Summer at Last

At long last summer has arrived!  I didn't think it would ever get here.  My last day of school was yesterday and it was filled with graduation and goodbyes as I'm moving on to a different school next year.  I'm looking forward to a bit of a break and only working one job (at Ikea) this summer!  My last blog post was over a month ago and I definitely want to change that!  I've done lots of little things around the house in the last few months that I need to document and share.  I thought I'd start with my balcony since outside is where I want to be these days!

Littlefoot Gardens is going strong again this year! I have green onions, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, sweet pickle peppers, and raspberries growing.  I also have my pot of flowers and a little rose bush that my dad gave me for my birthday back in March.  It was pretty much dead by May.  It is so hard keeping a rose bush alive during cold winter months, even when it is indoors!  But ever since I put it outside it has rebounded and is even producing a few flowers buds!

I got two new blue bird cushions from Lowes.  The ones I had from last year faded REALLY badly and got mouldy... These ones are really nice and plump.

I also picked up a new outdoor rug from Target.  I spent a little more on it then I wanted to, but it was a necessity.  My favourite blue and white, Moroccan-patterned one from last year completely disintegrated. There were little pieces of blue plastic EVERYWHERE.  It got to the point where I had to leave a separate pair of shoes outside to only wear on the balcony.  This one is soft on the feet and feels more durable than my last one.  I was bummed I only got a year out of my previous one, but I guess that's what you get when you only spend $12!  And I learned my lesson of never purchasing a plastic rug again!

You may have noticed my Littlefoot Gardens sign hanging on the wall.  I made it out of a piece of wood from a pallet and some laser printer images.  I'll share a tutorial this week on how to make your own wooden sign. It was really easy!

Enjoy the long weekend to all my fellow Canadians!

  

Littlefoot Gardens is Back!

Before I moved into my condo, my mom and I had this amazing vegetable garden that produced such good crops year after year.  My friend Sarah named our vegetable patch "Littlefoot Gardens" and the name has stuck! (She's called me Littlefoot ever since we realized I have little feet...but FYI they are totally in proportion to my height and not that little :p)

I was worried by not having a yard that I wouldn't be able to grow vegetables and would miss out on one of my favourite summer activities.  Last year, I only grew flowers since I moved in the middle of the summer.  But I just knew I wanted my own little veggie garden again!  This summer marks the return of Littlefoot Gardens :)

I still have my pot of flowers for colour.  I love the pink in the gerbera daisies - they're my favourite!  In the green pot I have two jalapeno plants, then one patio tomato and another green pepper plant in the black pots.

I picked up the two hanging planters from IKEA.  The one on the left has green onions and the one on the right is full of buttercrunch lettuce.  I planted these from seed on a Monday, and by Thursday the lettuce was already sprouting! (Update: since drafting this post, both the lettuce and the onions are growing like gangbusters!)

Who wants to come over for dinner this summer?

How to Make a {Fake} Terrarium

When I was in Target on my vacation to Toronto, I bought a cute little bell jar and it just screamed terrarium. Mostly because I'm not sure what else you are supposed to use bell jars for.  In any case, I had seen a lot of them around and rounded up some pictures for inspiration.

Source: Plantzilla http://www.etsy.com/shop/Plantzilla?ref=seller_info

Source: http://jukavo.tumblr.com/post/50347472102

I knew I did not want a real one.  I know the whole point of them is that they are low maintenance, but I had visions of killing it.  So I wanted something that required NO maintenance!

Supplies:
Flower foam
Toothpicks
Moss
Fake plants

I picked up the flower foam at the Dollar Store and I got the moss and fake plants at Michael's.  I already had the toothpicks.  All the supplies came to about $9.00.  I recommend doing this project outdoors since the moss and foam cutting can get quite messy.

I started by cutting my flower foam in half.  It was a big thick brick and much too thick to fit inside the glass. Then, I put the two cut pieces side by side and traced around the bottom of my wooden base.  This gave me a general guide on how big the circle needed to be.

I cut out the circle using a steak knife...yeah no super high tech tools here!  I kept testing it in the base until it fit.  I needed to shave quite a bit off of the sides in order to make it the right height and diameter.  It doesn't need to be perfect since you will be covering it with moss anyway.  Make sure you leave enough room around the outside for the glass to fit around it.

I stuck two toothpicks in the centre of one half of the foam and attached the two pieces together.  Then I covered the circle in moss.  I thought about using glue, but I wasn't sure as to the quality of the moss I bought and I wanted a less permanent solution.  So I used the toothpicks again.  I cut them in half and stuck them in the moss right through the foam leaving barely a point visible.

I bought a fake plant that included 3 different flowers on it.  Depending on what you buy you might be able to skip this step.  I cut my flowers off and trimmed their stems.

 Then I stuck them in the moss covered foam!  You can do whatever arrangement you find appealing.

And there you have it, your own fake terrarium that requires no maintenance!  You can just admire it through the glass :)  From far away and under the glass, no one can tell it's fake.  In total, it cost me less than $25 including the jar (which I bought on clearance), and took only an hour to create!

These Boots Were Made for Walkin'

Aren't they ohsosexy?  Some girls go for Jimmy Choo's, for me, it's my steel toes.  I can't get enough of them.  I actually wore them all day today.  I only took them off because I was not allowed to sleep in them they were wet. 

I worked my last shift in the IKEA Restaurant on Saturday, and I'm starting in the Customer Service Department this Friday.  Since I'll be working with pallets and boxes there, we needed steel toes.  I have never owned steel toes before, and I had no idea I was missing out on such lovely footwear.  They make me feel so powerful!  Like I could kick someone and it would not hurt me at all... They're surprisingly comfy (which makes me believe I have been buying the wrong sized shoes my entire life.  Are boots supposed to be this comforting?) and provide a nice spring for my step!

I'm breaking them in all this week and dirtying them up a bit...the more dirt the more beautiful they become, ha!  So today I put them to work planting my summer flowers!

I found this pot last fall.  Someone had put it out at the garbage!  I liked it too much to let it go to a landfill.  It's a glazed terracotta-type pot and REALLY heavy.  When I got it home (I had to get my dad to come back with me so we could lift it into the car together), I realized it had a long crack in it.

So I used some masonry waterproofer, and painted the inside to seal it.  No water is getting in this puppy anymore.  I let it dry, then planted away!

I used Gerbera Daisies, Nemesia, and Diamond Frost.  I love the daisies.  They're my favourite summer annual.  I think it will look smashing on my patio!