DIY Concrete Planter

For a couple of years I have wanted to try to make my own planter out of concrete.  Just because.  My  husband had to buy a bag to do a fence post repair a few weeks ago.

Since we had some on hand and I had recently saw someone pin the idea on Pinterest (here) I decided to give it a whirl. 

I used her idea of spraying WD 40 on my containers so the concrete would release.

I used a cheap plastic bowl and paint stick to mix my concrete.  I didn’t read the instructions, I just mixed until  I got a consistency I liked.

I used another cheap plastic bowl for my container and an empty sour cream bowl to create the empty area inside the planter.

My husband warned me to leave it alone for 24 hours.  I didn’t listen.  I had to make another one because it broke in half.  So DO NOT mess with it for 24 hours. 

Last night after it sat long enough, I removed it from the containers and sanded the edges with coarse sandpaper to smooth them a bit. 

I didn’t have a plant and it was dark so I put a tea light candle in it to see how that looked.

Today I bought a succulent and brought it home.  It was way too big.

Which really stinks because it is such a pretty one, so I planted it elsewhere. 

I dug up some mossy stuff I had planted in my flower beds and placed it in the planter.

It fit and it looks soft and pretty against the hard concrete.

I placed it in a grouping on my patio table. 

And decided it looks pretty dang cute. 

Linking to

Saturday Night Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming

Meet Me Monday @ You’re Talking Too Much

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Moisture Ring on My Son’s Newly Painted Furniture

I walked into my son’s room and spotted a ring on his dresser that I recently painted.

I am glad he was at school, because I might have freaked out on  him.  I do that sometimes over things that really aren’t important and then I feel badly later.

Since I didn’t have to spend time freaking out, I thought I would try to fix it before he got home.  I had used Annie Sloan’s chalk paint and was when I redid the dresser.  After a little brainstorming I decided to try a sanding black, wax and a paper towel.

And it worked.

I first tried to add a little wax to it and the ring was still there so I sanded very lightly and added more wax and the ring disappeared. 

When I was finished I gathered all the stuff my son left on his floor, dresser and night stand and piled it in his recliner. 

This is a great way to get him to clean his room.  He likes to sit in his chair and can’t when it’s piled high with things he should have put away. 

Project 52 Week 15 Sacrifice

When I think about sacrifice, I think about our military. 

I have posted about our Texas Panhandle War Memorial before, but you can never post enough about men and women who have given their lives for others. 

When I posted about it before it was to show off the memorial plaque for my husband’s uncle.

Fortunately, he didn’t die in WWII but we wanted to honor him for his service.

Unfortunately, many many soldiers have died in war.

There are several different walls with the names of those that died in each war.  This one is for WWI.

There is a bell tower that you can see in the background to the right in the photo below.

I like the architecture of it.

I also like the statue near the memorial entrance

And my heart feels heavy when I see the tokens left for loved ones in front of the memorial plaques, because I know how very much the soldier is missed.

If you see a soldier today, stop and thank them for their service and willingness to sacrifice their life for others.

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday to My Son. Oh…Also Some Info About a Light Diffuser.

I wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter.  I hope you all have a wonderful day with your family.  I will be spending my day with my birthday boy.

My son is 14 today.  I was practicing using a reflector and he wasn’t thrilled to be a participant, but look what it did to those eyes!  Love that boy even when he looks mad.

He is equally thrilled that I just received another new photo toy in the mail yesterday and will need to practice and learn more about it as well. 

Have any of you tried Gary Fong’s collapsible light diffuser?

It seems promising.  My friend asked me to photograph her sister’s very very small wedding later this summer so I will need some help with lighting and this seemed to fit the bill. 

You can read about the diffuser here if you are interested.

I never dreamed blogging would cause me to have such an interest to learn about photography.  What has blogging done for you?

Happy Easter.

Project 52 Week 14 Foolin’ Around

Poor Izzy probably wishes I would have never committed to the Project 52 photography challenge.  I had to use her as my model once again. 

 

 

Backyard Flowerbeds

The Texas panhandle has experienced a beautiful and warm spring this year so far.  Last year we had high winds and fire.  I took advantage of the weather the last three weekends and whipped my flower beds into shape.

I mentioned earlier that I removed the weeds and grasses that were taking over, tilled the hard dry dirt, and added gypsum and soil mender to improved the dirt.

I bought some perennials to add to the existing ones.  I am hoping to eventually have the beds so full of flowers that there will be no room for weeds.

The beds are long and go around our fence which I just recently learned from my neighbor was built in 1968.  My husband keeps patching it and it keeps standing. 

The grass needed to be cut but at least it is growing.  We have lots of bare spots I have seeded.  Our yard is a pretty good size so these beds are long.

This area was full of dandelions. 

Izzy

keeps stealing our small landscape timbers.  We are missing 2 that we can’t find anywhere.  Maybe she ate them like she ate my shoe today.  I am still mad at her for that one. 

The bed follows the back fence and is divided by a sidewalk.

The grapevine is starting to get leaves.  It frames my chalkboard sign nicely.

We added 15 bags of mulch to keep Izzy out of the mud, the weeds from growing, the ground moist and maybe the snails won’t like crawling on it. 

There is a small bed that follows one side of the back of our  house. 

I am not crazy about the scalloped edging, but my tired body says leave well enough alone. 

I have my garden tools accessible if I find a weed,

but hopefully now it is just time for our family to enjoy hanging out in the backyard. 

 

Happy Spring!

Outdoor Chalkboard in the Flowerbed

A couple of Halloween’s ago I made a chalkboard sign and then put it away in the garage.  You can see how I made it here.  I decided to pull it out and place it in my flowerbeds I have been working on these last few weekends. 

I live in an older neighborhood full of snails.  I have to go snail collecting at night when they come out to try and keep their population down.  I use a flashlight to find them. 

I think the drought last year cause a major decrease in snails.  When I cleaned out the beds I didn’t find as many as I thought I would.   I still put out snail bait that is safe for pets just in case.  I don’t want them eating all of my new plants. 

I thought the sign would be a fun addition to my flowerbeds and a reminder for those snails to stay away. 

Linking to

Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming