Volunteer Tomato Plants

Volunteer Tomato PlantsJune 25, 2010
We've had a fair amount of warm days followed by rain in the afternoon and evenings mixed with rainy days.  The combination has seen weeds sprout up on the garden paths so they are getting to the point of needed to be cleared again.  A couple of days ago I noticed two volunteer tomato plants on one of the paths and there is another one in the first raised bed.

Ideas for your home office

I love looking at other peoples home office. I can get tons of ideas from home office pictures. I read a story the other day that the desk top computer will soon be dead. I'm sure that will change home decor somehow, but, you always will need a desk right ??

Road Daylily in Bloom

Road DaylilyJune 24, 2010
The large clump of road daylilies are in bloom, waving gracefully in the breeze.  These are a common daylily here quite often found growing wild in ditches and along farm fences.  As such they tend to be fairly common daylilies in many home gardens.  Most daylilies are rather problem free, low maintenance garden plants that naturalize easily.  The road daylily is perhaps

Burlesque Daylilies

Burlesque DayliliesJune 24, 2010
The Burlesque daylilies are in full bloom now putting on a lovely show.   They are in with the Stella d'Or daylilies and their numbers have increased over the last couple of years.  The Stella d'Or daylilies were fewer this year with only a couple appearing.  I don't know if they have hybridized with the Burlesque or this just wasn't a good year for them.

Happy

Plant Purchase from Richters Herbs

I looked high and low for horseradish for the garden unsuccessfully at all the local nurseries.  I even tried the local grocery stores for horseradish root in the produce section hoping I could plant it.  I had had success a few years ago with a piece of horseradish root that grew in the house for awhile.  A kind soul on one of the groups I followed suggested I check out Richters.  Richters Herbs

First of the Zucchini and Tiny Tim Tomatoes

Things are progressing nicely in the garden.  I am still planting but that is normal for the square foot garden method.  I have a lot more vegetables and herbs planted in containers this year.  This does seem to be the year of dealing with various insects and their damage but with the wild rabbits mysteriously absent there is no large scale damage so far. 

I only have one zucchini plant this

Blending Rooms

When you do not have a lot of space to begin with, its hard to know how to blend rooms that spill into each other. The first thing I do when planning a room is ask myself exactly HOW is this rooom going to be used. Every inch in a small home or apartment is valuable space that you don't want to waste ! Washing machines are now making there way to bathrooms and kitchens. Thinking differently about how we live is very important in small space planning !

Earwig Damage on Parsley

Earwigs (Forficula auricularia) are a common sight in many gardens.  They are attracted to damp locations so can be found under plants, in mulch and anywhere else damp like decaying vegetable matter.  Earwings are more of a nuisance indoors.  Despite their appearance earwigs aren't harmful to humans.  There is the old wives' tale that earwigs get into your ears when you are sleeping and while it

Milk Paint Revisited

I have had some great response to the Jelly cupboard from you here, Facebook and from my friends and family.  I have a couple of things to add to the last post that have come up. 

Heather asked to see some close up pics of the cupboard for a look at the grain.  I think that’s one of the great things about milk paint is that it still lets you see some of the grain. So Heather here you go I hope it helps making the decision on using milk paint. 

Here is a look at the grain running across top of the door.  You can also see the dowels that are used to hold the half lap joint together. 

 

 

 

 

Here is a shot of one of the knots on the side.  I would imagine you could add another coat and cover up the grain and knots if that’s what you are looking for.

 

 

 

 

 

Okay part two:

I talked with Anne the President over at The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company about some of the things I mentioned in the last post about milk paint and she gave me a few pointers on the milk paint to make it smoother and easier to paint.

Here is an excerpt from the email that she sent me the other day:

Milk paint really is a rustic, crude, lumpy old fashioned paint. Make sure to let it sit for a little while after you mix it, and you can use a kitchen rubber spatula to squeeze the paint on the edges of your container to help get the lumps out. After letting it sit a little while you can also strain it through some cheesecloth or better yet a piece of a nylon stocking or pantyhose- that works great!

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance, and thanks again.
Best Regards,
Anne Thibeau
President
The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co., Inc.

I will be using here suggestions on the next go round.  I hope this helps you guys out. 

Have a Great Day!

