I love snipping fresh herbs from the garden for cooking, but now that we've made the move to town home living ~ I needed to plant a patio version of my herb garden this Spring. What better vessel than an old cooking pot!
I placed a layer of garden rocks in the bottom of the pot for drainage, then added potting soil. I carefully removed the plants from their plastic nursery pots by turning them upside down, then placed each plant in around the big soup pot.
Our local Ace Hardware carries small herb plants, the perfect size for creating a sampler of 6 plants. Some grocery stores also carry herb plants in their produce section, or you can find some at home improvement stores which carry garden plants.
I added some soil around the plants, just enough to cover evenly, then sprinkled some water over the pot of plants & placed in a partly sunny section of our patio. Since I'm always misplacing scissors, I tied a pair onto the handle with some twine ~ for snipping clippings!
As a final touch, I gathered some old mismatched spoons & dipped the ends in craft-store chalkboard paint ~ to use as changeable plant markers. Chalk ink markers come in different colors & provide longer lasting writing, but plain ol' chalk works too. I found my chalk markers at Michael's Arts & Crafts, and also have a few which came with chalkboard coffee mugs from Starbucks. redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014
When looking for fast & festive table décor which isn't too heavy on the budget, don't overlook simple metal vessels. This pair of 1960's hammered brass tavern pitchers were a .50 cent yard sale find. After a quick coat of red acrylic craft paint was dry, I added some pine sprigs from the yard & pip berries in one and wooden spoons in the other ~ quickly turning ordinary into extraordinary! This can also be done with simple grocery cans of different sizes. Try adding twigs, battery operated lights, mini trees, and other seasonal décor that you've already got on hand.
© copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com
While antique dough boxes are great for displaying wooden bowls, a modern day planter can be a much cheaper alternative for those of us on a tight decorating budget! This newer wooden plant tote box was a $2.00 thrift store find, just the right size for my collection of farmhouse dough bowls.
While the sides of this wooden box were already embellished with embossed metal panels, a carved wooden applique/onlay can be glued to any planter box for an artistic touch, available at most home improvement, hardware, or craft supply stores.
Using a $1.00 can of 'oops' mistinted flat blue wall paint sample from Home Depot, I brush painted 2 coats over the entire surface, allowing 1 hour drying time between coats.
The next day, I very lightly sanded the edges with a piece of fine grit sandpaper to add an aged primitive look, dusting the excess powder with a dry rag. As a final finish, I dipped a clean cotton rag in Ace Hardware's oil-based Walnut wood stain, rubbing an even coat over the entire surface & allowing a couple of days drying time before using.
copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com
