tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15402258498766902132024-03-12T20:55:41.209-07:00Red Gate FarmChris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.comBlogger497125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-86076759289805301412020-06-02T16:56:00.002-07:002020-06-02T16:56:57.151-07:00A pink and green baby shower<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since it's June, it has been 2 years since this little baby shower happened. I know because the "baby" just celebrated her 2nd birthday! About time I finally shared some highlights of the day!<div><br /></div><div>I had wanted to do some sort of party or shower using pink and green for a long, long time. When I came across an old cookie or candy tin in the perfect palette around the same time a new baby girl was born into our extended family I had the perfect reason... a baby shower! When it comes to parties, I love showers but baby showers are my favorite.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have tons of jadeite (or jadite if you prefer), white milk glass and pink ruffled Hazel Atlas dishes in a pattern aptly name Crinoline. So no worry on enough serving pieces and cake stands!</div><div><br />
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Being June, it meant that my pale pink shrub rose, Bonica, was in full bloom and just the perfect shade of pink to tuck in and around the table setting.</div><div><br />
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The food was themed around a "tea" as the baby girl's name is London. There were lots of finger sandwiches, quiche and some macarons.</div><div><br />
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If you look closely, you will see that a vintage, chenille baby blanket was used as a tablecloth.</div><div><br />
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Bits of gold were sprinkled around like these little "oh baby" picks.... you can never go wrong with a bit of gold for a little girl.</div><div><br />
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Some of the cookies, like my famous sugar cookies, were scratch made but others like the macarons from Trader Joes and the little ginger with lemon filling from Safeway made the day easier!<br />
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Vintage baby girl clothes, in the perfect shades of pink and green, were perfect for decorating.</div><div><br />
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</div> In fact they made a perfect "garland" in the dining room.<br />
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Other decorations included a vintage golden book and a fun definition of "girl."</div><div><br />
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And as you know, I'm a fan of making little game booklets for showers as it makes it easy to give out all the games and directions at once. Plus the booklet makes for easier "lap writing"! A similar photo was used for the actual invitation too.<br />
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And favors, we cannot forget about a favor for the guests.</div><div><br />
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I think this was probably my favorite of the whole shower. I painted little jars in pink, pale green and gold... added a succulent, from my own garden of "chicks n'hens" that were started from ones that my husband's grandmother shared with us years and years ago... so fitting for a family shower.</div><div><br /></div><div>And can we just talk about this baby scale for a minute? So adorable! I'd been looking for a while and came across one at a local vintage market one summer. But the most amazing part is the wicker part that holds the baby! I've never seen one like this before or since.</div><div><br />
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And a final shot of pink roses mixed with a few white, grocery store carnations.<br />
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<div><br /></div>Two years is better late than never. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope June is being kind to you.</div><div><br /></div><div><font color="#e67c73" face="courier" size="6">Chris at Red Gate Farm</font><br />
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</div>Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-23208078942220032142020-03-21T09:09:00.000-07:002020-03-21T09:09:06.094-07:00you may have noticed... we got a pool!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRgx08eXbVe_F8tT_2IIw_pSHMg1dcXCOdHxQETS_V9wv5X6Sdqq7kM7EiLohq2aQqW3dfQvojGwKQvpILek-CKNT8iZRynbYpEToFYY57UDlMAD9VrbZ1FzBdNnzMxWBb1E0E8IUacQ/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRgx08eXbVe_F8tT_2IIw_pSHMg1dcXCOdHxQETS_V9wv5X6Sdqq7kM7EiLohq2aQqW3dfQvojGwKQvpILek-CKNT8iZRynbYpEToFYY57UDlMAD9VrbZ1FzBdNnzMxWBb1E0E8IUacQ/s400/1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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In my last post I hinted at something new... well not really new anymore... but we got a pool! A stock tank pool!<br />
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Perhaps you've seen this idea on Facebook or Instagram? I even saw a few magazine articles. And I knew I wanted one! Finding one was a whole different ballgame. In our corner of the country, the upper left corner, finding a stock tank over 8 feet wasn't even possible and in fact the 8 footer was difficult to find too!<br />
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Once we had researched stock tanks, we headed to our local Tractor Supply to see what they had in stock. They had a couple of 8 foot pools and I even had my husband take my picture in front of one that was resting on it's side... I wanted to be sure that I could float comfortably after all!<br />
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Fast forward a couple of months, to July 2018, and my husband bought me one and we were able to just fit it onto our trailer to bring it home.<br />
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8 feet is a lot wider than one would think. For some of you that live in more rural parts of the country and have 10 or 11 foot stock tanks, I'm not sure how you even get them home!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIaObwwXtpWjoWJXREt44MY5XJf2SPj6HwaCLoBn4oPETT_SjCs-HvzHOF3XZhoTQZNfZhpKxlG8hAHYQ8OP4bojZ9_UsH0Fpw7HYhK5lHB47myUTjS3hqU7EW8Xgn5aRbW3cxbDgoRQ/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIaObwwXtpWjoWJXREt44MY5XJf2SPj6HwaCLoBn4oPETT_SjCs-HvzHOF3XZhoTQZNfZhpKxlG8hAHYQ8OP4bojZ9_UsH0Fpw7HYhK5lHB47myUTjS3hqU7EW8Xgn5aRbW3cxbDgoRQ/s640/4.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I had researched pretty extensively on how to set up a stock tank pool, both "how" it would sit and be level, and how we would actually keep it clean</span><span style="text-align: left;">. (See the end for a few ideas if you're looking to set up your own stock tank pool).</span></div>
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Summer 2018 view!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHvrxh3-gA1xB55QwKfy5W0L5B6GRMP2REI7Nhzrhq9iNLceiln9Er8aKF2AFtNIk2mkzb9a6gKK0fzPrRsf_E8ar7jJZRe6CnvsKgP3oqwQcuhzCxOi0DPeUeSkryWg8fViAx8WL6nU/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHvrxh3-gA1xB55QwKfy5W0L5B6GRMP2REI7Nhzrhq9iNLceiln9Er8aKF2AFtNIk2mkzb9a6gKK0fzPrRsf_E8ar7jJZRe6CnvsKgP3oqwQcuhzCxOi0DPeUeSkryWg8fViAx8WL6nU/s400/8.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The answer for leveling was actually pretty easy. Our spot was pretty level and with our sandy loam soil we got it pretty perfect in no time.<br />
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The clean part was easy in theory, a fairly inexpensive <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Intex-Krystal-Cartridge-Filter-110-120V/dp/B005QIYK66/ref=sxin_1_ac_d_pm?ac_md=2-0-VW5kZXIgJDUw-ac_d_pm&cv_ct_cx=intex+pool+pump&keywords=intex+pool+pump&pd_rd_i=B005QIYK66&pd_rd_r=13347de7-4b12-4ba4-910a-39116c38ad43&pd_rd_w=wCJ5p&pd_rd_wg=E9H5h&pf_rd_p=0e223c60-bcf8-4663-98f3-da892fbd4372&pf_rd_r=0KMH554CWAAGS4QBJWZW&psc=1&qid=1584806496&sr=1-1-22d05c05-1231-4126-b7c4-3e7a9c0027d0">Intex pool pump from Amazon</a> would keep the stock tank pool clean. An 8 foot tank holds less than 800 gallons of water and the basic above ground pool pump can circulate that amount of water pretty quickly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-biGGcaXbFUozgMYx4ksC_8m9q5QJns7Zwk8ff6F6Rc55YHxo9uFYjYhwaMlAlsY-Gk-YguRLPuQbVhI4fX-Dl69PP_9CUgbkf0MlFcz1IxfW2dcXyqb67A1OWArqh8vXAj1joXoy2L0/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-biGGcaXbFUozgMYx4ksC_8m9q5QJns7Zwk8ff6F6Rc55YHxo9uFYjYhwaMlAlsY-Gk-YguRLPuQbVhI4fX-Dl69PP_9CUgbkf0MlFcz1IxfW2dcXyqb67A1OWArqh8vXAj1joXoy2L0/s640/6.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Since we did not want the pool hoses going over the top edge, my husband used a hole saw blade on a drill and a variety of plumbing parts to be sure the pool hoses were attached to the side and did not leak.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUsNmCbRJSNqPWs0EHksVSDtRYxeSwS38zEacEXMyhgRpBi2ZbFp1R65Kj5pvcZ2-VqTsgUftjSVT_N_kdnqiG54t8NfV3H1u6EfaRa4qt9xLZWcfaIfF3Thu_WGUBdnu24MFXRyWGpg/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUsNmCbRJSNqPWs0EHksVSDtRYxeSwS38zEacEXMyhgRpBi2ZbFp1R65Kj5pvcZ2-VqTsgUftjSVT_N_kdnqiG54t8NfV3H1u6EfaRa4qt9xLZWcfaIfF3Thu_WGUBdnu24MFXRyWGpg/s400/9.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Continued maintenance includes chlorine tablets in a floating dispenser, a net to skim the surface and a<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Aura-6250-Paradise-Power-Vacuum/dp/B0085EE14Y/ref=sxin_3_ac_d_pm?ac_md=3-1-QmV0d2VlbiAkNTAgYW5kICQxMDA%3D-ac_d_pm&crid=35ZPZESOFGKB8&cv_ct_cx=spa+vacuum&keywords=spa+vacuum&pd_rd_i=B0085EE14Y&pd_rd_r=0a9ab1d8-8fc7-4d84-9e4e-b300c4f5808e&pd_rd_w=L4Tnu&pd_rd_wg=ybn3p&pf_rd_p=516e6e17-ed95-417b-b7a4-ad2c7b9cbae3&pf_rd_r=3JZRS43YN698GFVYS6N2&psc=1&qid=1584806565&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=spa+vac%2Clawngarden%2C535&sr=1-2-22d05c05-1231-4126-b7c4-3e7a9c0027d0"> fun stick like spa vacuum (from Amazon again)</a> that works through some sort of physics magic... you plug a little hole, submerge the vacuum end and it sucks up dirt and debris from the bottom... although it only works over a short area at a time it is fine for this 8 foot tank!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUaENEB8jHoJ5_QaSvHu-jpAaBpvLUU7dNXQLRGtEPQvF-42dFVGFghCFwgsK3HLeN1GNGx0K6YBFmCPADbstXUhN7NYx_Te3C6Op9aT4rJe4ehRzvyNQFoVdlkdw2v8BADLr5lf_46U/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUaENEB8jHoJ5_QaSvHu-jpAaBpvLUU7dNXQLRGtEPQvF-42dFVGFghCFwgsK3HLeN1GNGx0K6YBFmCPADbstXUhN7NYx_Te3C6Op9aT4rJe4ehRzvyNQFoVdlkdw2v8BADLr5lf_46U/s640/10.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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As you can imagine, the grand littles LOVED the pool during the July and August months of 2018!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeskwyuGFdEF6hgBIKAvQHu_dgBPW5n6V4A2Yk6Rxmail5Mruana7em2kHf5oWj1X241dwwvFjaG80ZjrOQ1vyZ18W796kxwTPyxWQIYXeWhDWyKzoVJse5O9QXFtlEorvMDb2cWL368/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeskwyuGFdEF6hgBIKAvQHu_dgBPW5n6V4A2Yk6Rxmail5Mruana7em2kHf5oWj1X241dwwvFjaG80ZjrOQ1vyZ18W796kxwTPyxWQIYXeWhDWyKzoVJse5O9QXFtlEorvMDb2cWL368/s640/11.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The little guy stuck around the rim as it was still pretty deep for him!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SRoboqaY3YGsjZJlqLWz2PevHRtKmcX-pUXj195UBUwo454tIvBuUdSori-asjnO9jwttcQzXWkR4nbiZ-AmlzAegWgf1ptJUACNOiLScaECaOnaiKJ2GqH1gsbvtPdwoMNfhzd9DHY/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SRoboqaY3YGsjZJlqLWz2PevHRtKmcX-pUXj195UBUwo454tIvBuUdSori-asjnO9jwttcQzXWkR4nbiZ-AmlzAegWgf1ptJUACNOiLScaECaOnaiKJ2GqH1gsbvtPdwoMNfhzd9DHY/s400/12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My blue pool float fits in the pool perfectly, the little bit of water movement from the pool filter means you slowly rotate around and around. A great way to cloud watch on a summer day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCbLtNaDDlqzFygo9ZXBCd4UrIofi3CvvQnBkvKtqriZbPA6asg3dT86fYTEgY4Y9gdA3v3kKpdKhM4y0Ape-EG8d8AGFjtQLKT4c2XZ9hZkdQR3O3PUicq95IkXLJIVZ47nurgZl9ho/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCbLtNaDDlqzFygo9ZXBCd4UrIofi3CvvQnBkvKtqriZbPA6asg3dT86fYTEgY4Y9gdA3v3kKpdKhM4y0Ape-EG8d8AGFjtQLKT4c2XZ9hZkdQR3O3PUicq95IkXLJIVZ47nurgZl9ho/s400/15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For the summer of 2018 we went out with a bang and a picnic for Labor Day. (And you can see our filter set up on the left - the hoses were "protected" by a couple of wire plant stands to be sure no body stepped on them or dislodged them).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTZVLjFgVnJ_aZ4IslJp0T9yZ0Fzyj0C9LIii_Yp6GAHZzgHzq4_9CgQ4xfIl-UrWw0btKwuGB3PG0hVeKKOM-za7AIvcLEx_zyyseiCJhkCbTxJDOh5BuuTDvzEJJvnuVRwdbmMcycc/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTZVLjFgVnJ_aZ4IslJp0T9yZ0Fzyj0C9LIii_Yp6GAHZzgHzq4_9CgQ4xfIl-UrWw0btKwuGB3PG0hVeKKOM-za7AIvcLEx_zyyseiCJhkCbTxJDOh5BuuTDvzEJJvnuVRwdbmMcycc/s400/7.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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In my last post I talked about the brick patio installation... and frankly the push to get it done in June was to be able to set up the stock tank pool on one end! That pool would have felt quite nice on some of those long brick laying days!<br />
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Here you can just make out the filter/pump/hose set up on the left side. My husband added an outdoor electrical outlet on the corner of the garage (the building there) so the pump needed to be in this area for the cord to reach.<br />
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Eventually I would like to build a bench that curves around the portion of the pool where the hoses are and just beyond on the far side, which is the north side, for actual seating as well... nothing better after a long day working in the summer to be able to sit and have your feet dangling in a pool!<br />
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Here you can see the whole layout, although at least the grass has filled in now!<br />
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A favorite spot to sit and dry off after "swimming."<br />
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This summer was so awesome with the brick patio and the pool! The little guy is so much bigger (as you can see) and really, really enjoyed the pool this year!<br />
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I even thought the flower bed fit right in last summer... looking kind of tropical!<br />
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Late August... it doesn't get any better than this in the evening.<br />
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This summer, 2020, my goal for the pool and patio area is to have that seating around the stock tank pool. And to set up a heater to take the edge off in the early and late months of summer.</div>
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Hopefully, with everything else that is going on in the world right now, this is just a fun project to follow along.<br />
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Take care,<br />
Chris<br />
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These two were some of the places we used for our set up research:<br />
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The blog<a href="https://www.heywandererblog.com/2017/06/diy-stock-tank-pool-everything-you-need.html"> Hey Wanderer</a> is awesome! They even have updates as they've changed things up.<br />
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Lucent Productions on YouTube... they even built a decking around theirs!<br />
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<br />Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-30002695739927275632020-03-02T17:00:00.000-08:002020-03-02T17:00:08.270-08:00brick by brick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last summer we embarked on a project that was years in the making... or at least years in the planning.</div>
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We took our "back yard" gathering space from this...</div>
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To this!</div>
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And let me tell you this project was a BEAST! We had been planning some sort of patio for this area for a number of year. The only thing we knew was that we did not want it to be a poured concrete patio. We (by we I mean my husband) researched a number of paver/brick options. There are so many products that the color/style is unlimited. We originally thought we would use some kind of concrete paver, mostly because of ease of installation and cost. Then as we were whittling it down to just one or two options my husband came out of nowhere with bricks! Real clay bricks... 3600 real clay bricks to be exact.<br />
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So on a overcast June weekend (isn't it always overcast in June?) we started in on the project.<br />
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We had the size we wanted in mind and a line was dug that would become a rough outline.<br />
