Tag Archives: spring project

Chicken Feeder Planters

Thinking Outside the Pot ::: Ideas for Creative Planters Recap

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I hope all of you wonderful mothers had a fabulous day yesterday!  It was beautiful here and I had a great day with my family. We spent most of the day outside in the garden…..one of my favorite places to be.

Last Tuesday I shared with you guys that I did a show/webinar for HomeTalk with three other lovely ladies about using unique items as planters. It was called “Think Outside the Pot – Creative Planter Ideas”. We had so much fun….and if you missed it, you can go here and view it anytime you wish.

Here at our cottage our philosophy is ‘if it will hold dirt…it can be a planter’! We use all kinds of things to plant flowers, herbs, etc.  In fact…..for this upcoming weekend’s graduation party for No. 1 Son I planted some of his favorite plants in his very first pair of rain boots. They are so fun…and teeny! {I’ll share more about that later……}

I thought I would share some of the fun ideas that were a part of the show…..there were many more, so be sure to check out the show form even more ideas.

Kelly at Eclectically Vintage shared her wonderful Dresser Planter. I just love this…this speaks my garden language…….it’s even my favorite French blue.

Dresser Planter

Jane at Cottage at the Crossroads shared her fun Topsy Turvy Planter How-To. She did a great tutorial of how to put this together!

Topsy Turvy Planter

Tammy at Deja Vue Designs shared her Tricycle Planter…this was her husband’s tricycle when he was little….isn’t that neat?

Tricycle Planter

A few of things that I shared were the Chicken Feeder Planters…..

Chicken Feeder Planters

Wheelbarrow Gardens…..

Wheelbarrow Gardens

Milk Crate Herb Garden……

Milk Crate Herb Garden

and there were many more fun ideas that we shared.  Be sure to head on over to these great blogs and find out the how-to’s…..they have wonderful gardening ideas! Love ‘em!

I hope your week is off to a wonderful start….we’re having fun here getting ready for a big weekend! Can’t wait!

Blessings~

daune

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HomeTalk Show

Think Outside the Pot – Creative Planter Ideas

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I want to invite you guys to some fun! I have the honor of joining three other lovely ladies to host a special show for HomeTalk……and I want you guys to join us! I’ll be joining Kelly of Eclectically Vintage, Jane of Cottage at the Crossroads, and Tammy of Deja Vue Designs.

We are going to be sharing some fun ideas on using unconventional items as planters….we’ll show you how to ‘Think Outside the Pot’!  Check out Kelly’s HomeTalk board here to see some of the great ideas.

Unique Planter Ideas

AND…..after you RSVP you can enter to win a great set of 6 blue Ball jars! Woohoo!

Be sure to click the the graphic below to RSVP and enter the giveaway…..

The show is Tuesday, May 7 at 2:00 EST…..and should be about 30 minutes!

HomeTalk Show

 Hope to see you guys there!

Happy Weekend~

daune

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Chicken Feeder Planters

Chicken Feeder Planters {Unique Flower Pots}

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Instead of only using conventional flower pots for our plantings each year, we like to use unique vessels as plant pots.  These are two of my favorite this year….our Chicken Feeder Planters.

You can use just about anything to plant in…..just think outside the norm.  If it doesn’t have holes in the bottom, be sure to either drill holes or put a layer of pebbles in the bottom of the container you’ve chosen.  You don’t want your plants or flowers to get waterlogged.

These two chicken feeders came from the lovely family from this wonderful place. For many years they were in the hen house on this beautiful farm and helped to feed and water their chickens. They were perfect for a fun planter!

I love succulents….so, I decided to fill both of them up with succulents this year.  Succulents like shallow soil, and can thrive in hot, dry climates.  They are super easy to care for….BUT, you need to shop around, because they can be very expensive.  Here in our area you can find them from 99 cents each to $7.50 each.  Same size and condition. {Guess which ones we went with? Yep….the 99 cent ones.}  So, if you decide to fill a planter with succulents, just be sure to shop around.  Garden centers usually have the best prices….over specialty stores, etc.

Here’s a look at our fun Chicken Feeder Planters……..

You can plant succulents in soil or sand.

