My Re-cycled Garden

Summer is in full swing here on the farm!  We have been spending as much time as possible in the yard and garden.  While planning this years garden I enjoyed many trips to garden centers across the northwest.  I love looking at plans for laying out my plants and flowers, seeing the various ways to grow things and all the products on the market to accomplish this!  I found that most things were doable on my own, with items I can salvage from around the area, or I may have tucked away.  For the most part I only had to buy new on just a couple things, the rest has been reclaimed and given new life.  As you know I like to live a more "green" lifestyle, so where better to start than in the garden!  Here is a tour for you.  Enjoy!

 

This is an old head board I bought from my friend Carol, I was so Happy when Nathan said we had the hardware to hang it without having to contact a welder!  To me it is a grand welcome to our home!

In the garden we decided to not till up the whole thing, but instead mow the grass between the rows for an easier way of tending to and less soil compaction in your rows.  Instead of buying new plastic tomatoes stakes we used old tree branches and small trees that had to be thinned out a couple years ago and have seasoned to a nice sturdy stake.  Same with the bean pole tee pees.  The black plastic was from hauling supplies when we built the house and now heats up my pumpkin patch nicely!

Peppers like warmth!  So to do this I gave them a bed in an old metal trough, filled it with some wonderful old rotting straw (producing heat while it decomposes) and then built an A-frame of just two windows I picked up from my Friend Carol.

The result is some very happy peppers (this photo was taken when they were first planted, now they are pressing the top of the window!).

An old headboard I picked up from Marianne for $5!  It works perfect to tie my tomato plants to!  More black plastic reused for heat and cover.

The inside of an old dryer, Dad had used this years ago for flowers and I decided it would be perfect for my tomatoes!

My favorite project was using this old wedding tulle for covering my cabbage plants and Kale.  I have a problem with moths eating the plants every year and my friend Scott said he used old gossamer left over from a party, for row coverage successfully!  So, with a ton of this tulle left from our wedding (11 years ago!) I decided to give it a new life and it works great!

Nathan calls this my "ghost garden", and the tulle is working great to keep the moths away!

                          An old horse shoe and some old logging chain worked for a gate latch! 

Using a found window like this adds some color to my garden when the sun shines through it!

My concrete bull, I will tell the story on this guy someday.  For now all I will say is my sister Errin has his mate in her bee garden and they are wonderful to see!

Old logs left from a slash pile from one of Dad's logging jobs, they work great for fence posts at the corners.  The rest are railroad t-posts from an old friend down the road that had no need for them anymore.  Another fun re-cycled project is my peony garden, they are all from old homesteads in the area and saved from developments or homes that were being sold out of the families.  I love that they can still be found here.

The only real "new" purchase this year was 300 ft of 7' high deer fencing, I bought strong enough fencing to reuse this fall for a pig pen.  Pigs work great for stirring up your garden and prepping the area for the next year!

These re-used fence posts were put into the berry patch 8 years ago and are still holding strong!

And with all the work done and everything planted I get to enjoy the best part of my garden...the view!

Thank you for visiting, enjoy your Summer!!!  Love, Jennifer

Farm Chicks 2012 Re-cap

Photo courtesy of Burnett Photography

Another year has come and gone for the highly anticipated Farm Chicks show .

My hens were helping me prep all week too.   "Farm  Chicks"!

Farm Chicks has always been like going to camp for me.  I still remember the fist show I did back in the tent in Fairfield and saying "It is like the Mother ship has called me home".  I still feel that way.

My booth opening day.
Photo courtesy of Burnett Photography

  A giddiness takes over me months ahead of time.  And it has become a family affair.  My mom brings her camper up to my house for a week ahead of time to watch Glenn and cook while we get things ready.

Cousin Brooke and her amazing lamp!  Emma found plenty of treasures too, she had saved up her  money and ended up with a whole $76 to bring to the show!  That story made me so happy.

