Kathleen's Garden!

It's been a very busy year and time is going so fast!! No one can ever know just how time consuming it is to move from one house to another, especially a new construction home, until they actually do it!! I have spent so much time getting it set up the way I dreamed it to be, and simply need it to be. Between everything on the inside and the outside, it is "all-consuming" alright! Which leads me to the message of this post...

I have been dabbling in growing vegetables and flowers (once again). Let's just say that the last time I did this, the results were "less than desirable" to say the least! I applaud anyone who does this for a living because it is an art! There is so much more than simply sticking a plant or a bulb in the ground:

* You must have it in just the right sun, for just the right amount of time.
* You must water it enough...and not too much.
* You need to position the water at the roots, and do it early in the day to avoid burning any young and tender leaves.
* You need to police each plant routinely for fungus, insects, and other issues.
* You need to fertilize with the right fertilizer, and with the correct amount.
Blah. Blah. Blah! LOL!!

So, here are "the fruits of my labor" thus far:

This is a Meyer's Lemon Tree which was looking mighty sad on the shelf indoors at Home Depot 2 months ago. I took pity on it (as Charlie Brown did for his Christmas Tree) and took home my little troubled seedling. There were only a few leaves on each branch, and it was in a tiny pot. It is labeled as an indoor plant, however, after researching them more, I felt it best to move it outdoors in indirect sunlight. I have re-potted it into a larger pot using Miracle-Gro potting soil. I've watered it daily in the early mornings, and have learned not to over-water it! I was so over-zealous with the water at first, I almost drowned it! You MUST stick your finger into the soil and test for dampness. Even if the top looks dry, the inside may be perfectly damp. I've used Miracle-Gro liquid plant food on it once. It's important to also wrap the branches to a stake because it is not strong enough to support itself yet. It has grown so much, and turned a rich green color. Exciting!

This is a strawberry plant that I have grown for 1 1/2 months now. It was a seedling and about 2 inches tall with a few little stems at Lowes. I re-potted it and also used Miracle-Gro potting soil. It's been lightly sprayed with my mix of Epsom salt, baking soda and a dash of Dawn liquid which has helped with insects and with growth. I've placed it into a very sunny spot, that also has nice shade in the afternoon. I've also routinely plucked off some of the runners. You can see one right now in the picture. This helps young strawberry plants, as the demands to fortify the runners can be too much for them. We have enjoyed it's sweet fruit already. It has not given us too many, and they are all rather tiny. We have still loved it, and my son gets so excited to see the little berries form. It is actually quite low maintenance. The other plant I had, did not fare well. It was a hanging strawberry plant, and placed in all-day direct sunlight which it did not enjoy! Thankfully Lowes has a "no questions asked" return policy for 1 year!! Nothing worse than someone grilling you as to why you brought them a brown, wilted, and sad plant :-)!

Here is our cucumber plant. I feared it was done, but it has come back to life with a full gusto! It was also a tiny thing (about 2 inches tall), and about 3 stems when I bought it. I re-planted it into a wider, deeper pot, and also bought the standing trellis. It started off well with the Miracle-Gro soil. However, I over-zealously sprayed it down with my Epsom salt, baking soda and Dawn mixture. Oops! The leaves turned pale yellow and many of the leaves turned brown, curled up, and died. So, I washed down all the leaves very well with plain water, and added another layer of soil to the top of the pot. I left it alone too and didn't spray it with anything further. Thankfully it has rewarded me with dark green leaves again, and many new cucumbers!

I have learned that there is definitely such a thing as too much of a good thing! I've yet to snip off the first cucumber, but it will be exciting alright!

This is my Cherry Tomato plant that has been a steady grower. Like my cucumber plant, I almost killed it too!! It did not appreciate the Epsom Salt/Baking Soda /Dawn bath. I feel that it has been more of an issue with the full, direct sunlight. I had sprayed the mixture early in the day and directly on the leaves. That afternoon was scorching and it sure did a number on the leaves which then turned brown and died. I re-potted it into a bigger pot, washed it off real well, clipped off all of the damaged leaves, and left it alone. New leaves started to grow very quickly and it has never stopped giving us sweet cherry tomatoes that are so yummy!

Here is my tangerine tree. I actually purchased it at Walmart for 1/2 off as it was toward the end of the season and the last one. It also wasn't looking so healthy either (again, it just needed a little TLC :-)). I re-potted it into a larger planter, and will eventually plant it into my backyard. It's been very low maintenance. I've made sure to keep it in full sunlight for at least 6-8 hours. I water it daily and it drinks it up! I also mist water on the leaves several times per week. I've used liquid Miracle-Gro on it once in the month I've had it. It's filled out so much more and even has a few flowers on it where the fruit will eventually produce. It smells so wonderful too! I'm going to apply mulch to the top soon, as the roots are showing. It doesn't seem to bother it though.