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Then the simple job of skimming off the sod, simple because we could use a tractor...<br />
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Well out of my skill set and much harder than it appears... but good news was the sun was making an appearance! Just in time for all of this to be finished with shovels. Trying to get this somewhat level and have the grade be what my husband was looking for due to one side of this being higher than the other.<br />
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The next day was adding gravel and leveling again.<br />
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Then lots of watering of the gravel to settle it.<br />
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Then my husband went and picked up a rental "tamper" to pack the gravel down. If I remember correctly this was a couple of passes to be sure the base was packed well.<br />
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More watering... and at this point you may notice the pallets of bricks places strategically around our planned patio area.<br />
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Each of these pallets had 600 or so bricks... which were all unloaded off of this trailer... by hand. Yes, we touched every single one of these bricks to unload them. Gloves were a must and I actually wore completely through my first pair at this point.<br />
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Next was sand... we were starting in this corner and have a poured concrete curb we will work against with the goal of bricks level with that curb. There will be work to be down on the grass once we are finished as the grade isn't the same all across here.<br />
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Once we got started we realized that each of the 6 pallets were a different lot... think dye lot and yarn or fabric... Our fabulous idea of having the 6 pallets all around the area was a waste of time because we would need to mix the bricks throughout the patio so that we didn't end up with blocks of color! Here you can see my lines of staging bricks to the left. At this point my husband was laying the bricks along that curb and I was just keeping him in stock!<br />
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And have I introduced you to Hershey? Our chocolate lab puppy? She was not quite one year old at this point and really loved to lay in the nicely leveled sand that goes under the bricks.<br />
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It took all of a day to get to the this point... and did I mention we thought we'd have this knocked out in a long (3 day) weekend? Uhm, that would be a no.</div>
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By our third day of the project I wasn't so happy about the sun, nor the fact that this patio is in the sun most of the day, which would be nice once it is done but not so nice when you are schelping bricks and laying them!<br />
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At this point, I too was laying bricks. You can still see my staging for color/lot variation to the right.<br />
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And we layed bricks...<br />
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And more bricks...<br />
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And more bricks... it felt like this was never going to end. I think I may have actually cried at this point one evening.<br />
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So I took a break and took some pretty, out of focus pictures so I could enjoy how nice it would look someday.<br />
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And then it was finally done... well mostly done... the curved corner and all of the cut bricks were still needing to be finished. But we cleaned up all the pallets and moved them to one remaining pallet.<br />
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And I must say, I was thrilled with the outcome and the herringbone pattern we had chosen! And can you see here what I mean about the different colors! Believe me, there are 6 different colors!<br />
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At this point we took the next few weeks off before the edging was finished and a few more weeks before the ground was prepared and grass planted. During that time we cleaned up/pressure washed a cement table we had acquired and added chairs and an umbrella. I decided I liked the chippy painted concrete and we left it as is... I also decided to use metal chairs instead of the 3 benches we have. They'll find a place in the gardens someday.<br />
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And a little surprise was added the other end of the patio... but you'll have to wait to hear more about that!<br />
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I spent many sunny afternoons and lunches here... even a dinner or two was enjoyed here last summer.<br />
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The flowers along this bed lined the patio and looked so good against the brick.<br />
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It really was just the right touch for an old house.<br />
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Here was the first part of August and the grass was filling in nicely. This corner was curved.<br />
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And by late August this area looked so good and was used daily! Nothing like a pop of green grass against bricks!<br />
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I must say this was definitely one of our harder projects in recent years. It took longer and was tough on this aging body! I realize I'm not as young as I was when we moved here 15 years ago! Moving and laying those bricks were even hard on my fingers as to pick one up I had just enough "hand span" to do it and I don't think my right thumb and fingers were back to normal for a few weeks! And they are rough... I went through multiple gloves on this project, my husband gave up on using gloves and I don't think his fingerprints have come back yet!<br />
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But I am so looking forward to the patio and this view again this summer... one I will be able to enjoy as soon as the weather starts to warm up!<br />
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And this year a broom should be all I need to make this space ready for use!<br />
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Hope you are enjoying late winter/early spring,<br />
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Chris<br />
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<br />Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-23026136477641211062020-02-18T07:07:00.000-08:002020-02-18T07:12:57.681-08:001, 2, 3, 4, 5 and catching up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In all honesty, this probably should have been titled 1x3, 2x2, 3x2, 4, 5 as that is how many birthdays there have been since Miss Bee arrived over 5 1/2 years ago! And I will warn you... this is a pretty long post!</div>
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We recently celebrated the little guy's birthday, he turned 1 on January 31st, and I realized I had missed a "few" celebrations over the last few years... so here the parties are, all in one spot.</div>
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I have to say, I love parties... hosting, planning, decorating... baby showers, bridal showers and kiddo birthdays are my favorites. I've really enjoyed helping out with the 3 littles and their parties... sometime a bit over the top and sometimes pretty simple.</div>
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You may remember <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/search/label/family%20birthday">Miss Bee's 1st birthday</a>... back in May of 2015! How time has flown by...</div>
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The theme was a brightly colored sea/mermaid theme. Fun colors like coral-y pink, aqua/turquoise, mango orange, purple and green. One of my contributions, besides decorating, was my sugar cookies... decorated in royal icing to look like sand dollars. They were packaged up for take home favors.</div>
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And then it was May 2016 and she turned 2... and I never even got around to sharing! She was very into Sesame Street and all the Sesame Street characters... so this theme was a perfect choice! Her mama ordered fun party decorations and it included a fun banner!<br />
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I made characters to hang out of paper, tissue poms and honeycomb balls. A fun and fairly simple project to do... directions were found on Pinterest. There was a fish bowl full of gold fish crackers, mini cupcakes and of course, sugar cookies.</div>
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I had fun trying out <a href="https://jennycookies.com/2016/02/how-to-make-a-sprinkle-cake/">a cake thanks to Jenny Cookies</a> and her great tutorial. It's a little lopsided by the sprinkled sides were easy and kind of fancied it up, since real cake decorating is not one of my skills.</div>
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Unfortunately her party was small and just adults as Miss Bee hadn't been feeling well. Just a few days later, her little brother joined the family on June 5th.</div>
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May 2017, this now 3 year old had been planning a "pink party" for a number of months... Needless to say this party was allllll about pink and princesses. This one was an all out pink princess palooza with a fun tulle skirt (those things take a long time to make!) and lots of sweets!</div>
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A new princess t-shirt was a must have gift.</div>
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And of course the sugar cookies showed up once again... with pink, sprinkled cupcakes and salt water taffy.<br />
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And their was even a Belle topped cake to blow out candles.<br />
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And just a few days later, June 2017, meant Little Bug had his 1st birthday and it was a "wild one" all around!<br />
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Where The Wild Things are is a fun, fun theme for a birthday party, especially a 1st birthday! Of course there were cupcakes, sugar cookies and rice cereal treats cut out like Max's yellow crown! Like his old sister, the little man's first birthday cake came from a local bakery that had made his parent's wedding cupcakes. What a special tradition!</div>
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I had fun with decorating for this party and lots of blue, green and natural colors were used. I even made a little sign out of a slice of wood!<br />
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The next year was the first year of these two having a combined party... it was 2018 and it was a princess vs superhero kind of day.</div>
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I made their cakes and they were my attempt at a<a href="https://jennycookies.com/2019/06/how-to-transform-a-store-bought-cake/"> Jenny Cookies "max cake"</a>... layer cakes with lots and lots of goodies on top... and let me tell you, they were heavy!</div>
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As always, there were cupcakes... with ballerinas and sprinkles. Definitely need to work on my melted topping on the cakes... the pink was a tad bit lumpy!</div>
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A feisty two year old super hero...<br />
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His max cake, cupcakes and white chocolate covered oreos were certainly a hit or should I say "KaPow!"?</div>
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2019 was another combined party in June for a newly turned 3 year old little boy and a super excited to be 5 year old girl. In case you didn't know, 5 is a pretty magical age when all the good things happen like kindergarten, loosing your teeth... you know real life milestones and this girl was soooo excited to be 5!<br />
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This party was held a local indoor play spot so decor wasn't really necessary... but they both had specific cake orders with "a Barbie cake with a rainbow dress" and "a Spiderman - Hulk Smash cake."<br />
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I was a bit nervous about this request as I was to be out of town for work for most of the week preceding the party! Barbie was made before I left, crumb coated and put in deep freeze until the day I got home to add her rainbow dress.<br />
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Getting ready to sing and blow out some candles!</div>
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The newly minted 3 year old was pretty happy with his web cake... and a few other sweet treats!</div>
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And I think she liked Barbie... oh, and did I mention that Barbie was also requested to have a pink marshmallow crown?<br />
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What you didn't see in that last party was the littlest addition, Peanut, who was about 4 months old and apparently in birthday party tradition ended up not feeling well. Poor little guy had a rough start with so many illnesses and even a hospital stay... although you'd never know that now with what a little chunk his has turned into!<br />
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And now we finally have caught up to this littlest man's party was just a few days ago... and you can see the theme! His older sister and brother have been lucky with their May and June birth dates... parties that can be outdoors are so much easier... not so for this little guy with a January 31st birthday.<br />
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Here is the little chubby man himself... and can I just say, this is my first experience with a one year old with hair! Both his siblings, his mama and uncle ALL were pretty bald at this age!<br />
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His sister, Miss Bee and brother, Little Bug have really grown up! At 5 1/2 and 3 1/2 they are certainly little people now.<br />
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He was a bit unsure about the whole cake thing... just put his lips on it and started snacking.<br />
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Then he finally warmed up to the whole idea... maybe it was the sugar rush? I had fun making this little cake just for him, as well as cupcakes and mini donuts on sticks for his guests! Of course there was pizza as well, his favorite food... but then looking at this little chubster I'm thinking he has lots of favorites!<br />
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So there it is... a whole lot of birthdays, all in one spot! </div>
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I have a few baby showers to catch up with here too... but that will be for another day.</div>
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Hope you are all enjoying a beautiful February where ever you are,</div>
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Chris at Red Gate Farm</div>
Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-81005398831738865922020-01-15T19:09:00.000-08:002020-01-15T19:09:15.351-08:00garden changes, looking back on a bitter cold January day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is a cold, January day in the PNW. We had 11 degrees this morning, and yes, that is in Fahrenheit! With the windchill from the NE wind, it was -9! So what a better way to beat the cold but to think of spring and summer!</div>
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We added a new garden last year. I had been wanting to add a pink Kousa Dogwood for a few years but my husband wasn't on board with a new tree. He had a "parts" tractor that he wanted to use as "yard art." So together the idea became a tractor garden... As you can see, the tractor is also a climbing space for the littles!</div>
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I tried to collect before and after pictures from similar angles. We started the garden in the early spring in a spot that you can see as you come out of the door to our house. I picked plants for spring, summer and fall interest. Originally I was thinking of a red, white and blue group of colors due to the red tractor.</div>
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But in reality it is a bit more of a pink, blue and white garden... with a red tractor! Although I transplanted a white shrub rose and two peonies, the other plantings are all new.</div>
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I spent a lot of time and research planning this garden. Each plant was picked for color, height and bloom time. This fall I even planted a swath of 100 pink tulips in three shades! Spring should be pretty glorious show this year!</div>