Technorati Tags: Jelly Cupboard,Milk Paint

Woodworking Wednesdays

I hope you will take the time to add your project to the list.  Everyone loves to see your projects, especially me. 

 

 

 

<a border="0" href="http://groverwoodworks.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz56/groverwoodworks/wwwed.jpg" /></a> Grab the button link from the textbox.

Have a Great Day!

Here are the Rules:
1. Select any project that you created using any type of woodworking.  If you cut, beat, sanded or just did something with wood consider that woodworking.
2. Add a link of you post to the party – This is a link to the actual post not the main page of your blog.
3. Give a description of your project so everyone knows what you are featuring.
4. Grab the button above and add a link to this party so that your readers can join in on the fun.

 

 

Technorati Tags: Woodworking Wednesdays

Using SoilMoist™ Granules in Houseplants and Planters

I posted awhile ago about my waterball garden using Deco beads by the makers of SoilMoist™.  I was impressed enough with the Deco beads that I wanted to try the SoilMoist™ as well.  SoilMoist™ has been successfully used in the horticultural industry as a water management system.  Essentially what the granules do is absorb moisture like a sponge then releases it to the soil as the soil dries.  It

Milk Paint – You painted with milk are you nuts?

No No, we didn’t paint with milk.  That could be interesting however.  What I did do is use a great product from The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company.  This paint is something akin to what early American craftsmen would have used in painting their furniture or other household items.  Milk paint was made at home by hand typically using skim or buttermilk, and a combination of limestone and more or less anything they could find for color.  What The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company did was create their own recipe for their reproduction furniture business.  After seeing what they were able to accomplish they started receiving requests for their paint and thus what we have today. 

Now this stuff is totally different than anything I have used before, for one it comes in a dry powder form that you have to mix with water to make the actual paint.  This is easily accomplished by adding the powder and water to a nice sized mason jar and shaking the heck out of it.  The directions call for warm water, I used water that was closer to hot so that it dissolved completely.  Once you have it mixed up and ready to use get yourself ready if you are sensitive to smell.  Once you open that jar you will be met with a slight sour “Milk” smell.  Nobody told me about that.  Whew did it catch me off guard.  It really isn’t all that bad I just wasn’t expecting it.  It’s one of those things that you get used to as you are using it and don’t think anything about it after a few minutes.

As I started painting I was really concerned with how the paint was going to turn out.  When I started brushing it on it went on differently than Latex or Oil based paint it was almost streaky and blotchy all at once.  I tried smoothing it out as much as I could but could not get it to lay like I wanted to.  I went ahead and painted the whole piece at this point it was the back slats of the Jelly Cupboard build.  I was so frustrated with the way it looked I went to Lowes and bought some latex paint to repaint with, well they say time is a great healer and well they don’t lie whoever they are.  By the time I went to Lowes purchased the paint did a few other things came back and looked at the paint it had dried and had dried very smoothly.  This was not at all the outcome I was expecting.  I was very pleased.  I decided then I would give the Sea Green color I had purchased a chance.  Boy are we glad I did.  This stuff looks AMAZING.  It recreates the primitive/colonial/country look that I know a lot of you go after.  I couldn’t be more happy with it.  It beats the heck out of using a latex paint and having to work with it to achieve nothing close to what this stuff does.  I couldn’t believe it I had on one of my pieces finally found the look that I wanted.  In order to protect the great paint job I also applied the Milk Paint Clear Coat product that is available as well.  This stuff is also great but a word of warning do not use this stuff in an enclosed poorly ventilated area.  I opened the bottle and immediately knew that I had to open the shop doors turn on the fans and the air filtering system.  It’s some strong smelling stuff, but is totally safe to use.  Make sure you put it on thin I goofed in a few places and let it build up and had to adjust fix it. 

Oh I totally forgot to mention that before I applied the clear coat I took some 0000 Steel wool and “Sanded” the whole piece.  This helped level the paint out and dull the paint just a little. After the clear coat dried I did the same with it.  I did not want a super shiny clear coat and you don’t really get one with this stuff, well at least I didn’t, but the steel wool levels it and make it look even better in my opinion. 