These are my absolute favorite plants! They are Cannas and grow about 6-7 feet tall! I've actually had them for 4 years and had originally planted them from bulbs. However, I dug them up last year before I sold my house, and put them away in a cool, dark place for the winter. I re-planted them in the spring here at my new house. I wasn't sure how they would fare as I'd never done that before. The tubers did just fine thankfully! I made sure to use a slow release fertilizer in the planting hole. I really like Osmocote fertilizer. These multiply ever year and are soooooo low maintenance. They tolerate extreme drought and extreme moisture. I feel they do better in an area with afternoon shade. I really don't do much to them, and they grow so beautifully on their own. You do need to cut them down in the winter though. Thankfully, they will come back every year with plenty of babies too!!

So, that is just a little update on my attempt at earning a "Green Thumb" this year! So far, so good! Today I did apply an organic insecticide. Let's see how that goes. Agh!

Score on Home Decor!

People always ask me if I took classes on interior decorating. It's a great compliment. Well, I have never taken classes, but I have certainly studied my fair share of magazines, HGTV episodes, Pinterest, Houzz, and other similar sources. However, so much of what I have in my home is re-used and re-purposed! It's great fun to find treasures at garage sales, thrift stores, and in the many re-sale groups I belong to on Facebook.

I absolutely LOVE Pottery Barn! So, I have tried to create similar looks throughout my house. And, for a fraction of the cost!

The lovely rug in this picture (my Greatroom) is from a site called varagesale.com. They have them in many cities and it's a fabulous way to find items and sell them too! I paid $90 for this giant 9x12 rug in excellent condition. The couch and matching chair/ottoman were $400 on a group called From my House to Yours on Facebook. It was started by a friend of mine, and has really taken off! Anyone can start one in their town. I have even started one for just my neighborhood. The wicker table tray was a garage sale find, and so was the magnolia wreath inside, and the candle holder set. All for $10! The great brushed nickel tall floor lamp was from Lowes at $69, and I used a 10% off coupon from Home Depot which they matched. I also used my Lowes Charge to get an additional 5% off.

The leaf above the fireplace was $2 from a moving sale on Craigslist! The box under the TV was from the same sale for $15! I made the picture canvas on the fireplace mantle myself for about $13. The tall candle holder was $8 on the clearance aisle of Homegoods.

This was $15 and I purchased 2 of them for my hallways. They were also on "From My house to Yours". I love wrought iron art, verses paintings. I also try to keep Eucalyptus in baskets throughout the house. It smells and looks great! The best place to buy it is at Michaels when they have the 40% off coupon (which you can almost always find on your smartphone as there is an actual app for Michaels coupons)!

This is one of my favorite finds! It is an $800 World Market Farm Table that I purchased on Craigslist for $300. The 4 wood chairs were garage sale items (also made by World Market) that I scored for $30 total, yippee! The 2 cute padded chairs on the ends are from Tuesday Morning and were $89 each. I then added the place settings:

The brown dishes were from Big Lots (believe it or not) and cost $25 for a 4 piece place setting. I purchased 2 sets. The risk you take purchasing from there is that they are often discontinued items. I found that out the hard way when I wanted a third set and they were gone! The tropical set by Gibson Elite, was from Bed, Bath and Beyond for $69, but I used my 20% off coupon for an even better deal! The silver napkin rings and the ultra-cool leather place mats are from Pier 1. The silver chargers were from there also. The rings cost $2.50 each and the placemats were $6 each. The chargers were $5 each. I also had a coupon (of course :-))! The cute wicker star basket in the middle was from a thrift store for $4.

This is another great wrought iron piece that I got in my facebook groups for $8. I thought I would hang it on the wall, but just didn't find the right spot. So, I lean it in a corner of the kitchen, with some cute silver Pier 1 frames I got for $1 each at a garage sale. The potted silk plant was $5 from Varagesale.

This is a great touch to any kitchen. I saw it at a friend's house and really liked it. It is from Bed, Bath & Beyond and cost $10.

Kitchen Canisters add so much to a home. I loved these and always wanted them, but wasn't going to shell out $140 for the set! I kept searching Craigslist till I found them. I paid $30 for all 3!! You can also find great deals on eBay for them.

Wreaths are another warm touch to any household. I have made them, but also purchased them. This one came from a local consignment store for $12. I added the burlap bow to it later. It hangs on the pantry door in my kitchen.