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The dogwood is hard to see but in the photo above it is behind the delphiniums... in the photo below you can see it just in front of the rear tractor tire. I purchased the dogwood, delphinium, a lithodora, hosta and hardy hibiscus from a local nursery. The other plants were purchased online directly from Proven Winners... a first for me. I've purchased bulbs, tubers, seeds and even peonies online but never actual plants! The plants were packaged so well and everything arrived safe and sound. We even used all the cardboard by putting it under the tractor for weed suppression... since we were adding mulch to the new garden we just spread the mulch right over that flattened cardboard!</div>
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The photo above is from the south side of the garden. Most of this garden is in full sun all day with just a bit of shade from the neighbors giant shrubby plant at the end of the day. You can see the dogwood and delphinium. The three plants to the left are Beyond Midnight Bluebeard (Caryopteris), there are three Pardon My Cerise Bee Balm (Monarda) and tucked just beyond is a Stand By Me Clematis... I so wish I had an up close picture as it is amazing! Pretty blue upside down flowers and doesn't need a trellis. The front tire and metal structure of the tractor should hold it up as it grows. The little wire baskets were a desperate attempt to save my Low Scape Mound Aronia from the bunnies. It was a picked for it's slight spread and mounding habit and big show of autumn color... unfortunately the bunnies liked the tender new leaves!</div>
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Below you can see four peonies, two new and two moved. The front two are new from a local peony farm, Pure Peonies in Everson, WA. The tiny plants are an additional monarda and two more aronias. The beat up plant by the back tire of the wagon (aka manure spreader) is the shrub rose that was moved. Unfortunately the bunnies liked it too but I think it will make it.</div>
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This side view was from late in the summer, even early fall. We added a chunk of wood for the littles to climb on to reach the tractor, as well as a rock path to keep them on. You can see how well the monarda did. The spreading plant is the new lithodora which spread like crazy!<br />
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And a final north end view looking back toward the road and our old walnut tree. You can see I added a hanging basket. The flowers are a Supertunia Vosta in the color Silverberry (white with a pink center and veining) and this was just two plants! It was a trial to see how it would do. I liked the cascading effect and may try to grow some Wave type petunias from seed to go here this year.</div>
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Hope you enjoyed this little change in our garden... it is fun on this bitter, snowy, windy January day to look back at color and flowers!</div>
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Looking forward to spring,</div>
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Chris at Red Gate Farm</div>
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Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-43851475058107888842020-01-03T07:21:00.000-08:002020-01-03T07:22:10.972-08:002020 visionI can't believe that I totally missed 2019 here... I had really thought I would get back to my blogging last year but somehow it didn't happen. If you use Instagram, you may have found me there on a regular basis (link is on the left).<br />
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One of my intentions for 2020 is to try for a weekly posting and since it's already the 3rd day of the year (how did that happen!?!) I better get busy!</div>
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I hope 2019 was kind to everyone and a new year, a new decade, can only get better. This past decade may have begun and ended on a high note for me but as is life, there were definitely lows as well. The top three of my decade were these three little people...</div>
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And yes, there are now three! The youngest was born on January 31, 2019... you can call him "Peanut"!</div>
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Believe it or not but Miss Bee started kindergarten this year and the Little Bug is already 3 1/2! Time certainly goes by quickly!<br />
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So here's to a great start to 2020! Happy New Year!</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Chris at Red Gate Farm</b></span></div>
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Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-81228710255831126792018-05-31T14:46:00.000-07:002018-05-31T14:46:06.974-07:00catching up... in the garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well... I had the best of intentions last (ahem) August to start blogging again. One post and before I knew it, it was the LAST day of May! I do use Instagram (you can find me at RedGateFarm or the link on the right) so you may have kept up with me there, if not here's whats been happening in my garden so far this year! This will be heavy on my favorites (lilacs, roses and peonies) and a quick catch up on everything else!<br />
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First up, lilacs. Nothing says spring like the scent of lilacs. This miniature lilac bounced around in a couple of spots before finding a permanent home in front of our pump house. It is the last of my lilacs to bloom but definitely doesn't disappoint in blooms nor in fragrance!<br />
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We also are working on a hedge of lilacs to the west of our barn! I'm sure it will take about 20 years to be a real lilac hedge but I've heard that patience is a virtue... so I'll be practicing that!<br />
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All but two of these were starts dug up from the lilac hedge behind my son's house. They are white and a dark purple. We potted them up for a couple of years to give them a real head start, then planted them last fall and they all survived this past winter.<br />
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One of my purchased lilacs is this one, Sensation. Love the multi color!<br />
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My old lilac looked good this spring. We had cooler temps while it was blooming so the blooms lasted for a long time.<br />
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I should pots up some of the little starts and add them to my hedge since this one is a paler lilac...<br />
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Next, they may be fleeting but they are oh so beautiful... the peony.<br />
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This peony is different from all of my others. I bought it at a small plant sale and don't know the name but it is always the first to bloom.<br />
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Then my Festiva Maxima. Huge, huge blooms on this old variety. I now have 3 of these but really need to move at least two of them as they are getting overgrown by my hydrangeas.<br />
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This is actually two peonies. The lighter pink is Sorbet and I need to track down the name on the darker one.<br />
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Here you can see this Sorbet bloom about to fully open and show of it's multi colors and petals.<br />
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This peony is always the last to bloom. When I purchased this one it was just called "red peony" and the stems are definitely more of a reddish color than some of my other peonies that have similar blooms.<br />
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You can't see the final peony tucked around the side of the pump house... it finally has one bloom this year and I can't wait to see it as I have forgotten what it even looks like. It was potted for a few years and I finally planted it last year.<br />
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This peony is Sarah Bernhardt. Such a pretty pink peony.<br />
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Next year I hope to have my yellow peony in bloom! Finally found one this year that was a reasonable price as they are usually very expensive. It may find it's home next to Sarah here.<br />
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And the final of the triple favs are my David Austin English Roses. I pick mine based on growth habit, high petal count for that "peony look" as well as color and fragrance.<br />
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This white one is actually the only "non" David Austin English Rose I have, it is named Bolero.<br />
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My all time favorite is the Queen of Sweden. Prolific bloomer, very disease resistant, great cut flower and very upright growing habit.<br />
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This one is Port Sunlight and was started from bare root. It goes through different peach shades as it opens.<br />
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This is Sister Elizabeth and it is a purple-y pink in color. Fairly compact. It too was a bare root start.<br />
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Finally, in front of the barn is Alnwick. It was the third of my bare root started roses.<br />
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It is the earliest of all my roses to bloom and is very, very prolific!<br />
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It's pink color is a bit darker than the Queen of Sweden and is definitely more of a round bush.<br />
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Not shown, as they are not yet in bloom, are three other David Austin roses...<br />
Grace, another peachy color that smells like tea. It also tolerates a bit of shade.<br />
Winchester Cathedral, another white rose, a bit smaller sized plant than most of my roses.<br />
And, The Pilgrim, a light, yellow rose. This one is probably the most prolific of all of my roses, with so many blooms you can cut a branch like a spray type rose!<br />
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I have a few other roses such as this Knock Out variety...<br />
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And this shrub rose, Bonica, is a pale pink and will soon be covered! It usually has 3 to 4 bloom periods. It tends to get so heavy with blooms that I have it supported underneath.<br />
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Going a bit further back... to January that is... I got a real head start on my seeds this year by starting my Million Bells, Wave Petunias, Bacopa, Marigolds, Impatiens, Biden and Lobelia. Germination rate was good and now I'm frantically trying to find spots for everything!<br />
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The nectarine tree is the first tree to bloom and it was a welcome sight back in mid-March. Our winter (and early spring) felt very gray and dreary but apparently there was at least a bit of blue sky!<br />
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Daffodils in front of the barn.<br />
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Our magnolia was here when we moved in 13 1/2 years ago. It has definitely grown and is healthier due to better and consistent watering in the summer months.<br />
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Apple blossoms... all of our fruit trees blossomed during good spells of weather. Our apple, pear, nectarine, cherry and plum trees are all loaded with fruit this year! Thank you bees!<br />
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Tulips were later this year than years past, but the weather was pretty mild so these red tulips up the driveway stayed in bloom for a record amount of time.<br />
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My "Mother's Day" Rhododendron put on it's annual show... right around Mother's Day, of course.<br />
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The purple Iris' were fleeting but I managed to get a shot of the yellow ones that come on a bit later.<br />
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Right now my purple lupine is blooming along the driveway. I have had lupines here since we moved in... in fact, you may have noticed, most of my "profile" pictures on social media are of an early shot of lupines and our house.<br />
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And since I have been so derelict in updating this blog... something else that has been growing but more like a weed...<br />
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Miss Bee just turned 4! Where does the time go? She is such a funny, spirited little girl. Her imagination is beyond compare, the stories she comes up with... and she is sooooo convincing! As you can see... she is a pink and jewels kind of girl but not afraid to pair that with a set of boots! Lately she has "taken up" flower arranging and wanted to put a little bouquet together when she was here in mid-May.<br />
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And her brother? Little Bug isn't so little any more. Those chubby little legs can barely squeeze into a pair of rubber boots... He's more into trucks and tractors (some of his favorite words) or Batman and Spiderman (he does a mean "Pew" from his spider wrist shots) for which he will happily don a mask! He will turn 2 next week. A sweet little boy, unless you try to take a turn on "his" tractor! I think his favorite things to say are "I did it!" and "No"... pretty typical for an almost 2 year old!<br />
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So that's a recap of what is growing in my garden... how about yours?<br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Chris at Red Gate Farm</b></span>Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-50682122659694491042017-08-08T18:04:00.001-07:002017-08-08T18:04:23.038-07:00smitten with pickles<br />
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After our cool, wet spring our summer has really been heating up and my garden is starting to produce one of my all time favorite things... cucumbers! I grow pickling, lemon, english and plain ol' regulars. Of course, the pickling being the smallest are the first to be ready and this weekend I had enough to make a batch of pickles.</div>
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I have made both traditional canned pickles and quick refrigerator pickles and hands down my favorite are the refrigerator pickles. I also like that a recipe can be tweaked a bit and since these pickles are usually a short shelf life in the fridge I don't worry about the safety kinds of issues you have with actual canning.<br />
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I've tried a number of recipes over the years, both dill and "bread & butter" style, this recipe was found on <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/07/easiest-fridge-dill-pickles/">Smitten Kitchen</a> and looked right up my alley to try. I even used this opportunity to finally use my mandolin and it was so quick to slice up this little pile of cukes!<br />
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Salt, vinegar, cukes and dill from my garden was all the recipe called for... well and a bit of time too.<br />
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Easiest Fridge Dill Pickles - Smitten Kitchen<br />
8 larger or 10 smaller, firm, kirby cucumbers (depending on size) sliced thinly 1/8 inch or so<br />
3 teaspoons pickling, coarse or Kosher salt<br />
1 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill<br />
1 large head of dill (this is my tweak to the recipe)<br />
1/2 cup white vinegar<br />
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Place all ingredients in 1 liter, lidded jar and shake a few times (I actually shook a bit more, until salt dissolved). Place in refrigerator. For next few hours shake jar a few more times. After 6 to 8 hours you have fabulous and easy pickles! But if you're like me you didn't wait that long, they're pretty good at 1 or 2 hours as well! <br />
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These pickles will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, just be sure cucumbers are covered by pickling brine/liquid.<br />
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Here they are ready to go into the fridge, you can see that the liquid doesn't cover the cucumbers or pickles to be...<br />
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But here they are after just a couple of hours of sitting and shaking. You can see that the recipe was correct in that the liquid from the cucumbers releases and adds to the liquid in the jar... or do the cucumbers shrink? or both? Either way, they are now submerged.<br />