Chicken Feeder Plant Pots Chicken Feeder Plant Pots

You’ll want to really pack them in and not have a lot of space left..they make a better impact that way.

Chicken Feeder Planters Chicken Feeder Planters Chicken Feeder Planters Chicken Feeder Flower Pots Chicken Feeder Flower Pots Chicken Feeder Plant Pots Chicken Feeder Plant Pots

Here’s the larger chicken feeder…..

Chicken Feeder Flower Pots

I like to use many different kinds of succulents planted all together; but it would also be fun to fill a container with all the same kind.

Chicken Feeder Flower Pots Chicken Feeder Flower Pots Chicken Feeder Plant Pots Chicken Feeder Planters

What are some fun planters you have used?

Check out some of our other unique planters:

Milk Crate Herb Garden

Chicken Feeder Salad Garden

I hope your weekend is full of fun and magical moments!

daune

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May Day Basket

May Day Baskets…..

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May Day is right around the corner….and we have always enjoyed making May Day Baskets / Posies / Bouquets and leaving them as a surprise for people.

The original way to leave a May Day basket is to hang it on someone’s door, ring the doorbell or knock, and then run away. But, we like to do it a little differently. May Day is always May 1st….so, late at night on April 30th we go around and deliver our May Day Baskets. We hang them on people’s doors….so they will be there when they wake up and greet them first thing in the morning.

May Day Basket

Handsome & I did this even before we had kids….and we have used all kinds of containers, flowers, etc.  This year we are using the little mini Ben & Jerry’s ice cream containers and filling them with fun, spring flowers.

In the past we’ve used:  paper cones, small glass vases, jars, small clay pots…..whatever you use it’s important that you either have twine, ribbon, wire, etc. around it so you can hang it on the doorknob/fencepost……

May Day Basket

We’ve put together little flower bouquets, planted moonflower or morning glory seeds and left the little seedlings….any fun plant/flower works great.

May Day Basket

We always have a fun adventure leaving May Day Baskets/Bouquets…..we set off motion lights, we’ve been chased by dogs, and had to hide in bushes because people heard a clink on the door and started looking out the windows. So far we haven’t been arrested. Or shot. Whew!

Have you ever left May Day Baskets?

Happy Spring~

daune

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Front Porch Ideas

Spring Front Porch……

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We were gifted with several huge hydrangeas last night….and stayed out in the garden until really late getting them planted and watered.  {Can you have enough hydrangeas? I say, “No way!”.}

Can you believe that Cottage in the Oaks will be 2 years old this weekend? Thanks for being a  part of that……I love you guys!  To celebrate we are having a HUGE giveaway…starting tomorrow.  {$750 worth of fun stuff!} So, get ready! Be here tomorrow ready to comment and enter!

I probably should have named this post ‘Why We Have Dead Ivy on the Porch’. It has become a spring tradition…and I’ll explain why in a second.

We spend so much time out on our front porch…and like to change it up each season.

Spring Front Porch

Front Porch Decorating

Pansies are just so fun and happy….we also like to add them to our salads. We keep little vases of them all through the house in spring.  Pansies here in Eastern NC only last until late April/early May. Once the heat arrives…they are outta here!

Front Porch Ideas

Pussywillow branches were perfect for the English market basket.

Front Porch Decorating

Usually by the spring…the firewood is all cleaned up. But, this year, it has been nippy at night and we have still been having fires. So we left a bit by the door for convenience. {It will be gone soon, though….the 80 degree weather has already arrived this week!}

I love vintage olive buckets.  I try to pick them up anytime I see them. We used this one to hold a gardenia.

Spring Front Porch - Olive Bucket

Around the front entrance grows a lovely Lady Banks Rose.  It is just beginning to bud and bloom. In a week or so it will be gorgeous…covered in yellow blossoms.

Lady Banks Rose Lady Banks Rose Blossom Front Porch Ideas

We call this part of the porch “The Therapy Room”. We spend as much time here as possible. Just this past weekend we added curtains to the sides of our front porch. We’ve always wanted to do that…and we are so glad we did! When the sun shines straight through the side we can pull the curtains and still have it be light and bright….but no one has the sun in their eyes.