Okay so to wrap up.  I totally recommend and will be using milk paint on future projects.  Here is the skinny though, it’s a little more expensive than what you would pay for latex based paint but if you are going after that period look or just want something different it is totally worth it.  At the retailer I purchased it from it was about $13 per package and each package gives your roughly a pint of paint so I have about $20 worth of paint on the Jelly cupboard.  I used almost a full pint of Sea Green and a full Pint of Oyster White.  Now I usually would by quarts of latex paint so it’s quart for quart about half the cost, but I also don’t have almost a whole quart of paint sitting around taking up space hoping that it will get used on another project, wondering if it was good enough, and if it lived up to my standards.  I mean that’s a hard thing for paint to have to go through day in and day out watching me build and wondering if this is the time that it will get used.  Well I can tell you I will still use Latex paint, but for anything that is going to be even remotely period based or primitive the milk paint will be my paint of choice.  It almost makes me want to go and sand all the latex off the couple of pieced I made last year and redo them with the milk paint. 

Please make sure to check out their website http://www.milkpaint.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a Great Day!

Technorati Tags: Jelly Cupboard,Milk Paint,Paint

These are the type of pictures that make me think....

1. Some COOL freaking people live here !

2. Small chest are PERFECT night stands, if you have any space by your bed .

3. That couch is so beautiful but is it comfortable ?

4. I really really want a cool looking fridge.

5. I could have a coffee bar, couldn't I ?

What's Eating My Sweet Basil?

Herbs generally are rather problem free plants in the garden yet this year I have encountered more problems with herbs than in previous years.  The oregano has been attacked by spider mites and fungus gnats.  Earwigs attacked the potted parsley and I just discovered an unidentified caterpillar attacking the potted sweet basil.  I'm hoping this isn't a sign of things to come for this growing

Happy Father’s Day with a few pens for Father’s Day

My friend/neighbor asked me to make some pens for her husband, father and father-in-law.  It’s always a huge honor when someone asks me to make a pen for someone else as a gift.  It on the other hand makes me very nervous as well because I am usually charging them for the pens, I don’t usually try to make much money off of them because it’s a hobby and I enjoy doing it and I have a hard time charging friends full retail for things like this.  I always fret over if the piece(s) are up to standard and up to par and if they will like them all that kind of fun stuff.  I am very pleased with the way these pens turned out.  They are very beautiful in my mind and it was almost difficult to give them up, but I did and I believe that she was pleased with the end result. 

Let me know what you think about them.

The pens are made from Amboyna Burl it’s an exotic wood from several different areas in Asia.  In my opinion it is one of the most beautiful woods out there.  I would love to some day build a piece of furniture out of it.  However it is EXTREMELY expensive and it would cost an arm and a leg to even make a top to a small table but I think it would be worth it. 

Now sorry for the plug but if you would like a pen for yourself or as a gift please feel free to contact me and we can discuss the options. 

 

 

Have a Great Day!

 

Technorati Tags: father's day,gift,pen,pens,amboyna,burl

Spider Mites

Spider MiteJune 17, 2010

It would appear that my oregano in the raised beds has been hit with the double whammy of fungus gnats and spider mites.  Both are known pests to oregano as are white flies and aphids.  At this point all I can say is I'm not amused.  At any rate the infestation isn't too bad so can be controlled.

Spider mites are 8 legged, spider-like creatures ranging in colour from

Jelly Cupboard is Done

I took the time today and got the jelly cupboard finished.  We ended up putting chicken wire on it.  I got the handle attached so it can be opened now that the chicken wire is installed.  My wife took some time to fill the cupboard with a few things and now she is trying to figure out what color to paint the bathroom. 

Everything installed looking good, we are trying out some different ideas for the top. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wife filling up the cupboard.  I’m sure she will find more stuff to fill it with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is what we decided on for now.  I am very pleased with the way it turned out. 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a Great Day!

Technorati Tags: Jelly Cupboard,milk paint,bathroom

 

Fungus Gnats

Fungus GnatJune 17, 2010


The gardens and yards have been hit with fungus gnats.  Fungus gnats are comprised of a number of species in the insect order Diptera, family Sciaridae (dark winged fungus gnat species Bradysia coprophila, impatiens and paupera) that are about the same size as a mosquito.   These tiny little creatures cause minimal damage to herbs such as oregano where they were having

Sad Gardening Memories

In June 2007 I sadly said a final goodbye to my garden at our former house.  It was a bitter sweet day filled with memories of how the garden had come to be and excitement at the prospects of starting a new garden at the new house.  I did shed a tear or two that day.  The garden that had been just a though ended up a reality and had matured nicely.  A walk through my garden showed the five older

SWEDEN !

