Spring is coming!

...And that means it's time to get back to my garage!

My husband left town for about four days this week, leaving his side of the garage empty.

Nature abhors a vacuum.

So I filled it up for him.

I am tickled to be back to looking for my furniture bargains! I really didn't know how much I missed it!

In celebration...here's my first furniture project of 2011

What about the cabinet-at-the-top-of-the-stairs, you ask? Didn't count. It was for me, and I worked on it INSIDE the house!

I picked up this little coffee table at Deseret Industries this week. It didn't look too good, which explains why I got it for $10.

I have a friend who was looking for a bench for Touch of Class Photography, so I snatched it up (he does amazing work if you happen to need a photographer in northern Utah).

But this is a coffee table, not a bench. Meh. No biggee. This particular table has iron legs (see?), which seem rather bench-ish, and it's higher than a normal coffee table. And it was $10. It'll work.


The top was good solid oak under the horrible finish.


I applied two coats of Minwax Antique Walnut Stain, and two coats of hand-rubbed polyurethane.


Still looks like a coffee table to YOU? Well, probably, since it's in the middle of my living room!

I guess I should have let my children sit on it after all...

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The colors of England in Spring

How is Spring where you are? I am told that Chicago is going to be 70 this weekend! All the great sweaters (the British call them 'jumpers'....why?!) I bought on sale may have to wait.

Gatherings from a walk or small bloomers from your own garden make for charming arrangements.  Bottles, big tin, fabric scrap, napkins, could all be lovely table setting for an informal gathering.

The smaller the container the better for the dainty flowers of spring. I do not have an image, as it was long long ago when i had a ladies lunch. At each place setting was an egg; top broken off and flowers as above with each egg bearing the guests name. The real trick was in getting them to stand up; good old plumbers putty, will not harm the table and a small piece holds it upright.

Talk about charming........even the woodland mushrooms are whimiscal

To achieve a natural look, dedicate a portion of your lawn and choose very early blooming species. Come fall, casually toss small handfuls of bulbs, plant where they lie. By the time you need to do the first mowing, the bulbs will be finished ready to sleep until next year.   

Snowdrops. If you can find these bulbs, plant now for next spring.

Fritillaries'   A magical bulb for light woodland settings. See the checkerboard pattern?

I need to become vegetarian

A walk through the residential area and what do i find?  Yes.....more doors! All in brilliant colors. Could you ever be so brave? Personally loving it, well most, and if you have shutters bring the color thru-out the facade.

I instantly thought of the lovely Elizabeth at the  Pretty Pink Tulips blog.

Named;  Fairly Lynch....??

LOVE this color!

You know who i am thinking about.....I hear he is very nearby

Intense golden yellow lichen enlivens gray stone

Mosses and lichens have two requirements to thrive; a moist climate and good, clean air.  

Hedgehogs, the quintessential spring animal of England

NOTE:   I was excited to leave the distractions of home and work behind. One bit I was certain of was the ability to write more blog posts and visiting others. Best laid plans went awry; forgetting that a rural environment has sporadic internet capabilities.......oh well.....

Have a happy week!

Tonight I am treating my hosts to dinner and a concert in the 13th century Abbey; Bach chamber music on medieval instruments. Can't wait!

Debra

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Don't Just Plant a Garden -- Make a Memory

Your kids are watching where you spend your time, whether it looks that way or not. Between play dates and after school activities, teach them about working with their hands in the open air by showing them how to garden. Show them that food doesn't just magically appear in the grocery store.

In twenty years, what are they more likely to remember, an afternoon in front of a video screen -- or a

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Home Remedies for Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are nasty, and they seem to be everywhere. I've published some herbal spray solution recipes that will help discourage bedbugs from biting. There are also some maintenance solutions that will help control light infestations.

 Bed Bugs Natural Remedies

A heavy infestation of bed bugs will almost always require chemical treatment, either with an over-the-counter pesticide spray or with

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Stopping by a Stone Angel

Submitted on a lazy Sunday afternoon, a few of my favorite gardening quotes. If you adjusted your clocks forward last night, enjoy the extra hours of sunshine. I know I will:

"Rosemary only grows where the mistress is master." -Anonymous

"Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years." - Anonymous

"Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration." - Lou

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Tarragon Mustard Recipe

This simple tarragon mustard makes a tasty dipping sauce for shrimp or fresh vegetables. It also tastes good in chicken salad and potato salad. It's a delicious accompaniment to broiled, fatty fish like salmon too.

Tarragon Mustard Recipe

3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tsp. Red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. Finely chopped, fresh tarragon
3/4 C. Mayonnaise (low fat okay)
1/4 C Sour cream (fat free okay)
1/2

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How to Make Tarragon Tea

Tarragon tea (French tarragon) is mild and can be relaxing and de-stressing after a difficult day. It can help you sleep. It can also relieve gas, indigestion and may help cure hiccups. It's easy to make, and if you keep a tarragon plant or two on your deck, in your garden or even indoors on a sunny windowsill, you'll have a regular supply of fresh leaves. Be sure to use tarragon fresh, once

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