cap—the finishing touch it needed!

I have not tried to light the fixture—the wiring appears fine.  I feel some very low wattage bulbs might be fine, but I would have to hook a wired extension to it.  For now, we’re enjoying it as is.  I just love the earthy presence it offers hanging there.  I may add a burlap sleeve over the chain, but again, I was in a hurry to get it hung so I could share it with you.

Below, is one more addition to the room we redesigned yesterday.  I found this vintage Woodpecker print by Basil Ede at a flea market sometime ago.  It is difficult for me to pass-up bird prints, but this is a large one and I love it.  It is clear, with no stains or other damage.  I had my picture framer daughter clean it and cut new mats, but we reinstalled it in it’s original frame.  I am thrilled with it.  I’ve propped it inside the opening of the mantel.

I hope you enjoyed this post.  Please leave any comments or suggestions you may have about lighting my chandelier.

Thanks for your indulgence!

I’m linking to Vintage Inspired Friday at Common Ground.  Please go visit!

A Summer Mantel and Table

At Hodgepodge, we pride ourselves on frequently changing our displays and vignettes.  The other day, I decided it was time to change the middle room.  My inspiration—a cool Mediterranean tablecloth and some new cobalt blue hurricanes.

So let’s get started with the mantel.

Phase 1:

Somewhere to start . . .

Phase 2:

The addition of a garden element and the cobalt hurricanes

Phase 3:

More garden elements (the urn, Spanish moss and a bird’s nest).  I moved the large hurricane onto the single book to raise the height compared to the smaller hurricane.

Phase 4:

Addition of the bolster—moved the nest.  Added candles to the hurricanes.

Phase 5:

Final touches—the doily under the short hurricane.  Then a few more items in the statue urn—saracina lilies and some raffia for a casual addition to the nest.

The rest of the vignette was updated with the new tablecloth and setting.

I think this turned-out beautifully!  It is a table I’d be proud to present to my guests.  I’d love to hear your thoughts . . .

but wait, that’s not all!

My favorite addition to this vignette:

 

Check back for more on this lovely moss covered light fixture!

Thanks for your indulgence!