 My cousin Brooke and her wonderful Daughter Emma came all the way from Portland to see the show and help me get ready the night before (T-shirts folding, bag labeling, card prepping...it all has to be done).

Serena has created an event that brings in fans from literally all over the world, which has given me the gift of friendship that stretches across many miles.  Customers that we see year after year like family at Christmas.

This WONDERFUL customer, Mary Hurd, was SO excited to find this lamp!

 This year has to have been one of the funnest yet!

Thank you Sister for all your help!!!
Photo courtesy of Burnett Photography

 I have always had a great time at the show, but this year I had the pleasure of having my sister join me for Saturday!  We always bump up the energy when we are together and then throw into the mix my dear friend Michele of 3 Craft Chicks was just a couple booths away.  Without the help from her and her wonderful family (including Kathy!)I don't know what i would have done!

My Kindred friend Michele
Photo by Burnett Photography

  We had so much fun with our customers too!  Never a dull moment and plenty of laughter.

Lisa Sharp Loved this vintage swimsuit and is for sure going to wear it!

I had the pleasure of meeting Serena's Mom, Gypsy.  I told her "Thank you" for giving us a wonderful lady who has changed so many lives for the good.  Serena has given me opportunities that have changed my path and my story for the better.  I will forever be grateful to her for that.

Busy Saturday!

I hope you were able to see this amazing event, but if not here is my re-cap.  Thank you for visiting!

Adding a punch of color!

Silly tired girls on set up day. Michele.

This pig made me happy, it sold pretty fast!
Photo by Burnett Photogrphy

Funky Junk gear!
Photo by Burnett Photography

Chevy truck turned shelf unit.
Photo by Burnett Photography

It was fun discovering these old lawn ware lamps for the show.

beauty.
Photo by Burnett Photography

My neighbor and dear friend Michele of 3 Craft Chicks
Photo by Burnett Photography

Old WWII submarine ladder.

Photo by Burnett Photography

Make it you destination...
Photo by Burnett Photography

Play.
Photo by Burnett Photography


Thanks for enjoying the fun with me.  Kindly, Jennifer

Farm Chicks: The story of the "Car Couch".

If there is one question I received the most since last years Farm Chicks show it is "where did you come up with the car couch idea?".  So I thought I would share with you the adventure behind getting it.

I live on my family farm that includes a "car cemetery" here and there through the back 40. My great uncles would dispose of an old car by dragging it out in the woods and parking it.  There are a few VERY old cars still back there.  Growing up this was especially fun for my sisters and I.  We would investigate them, find treasures in them, pretend to drive them and so on.  For me though I always stretched my scope of imagination and would try to figure out how to turn anything into a fort or habitat.  Hang curtains, tear out a seat to fit a small table, find a place to make a cooking area...virtually turn it into a playhouse. 

As years have gone by my walks in the woods have been a bit more nature driven, I am seeking the trees and the scenery.  I pass the old cars with only a nod to that young girl of yesterday and smile thinking of the antics she was up to.

But, on a May day last year I revisited that imaginary abandon I felt as a kid when I came upon this beauty while hunting morel mushrooms.

  I decided to crawl in...just for a second.  and just sit.  As I did a wave of excitement came over me.  I envisioned the wallpaper on the ceiling, the cushions on the seat and the lights across the roof.  I saw myself with a glass of wine and a book sitting in this next to the garden.  I giggled at myself and the absurdity of the whole thing, dusted off my pants and got up. 

I went to leave and just couldn't do it.  I walked around and around the old 1936 (thank you Pancho!)Chevy until I smiled with the thought of "why not?".

So, I went and got the guys, Kyle my cousin was visiting and loves a good adventure!

Everyone likes to stretch their scope of imagination in their own way!

So we went to work.

Turned out it was going to be easier than I thought!  The bottom was rotted out so all we had to do was cut it in half from the top!  We were able to drag it out of the woods easy enough since it was hollow.