Front Porch Ideas Spring Front Porch

We have some finches that really like the Lady Banks Rose, too…they’ve built a beautiful nest in it.

Front Porch Bird's Nest

And here’s the reason we have dead ivy…..3 little wren eggs. Each pot of ivy has a nest with eggs, and I can’t water it or it will drown the nest. So, each spring the ivy dies…and we don’t replace it until the birds have flown the nest.  I guess our spring front porch will always have dead ivy.

Wren's Nest

Do you have a front porch?  Now that I’ve had this huge one for so many years….I don’t think I could live in a home without one! What about you?

{Don’t forget the big giveaway tomorrow!}

Blessings~

daune

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Salad Garden in a Chicken Feeder

Spring Gardening…..

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It is absolutely gorgeous here in Eastern NC right now. Spring has finally arrived, and we have been having fun gardening over the past several days.

I thought I would put several fun gardening ideas together in one post….from our archives here at Oak Cottage. These have been some of the most popular….

The Invasion of Beauty…some things I learned while gardening last spring.

Invasion of Beauty

Bottle Garden Edging….we’ve almost got the whole backyard done!

Bottle Garden Edging

Wheelbarrow Gardens…..

Wheelbarrow Gardens

Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds….we love having these special visitors in our garden.

Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to Your Garden

Milk Crate Herb Garden…you guys know how I like to repurpose stuff and use it in special ways!

Milk Crate Herb Garden

Usual Unusual….ditto, again. I like to take usual stuff and use it in unusual ways….

Garden Tool Trellises

Starting Seeds…..

How To Plant Seeds

Salad Garden in a Chicken Feeder………I love chicken feeders. All kinds. I was just given a round one from this wonderful place, and I can’t wait to plant something special in it and hang it in the trees. =)

Salad Garden in a Chicken Feeder

What have you been doing in your garden lately?

Blessings~

daune

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Easter Mantel_Spring Mantel

Spring Mantel {Easter Mantel}

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Can you believe that Easter is almost here!? It is so early this year!

I thought I would share the Easter mantel we put together this past weekend.

These fun, little ceramic bunnies were a gift a couple of years ago…and I had almost forgotten that I had them.  They stand for the 5 of us……

Easter Mantel_Spring Mantel Easter Mantel_Spring Mantel

I have had these little brown broken eggs on nests for many, many years. Each year we do something different with them.

Easter Mantel_Spring Mantel Easter Mantel_Spring Mantel Easter Mantel_Spring Mantel

I found the vintage European offering collection basket several years ago at a flea market….

Easter Mantel_Spring Mantel

What are you up to? Any fun, spring stuff going on at your home?

I’m itching to start planting in the garden…but still have a few weeks before we can do that.

Trying to be patient~

daune

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Fun Easter Projects and Traditions…..

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Easter is soooo early this year!

I’m not quite ready to think about it….but I better get with it.

Here are some of the fun projects we enjoy doing at Easter….you can click on the title of each to be taken to the post with the how-to’s, etc.

Just this weekend I gave these to a lovely group of teen girls that spent the weekend with us…..here’s the how-to….

Vintage German Easter Egg Treats

basket of vintage easter eggs 2

This is our favorite way to dye eggs…..I just love the colors:

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

naturally dyed eggs on silver tray

Ever know the stories behind Easter Traditions?

I shared some in this post:

Easter Traditions

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We had fun making these last year, too….

Vintage Sheet Music Eggs

Vintage Sheet Music Eggs main

Here’s the recipe for

Easter Story Cookies

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Have you started looking for the

Pine Tree Crosses

pine_crosses.jpg

I shared about our

Easter Egg Tree …… and how you can make your own….

easter egg tree

And we love the yearly tradition of doing a

Passion Tree

passion tree 2011

Well…those are some of our fun yearly traditions that we enjoy…..do you have any special Easter traditions? I’d love to hear about them!

Blessings~

IMG_0001

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Wheelbarrow Gardens!

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Have fun with this super simple yard art!  These are very whimsical and can be moved around the yard throughout the year and filled with whatever is in season.  So fun!