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I hope you give these a try if you have some extra cucumbers with a need to use... or try <a href="http://www.shannanmartinwrites.com/2013/08/refrigerator-pickles.html">this slightly sweet version of pickles from FPFG</a> (now Shannan Martin Writes) from a few years ago... it's quite tasty too. I have a "bread and butter" pickle that is called Ice Cream Pail Pickles, because you use a 1 gallon sized container that I will have to share, it's the recipe that made me actually like the sweeter pickles AND you can use any vegetable in it!<br />
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As you may have noticed, I haven't posted here in a bit... almost a whole year actually. I'm not quite sure how a break ended up being so long and if you're like me, you wonder what happens when someone just sort of disappears... I've been active on Instagram but intend to try and resuscitate the blogging too!<br />
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One thing that has changed is my little grand babies have grown by leaps and bounds. Miss Bee is three and the Little Bug has turned one! They grow up sooo very fast.</div>
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And I'm pretty smitten with these two, that's for sure. <br />
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Hope summer is treating you well,<br />
<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Chris at Red Gate Farm</span></div>
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Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-20489763010372059562016-08-31T07:36:00.001-07:002016-08-31T07:36:08.184-07:00another wedding... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was fortunate this past weekend to have the opportunity to help out at a family wedding... not only with loaning some of my "treasures" but also with decorating beforehand as well. When the bride and my cousin approached me a few weeks back I was thrilled to hear that the bride's ideas were pretty eclectic! One of my favorite styles of decorating, of course if you've been here before you probably noticed that about me.</div>
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I think one of my top 5 favorite things at this wedding was actually a bit of a happy accident. The bride wanted to borrow my vintage metal wash stand, I believe to hold ice and bottled water. On Friday during the set up the water idea was nixed but the plan to fill the tub with extra flowers turned out to be truly inspirational! I know I will be trying this myself at some future Red Gate Farm party!</div>
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A little vignette filled the space under the wash stand... a couple of soda pop crates, lace doilies and silver full of baby's breath.<br />
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A little different angle shows off the front of an old card file drawer that usually rests on my coffee table.<br />
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This little alcove was one of the first areas I tackled on Friday morning. I have a number of panels of sheer curtains from IKEA used in <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-storybook-wedding.html">my daughter's wedding</a> as well as <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2015/02/love-in-thea-wedding-at-red-gate-farm.html">my niece's</a>. I believe this is 12 panels (or 6 sets) and these panels are just $5 for two! Super large and very "tulle like", they filled this space like a wispy ballerina tutu.<br />
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You may recognize this <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2012/05/wedding-wednesday-5-chalkboards.html">chalkboard sign</a> from my daughter's wedding... as well as the "wedding cakes" sign.<br />
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The gold and white paper and tissue fans filled in the other side of the space. Pink, pale green and gold were the predominate colors the bride was using. You can't tell from this photo but this pink tablecloth is sequined! So cute and sparkly.<br />
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In hindsight, twinkle lights behind the sheers would have been perfect! The actual wedding day was pretty gray and gloomy so this little spot could have used a bit of light.<br />
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Along with the colors, the wedding vibe was all about lace and vintage bits like old silver, china and even perfume bottles.<br />
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One of my vintage lamps (one of many used here) fills in with some height... and that little gold purse is just the right amount of sparkle.<br />
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Words like "love" and signs like "&" were sprinkled all about.<br />
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More love and silver...<br />
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Even a vintage hand bag made the cut. This black velvet and gold handbag belonged to a good friend of my mom's and hung on my bedroom wall for a few years.<br />
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Lace doilies and lace trimmed linens too.<br />
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Gold, silver and pearls.<br />
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Vintage lamps and hydrangeas... a fun combination!<br />
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An old 5 or 6 foot ladder the bride found on the side of the road was filled with love, literally.<br />
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And that roadside find ladder was a bit wobbly... so my little step ladder propped up the side like a happy little sister. All around was filled with more bits of vintage from my stash and flowering plants.<br />
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The bride and groom used 4 of these spools in various spots. Fun to dress up the top and the bottom!<br />
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A final little vignette in this area with an "R" for the happy couple's name.<br />
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And back around the covered area to that wash stand...<br />
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It was not only filled, it filled a need too.<br />
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Anchoring the end of the tables! You can see them lined up behind.. this also gives a good view of the center of the covered area and the nook with the cake in the back. In front of this area was the dance floor for the reception so adding this to the end of the table made for a pretty backdrop.<br />
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You can see that this venue is a rustic shelter made of logs. Along with all the gold, pink, green, lace and pretty bits and pieces the rustic element was part of the wedding too; making this venue the ideal spot for this wedding. <br />
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This venue is also perfect for this little community of farmers and loggers to host weddings, parties and other events. This venue was built over time by a local farmer on the edge of his property and includes a covered area, an open area, bathroom, lots of parking, camping areas and tons of spots to pick from for the actual ceremony.<br />
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The groom's sisters were the sign makers for the day... a cute one for the bar area.<br />
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Here you can see the river that flows on the edge of this property... pretty low this year as we've had a dry summer but still a pretty back drop for the reception. And you may recognize this little bench...<br />
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And chair... a couple of more items from my house.<br />
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They made for a nice area to sit for a bit during the reception... or a pretty spot for a picture or two.<br />
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Another little resting spot was created...<br />
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More pieces from my house including this new little wicker shelf from my local thrift store, staged with fun pieces from Red Gate Farm. This sign was all a work of art from the groom's sisters... and made from a slab of wood... you can still see the raw or live edge!<br />
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A close up of pink, green, lace and rustic elements.<br />
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The bride's vision for her tables came to life with pieces she had collected and some extra pieces from my collections to fill out the table center pieces.<br />
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Teacups filled with succulents...<br />
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More silver, teacups, votive candles in wood and sheds or antlers.<br />
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The bride had also collected hydrangeas from a variety of sources and they looked fabulous!<br />
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I didn't take pictures of the actual tables but they were all built by the groom and his friends and family! What a wonderful contribution to the day!!<br />
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One of the reserved family tables.<br />
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Teapots in silver and china were on most of the tables.<br />
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A couple of my birthday presents even made it into the decorating... my cute blue cruiser bike, a birthday gift from my husband.<br />
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And the bike basket was also a birthday gift this year. Filled with an old piece of linen and a cute little sign it was just the spot for guests to leave cards.<br />
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A strategically placed table for gifts...</div>
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And the bride's welcome bunting/banner and this vignette was complete!<br />
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The sign in table was to the left and was another one of the rustic spools. A lace covered arbor added some needed height. When decorating in a wide open space like this it can be hard to make a vignette look "big enough"! </div>
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Since the area of the ceremony was on the edge of a field, remember this is a farm, this area and the gift/bike/welcome area also created an "entrance" to guide guests towards the actual ceremony site... as did a sign or two!<br />
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It was a bit of a walk as you can see here...<br />
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The forested space runs along the river and to the right is the wide open farmland of this little valley. I love the the rustic stumps that have been left behind.<br />
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Coming up to the ceremony site.<br />
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The bride had cuts of wood along the aisle. A morning windstorm blew the pretty pink jars full of baby's breath and lavender onto the ground so you don't see them here... fortunately there were no casualties!<br />
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The altar area was very simple. Just a couple of vintage doors and a few potted chrysanthemums.<br />
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And those doors? Well those belong to my husband. When the bride and mother of the groom stopped by a couple of months back to look over my stash of goodies my husband suggested these doors he had been <strike>hiding </strike>keeping safely in the chicken coop. I think I've mentioned before that he "collects" doors and windows! He made a couple of stands for the doors and with the unusual glass panes and white color they were perfect for this spot!<br />
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You may have noticed those benches mixed in with white rental chairs? Well the groom made these to match all those tables!<br />
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Here is most of the wedding party, river behind them, seated at some of those gorgeous tables... the bride and groom's table was a bit wider than the others and had the most beautiful life edge on it!<br />
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It was such a fun and beautiful event to be a small part of...<br />
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Although the Friday we set up and decorated turned out to be hot, hot, hot... (we even broke the temperature record for that day!). The day of the wedding was cloudy, and more than a bit breezy, any actual rain held off and it turned out to be such a beautiful gathering.<br />
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Now it's time to put all the goodies away and rest up for the upcoming long weekend! How about you? How have you spent these last few days of August?<br />
<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i style="background-color: white;">Chris at Red Gate Farm</i></span><br />
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<br />Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-38270225813337958322016-08-17T16:04:00.002-07:002016-08-17T16:04:18.162-07:00oh, how the garden grows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Woo, two weeks in a row! I think I'm on a roll or something... seriously, it's been a busy summer and I'm trying to get back in the swing of sharing.... so here we go!</div>
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Last night I wanted to create another flower arrangement while I was waiting for dinner to be ready. I had picked up the fun bag at my local thrift store a few week back for just $2.00. The size is pretty big and the bottom is actually a thin, flat piece of wood. I love the funky, vintage "gems" on the front and knew it should work well to hold a flower arrangement. So I tucked the handles inside along with three of my milk glass vases and headed out to the veggie and cutting garden to see what might work well with the gems and glitter on the front.</div>
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On the way out the door I thought I'd share a bit about how my gardens are doing mid-August. This year I not only started my usual seeds of impatiens, wave petunias, marigolds, zinnias, sweet peas, bacopa/bicopa, hollyhocks, cosmos, sunflowers and cornflowers... I also started calibrachoa or million bells from seed too! I found all my million bell seeds at <a href="http://www.harrisseeds.com/">Harris Seeds</a>, a new to me company, in yellow, white, purple and bright pink!</div>
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Here my window boxes are full of purple million bells and the porch is covered with wave petunias and a variety of million bells.</div>
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A wee bit closer look at the window boxes and pots...<br />
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Million bells in white and bright pink cascade down over this pot inside my painted chair.</div>
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All bright pink million bells in hanging baskets... this is my view from my kitchen window. Makes dishes a bit easier when you can look at this everyday.<br />
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And the veggie and cutting garden around back... hard to see the flowers from this distance.<br />
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Closer up are these Honey Bear Sunflowers. They look very similar to the Teddy Bear Sunflower but are much, much taller. Like 4 plus feet! My sunflower seeds all came from <a href="https://www.botanicalinterests.com/">Botanical Interests</a> this year.<br />
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My sweet peas have been spectacular this year. I found a new source, a local one, for my seeds and I've been very happy with them.<br />
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Great blooms, sweet smells and long, long stems for cutting!<br />
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<a href="http://www.floretflowers.com/">Floret Flower Farm</a> in a neighboring county sells these seeds and they are worth it if you like to cut and enjoy your sweet peas inside! I didn't even follow their tips that they include with all their orders and still had super long stems!<br />
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I tried a few new zinnias this year too. <br />
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But back to what I came out for, flowers for my arrangement, I picked colors to compliment my thrift store bag and it is full of zinnias, cosmos and cornflowers. <br />
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I used cosmos from <a href="https://www.botanicalinterests.com/">Botanical Interests</a> this year; the all white Psyche White and pink is named Candy Stripe. My cornflower is also from <a href="https://www.botanicalinterests.com/">Botanical Interests</a> and although I grew 3 or 4 varieties I only used the standard blue here, Blue Boy, trying to bring out the blue gems from my bag.<br />
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The two zinnias used are new this year to me... Hidden Dragon, the multi pinks-colored larger bloom, a new one from <a href="http://parkseed.com/">Park Seed</a>.<br />
