Peppermint Planter {Self-Watering}

I love my little corner patch! It's finally filling in and producing fruit and flowers!

I did a bad thing! I knew I shouldn't plant peppermint in the ground because it spreads and can be very invasive... but I did it anyway. 

I had it blocked off thinking I could keep it under control... but that wasn't the case.

It spread through the gravel...

it spread into our raspberries...

it spread into our oregano...

it spread everywhere!

And the bad thing was... I knew better!

SO... it was time for a new plan...

I dug it all up... 

I tried to get every piece of root... because if not it just keeps growing...

I laid down plastic

 to keep the peppermint and the weeds from growing...

and we spread more gravel.

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I still wanted a peppermint patch...

but it had to be contained so it wouldn't spread.

I love these Self-Watering planters!

They are amazingly easy!!

They take a little work to build... but they are very very worth it!

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- I bought a trough from Tractor Supply

if you get a trough you don't have to line it with plastic because it already holds water

- I used plant containers for the water reservoir 

(the water reservoir is about 10 inches deep)

- drilled the hole and put in the drain pipe

(the drain pipe keeps the planter from becoming soggy)

- put containers with holes in for the wicks (the wicks suck up the water)

- put a fill pipe down one side with holes in the bottom 

(don't forget to cap it to keep it clean, this fills your water reservoir)

- line the wicks and top with weed fabric 

(this keeps the soil from falling down into the water reservoir)

- fill with soil

- plant your plants

- water really good for a couple weeks until your plants are established

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(if you need help figuring out how to put this together

search it on google,

there are so many great diagrams and videos to show you how)

I only have to fill it with water once or twice a month.

It's so easy to take care of!

Now I love my peppermint!!

Metal Wall Baskets

I love to decorate... and I love metal wall baskets! 

(there are no affiliate links in this post but I did include the ads where I bought so you can see the size and price)

We always have a hundred papers laying around that don't always need immediate attention but something we need in the future, so they need a place in view but out of the way.

So when I decided this space needed a little more storage I knew exactly what I wanted to use....

I bought two wire wall baskets from Amazon. 

They don't take up to much space but they are big enough to keep our papers off the countertop. 

They have hooks which are nice for hanging keys or whatever you need to hang. (they could hold something pretty heavy but if you want to hang something heavy make sure to secure the basket into the studs in your wall so whatever you hang doesn't pull the screws out of your wall.)

They are super handy and look nice as well!

I'm very happy with 

how they turned out!!!

(I'm thinking I need another one 

to hang my calendar on... 

it will need a bit of reconstruction 

but that shouldn't be hard)

2nd Basket

I also had a couple things outside that I needed to keep out of the way but in easy reach and use. 

So I ordered another basket to keep our bug spray and sunscreen handy but somewhere the wind couldn't make a mess of it. 

This vintage basket is super cute and a good size for these bottles but it didn't come with hooks on the bottom. 

So after a little research I found some metal hooks that just clip on. They worked AMAZING! They are heavy duty but you could bend them with a little muscle if you needed them slightly different shaped.

I just love when a project comes together 

and makes my life a little easier!!!

Good luck with your next project!

Self-Watering Strawberry Planter {Wicking Bed}... UPDATE

Have you ever heard of a Wicking Bed? 

I hadn't until last summer and they are amazing! 

A wicking bed is a raised bed that has a water reservoir in the bottom that slowly wicks up water into the soil to water your plants. So you don't have to water your raised beds every day. Who doesn't like less watering! 

Retaining Wall {UPDATE}

Summer is winding down and its time to get a few things done before it gets cold outside...

I know this isn't something I normally share but I'm really excited about this project!

Well I got a huge surprise a couple Saturdays ago when I thought we'd be working on some projects my Husband wanted to get done... instead he got the tractor and we started digging out the section of lawn between our house and shop.