A Few Tips for Identifying Insects in Your Garden

Quite often you will see the signs of insect damage in your garden well before you see the insect itself and there are times that more than one insect species may be responsible for the damage.  Proper identification is very important because you don't want to kill off any beneficial insects but at the same time you want to control or kill off harmful insects.  In reality my goal in the garden is

Winter or Summer Savory?

Summer SavoryJune 9, 2010

The plant tag on this herb that I planted last year said Summer Savory which is an annual herb.  However, it came back up this year so obviously it is a perennial so I suspect that it is actually Winter Savory.  It does look like Summer Savory but I will be able to tell better when it blooms.  I don't like letting my herbs go to flower because the plant's energy is then

LOVE these Kitchens !

That first one, WOW. Design is SO fun !

Applying Round-Up® Herbicide

Pressurized Garden SprayerJune 10, 2010
Round-Up® is an herbicide that is banned for home garden use under the Ontario Pesticide Ban except for special circumstances such as poison sumac and poison ivy.   Quite frankly I don't feel the Ontario Pesticide Ban goes far enough but when it comes to toxic plants like poison sumac and poison ivy that can cause extreme reactions that can cause death I am

Apartments !

Here are 3 apartments from around the world. The top one is from Hong Kong. Very nice although I'm not sure about the tub. Love the tub, love the look, but what about privacy ? Still, so pretty. The 2nd one is from Sweden. Love the white, so simple, and clean feeling. The 3rd is from the United States. I LOVE this one ! It was in the AT small cool contest. The rest of the place is just as amazing !

Chamomile

ChamomileJune 9, 2010
Chamomile is an annual daisy-like herb that gets its name deriving from the Greek from chamaimēlon meaning earth apple or the apple-like scent.  Chamomile is commonly made into a tea for it's calming effect to help relax before sleep.  In the home garden chamomile tea can be used to prevent dampening off in seedlings.  It can also be used as a dye to produce a green colour.

Jelly Cupboard and Guitar update

Well I finally decided it was time to finish the jelly cupboard.  I am almost there.  I have the main body painted the door painted and need to get the final pieces of the door cut and will have it all done.  We decided at this time we are just going to put chicken wire on the door.  I will post pics once that is done.  I used milk paint and am pretty pleased with it. 

I used white milk paint for the inside and green on the outside.  I also stained the top instead of painting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay now for the guitar.  I have let this thing mess with my head way to much and made a ton of mistakes that I probably wouldn’t have if this had been furniture.  I think I will be able to salvage it and make something of a playable guitar out of it.  I have learned a ton and it has allowed me to get over my guitar making jitters.  I will hopefully get this thing done soon.

But for now here is a picture of it in its current state

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a Great Day!

Technorati Tags: Guitar,Jelly Cupboard

A Few Containers in my Container Garden

A Few Containers in my Container Garden June 10, 2010
My main gardening method is square foot gardening in raised beds using companion planting.  This is a high density growing method.  Currently my raised beds give me 80 square feet of growing space.  Two new beds going in will increase the growing space to 112 square feet.  In addition to that I have several large containers that tend to be

Tomato Plugs

Tomato PlugsJune 9, 2010
Traditionally in our area home gardeners aim for having their gardens fully planted by the May 24 long weekend.  With recent climate changes there has been a push for some home gardeners to start putting their vegetables in too soon.  Our average day of last frost (ADLF) is usually around May 8 but we had a good frost here on May 14 this year so those with warmer weather

Wisteria !

I could spend all day on their website ! (Click this post title to get to the Wisteria web page)

Poison Sumac

One of our kids reacts quite violently to poison ivy to the point of needing emergency medical attention from exposure on several occasions.  Most of the contact has come from when we were camping but the other day a large poison ivy plant was discovered in their backyard so called me for advice.  That jogged my memory to take another look around the yards to be sure there was no poison ivy. 

I

Repurposing what you have

Sometimes a great decorating project is right at your finger tips! Look around the attic or basement or shed! Everyone complains of having too much stuff, so look at your "stuff" differently! I LOVE the mailbox in the entry way..so clever! The chairs for Fido's food ? Genius!