QUICK DIRECTIONS:

you will need:

old or new wheelbarrow/s

spray paint in colors desired–make sure the paint is labeled for exterior

potted plants and trees from the nursery

pine straw or hay

how to do it:

1.  Tape up the rubber of the wheels with painters tape/frog tape

2. Spray paint to your hearts content everything else on the wheelbarrow—for a shortcut you don’t have to spray the inside since it will be completely covered up and unseen. For an opaque look like the ones above you will need to do 2-3 coats.  For a shabby look 1-2 coats would be fine.

3. Fill with small potted trees and plants

4.  Cover surface with pine straw or hay

By using potted trees and plants you can easily swap them out with the seasons.  I have one wheelbarrow in our garden that I did fill with potting soil and permanently plant with perennials, etc.  But if you use potted ones you have the fun option of moving them around the yard in different places and changing what is inside them with the seasons.  These get lots of comments—and create fun whimsy in your yard.

In a spray paint cloud~

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The Invasion of Beauty

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We took some time to do some grunt work a couple of weekends ago—in between cookouts and spring concerts.  We had been putting it off for a while—it was time to tackle “The Monsters By the Road”.

For years the lovely razzleberry bushes by the road were perfect—then they must have started taking steroids!  No matter how much we trimmed, they were HUGE.  It wasn’t a fun job—we had all kinds of other fun, nesting, decorating, planting to do—-we just kept ignoring those behemoths in front of our house.

Amazing what we can allow in our comfort zone………

Handsome chainsawed, trimmed, cut up—and they were finally gone! The chopped up monsters lay by the road for the yard garbage pickup.

Now, time to plant something lovely to replace them.  We were ready to move on.  Get to the fun part. Cover up the ugly. New plants awaited!

But wait, what is THAT?  That huge trunk/stump?  Do you think we could just leave it?  Just cover it up with dirt and plant beauty above it?  Let’s do it!

“You know if we do that—it will sprout hundreds of branches from this one trunk?” Handsome reminded.  Ugh! The behemoths will return with a vengeance. *grunt* *complain*

Out came the axe.  Whacking, sweating, chopping, heaving——does it really have to be so hard?  Is it worth it?

Through this yard project I really started thinking about the state of my heart.  There are things that I’ve become comfortable with that need to be cut down—behemoths that I have learned to ignore, even found comfort.  Am I willing to allow God to chainsaw them?

And then—horror upon horror—will I allow the stumps to be removed?  Or, you know, hundreds of sprouts will appear in no time to take its place.  Couldn’t we just skip that part? Is it worth it?  The pain. The work. The surrender.  Couldn’t I just cover them up with something pretty?  A good deed? A new commitment? A new good habit?

No, the sprouts know their way around all those things.

Just as I want our cottage garden to bless those that see it, walk through it, sit in it—I have to be willing to get out the axe, clippers, sometimes the chainsaw to remove those things that invade the beauty.  If I want to be used and live into my purpose—those things that invade the beauty will need to be removed.  Sap will flow. It can get messy.  But what waits on the other side—well, it’s more than worth it.

We got the monsters and stumps out of the garden—and under them we found these neat treasures–God’s fingerprints…..

Cardinal eggs that had been abandoned–new life waiting to emerge….

A yellow slider turtle–happy to have some sunshine and come out of the dark…….

And after all the work was done and the new BEAUTYberry {:)} bushes and perennials were planted—we retreated here….to the Therapy Room

and our daughter made some shabby chic bandaids for our blisters.

What’s the state of your heart today? Is there anything invading the beauty? Where are YOU seeing the fingerprints of God under the unlikely?

Some things I am thankful for today?  So glad you asked………

stumps removed

shabby chic bandaids

diligent kids doing their schoolwork

a long weekend approaching

happy birds at seed

out-of-town friends coming that we haven’t seen in years

a son who confided in me

daughter skipping and flying through the garden

watching that same daughter make discoveries through the window

warm, sincere hugs

3 kids that love me unconditionally—stumps and all

bright, light-filled bedroom

Cherry Coke

kids’ Saturday morning laughter

those that have fought for my freedom and protection

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