06.13.13

CHOCOLATE VINE

Read more in: GARDENING, OUR HOUSE, outside, porch

Hey guys! Sorry I’ve been kinda absent lately here on the blog. My kids are out for the summer, and we’ve been having so much fun everyday. Lots of swimming, park time, soccer, and playing at our community center. Just not as much free time to make things and prep blog posts. In general this blog will be quieter in the summers and busier during the school year.

Today I wanted to share with you a few photos of our porch. We built these wooden trellises years ago to hang in the negative spaces between our columns. I knew I wanted a climbing plant to grow up them, so after talking to someone at our local nursery I settled on Chocolate Vine. It gets it’s name from the chocolate scented blooms! Yes, you heard me right! How could you NOT plant something that smells like chocolate?!?! Unfortunately, we’ve only seen three or four blooms in the 7 years this has been growing on our porch. I’m not sure why. Maybe because we’re too far south? Or we need to plant some more for fertilization? I need to go back to the nursery and ask them. Even without lots of blooms this plant is so lovely.

The vines create this very tangled and organic look. I just read that in Japan they use these vines for basket weaving.

You’ll often see them just reaching out into mid air and wrapping around each other. So pretty. Be careful though because chocolate vine can get invasive.

Hope you guys have a wonderful week! I’m working on my black and cream quilt this week….which I’ll be sharing more about later.

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rachel del grosso - it’s so pretty! i’m serious jealous of your house and all of your greenery. moving from ontario, canada to las vegas was a HUGE transition and I have to admit that living in the desert really makes me miss all the green. keep posting photos like this so that i can continue to live vicariously through you :)

Pink Ronnie - So gorgeous Manda! Also makes me happy to hear you’re spending so much time with your children. Sometimes mothering my little ones can feel so all-consuming and exhausting that it’s nice to read encouraging snippets like this and be reminded of the joy it is to be blessed with a family!
Ronnie xo
p.s. I’ve also been stalking your Instagram archives tonight… so much beauty and inspiration through your iPhone lens!

06.06.13

PROJECT LIFE 2013 : WEEK 22

Read more in: DOCUMENTING, project lifeTags: ,

Here’s week 22! This is the last official spread for this book. Soon I’ll be sharing the title page and end page for this album. :)

My boys are on a soccer team for the first time ever!!! It is the cutest thing in the world, and I’m so excited because they are GOOOD! Wyatt scored 11 goals in the last game. Woohoo! The whole left side (Design C) is dedicated to soccer. That bottom right photo Wyatt was whispering to his dad “don’t tell the other team the trick about standing by the goal and shooting it in!” At this age (4 and 5 year olds), all the kids just run around in a solid pack kicking after the ball. Wyatt figured out that was a waste of time. Smarty pants. Finn is a little slower to learn, but he’s been great at defense. :) Anyway, little 5×7 insert for my Spilled Milk submission.

Right side (Design A) is just a hodge-podge of other photos I had. Some of Ansley’s last day of school, goodies from my dad’s garden, and the boys playing. Then, just my usual sewing and cardstock for the journaling. Nothing spectacular this week for sure. However, this project is about documenting our life for the kids, not about making the most amazing and artistic photo albums ever (plus…I’ve been really busy).

Products: We R Memory Keepers 3-Ring Album, Vellum Labels, 5 x 7 Page Protectors – horizontal, Avery Index Tabs, Design C, Design A, 6 x 12 Page Protectors, and Gravel cover paper.

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06.04.13

30 HOME PROJECTS : REVERSED B/W PLANTERS

Read more in: 30 HOME PROJECTS, DIY, GARDENING, HOME PROJECTS, houseplants

This DIY was so fast and easy…I completed the whole thing in an hour yesterday!

Materials:

  • Spray primer
  • Black and white spray paint
  • Black and white acrylic paint
  • paint brush
  • sand paper
  • two clay pots

First thing is to prime the two pots, and then give them a light sand. Then spray two coats of paint (sanding again lightly between coats)…one pot in black and one pot in white.

Use the acrylic paint to paint messy strokes. White on the black pot and black on the white pot. DONE! How easy was that?

I painted the drainage dishes just solid black and white.

This is a Caribbean cactus tree I picked up a Lowe’s. It was $20. It’s really big though. FIY, these pots are the 10 inch size. Also, I’m so excited because as I was checking out at Lowe’s an employee came up to me and was all, “ooo I see you got a cactus?!?” He proceeded to tell me that he was the president of our local cactus club, and that he has thousands of varieties of succulents at his home and the Botanic Gardens. He offered to share his clippings to propagate if I was interested. Heck yea!!

This one is a Golden Pathos. Very typical indoor plant, but I love that they have it growing up the trellis already.

So yay! I bold addition to my home. I like it.

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Mel - Woohoo, you decided not to paint over them!! They turned out great, and I love that cactus story. We’ve started getting more plants in our house, too. It just adds life and color and at this perfect time of year for it.