This is one that I made for my front door. I had seen a similar one on Etsy for $100! I purchased a completely ugly wreath at a garage sale for $1. I took the ugly flowers off of it and kept the grapevine backing portion. I then went to Michaels and purchased the picks & stems to place in it. It cost me about $30 total and took about 1 1/2 hours.

This foyer look all came from different homes via Craigslist. The gorgeous mirror was $50, the lamp was $15, and the best deal of all was the Pottery Barn Console Table for $85!!

This is my absolute favorite room of the house! Most of it is second hand too.

The great Pier 1 couch was bought on Craigslist for $175.

The 2 chairs were from a furniture consignment store and I repainted them to dark brown. I made the cushions (but didn't do a good job...will try again later :-)).

The brown trunk was $10 from a garage sale. The great tiger rug is a Pottery Barn rug I bought at a garage sale for $5! The birdcage was from a thrift store for $20.

The end tables were brand new in the box from Ikea, but I found them on Craigslist for $30 total. The fabulous lamps were purchased new at Marshalls for $29 each. The exquisite tall palm tree was a $300 item I got for $25 at a moving sale. However, it took weeks to get the smoke smell out of it, AGH!! Well worth it though, especially since I put cute dragonfly lights in it. The adorable bird clock was from Steinmart for $29. I used a coupon (of course). People forget to check out Steinmart for decor but they have great and unique stuff! You can almost always find coupons on your smartphone too!

This is my guestroom. It is mainly taupe and black (a bit minimalist :-)). The bed is a converted baby crib :-)!! I got it, and the mattress/boxspring all for $75 on Craigslist. The 3D artwork above it is from the clearance section of Bed, Bath & Beyond for $9. And, I used a 20% off coupon which made it even less! The side table was $45 on Craigslist. The lamp was $5 at a Salvation Army Thrift Store.

Another small touch of animal print with this great chair I purchased for $75 on Craigslist! The bedding is from Homegoods and Big Lots and cost $65 total. The throw pillow was from a garage sale at $2.

This is the top of my guestroom armoire. I filled it with garage sale and thrift store items that totaled about $30.

This is a great 3-piece shelf set I bought for $10 on "From My House to Yours". As seen in my previous post below, I am making picture canvases, and here is how I used one in my guest bath.

I built my home on a budget. Therefore, I didn't add the multitude of upgrades that the builder tried to sell me. I knew that I would add them later, and for much less money! These are the brushed nickel cabinet knobs they wanted to charge me hundreds of dollars for. I ended up buying them on eBay for $67! That included 27 knobs and 19 handle pulls! There are various vendors on there that sell them. Just make sure they have excellent feedback and lots of previous sales history.

My 2nd favorite room! This is the master bedroom and such a place of serenity for me. The furniture is by Cindy Crawford and purchased on clearance at Rooms to Go 9 years ago. It still looks great. The bedding is a "Bed in a Bag" set from Bed, Bath & Beyond and was $120 (with a 20% off coupon). The off-white coverlet was $5 from a moving sale, but it is by Better Homes & Gardens and I have seen it at Walmart for around $70. It adds a great touch to the bed! Everyone loves the round wrought iron wall art above the bed that I bought for $3 at a garage sale! The ruffle pillows were $10 each at Ross.

I LOVE this window treatment look and had seen it in magazines. However, the short rods were ridiculously expensive! So, I purchased an 8 ft wood rod at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $39.99 (but less when I used my 20% off coupon), and just cut them myself...well, actually a friend did it :-)! I purchased the finial sets for $9.99 each and the bracket sets for $14.99 each (added a coupon) in the clearance section. The 96" lovely sheer curtains were from Homegoods at $19.99 per set. They are made by "Rodeohome" and the color is Ecru. They flow so beautifully when the windows are opened. The taller placement of the brackets is to emulate the look of Victorian Days when they used it to frame the majestic doors in grand estates.

My fab find was this fantastic mirror! It is a giant leaner mirror that retails for over $300! I got it in Savannah at an estate sale for $75 (he wanted $100 but took my offer :-)). Fitting it in a car was a challenge, but we did it!!

I will post more pics soon and add to this. But, by now I am sure that you get the idea. Anyone can have a gorgeous home without spending crazy amounts of money! Just invest the time to navigate nearby sales and the sites I mentioned. Spend a little time reading catalogs and magazines of your favorite design houses, then just do it yourself...for much less! It's such a great feeling of accomplishment, and fun too!!

DIY Black & White Photo Canvas

I love family photos, especially in black & white.