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The orange and red zinnias in the foreground are Crouching Tiger also a new zinnia from <a href="http://parkseed.com/">Park Seed</a>. Very similar to the Hidden Dragon except the coloring.<br />
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This pinkish zinnia in the front is from <a href="http://www.floretflowers.com/">Floret Flower Farm</a> and is the Zinderella in lilac. The color isn't a true lilac but is a very pretty pinkish, purple. It is the second zinnia in my flower arrangement above, the smaller bloomed mostly pale pink zinnias.<br />
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This year I also added a number of dahlias to the front of the chicken coop and barn.. I'll have to look up the names but they came from a variety of sources including our own local Dahlia growers group, a dahlia farm in Oregon and a few mail order sources.<br />
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I've been wanting some with this style of flower/petal for some time.<br />
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The good old returning dahlias along the coop.<br />
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Although I thought that my new Cafe Au Lait dahlias would be my favorite, I was surprised by this new one name Kelgai Ann... it's a water lily styled dahlia and looks so much like a peony as it is starting to open! How fun in August to have this and from our local dahlia group for just $3!!!<br />
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And before heading back inside, I want to share my pots out front... full of all of the colors I grew in millions bells...<br />
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Since these seeds did pretty well germination wise, I even had left over flowers I potted up and didn't find a home for! Since we don't use our "front door" the steps made as good as spot as any to pile them up!<br />
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And back inside... the flower arrangement found a spot in the dining room, away from mid day sun to make it last a bit longer...<br />
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Of course I can always a pick a few more when this one is done!</div>
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Hope you are enjoying this second half of summer,</div>
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<span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Chris at Red Gate Farm</i></b></span></div>
Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-8445821957169915692016-08-09T16:55:00.005-07:002016-08-09T16:55:44.861-07:00a vintage cowboy baby shower<br />
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Hard to believe it's been OVER 2 months since I last popped in but summer is always a busy time and more importantly, our little family has grown again... I don't think I'd mentioned that our little Miss Bee and her parent's were expecting an addition in mid-June. And like babies will do, this one came a wee bit early on June 5th, much to our surprise and delight. Like our first grand-baby we didn't know if it was a boy or a girl so a shower was planned for after the birth... as you can probably guess by the shower theme, "it" was a boy!<br />
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I, as the queen of party themes, was set for a "vintage cowboy" theme for a boy and a "Scandinavian" theme if a girl. When our Little Bug was about 3 weeks old we had a photo shoot and this photo became our invitation, although the crocheted cowboy hat isn't as obvious in this pic, we couldn't resist the fact that he was looking directly at the camera! The invites are from <a href="https://www.snapfish.com/photo-gift/home">Snapfish </a>and are a "flat" card, like a postcard, and are printed on heavy card-stock. I've used these for invitations before and am always pleased. The reverse side included all the shower information as well as an additional photo.<br />
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My daughter lives about 1 1/2 hours south of me and her request was to hold the shower at her house... as it was going to be the beginning of August when the shower was held I knew we would have it in her backyard. Her patio is covered and this little area was just perfect for string garlands/buntings back and forth.<br />
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In addition to the actual garland/buntings I decided to add a length of pom pom fringe in cream, brown rick rack and a vintage looking lace trim. This area from the house to a post was about 10 feet and already had a plethora of hooks to use!<br />
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An easy project was this torn fabric garland... gingham and some cowboy fabric was knotted onto a length of jute twine.<br />
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My original ideas was to make book buntings (like these) and I found a couple of old, beat up cowboy books to use... however a week or so before the shower I was at an estate sale in our local "big city" and couldn't not believe my eyes when I entered one of the bedrooms... a room covered in real, vintage cowboy wallpaper!!<br />
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I quickly snapped a few pictures, close up, with my phone but not really knowing what I was going to do with them.<br />
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Then I realized I could order the same "invite" styled cards from <a href="https://www.snapfish.com/photo-gift/home">Snapfish!</a> I selected rounded corners and to make the "back side" pretty I used a photo I had taken of the end of a building here at Red Gate Farm (more on that later in the post!)... (Of course I failed to take a photo from the other side so you only see one of the "cowboy wallpaper" images here but this wallpaper was featured in another spot so keep reading!)<br />
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I love how these turned out and printed on card stock that is pretty heavy they will be durable and ready for another party!<br />
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Under the swagged buntings/garlands was the food tables.<br />
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Once again my trips to my favorite thrift store paid off in this piece of large red and white gingham. This must be at least 5 or so yards of fabric at just a couple of dollars, draped over the white cloth covered tables it looks like a western meal is about to be served.<br />
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A view from above...<br />
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The local thrift store also was the where I found this vintage leather purse for under $2.00! One of those tooled or embossed leather purses was the perfect vessel to hold paper napkins, in a bandanna print, and the gusseted bottom meant it could stand on it's own.<br />
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The metal plates are actually 8 inch pizza pans, found for cheap at a restaurant supply store.<br />
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Zinnias from my garden in an enameled coffee pot... along with one of the cards used on the "wallpaper" bunting.<br />
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Couldn't resist another zinnia shot... the oranges and yellows really pop against the blue coffee pot.<br />
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The center of the food table was the spot for a couple of my vintage tin Marx toy buildings.<br />
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A ranch house in the background and a cabin in the foreground.<br />
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Although the cabin was a very inexpensive thrift store find a couple of years ago, the ranch house was recent and purchased just in time for the shower. It came with fence pieces and all kinds of little figures (ie cowboys), a tree, a cactus, horses in many forms and even some furniture!<br />
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This roping cowboy seems to have fallen off his horse...<br />
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The ranch house has a cute covered porch... just the right spot to sit a spell.<br />
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An old soda pop crate was turned upside down to add a bit of height and some needed weathered wood to the vignette.<br />
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Love the graphics on the old tin doll houses and building... this one even has stone chimney.<br />
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One of my galvanized metal windmills was tucked in next to the tin houses... and galvanized was everywhere in the serving trays/dishes.<br />
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A few cowboy hats were spread around...<br />
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One from Hobby Lobby but the rest came from my thrift store.<br />
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Miss Bee had to try them all on... she makes a pretty cute cowpoke! I can't believe how grown up she is... and she's really loving being a big sister to Little Bug.<br />
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The desert or sweets table was perpendicular to the food table.<br />
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I went through my vintage blocks and had enough to spell cowboy!<br />
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As well as Little Bug's initials... yep, he has two middle names!<br />
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And I promised the other "wallpaper" pic... well this is it! Old wallpaper is so fun, especially the ones meant for children's rooms!<br />
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The sunflowers were a must, from my garden, and the gingham thermos you may remember from last summer's farm themed baby shower.<br />
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The back view of the sunflowers... they are especially prolific this summer!<br />
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A pot of zinnias was tucked into the corner and a tray of petit fours is in the background.<br />
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Another wood crate for height, root beer salt water taffy, hay stack cookies and ranger cookies for everyone to enjoy.<br />
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Paper napkins can blow away but a conveniently placed horse shoe keeps them in place!<br />
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And no party or holiday is complete without my famous sugar cookies! I even went the extra mile and cut them out in western shapes and decorated them! I've been following a new obsession... <a href="http://jennycookies.com/">Jenny Cookies</a> and this is her method of decorating... not bad for my first attempt and now I'm excited to give it a try again... check her out if you haven't, she's a PNW local!<br />
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Stars with "S" for Little Bug's name... or sheriff.<br />
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As well as cowboy boots and cowboy hats... unfortunately I ran out of the lighter color of icing and used the darker accent color on the remaining boots... then didn't take the time to get a better picture of the nicer boots and hats! Oh well, they all tasted the same!<br />
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A rustic wood desk served as a little drink station... another wood box/crate elevated one of the dispensers.<br />
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A few of my left over zinnias and marigolds prettied up the base of the desk.<br />
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An oil cloth bunting swagged along the front...<br />
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Mason jars and paper straws, it isn't a party unless there are paper straws!<br />
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This cute little vintage embroidered pillow case covered a part of the top of the desk... I always pick these up at my local thrift store. Someone went to a lot of work on these two little ponies!<br />
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The cutest little pair of cowboy boots were tucked into an empty spot... only $7.99 on Zulily! Not sure they will ever be worn but they look pretty good here.<br />
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Paper straws... enough said.<br />
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Little jars of blueberry jam, raspberry jam and apple butter were placed in market baskets as party favors to take home. <br />
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My vintage child's chalkboard served as a reminder... and paper cupcake wrapped were used as jar toppers.<br />
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If you've followed me or checked out some of the <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2015/09/at-farm-join-me-for-another-baby-shower.html">other shower posts</a>, you'll see that I'm a big fan of making a little booklet for any shower games that will be played and this shower wasn't any different. The books included clothes pins needed for a game to be played through out the shower... you lost one if someone heard you say "cute"... kind of a hard one at a baby shower!<br />
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I almost always use a photo on the cover, this time the photo was one I had take of the end of our chicken coop before my husband added on to it... I thought it would make a good photo for this and I just used <a href="https://www.picmonkey.com/">picmonkey</a> to add the text... super easy and cheap as I just had a few photos printed and taped them on the books with good old washi tape!<br />
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One of the games all lined up and ready to go...<br />
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Super easy shower game... each bag holds an object that starts with the letter attached... so "b" could be a bib or a blanket and guests try to guess what the item is. We allowed folks to pick the bags up and shake them but NO squeezing! I've also seen this game where you don't get to touch the bags so it's a straight guess as to what's inside. The new mama gets to keep all the baby items at the end of the shower!<br />
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And the star? Little Bug? Well he was officially 2 months and 1 day old at the shower... growing like a weed and getting all squishy like babies do.<br />
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Although he spent most of the day being passed around and looking like this, after all cowboys work hard and need their sleep!<br />
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And me? <br />
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In exchange for hauling a packed car of stuff 1 1/2 hours there and back, decorating everything in sight, baking and decorating tons of sugar cookies... well I had the best deal...<br />
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Lots of snuggles and kisses to my Little Bug, as well as receiving lots of kisses from my Miss Bee!<br />
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Hoping to get back in the swing of things here... I have lots of ideas I'd like to share!<br />
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<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Chris at Red Gate Farm</span><br />
<br />Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-68747151056535408682016-05-24T18:48:00.001-07:002016-05-24T18:49:06.346-07:00it's almost "bee-day", again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's hard to believe this was one year ago... not only is Miss Bee going to be TWO at the end of the month but it's also been a year in the making to get this post done! Since we're knee deep in planning Miss Bee's 2nd year bash I thought it was high time I got on showing you what we created for her first birthday.<br />
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As a Memorial weekend baby, Miss Bee is fortunate to have a long weekend that coincides with her party most years... however weather for us at that time of year can be kind of unpredictable. Last year we lucked out and the weather was overcast but no rain! Yay! Keep your fingers crossed for this year, will ya? With the nicer weather most of the party was held outside but the cake table was in the dining area... and if you were wondering, the party was at Miss Bee's house.<br />
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The colors and mermaid theme were inspired by believe it or not, a diaper! Miss Bee's parents use cloth diapering, the kind that come with super cute covers and this one was a mango-ish orange diaper with mermaids in purple, teal/aqua, pink... so you can see where these colors came from.<br />
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I made the tissue tassel like like <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2014/04/tisket-tasket-another-baby-shower.html">I did here</a> and the "ONE" letters came from Target.<br />