Its been a sloped mess since we moved in 6 years ago... it's to steep to walk down, hard to mow and we can only keep patches of grass alive. We've talked about changing it for a while but I thought it was on the bottom of our project list.

So, I was really surprised when he started digging out the sod... and we got another surprise when as we dug out the grass we found a lot of large flat stones.

2024 LDS Youth Theme (Window Cling)

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. My calling at church is a youth leader for the Young Women ages 11-18. The youth theme this year is:

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ                     3 Nephi 5:13

(It’s from the Book of Mormon,                               just in case you were wondering)

I love my calling! We have so much fun!!!

This summer was very busy with Stake Young Women’s camp and Youth Conference camp, but I loved both!

For youth conference camp, we were asked to be a host family. So 5 beautiful young ladies from our Stake, came to stay at our house and we were able to chaperone them to all the activities for four days…and our two beautiful daughters were each hosted and chaperoned by different families. It was a wonderful experience!!! 

We all made some wonderful memories!!

As a host family we were asked to do a morning and evening devotional centered around our Savior, Jesus Christ, for the kids we had at our house. 

They asked us to make sure that the youth participated and we were to help out as needed. I decided to give the first devotional, so the girls could get to know us, then they would be in charge of the rest. 

For my devotional, I wanted to give them something that would remind them of the Savior and to help them remember this Youth camp. As I searched, I found the CUTEST window clings in the shape of the youth theme for sale on Etsy. 

But I had a problem… I waited too long to order them so they wouldn’t be here in time. So I did the next best thing…

I made my own!

I hurried to order the window cling and vinyl from Amazon & Walmart, found the clipart online, cut them out with my cricket, and my girls helped me put them together the day camp started. For me, it was a tiny miracle! And our sweet girls loved them!!! 

These window clings are great as a reminder because you can put them on your bathroom mirror, bedroom window (or any window) or in your car. 

They are good to remind us Who we are and Who’s we are!!!

I hope this gave you a little inspiration!!! 

Have a great week!

More {DIY T-shirts}

 
I can't get enough of all the cute shirts I want to buy and make!

There are so many cute shirts out there people are selling. I think I could buy and buy and not have enough!

I like to design my own shirts so they say just what I want... but you can buy so many cute svg files to make your shirts. 

There's so many options!

I've bought my fair share... but my favorite is to design my own and I make a handful of these each year... I just can't get enough of how fun and easy they are to make.

They make great gifts for grandparents as well! 

I've spent years making grandkid t-shirts for my Dad and he loves them! He wears them until they turn into rags and then he informs me its time for a new one :)

When I turned 40 I wanted one that said "40-licious"... its one of my favorite shirts!

.....

Instructions:

#1:  pick a t-shirt or sweater

#2:  buy or make your template by using a Cricut, Silhouette, or print it on cardstock and cut it out by hand with a X-Acto knife.

I use a really old Cricut and the cheapest removable vinyl to make my templates.

#3:   you can use iron on vinyl or my favorite method... craft paint. With paint you have so many color options to choose from or mix to make a custom color. The fabric will absorb some of the paint so you might have to do a couple coats. (make sure to put cardstock or something inside the shirt because the paint will bleed through and could get on the back without something to stop it)

#4:    peel off the vinyl and wear... or wash to soften the paint just a bit

It's that easy!

A bit of work, but easy to make!

They always turn out cute...

and the possibilities are endless!

Happy Crafting!

Climbing Trellis

 
I have killed this Virginia Creeper so many times I can't even count... but it has a will to live!

This year I decided I would give it somewhere to go so it was out of the way...

And I wish I would've done this sooner!

I really like the way it looks and shades our front door.

 I'm not sure how well it will stay trailing up the trellis but so far its doing great. 

I'm hoping I can get it to sweep forward around the awning and stay off the house. 

We used a couple strips of cow panel and some small clips to screw the cow panel to the house. (The cow panel is galvanized so hopefully it won't rust and make a mess on the house. 

I love vines and greenery!

Enjoy your summer!