For years I have been using Snapfish.com, and have loved it! It is much cheaper than using other services, and has great editing tools as well. You can even create poster size prints for a fraction of the cost other companies would charge. Make sure to select prints that are high resolution and good quality. You can choose to edit your photos with their "user-friendly" editing tools, or use my other favorite site, Picasa. Here is a sample of one I just converted to black white:

Wrapped photos are the new craze, but they are so expensive (I was shocked)!! Even with all the great coupons and promo codes out there, it would still cost me hundreds of dollars! This "Frugal Frannie" will never spend that kind of dough when I can do it myself. Now, be forewarned that the process I am about to take you through is not perfect. But, I am pleased with my results and it looks beautiful in my home. Here is what you need:

* BLACK & WHITE PHOTO Size them at least 16x20 or larger.
* SHARP SCISSORS- A Great investment for any craft you do!
* WOOD GLUE -Preferably white, but mine was slightly yellow and it still worked fine.
* STAPLER -I recommend a heavy-duty one. My standard one kept getting jammed!
* A SCRAPING TOOL- I used an ice scraper, but you can simply use a credit card as well.
* WHITE STRETCHED CANVAS-Approximately 2 inches smaller than your desired picture.
* SMALL PAINTBRUSH-Not too large, and good quality so the hairs don't keep shedding.

You will start by preparing your work space. Use a large table with lots of room to spread out. Cover it with plastic or another drop-cloth since the glue can be a little messy. Examine your photo and visualize where you want to position it on the canvas. Hold them together in front of a window during the day, and you can see the shadow of where it is. Then lay the photo face down and position the canvas over it.

I used an 11x14 canvas against a 16x20 photo. Once you like the position of it, put glue on your canvas and spread it out evenly with your brush to back side of photo. Use your scraper to scrape the back and smooth it all out.

You will then grab a credit card and smooth it under the edges of the canvas to make sure it is also smooth. Push the card gently under each edge and work your way up and down.

Let the glue sit for a little while (20 minutes or so) so that it sets in place and gets "tacky". You will now trim your photo to leave just about 2 inches on each side. Since mine is a bit larger than I need, I cut the excess off the ends.

You will now work with each end to gently crease, then fold photo into place. I used my credit card once again to create a better crease.You will notice that my canvas is actually ripped! It didn't matter, and I got a great deal on it at Michaels in the "75% off Bargain Bin"!

I then cut the fold on each corner so it would be easier to fold them in when finishing the sides.

I put a little glue along each side and brushed it into the back of photo evenly before folding it in. I held it in place and continued to smooth it out with my hands. It is easier than it seems, trust me! I then grabbed my stapler and proceeded to staple it to the back of the canvas. You will need to open your stapler and use it that way.

I tucked each fold gently into the corners as I went. I made sure it folded neatly. You will have to play around with this part a bit and see what works best for you. There are several ways to cut it I found. Once I finished the sides and made sure they were all stapled in place, I cut any excess from the photo and ended up with a beautiful DIY Black & White Canvas!

OK...here is one I just made in color (I know it's not Black & White, but I just had to convert it to canvas since it was too cute)!!

My "Love-Hate" Relationship With Paint!!!

Paint is one of those things in life that is a "necessary evil". It can change a blah room, into a divine getaway. However, it can also change a blah room, into a terror! No matter what, I have yet to EVER find a paint color that looks like it did on the tiny sample card you find on the racks. And, painting a room is a huge undertaking, especially for this "Single Super Mom". It is work alright, with many steps, and it commands extreme attention to detail. Oh, did I mention lots of patience too?!

So, being that I just moved into my dream house 2 1/2 months ago, I have decided to finally start painting. Thankfully, the builders current choice of color on the walls is pleasant, albeit boring. It is safe and neutral, and actually goes well with a lot of my furniture. I have scoured Pinterest, Houzz, and Google to find the colors best suited for my taste and decor. I've also spent hours at Lowes, Home Depot and Sherwin Williams. Last week I painted my Sunroom "Pavillion Beige" by Sherwin Williams. I must say that this is a gorgeous color. It is a perfect warm khaki taupe, without too much yellow or green in it. My only issue is that it just didn't "pop" the way I expected it to. In fact, in daylight hours it is hard to distinguish much of a difference between it, and the current builders paint on the wall. Oh well. I still love the color overall and atleast it is safe!

Last night (on my big Friday Night free from my son who was at a sleepover), I decided to paint my foyer. I wanted to push the envelope a bit from what I typically look for, and chose a gray this time. I had hoped it would add some depth to the light blue color pillows on my Greatroom couch, and play off the stainless steel appliances as well. I used "Dorian Gray" by Sherwin Williams. Let me mention that I also get the mixture with the primer in it. I just feel that it has better coverage, and I really hate painting 2 coats! After it was all said and done, unfortunately, I was not in love. Agh!! It was deep in the midnight hour when I finished so I was dependent on lamp lighting to see it. Well, it looked somewhat green to me. It was similar to a color I'd used in the past when I actually wanted green. Needless to say, I was distressed!