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A cute aqua basket held sugar cookies and a tin beach pail from Target was filled with <a href="https://shrivers.com/">salt water taffy, the same taffy</a> we used at Miss Bee's parents' wedding. Little paper bags in purple, pink and aqua were provided for guests to fill up and take some candy home.<br />
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The sugar cookies were made by yours truly and packaged as party favors to take home as well. I used Pinterest and Etsy for inspiration in the sand dollars and starfish designs. The sand dollar is actually a flower cookie cutter but works well for these. Of course there were "plain" sugar cookies for enjoying at the party as well.<br />
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The mini cupcakes and the tiny little cake for Miss Bee were made by <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-storybook-wedding.html">the same bakery</a> that Miss Bee's parents used for their wedding. She did a fabulous job on creating the colors! And of course, it was delicious... if you're in the Seattle/Kitsap area you should pay her a visit!<br />
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A food table was set up outside. My daughter and son in law have a nice covered patio... great when the weather is fickle!<br />
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A cluster of balloons waiting to go home with little ones, tied to the cutest little wooden Adirondack chair ever.<br />
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Another view of the food table... I bought these tissue fringed garlands online at <a href="http://shopsweetlulu.com/">Shop </a><a href="http://shopsweetlulu.com/">Sweet Lulu</a> after seeing this idea to mimic the idea of water and waves... perfect for a mermaid party.<br />
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And we can't miss showing off the birthday girl! She wasn't walking by her birthday but she was an expert crawler and puller-upper... her she is visiting with "P-pa" as she calls him now (my husband)... don't you just love the tutu? Her outfit was coordinated around the cutest mermaid t-shirt, which you can't actually see here!<br />
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And a close up of the table includes one of her favorites, goldfish crackers! The tin pail holding the napkins was actually an Easter basket from Target and the Ariel toy was an early birthday gift.<br />
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Little paper nut cups (also from <a href="http://shopsweetlulu.com/">Shop Sweet Lulu</a>) for the crackers were perfect for little ones to fill up and snack on... and you know it's not a party unless I have paper straws!<br />
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Another shot of the birthday girl... and a little better view of that t-shirt.<br />
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Finally a smile from that serious little face.<br />
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And her infamous "cheese" look... which she still does by the way!<br />
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When guests started to show she looked a bit uncertain as to what was going on... good thing mama was there!<br />
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The menu was perfect for kids and a Memorial weekend... hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and all the fixings!<br />
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There were a number of littles at the party, so cute to watch all these one year olds interact!<br />
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Then the big moment... cake time!<br />
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Miss Bee was pretty unsure of the whole cake thing...<br />
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It took a lot of encouragement to even get her to touch the cake... I'm sure the people all standing around staring and taking pictures didn't help!<br />
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The first move...<br />
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Thinking she'd pick it up...<br />
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Only to have all of us react with oohs and aahs, which stopped her in her tracks!<br />
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But finally she gave it, or at least the frosting, a try. And seemed to finally enjoy it!<br />
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Even going in for a full on bite right out of the cake!<br />
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If this doesn't say "Happy Birthday" Miss Bee, I don't know what does...<br />
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So in one short year we went from this little baby...<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHMrSXMSCTnztxdiog0n8PXBGdD9iByIXYVUa0irc3RpY0DlUNHKEMlJCkihBKi8oMtQcGsMCxHd_ouxvs0YvwBJ6SxowQUd9M3D_YWbyskQTbceWSBtLXv6jCssQsXk86mLyfDteTLU/s400/110.JPG" /></div>
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To this little girl! Still so serious... but with a wee bit more hair than last year!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgr6USyxSfGB6xeSY9I3Ttx86WJ8I7fzHvfjWgxMbJunBi6UxxbVNSqWraeJY8xDgpeaBFIhqXtnw17wu3ylydXA4hLoT6CLkyMRE2Z8USAifSqjV8BecDbrsXfjnQc7VXpbZNDemyrE/s400/Johnson+Spring+2016-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit <a href="http://www.ashleyvosphotography.com/">Ashley Vos Photography</a></td></tr>
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Looking forward to spending another birthday with my Bee this upcoming weekend. This year's party theme won't surprise most folks... but you'll have to wait to see what it is... and I promise, it won't be a year in the making this time!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-319848868565668062016-05-10T07:56:00.003-07:002016-05-10T14:18:49.498-07:00crossing it off the list... garden chair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Believe it or not, this quick and easy project has literally been 3 years in the making... kind of hard to believe, huh? And frankly, kind of embarrassing to admit!</div>
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I few years back I bought this cute little yellow chair at a local nursery, Hi Hoe, in our local little town. Sadly, this nursery closed a couple of years ago. It was one of my favorites because they had tons of vintage items that they incorporated into their gardens or, as in this little chair, made into something to hold a plant.</div>
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I think this little chair began life as a high chair as you could see where the sides were cut down... it held a prominent spot in my yard that I saw every day as I walked to and from the garage.</div>
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A couple of years later, it was looking a little sad... you can see that the seat had now cracked but it still held the pot.</div>
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At this point I really should have started moving it inside during the winter months... but you know how that goes when you think of something in early October, then the weather turns and before you know it, well it's April! And each winter and wet spring it got a little shabbier but not so chic.</div>
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By late last summer/early fall the little yellow chair couldn't hold the pot anymore... so what to do?<br />
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Fortunately I came across this tall stool 3 years ago at our local thrift store for $6.99. Originally I thought it would make a cute chair for a little one at the table but it was actually too tall to pull up to the table, not sure what it originally was used for but someone had painted a little 80's era country stencil on the back...<br />
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Not a fan of the color of the wood, or the stencil, my original idea was to paint it with chalk paint and I finally decided upon white. I got started on the project while on vacation in July... of 2013.<br />
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A few coats of white and then it sat... literally in the barn with no sanding, no distressing, no waxing... a forgotten little project.<br />
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Last summer, yes still dragging this simple project out... I pulled the little stool/chair from the barn and was shocked to see that it had molded on one whole corner and leg... I have never seen this with chalk paint but I thought perhaps it was because of the lack of waxing and the dampness in the barn. I went to work on cleaning up the mold and added a third coat of chalk paint with the intention of sanding, waxing and buffing it for a shower/party prop. <br />
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It was actually pulled into duty for a couple of baby and bridal showers as a prop but then it was relegated to the garage and once again forgotten.<br />
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All winter I saw it crowed in with other odds and ends and come spring and nicer weather I vowed to finally get this project on track... and with a purpose, to replace the broken little yellow chair. Since the chalk paint had once again started to mold, I decided to use regular exterior house paint. This color is the color of my front and back door, a funky gold color. Although not the same yellow as the previous garden chair, it is a pretty color as a backdrop to flowers with their greenery and pops of pink or purple blooms.<br />
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I measured, oh so carefully, the original yellow chair's pot for my husband to cut me a circle out of the seat.<br />
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Unfortunately... I somehow measured wrong! Fortunately, I had a larger pot I could use but it doesn't sit down quite to the lip of the pot but I think I'll leave it this way and not test my luck... or my measuring skills.<br />
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And now? Well the "new yellow chair" has a home in very same spot. Can hardly wait until the calibrachoa seeds I planted, and then potted here, start to flow over the sides... and yes, this one will be going inside come fall... I promise!<br />
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A simple little project, but if feels good to finally cross this one of the list!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a><br />
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linking up to</div>
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<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/05/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-208.html">Elizabeth & Co</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/05/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-208.html">Be Inspired</a></div>
Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-9974166051614364162016-04-27T07:35:00.002-07:002016-04-27T07:44:29.760-07:00a bowl of lilacs<br />
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<i><span style="color: #351c75;">Now that the lilacs are in bloom</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #351c75;">She has a bowl of lilacs in her room</span></i></div>
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<i>TS Eliot</i></div>
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Ahh... one of my favorite times of year, lilac time. Such a beautiful bloom and fragrance for such a short time. This year I didn't miss out on cutting a few branches for inside the house...<br />
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As well as a little photo opportunity with my new acquired milk glass canister as vessel!</div>
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We have just one lilac bush... one of the few plants that were existing here at Red Gate Farm when we moved here just over 11 years ago.<br />
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The lilac a couple of weeks ago, just starting to open up all of the little blooms... the color will get to be a pale lilac/lavender color when fully open, as you can see it starts out almost a dark pink color.<br />
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And a week or so later...<br />
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Not only a change in color but soooo fragrant now too!<br />
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We've had some warm weather this month... broke a few records and even hit 80 degrees... pretty unheard of for us in April. Those warm evenings were the best, you could step out the door and smell the lilac from across the way. Heaven!<br />
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A couple of years ago my husband put in a new lawn in the area, including a sprinkler/irrigation system, that extra water during a dry summer has really shown in the health of this old bush... it's bigger and many more blooms this year!<br />
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And speaking of lilacs... I have a plan for the future and lilacs at Red Gate Farm. The potted lilac on the right is one I started from a tiny little "branch" I purchased last year. It is a yellow lilac, well creamy-yellow actually, named Primrose. I potted my little branch and babied it in the greenhouse all spring, summer, fall and winter... now it's ready for it's new home.</div>
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And the other lilac? I purchased this lilac, Sensation, an old variety of lilac from 1938... I'd like to think that this fits at our 1920 era home. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OidY1sQyUwpwsWDhovWkBayqnOzltOcR3SH8HSCH8lteCSV2nZs8_pVpQPUmvdOEhW5sPeXlzIDs56GT6yfmbW6BckEYUgRv8jv1tGq6HwngzadjgVr0pXt4XH9UMslp55vpbCJrJ2M/s1600/DSC_0474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OidY1sQyUwpwsWDhovWkBayqnOzltOcR3SH8HSCH8lteCSV2nZs8_pVpQPUmvdOEhW5sPeXlzIDs56GT6yfmbW6BckEYUgRv8jv1tGq6HwngzadjgVr0pXt4XH9UMslp55vpbCJrJ2M/s400/DSC_0474.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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We plan to create a lilac hedge to the south of our barn, along a drainage ditch between our property and the neighboring property. To add to these we're digging up starts/shoots from our original lilac as well as two others from my son's house, a dark purple and a white (you can see more about those <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2012/05/for-love-of-lilacs.html">here</a>). It will take years to become a hedge but that's okay, I can practice a little gardening patience.</div>
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<img height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFM42WrSM3A4OUsYCv00aoFm3eZbP2acc6MBftLkM9mtvfQrZYL6M2B_-X_pr3xF-wu-Oa-EfPR4KCVKqzt2A7V0RgIL4uL9bVN7OEqHncueMdY4y32Sj8CoTQnCya8PLOVR73QpQENAA/s400/DSC_0427.JPG" width="400" /></div>
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My cut lilacs are quickly loosing their little flowers... but not their fragrance... nor my little dream for the future.</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a><br />
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linking up to</div>
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<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/04/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-206.html">Elizabeth & Co</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/04/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-206.html">Be Inspired</a></div>
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AND</div>
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<a href="http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2016/04/wow-us-wednesdays-271.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SavvySouthernStyle+%28Savvy+Southern+Style%29">Savvy Southern Style</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2016/04/wow-us-wednesdays-271.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SavvySouthernStyle+%28Savvy+Southern+Style%29">Wow us Wednesday</a></div>
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AND</div>
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<a href="http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/2016/04/427-outdoor-wednesday-381.html">A Southern Daydreamer</a></div>
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<a href="http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/2016/04/427-outdoor-wednesday-381.html">Outdoor Wednesday</a></div>
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AND</div>
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<a href="http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/2016/04/wicked-awesome-wednesday-255_26.html">Handy Man, Crafty Woman</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/2016/04/wicked-awesome-wednesday-255_26.html">Wicked Awesome Wednesday</a></div>
