Refurbishing Benches

This past weekend I happened on an estate sale where I scored these 2 old raggedy benches and the table (or is that a bigger, better bench) below. Just so happens I was looking for my next project!The extra 2x4's from my pergola project will be pefect for replacing the damanged boards making this was a great bargain at 8 bucks for all 3 pieces. These may look really horrible but only the top boards are bad and if you've ever built anything you know that the bottom part is the hardest part to build (repair) with all those mitered cuts. I've already cut the boards in the right lengths but didn't finish the job because I had all the wrong size screws. I'm thinking of leaving the old center boards for character.

I'm not sure what this is supposed to be but its going to be a table for my 2 new Adirondack chairs to be purchased in the near future. It's heavy and other than needing a good cleaning, there's nothing wrong with it.

My new patio space is filling up already. Stay tuned for the completion of this DIY project.

Indecisiveness: Will I Ever Finish A Project

I'm in spray paint hell.

I stripped the freecycle table and I actually kinda liked the way it looked afterward but noooooooooo, I had to go and paint it. So I got Copper spray paint from Ace, painted it, hated it. That's it below with the Copper color. I asked Mr. Wonderful and his reply was "i like it - it looks fresh and new" BAD! I don't want fresh and new, I want old and weathered. After another trip to Ace I returned with some grayish "hammered finish" spray paint. Painted it, hate it even more! I didn't include a picture here but just imagine medium boring gray. Mr Wonderful's dad said "it looks like you couldn't decide what color to paint it since I can see at least 3 different colors." What a mess. Now I dunno what to do.

What I'd really like to do is try to do a blue patina. After I did these 2 coats of paint I found a kit where you can do blackened bronze (which is kinda the color I want it to be) and then blue over the top for the patina look. Thoughts?

The old white window now has no glass. I removed all glass yesterday. It's pretty worn out and I'm pretty sure investing even one can of spray paint in it may be worthless, but I'll give it a try. I was first thinking of painting it some bright color like Red or Purple then planting an English Climbing rose to climb up it as a trellis. I have since decided that It should be lime green with a Sweet Autumn Clematis growing on it. AND they have the Clematis on sale at the greenhouse by house. I would probably plant it right behind the purple Iris. What do you think? I love the combinations of light greens and whites. I think it will be pretty hanging on the fence.

Another First: Bell Pepper

I guess I was just too impatient waiting for the red bell pepper. Another lesson - peppers take longer. I'm guessing that this will eventually turn red? It's the cutest thing in the garden this week. Divided the Iris using David's instruction - thanks, David!

Cantaloupe, round 2. It bloomed again and now I have a second set of babies growing. I haven't even harvested the first ones! I sure wish my grandma lived closer to me. I spoke to her this morning and told her all about my garden. She was VERY excited about the cantaloupe. I told her I'd try to send her pictures since I can't bring her some to taste. She'll be 90 next month - I miss her.Table and chairs are ready for painting. I finished the sanding the table top today and was getting ready to start painting when it started raining. Unfortunately it is just enough to ruin my painting project but not enough to actually water the roses, which really need it. Hopefully it'll get painted tomorrow.I also turned the stuff in the homemade composter and i think it's working! I was so scared to mess with that stuff for fear that some animal would jump out and eat me.

Harvesting Herbs: How I Spent My Sunday

I harvested Sweet Basil and Greek Oregano today. I followed the method described on the Illinois Extension office. Thanks again Marc at Garden Desk for directing me to that site! It has been so helpful! I cut the stalks and tied 5-6 of them together with string. If these things dry like they are suppose to, I don't think I'll ever buy herbs again. Next year I will definitely try the other culinary herbs I cook with frequently.
I'm so glad to finally get some use out of this pants hanger! I put a few bundles of herbs in a bag and tied it with part of the stems exposed, then poked a few holes in the bags. They are now hanging in the basement drying. I know I'll be able to harvest more basil later and since I don't really like Pesto, I think I'll try to find a cute way to package the dried herbs and give some to friends around the holidays. I think this will make an interesting stocking stuffer. Look what else I did! This morning this black iron stand held an empty aquarium. I've had this thing for over 10 years and I still think its really pretty. I also love fish but as I've stated before, I'm a lazy bastard and I hate maintaining it. It has always held fresh water fish but last year I had a fish epidemic and everybody died in a matter of a few days. Since then, it's just been sitting empty in the living room causing me extreme horror every time we have company. Talk about an eye sore! Anyway, I decided it would make a great plant stand and I just happened on a big blue board in my garage left by some previous owner who also left a saw in the basement. That's right - I used a saw! I am either going to re-paint the boards (I have baby blue paint that I used on my guest room) or sand a little of this off to make it look a little more rustic. I also considered painting the boards purple - I'm just dying to paint something purple now that I have seen Carol's purple garden bench. But, in the immediate future, this will house fall lettuce that I plan to plant from seed. I can't wait!I was so inspired by Farmgirl's great it's-so-easy-to-plant-lettuce-from-seed that I've been waiting for the right time to plant some myself. Since I won't get my raised beds built in time, I thought I'd just plant some in containers, hence the need for a longish plant stand. Below is what you get when you shop end of season sales. I do not like these window boxes! They need to be wider and wooden and way cuter than this. Should I take them back? I could use boxes that are 30 inches long and 12 inches wide. These are only 8 inches of boring stone colored plastic. Yuck! I considered trying to make my own but the only wood I have around is on the pallets in the basement. What do you think? Keep the ugly plastic ones or return them and build some wood ones?

I de-rusted 2 of the 4 chairs today. What a messy job that sanding is! I was an orange rusty mess. I really need to decide what color this thing needs to be.

After a long tiring day I was so hungry. This is the one pepper that my potted Sweet Banana Pepper plant has produced. I chopped it up along with onions and tomato from my garden on a big salad for dinner. I guess I've never had one of these that were not pickled. I have to say I was a little disappointed. It tasted like a bell pepper to me.

If it Weren't For Free Stuff, I'd Have No Stuff At All

I tell ya, when you are on a tight budget and you put your mind to it, you can really do a lot for nothing. Take a look at this AWESOME table and 4 chairs I found at http://www.freecycle.org/ Thank you freecycle lady!! I absolutely LOVE this thing. Mainly because I've never seen one like it and it's very whimsical. It needs some TLC - it's pretty rusty. I tried removing the rust with this wire drill attachment they sold me at HD but at this rate I'll be looking for a walker on freecycle before this table is finished. Anybody have any ideas for quick rust removal? After that I'll paint it and it'll look good as new. I was thinking black paint but I'm tempted to paint it purple or something weird like that. I'm taking suggestions for paint color too...

In other free news, I have been back to Mr. and Mrs. Woodchip's house several more times and I think I have enough woodchips for all beds except the roses. There still seems to be quite a bit left so I think I'll go ahead and try for a few more loads over the next few days. I really can't believe how the plants in the foundation bed perked up after adding the woodchips! I love the woodchip mulch so far, and I love that it's good for the earth.

In still more free news, there is presently an old window out in my alley that my neighbor left for the trash and I'm desperately trying to think of a way to use this in my garden. It's about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Anybody have any ideas?