  The rest was up to me. I hammered in a wooden seat to replace the old metal one that was rusting away.   I went to the department store and picked out some fun cushions, with the help of my friend Stacia I wallpapered the ceiling with some vintage peony paper I had.  Added some push-on lights to the roof and made my dream come to life.

Here I am with my old high school friend Ginger.

A side view.

Lucky for me, it did not sell.  I could not bare the idea of parting with something I had poured so much heart into.  So, it came home with me to it's rightful place next to my rose garden.  It is a nice place to sit during a rain storm, or just to visit with a friend.

Stacia and I enjoy an August evening by the garden...please pay no attention to the collection of beer bottles.  :)

I have been working hard on this years show items, but I think this Car Couch will forever remain a perennial favorite.  Thanks for visiting!  Love, Jennifer

A quilt of Mothers

I am a very lucky girl, I was raised in a world where I had Many forms of Mother's.  My Mom of course was and still is a hands on mom.  She is the first to throw a party for any occasion, she came to all my softball games she could make.  Growing up she was always making play dough on rainy days, holding me when the world was a bit scary, cheering me on when I did not think I could keep going, and loving me unconditionally.  She is the reason I do everything I do, she inspires me to keep going, to dream big and know that anything is possible.

My Grandmother Was also my mom, she covered all the bases that grandmothers cover but went a step further, she taught me how to sew, to throw a baseball and how to live off the land.  She gave me love that I carry with me today and lessons to last a lifetime.

Then there is my Aunt Ginny, she had me in the summertime on Flathead lake.  She was and still is a pillar in my upbringing.  I baked my first batch of cookies solo in her kitchen, we still refer to that summer as "snicker doodle summer" because I had to continue to perfect the recipe.  She taught me the art of housekeeping, how to make a bed properly and an appreciation of having a made bed every evening.  She is an interior designer by trade and I owe my sense of decorating to a passion she instilled in me.  She taught me how to read a map on one of our many road trips,  For graduation she gave me a suitcase, knowing that independence and a sense of adventure were key to my growing up.

Carol Camp is one of my moms.  The summer my parents divorced my mom needed to work in Alaska for the summer and my father was working, so I went to stay with the camps.  I was 12 and a bit of a handful, but Carol had 4 girls at home already and didn't think twice of taking me under her wing.  She guided me in the few months I was there.  She held me when I was confused and angry at the cards I had been dealt that year.  Carol taught me the strength that can be found in faith.  And as the years have gone by she has never stopped being a mom to me,   Always willing to give advice and love. 

Penny is my step mom, she has always been my source of all things practical, she will give me a straight answer to many a problem which has been such a blessing.  She has lived an organic life and has been considerate of her place on earth and how we live in a circle, what you give is what comes back to you.  She has been a lifesaver time and again to Nathan and I.  She has a sense of adventure, always ready to try new things and always believing in me every time I am ready to take my next adventure!

Moms come in every form, there have been times my sisters have been my moms.  Shelly was always guiding me with advice when I was in high school and when I was first married.  She was the first person I called when I felt like motherhood was overwhelming as I had rocked my screaming baby for 3 hours straight.  She calmed me down and guided me through. Errin has taken care of me when I am sick, even as a grown adult.  She is one of the most generous people I know, she helps me with all the hair brained ideas I come up with and when I have too much on my plate she is at my door with open arms and helping hands.
I met a gal the other day who had lost her mother at a very young age.  She had been raised by her dad.  He would sew every costume for every Halloween, bake cupcakes for her birthday.  Even went to work with finger nail polish on his pinkie a time or two. 

I have taken a bit from  all of these "moms" and added them to how I raise my son, I look at all of them as pieces of a quilt I am making...to keep my him warm.

 Happy Mother's Day, and Thank you to all the Mom's out there.  Love, Jennifer

Thread image http://www.123rf.com/photo_8208466_close-up-of-thread-spools-needle-and-thimble-with-a-tape-measure-in-the-background.html

Quilt image http://cynthia-stcharles.blogspot.com/2010/05/scrap-quilt-wedding-gift.html