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Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-82820877364108098992016-04-19T07:45:00.000-07:002016-04-19T07:50:08.831-07:00crossing it off the list... permanent home for my glider<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UJjWHyjNVTia9B-hEqSSLhzxo2uRfTkzGeIS0GXhrkPCOqDwQbYSjxeNvcw_TFoWEAZVdepBDo3VocTBtBF5w7f6CKi-r0fYs76OO60CtCbv0ifUzR0OaAP1wVPJQvh8QXduSX5DGUw/s1600/glider+save.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UJjWHyjNVTia9B-hEqSSLhzxo2uRfTkzGeIS0GXhrkPCOqDwQbYSjxeNvcw_TFoWEAZVdepBDo3VocTBtBF5w7f6CKi-r0fYs76OO60CtCbv0ifUzR0OaAP1wVPJQvh8QXduSX5DGUw/s640/glider+save.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Lately some small projects have been crossed off the list here at Red Gate Farm. One of them was for my vintage garden glider... you may remember how<a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2013/06/lifes-little-surprises.html"> this beauty came to live in my garden</a> a few years ago... Since then it's been here on the blog many times, as a resting spot on <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2013/07/born-on-4th-of-july.html">a hot July day</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnxAwB-23wU_axlNuLvH1CF6Bw-l2zoKEoZv72CdStFPyCnpraflQFbBDfSmeUF1B5sS3PCjRhGORru0_R4Btq8qq55kd8-p9EhAhzowIyR6wOM85hT6j4Q29VMF7yBwadgcvRv7Xl6c/s1600/glider+fourth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnxAwB-23wU_axlNuLvH1CF6Bw-l2zoKEoZv72CdStFPyCnpraflQFbBDfSmeUF1B5sS3PCjRhGORru0_R4Btq8qq55kd8-p9EhAhzowIyR6wOM85hT6j4Q29VMF7yBwadgcvRv7Xl6c/s400/glider+fourth.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Piled with country pillows, complete with a late summer cornfield in the background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkuInOFJx_viyRMf8viki0Yrg3uH7viRd8uPrl7yMX47lEvMM5lXV2IRZ5zrwxC4biIkjpdq0Dl6wGcudnr1c2P8uIUfJhytyG0bokJ7jWrwgWrbZYQGUGV5CJozzWP-OKL1Lu7avKM4/s1600/glider+pillows.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkuInOFJx_viyRMf8viki0Yrg3uH7viRd8uPrl7yMX47lEvMM5lXV2IRZ5zrwxC4biIkjpdq0Dl6wGcudnr1c2P8uIUfJhytyG0bokJ7jWrwgWrbZYQGUGV5CJozzWP-OKL1Lu7avKM4/s400/glider+pillows.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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It's held <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2014/08/tea-country-bridal-shower-that-is.html">bridal shower</a> gifts in the shade.<br />
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As well as <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2015/09/at-farm-join-me-for-another-baby-shower.html">baby shower </a>gifts.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mHvO3ezd9w_uyaLHlM57Q2CA75C2SPP-p3mW4QzdGiRjaycjffTVzLd5-XHLBUjv1Pghql5tnJLsSX4CCWK7RzDkYnzZ-HSZY07IOyZrdC_Ms1AZNvpHUoqjpFiFpd9kz9-zcpP2bIE/s1600/glider+boy+shower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mHvO3ezd9w_uyaLHlM57Q2CA75C2SPP-p3mW4QzdGiRjaycjffTVzLd5-XHLBUjv1Pghql5tnJLsSX4CCWK7RzDkYnzZ-HSZY07IOyZrdC_Ms1AZNvpHUoqjpFiFpd9kz9-zcpP2bIE/s400/glider+boy+shower.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's been surrounded by flowers and an addition to a larger flower bed just before <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2015/02/love-in-thea-wedding-at-red-gate-farm.html">my niece's wedding </a>here at Red Gate Farm a 1 1/2 ago. </div>
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<img height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZsxbJS2FhR9e5scHhnmrCA6dK3hBdA3zdOriVlhaHDfOgMAt0vuqoIXBNV_tSLkUzJUNNwFgwyDfxKHcxDTMEeJdkXkMqU5JYpT7pjShbIwn70UlDd6RZ7yKZClbhgcldvTfzT0ihZ0/s400/glider+garden.JPG" width="400" /></div>
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All along the intention was to have some sort of material under the glider so that it did not sit on grass or dirt. As a heavy iron piece all that moisture over time wouldn't keep it in it's best shape. And of course more importantly, something to edge for the best looking grass... at least in my husband's opinion.<br />
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A week ago my husband had time to get the concrete pavers we've been looking at for a couple of years now. At under $1 and only needing 28 it was a very inexpensive project. Nothing is in bloom yet in the area of the garden but this was a "before" shot...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEfrtiLslULdqoxw5YJ1EhJXPpMekrl4JdZ1HQ81J7jFaR8Iolsh1ep-Z9xC8gCYfjyZdhWbFrCCSlhzttsA3qTi-sUzoMbBFPHDXlG7JAehI1SJjSJT0XW_D2n4MtuSk9tX89mifJPc/s1600/DSC_0308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEfrtiLslULdqoxw5YJ1EhJXPpMekrl4JdZ1HQ81J7jFaR8Iolsh1ep-Z9xC8gCYfjyZdhWbFrCCSlhzttsA3qTi-sUzoMbBFPHDXlG7JAehI1SJjSJT0XW_D2n4MtuSk9tX89mifJPc/s400/DSC_0308.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZHH_lPPj4yuN4hsqBpbw-T89HUhqcbPhP1YN0QW39ENfiWbIjOHAYsjZvVAyBdlI_VkITlUVKONOVC-Zv6nXmyXCnwv2veR44zT_-W3JYBT3egHYhSraWVq35NzDsJHN8kQYp2l6cTQ/s1600/DSC_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZHH_lPPj4yuN4hsqBpbw-T89HUhqcbPhP1YN0QW39ENfiWbIjOHAYsjZvVAyBdlI_VkITlUVKONOVC-Zv6nXmyXCnwv2veR44zT_-W3JYBT3egHYhSraWVq35NzDsJHN8kQYp2l6cTQ/s400/DSC_0310.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And after! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TUbUQ_P8JwvDh69vWIXjZF3g3lHYRBsa52tkARCNYDq08P8f1oM7Dt-Y9JhuWxVCyK_ocS1j1l0hQS3oKa_oaOAu0Sf08CFpTf6AVW5gHFWH6jBWJpa43Gm-RrqZy7YDZOXcnb4GMBI/s1600/DSC_0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TUbUQ_P8JwvDh69vWIXjZF3g3lHYRBsa52tkARCNYDq08P8f1oM7Dt-Y9JhuWxVCyK_ocS1j1l0hQS3oKa_oaOAu0Sf08CFpTf6AVW5gHFWH6jBWJpa43Gm-RrqZy7YDZOXcnb4GMBI/s400/DSC_0313.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was a pretty quick and easy project... of course I only schlepped the pavers from the truck to this spot... 28 of them... 1 at a time... 2044 steps to be exact. But really, it didn't take my husband much time to dig the area out a bit more, level and place the pavers. And level is key with a glider or it won't glide! It's a simple fix for this area that someday will be part of a much larger gathering area in the garden... but that's another item on the list!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLLXG6g2Z2EVV12hI5i-Dm0RcjFrXxxrG_DKB_RNRk8ehWBPY4uBOLK_QjGv8WFJWaq1J0tdY0iuYeUfrjcTjiJB3UiPLJRhHwIK3otLEjKRVnbMbEod53Pg90qsMKIFSmh79z6UkO5M/s1600/DSC_0315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLLXG6g2Z2EVV12hI5i-Dm0RcjFrXxxrG_DKB_RNRk8ehWBPY4uBOLK_QjGv8WFJWaq1J0tdY0iuYeUfrjcTjiJB3UiPLJRhHwIK3otLEjKRVnbMbEod53Pg90qsMKIFSmh79z6UkO5M/s400/DSC_0315.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Looking forward to a shady spot on summer afternoons or a quite spot on summer evenings... with flowers blooming all around.<br />
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A nice little spot to rest a foot to keep the glider on the move.<br />
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How about you? Any progress on your "to-do" list for spring?<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a><br />
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linking up to</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.kathewithane.com/2016/04/lets-party-youre-gonna-love-it.html">Kathe With an E</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.kathewithane.com/2016/04/lets-party-youre-gonna-love-it.html">Let's Party! You're Gonna Love It!</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/2016/04/show-and-share-no310.html">Coastal Charm</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/2016/04/show-and-share-no310.html">Show and Share</a></div>
Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-70246698665908138382016-04-07T07:33:00.001-07:002016-04-07T07:35:22.370-07:00what's up?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm not sure where the time keeps going to these days... a few weeks ago I was going to share what was up around my garden. Like our last couple of springs, this one seems to be a bit warmer than normal and everything is popping up fast and furious around here... in fact these first daffodils in front of the barn are not so pretty now.</div>
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My hyacinths have flopped but certainly looked, and smelled, divine just a couple of weeks ago. Such a fun pop of color in the early days of spring.<br />
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I ordered some seeds from a new source this year. A <a href="http://www.floretflowers.com/">local flower-farmer-florist</a> in a neighboring county started to sell seeds and dahlia tubers this year. Her sweet peas are gorgeous and I wanted to give them a try myself.<br />
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It was hard to pick just a few... five was my limit.<br />
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I started them by soaking them in water for a couple of days...<br />
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Making sure to get the names on each cup so I could mark them when planted. I decided to plant them in pots in my unheated greenhouse to give them a head start before getting them into the round. They're sprouting nicely and I'll be getting them in the ground soon.<br />
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My first ever, well in a long time, crocus came up all over too. This variety was pretty tiny, and of course, is now long gone.<br />
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And another look at the early daffodils in front of the barn... these were an early variety.<br />
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The daffodils around the magnolia were a later variety... also this area gets a bit more shade at this time of year and isn't in front of a building so I think that made them a bit later as well.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago...<br />
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And last weekend... the magnolia was magnificent this year... and I was super happy with my new daffodil bulbs too. This magnolia is an existing plant when we moved here 11 plus years ago. It does so much better without grass growing around it and the watering of the lawn keeps is happy too.<br />
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And all those daffodils? Last year I decided to buy bulbs online instead of just a bag from Costco... I had done this with my tulips a couple of years ago and was very happy with their blooms. Last summer I waited for a good deal on <a href="http://www.brecks.com/">Breck's</a> bulbs and got a couple of big batches of daffodils plus a bunch of freebies (the crocus bulbs were part of my free bulbs!).<br />
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Lots of green grass but most of the plants are just waking up...<br />
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You can see these two hydrangea and the shrub rose are slow to leaf... another area that gets shade from neighboring trees until late spring/summer when the sun climbs a bit higher.</div>
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My yellow tulips (also <a href="http://www.brecks.com/">Breck's</a>) from a few years ago have been coming back in a nice healthy cluster around my little sign.<br />
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Love seeing these tulips in front of the retaining wall each year.<br />
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This leafless tree is a locust... believe it or not, 11 years ago this was a "shrub" and was about the height of the retaining wall next to it. It was here when we moved to Red Gate Farm and it took a number of years to figure out just what it was. It certainly is a fast growing "tree" but definitely a late "leafer".<br />
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Last week was the first red tulip, they are a bit later than the yellow ones... although after this last weekend of sun..<br />
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That solo one has some friends!</div>
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The red is really popping against my husband's baby... the lawn.</div>
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The nectarine tree was beautiful and in flower for a number of days... hopefully this will mean lots of nectarines again this year, although we'll be sure to "thin" them so we don't loose half the tree like we did a couple of years ago due to a heavy crop!</div>
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It won't be long until the lilac is in bloom... Tiny little flowers, can't wait until they are in full bloom and smelling fabulous!<br />
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This was 10 days ago...<br />
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And this was last night! Getting close!</div>
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Last year I potted a little yellow start of a lilac with plans to pot up more starts this year. We'd like to create a hedge along our property to the south of the barn... with this pale purple and the yellow I have access to white and dark purple lilacs. Wouldn't a hedge of lilacs be spectacular!</div>
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More of my bulb freebies... short little red tulips and more daffodils.</div>
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I should have read the packaging more carefully on my freebies... these little red tulips are only 8 inches or so... great in front of my trough but...<br />
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Barely peaking over the top for the ones inside!! Loved the little tulips in and around my "sunflower trough".<br />
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A happy view when you come up the driveway... before you know it the peonies on each side will be blooming and then on to sunflowers!</div>
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And speaking of what's up... this little girl is barreling her way to 2! At the end of May will be her second birthday, I can hardly believe that it's been almost 2 years and she isn't a baby anymore but a toddler.<br />
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And Miss Bee is a very talkative and curious toddler, it takes me a day or two to recover after one of our visits as she keeps me on my toes!<br />
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Finally, just enough hair for a little pony on top! She definitely takes after her mama on the hair or should I say lack of it.<br />
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With sunny spring days my to do list has been long, but so worth it. Nothing better than getting outside on a nice spring day.</div>
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How about you? What's "up" in your neighborhood?<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
linking up to </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/04/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-203.html">Elizabeth & Co</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/04/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-203.html">Be Inspired</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
AND </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://artandsand.blogspot.com/2016/04/welcome-to-share-your-cup-192.html">Art and Sand</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://artandsand.blogspot.com/2016/04/welcome-to-share-your-cup-192.html">Share your Cup</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-57334896139457443912016-03-15T17:01:00.002-07:002016-03-15T17:01:26.450-07:00it's come a long way,baby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay... so the phrase is actually "You've come a long way, baby" AND for you younger folks, it was a cigarette ad aimed at women way back in the day... not very PC these days but I still like it... and when talking about some of the rooms here at Red Gate Farm, very appropriate!<br />
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You may notice something new, well new to me that is. I've been looking at this table since the holidays and I finally bought it a couple of weeks ago. Our old table was pushing 30 years, had been painted more than once, was showing it's age (not in a good way) and was a bit too large for the space. It was a round oak pedestal table circa 1985 and the leaf was a bit large so we had left it with the leaf in since we moved here... and it was long past time for a change.<br />
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This table is a bit more rectangular than square and comes with two smaller leaves, store-able ones at only 9 inches each.<br />
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The table had already been refinished with an oil finish. It's solid wood where my old pedestal table was veneer. Isn't the wood grain pretty?<br />
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I don't know what the name of this style of base/table legs is but I do like it... and I'm happy I didn't have to refinish all those curvy parts including the apron!<br />
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I kept my old mismatched chairs, because that's me, a bit eclectic... although with this kind of base I limited it to just 4 at the table and the other 2 are stored in the basement until needed... along with those smaller leaves.<br />
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Here you can get a better look at the base... obviously with the leaves in place 2 chairs would fit on each side for a total of six at the table. And in a pinch I think this table would hold more folks as the ends aren't the rounded shape they were before.</div>