This morning I gave it another chance with natural lighting that comes in from my back windows. Thankfully, I did like it better. It seemed to be more of what I wanted which was a true gray. I also switched out my light bulbs to a soft white, and it helped too. Do I love it now? No. However, I like it a lot better than I did. And, I don't feel the huge need to re-paint it again which would be a chore alright. I will see what it looks like tonight.

All of this to say that you are best to just paint a small portion of your wall and live with it for a few days. See how it looks at different times of the day, and with different lighting. It's amazing how much it can change and how vastly different it can be from the sample. It is well worth the few dollars you spend on the sample paint. I knew this going in, but I tested my luck ( I like living on the edge anyway :-))! Who knows, I may end up loving Dorian Gray. I do like the name and maybe it will surprisingly redeem itself!!

1 month later...I do like it better. Don't LOVE it, but, seems to work with everything and folks like it. On another paint note, I just painted my master bedroom. What a chore! However, I LOVE the color this time. It is "Tinsmith" by Sherwin Williams. Not green at all. Not red or pink either. A hint of blue, but I have to say it is a true gray in my eyes. FINALLY!!!

What Really Matters

I pinned the above photo to my "Words of Wisdom" Board on Pinterest last night. It is short and yet, so profound. It reminded me of my time in Palm Beach, FL. I spent many years attending the Galas and Balls that were the "wannabe events" of the season. I attended as the "girlfriend" to a dear friend of mine who has since passed away. He was a wonderful man, doctor, friend, and all-around good person. He was also a very private man who chose to keep his romantic life to himself. Without going into it, lets just say he kept a good front in public and I was part of that. Anyway, I was given the chance to be a part of a world I normally would not have seen. It was fun to dress as Cinderella for a night and to see how the other side lived :-)!

I've often heard stories of lottery winners, and how their lives were torn apart by the money. It is a sad reality that the thing they thought would bring them the most happiness, turned out completely opposite. On those eventful nights in my ballgown, I would be surrounded by people who had more money than I could ever hope to have in a lifetime...maybe two lifetimes :-)! And, these were not lottery winners. Oh no. These were the heirs to great fortunes that spanned centuries in the making. Some were "Nouveau Riche", but they were the minority. So, these folks had been raised to live in splendor, without a financial care in the world. They had luxuries at their fingertips and more options than most of us could imagine. And yet...they were empty. And, it seemed that so many of them were working that much harder to gain more. Oh yes, there were those few that showed a deep satisfaction and gratitude, and even joy. However, there were so many that simply didn't. They would sit stone-faced and solemn. They would throw empty compliments about the other one's gown, jewelry, hair, etc. but it was all so empty. I would task myself with making these people smile and open up before night end. Often times I would coax a smile and even a hearty laugh, but not always. It is in those few hours at a dinner table, and on a dance floor, that my heart would hurt for some of these folks. I wondered how their lives would progress along after that night. I wondered what miseries they faced at home, and if they really had love within those 4 walls. There was always gossip too, that was so telling. You would hear about who was cheating on who, who had a drug problem, who was getting the next latest-greatest surgery to fix another flaw, who was going to pay big money for tax evasion, who had children that were causing them huge grief, etc. You get the picture.

Now, I am not saying that having money (lots of it) is a bad thing. Believe me...I would take it :-)! What I am saying instead, is that "the love of money" is the issue, and making it your "God" is the bigger issue. I would much rather be poor, and yet filled with joy, gratitude and love. I have met some of the poorest people in the world. I have visited their meager homes, many of which had dirt floors and flies buzzing around. But, they would offer me a bowl of rice and a place to sit and chat. Their children, though dirty and tattered, were smiling and running around happy. There was a peace and a joy in those meager places, and anyone could feel it. I am not even sure that some of these folks would accept money and all it comes with, if you offered it to them. They were used to their life and didn't feel a need to change it.

Lastly, in the line of work that I am in now, I am constantly reminded how precious life is. Being in healthcare, I am surrounded by death and dying. I have met so many people that are in those final days and wish they could do things differently if given the option. They would not have worked so hard to have more things, but instead, they would make the time to spend with those they loved. In the end, we can't take it with us...all of those things and the items we worked so hard for. But, we can take our memories. We can cherish those special days and moments along our path. In the end, isn't that what really matters?