Mother’s Day Brunch in a Up-cycled Garden
17 Apr 2012 2 Comments
in FAMILY FUN, MOTHER'S & FATHER'S DAY, OUTDOOR IDEAS, SPRING! Tags: black, brunch, bubbler fountain, cedar, Clay Pot, dessert, farmhouse, fountain, Garden, Garden Design, garden room, Gift, Green, lawn furniture, Lime, lowes, Mother's Day Idea, Mother's Day lunch, Mother's Day table idea, Mother's Day tablescape, Outdoor, outdoor furniture, pergola, recover, Recycle, salad, sam's club, shade, upcycle, vegetables, window
[Click on any photo for a larger view]
This post is a double-feature… an idea for a Mother’s Day celebration AND some up-cycling ideas for your garden!
First, the Garden ideas. I’ve been busy this spring, up-cycling some items (I already own) to stay within my budget. Before I talk about those projects, I have to share with you a bargain I found last fall. I got SO lucky and spotted this gorgeous, cedar pergola at Sam’s Club (on sale) for around $200. Have you priced these things? If you have, you’ll understand what a bargain this was! So, my advice is to watch the post-summer sales at the shopping clubs and grab a deal for yourself. 🙂
Now that I have a garden focal point, in my pergola… it’s time to add a fountain! I was inspired by a blue ceramic, bubbler fountain at Lowe’s. But, at $130, I decided to instead up-cycle my old birdbath that I had turned into a planter years ago. So, using my glue gun, I closed the drainage holes (previously created), spray painted it blue, added a small pump, “Welcome” rock (from my front garden) and added 2 bags of smaller rocks from the Dollar Tree to turn it into a simple, blue fountain.
HINT: spray paint the pump electrical cord the same color to camouflage it.
I hung an old farmhouse window (from the back side of the pergola), above the fountain, to create a “back wall” to my new garden room and gathered all of my larger clay pots, spray painting the 2 white ones (blue) also. And I filled several of my large pots with lettuce & tomatoes so I can have a homegrown salad soon!
You might also recognize the garden outdoor furniture set I up-cycled and featured in a post (last year) by spray painting it black and recovering the cushions. And since a portion of my first (glass) gazing ball holder disintegrated, I removed the ball and replaced it with a clay pot, highlighting one of my pretty plants.
I also wanted to create some shade because it gets HOT in Florida! (LOL) I found a pre-made cover at Lowe’s for $99, but it had no tethers or weights to keep it in place…. hmmm… the first wind will turn that into a sail! Luckily, Lowe’s also carries the shade fabric (cuts sun & heat by 75% and is super-easy to sew, but you could also use velcro to create a customized cover) by itself for a lot less, I decided to make my own. I measured, cut & sewed the lightweight fabric to match the dimensions of my pergola roof and added a pocket (on each end) so I could insert a piece of poplar wood (the least expensive way to weight each side down). By the way, Lowe’s will also cut-to-size any piece of wood for about 25 cents… what a deal! The fabric works AND looks great! [check out my $7 paper lantern too]. The rug is one I found (last year – post summer) and because it’s small enough to roll it up and store, I just bring it out for special occasions like this one. Speaking of that — I can also roll up & remove the shade cover if a storm is headed my way (yay!)
And now, for the Mother’s Day celebration idea – creating a little bit ‘o Heaven in my backyard (on a budget) inspired me to invite my Mom over and spend some time with her going through old photos, reminiscing and enjoying some lunchtime treats for Mother’s Day…. an “ahhhhhh” day for both of us… with no standing in line and no reservation required!
Happy Mother’s Day and –
enjoy the Creativity!
Eileen
RECIPE NEWS
18 Mar 2011 1 Comment
in AROUND THE HOUSE Tags: chocolate, dessert, fruit cobbler, recipe, salad
If you haven’t had a chance to check out my RECIPE section (tab located at the top of this blog), it is growing and I just added “Printable” versions alongside the photo-guided directions. Eventually, I will have all of my “go to” recipes listed there. They are typically not something I make every day because I try to be conscious of my calorie intake; but for a special occasion, they are the VERY BEST… and easy too! So far, I have posted 3 recipes, for you to try, and will be adding more soon, so check them out when you have a need to make something – QUICK, EASY & YUMMY!
Bon Appetit!Eileen