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This sized table is a much better fit and left a bit more room around the table too, appreciated by my furry family.<br />
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And if you're wondering how far the dining room has come? Well I did a post a number of years back but thought I'd share some pictures again...<br />
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This photo was taken before we moved in during our home inspection... not our furniture.<br />
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Taken shortly after we moved in, with our furniture (notice my painted table and yes it was green) and the carpet removed to show the original painted fir floors... both painted intentionally and unintentionally with splatters. We lived here for about 10 months before I painted the floors the first time... we got used to the splatter look in that time, although I'm sure others were wondering about our "design choice"... sure hid the dirt and dog hair!<br />
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More recently with the darker floor color but after the built in was built by my husband. You can see my first dining room table... it was actually a cream color in this photo but still looks kind of green.<br />
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And now brighter and not just from the sun... lighter floors (repainted a year and a half ago), milk glass displayed in built in and now my "new" table! Next up? Drapes? Or a vintage light fixture?<br />
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How about you? Spring bringing changes inside as well as outside?<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-15316785238378589942016-03-04T08:21:00.002-08:002016-03-04T08:26:49.483-08:00spring dreaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Two weeks ago I had Friday off and the opportunity to attend the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle with my sis-in-law. I followed along a bit beforehand via Facebook, seeing photos of the set up something like this requires was kind of fun. Literally trucking and tractoring in yards of dirt & bark, tons of rock and cement retaining wall blocks, flowers, bulbs, grass and lets not forget actual trees!</div>
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Having never been, I was excited and unsure of what to expect. I've been to our small local home and garden style show and knew to expect booths for businesses as well as some of those "sold on tv" kind of products for sale... but this show was just amazing!</div>
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We got there just after opening and being Friday it was day 3 of a 5 day run. It wasn't too crowded initially but definitely got busier as the day progressed. I think in the future I'd try to go on Thursday to avoid the "first day" folks on Wednesday and the "long weekend" folks on Friday.</div>
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We first went through a section of "booths", many were locals. One of my favorites was this one from Whidbey Island... wouldn't you love to have a little shed or get away spot like this?</div>
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The details were fantastic and I took a bunch of photos to show my husband... perhaps when he finishes his latest project we can get started on a new greenhouse with some of these touches! The vintage style mailbox with flowers was a favorite as well as the old door.</div>
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Old tin roofing... perfect!<br />
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See that little "cupola"? It's old funnels! As is the hanging plant in the front! And a vintage bike with a basket of flowers? Well I don't really have to say anything at all about that, right?<br />
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Little bird house made of old can and old galvanized bits. The insides of each building were full of fun things too.<br />
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Moving around we came across another vendor, don't actually remember what this was for but of course, I loved the galvanized water troughs full of tulips! Really like the idea of burying them a bit instead of having them fully above ground. I've been thinking of were I could add one of those smaller round ones at my place!<br />
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The we moved on to the highlight of the show... the display gardens. The them for the show this year was "America the Beautiful" and our National Parks were the stars of the show.<br />
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First up, and I think the most dramatic, was The Tiny Tetons. This garden captures the beauty of Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. Showing meadows and a backdrop of mountains. <br />
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This garden was surrounded by a fence and you could only view it from a small area in front. If you look closely in the first (above) picture you will see a live edge sort of piece of wood that finished off the fence on each side of the viewing area.<br />
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Park it in Your Own Backyard was the name of this garden area... complete with a structure on a "patio" area. It is inspired by the fact that there is a natural park less than 90 minutes from downtown Seattle, Mount Rainier National Park. If you've ever visited Seattle on a clear day, yes Washington does have some of those, you can appreciate the view from your backyard of this beautiful mountain.<br />
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Discovering Alaska is for Denali National Park. This garden had a stream with and a gentle fall of water down a "mountain"... it even had fish!<br />
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I believe this one was Southwest Serenity... unfortunately I realized on one of the last garden/displays that I could have been taking pictures of the actual sign that was posted, oh well. I used my map to figure most of these out but a few were confusing so I hope I got this one right.<br />
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This garden was inspired by the many National Parks in the Southwest with a desert-like feel... so different from the area that I live in.<br />
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This golf course display was so fun! The tulip photo from the beginnins was also part of this display. Unfortunately I couldn't find a name on my map nor on the show's website. I took to google and found a couple of folks called it "A tribute to hole 12 at Augusta"... which is kind of funny since that's what my husband said when I showed him the pictures! My google search also turned up that this hole at Augusta is "Amen Corner" and the signature hole at Augusta Natioanal Golf Club.<br />
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Right or wrong... that grass covered stone bridge is amazing! Fuchsias, tulips and I think, impatiens made this such a beautiful display.<br />
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If you've watched the Masters before you'd have to agree that they certainly captured the beauty of Augusta!<br />
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The Hoh, is a rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula here in Washington state. And before you wonder how we have a rain forest, it's a temperate rain forest not a tropical one. This rain forest receives 12 to 14 FEET (yes, feet!) of rainfall each year.<br />
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This garden also shows how a "nurse log" functions in a forest.<br />
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You can visit the Hoh in the Olympic National Park.<br />
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Mountains and Rivers Without End was based on our rugged North Cascade mountain range, also known as America's Alps. At the op is a fire lookout and a dry creek bed runs down the "mountain".<br />
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The designers used native plantings like firs, dogwoods, rhododendrons, ferns, iris, daffodils and tulips.<br />
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Another amazing feat was El Patio Fuente... I can not imagine building this structure in a short time! The fun part was being able to see in the "windows"!<br />
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This patio and open air structure was to mimic a Spanish Mission courtyard garden. From Florida to California, early Spanish settlers influenced architecture and garden design.<br />
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This little daffodil caught our eye... Rip Van Winkle was the name... frilly and delicate!<br />
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A Room With a Garden View seemed to be very popular... and hard to get any clear photos for all the people! A popular spot was an actual window that you could look through to the garden but I couldn't get a shot without people moving in front... I did however like this one of an open door into the beautiful garden.<br />
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Always love a flowering, weeping tree.<br />
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This garden was inspired by gardens found in the Seattle area, especially in waterfront locales with a skyline, Cascade peaks and Mt. Rainier. It is supposed to be a view out of a conservatory style room and a waterfront garden that leads to the shore.<br />
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The iron gate and pergola were favorites.<br />
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Essence of Yellowstone kind of speaks for itself as Yellowstone is the grand-daddy of all National Parks. Old Faithful was even symbolized with a fountain.<br />
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Flora and fauna found within the park are represented by a meadow and naturally shed elk and deer antlers.<br />
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An Eruption of Orchids was hard to get photos due to the lighting used. This tropical display even included a steaming volcano!<br />
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A little path led you through this display, a nice touch to be able to see the smaller delicate orchids up close.<br />
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From Sea to Shining Sea... Coupleville, Washington to Nantucket, Massachusetts.... ok, this one was my overall favorite! It showed garden areas and cute little structures that exemplified west coast and east coast both in their gardens and "home" styles... even crab pots for the west and lobster traps for the east were in the display. Both are very different seaside images of our country.<br />
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Such a fun display with one side being "west coast" and the other "east coast"... The west side incorporated a cute pink structure...<br />
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I think it's a play on a Victorian painted lady with those colors<br />
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In front is a garden full of spring bulbs, driftwood and a wooden kayak.<br />
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The fence and whale sign on the east coast end speaks for itself!<br />
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This little structure certainly reminds one of a Nantucket style house with cedar shingles and a cool wooden flag, of course Adirondack chairs and a game of croquet await...<br />
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A fun addition and favorite area of the show was the Vintage Garden Market. If you like to attend those vintage sales that pop up all over you would have LOVED this area! One or two of the dealers were ones I've seen at previous sales but most were new to me.</div>
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First up is this outdoor chandelier made out of vintage punch cups! You see these at thrift stores all the time for next to nothing, how cute would this be in a fun little garden area!</div>
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This booth was fun, even brought sod in to cover the floor! <br />
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Inspiration for our own farm truck perhaps?<br />
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Love the logo!<br />
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This seller had cement mushrooms! I would have loved to bring one of them (they had multiples) home but the price and the weight kept me from doing so!<br />
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The mushroom seller also had this cast iron sign... Steep price of well over $100 kept me from buying this one for my husband... he would have loved this!<br />
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This seller had the coolest building and stuff in and around it for sale. The porch on the building is a fun touch.<br />
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Of course we picked up a few treasures at the show including dahlia tubers, a cute burlap pillow cover, some "b's" for my wall, daffodils, a vintage grapette crate, small metal toolbox and a silver trophy like vase. Would have loved to have scooped up more but one can only carry so much!</div>
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Visiting all this garden inspiration mid- February really makes one want to get out in their own garden... fortunately for me I had a little visitor last weekend and we took our own garden tour here at Red Gate Farm.</div>
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Miss Bee decided she needed to touch the tops of each flower she saw... mostly hyacinths at this time but she didn't miss a single one!<br />
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And my own garden adventure? Well my seeds have sprouted! It's looking like a great germination percentage and I cannot wait until it's April and May, the time to start planting in earnest!</div>
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Spring is on its way in the Pacific Northwest, so looking forward to it!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a><br />
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linking up to</div>
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<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/03/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-199.html">Elizabeth & Co</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/03/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-199.html">Be Inspired</a></div>
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AND</div>
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<a href="http://artandsand.blogspot.com/2016/03/welcome-to-share-your-cup-187.html">Art and Sand</a></div>
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<a href="http://artandsand.blogspot.com/2016/03/welcome-to-share-your-cup-187.html">Share your Cup</a></div>
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Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-53848499854442175412016-02-24T13:33:00.001-08:002016-02-24T13:37:24.319-08:00easter parade<br />
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With Easter early this year, I decided to put Valentine's Day away and get Easter out and ready before February was over. I had been playing around with the idea of a tablescape where I could use some of my vintage pink and green depression glass this year. Two items in my vast stash of vintage are what made me come up with this idea...<br />
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My vintage corsage, and yes, it's actually a Christmas corsage but I love the pink and green combo any time of year.<br />
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And second is this vintage pink, green and white doily that I picked up at my local thrift store a while back. My thrift store typically will bundle up a bunch of doilies together and once I found a package of all doilies done up in color! I've been wanting to make a pink and green statement for a while now, it was actually almost a bridal shower theme a couple of years ago.<br />
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Much of my Easter collection is vintage items I've picked up over the last decade. This cute little egg would have had candy inside it at one time. A vintage green depression glass parfait/desert dish holds it up just so ombre ribbon can be enjoyed.<br />
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From above... my pink carnations are STILL going strong after 3 weeks and I added additional green carnations, also from the grocery store... my green and pink cake plates really pop against the white table runner.<br />
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Tucked in the back is a tall handled, vintage green basket in which I placed a vintage honeycomb egg, pink of course, as well a large paper egg that is from <a href="http://www.worldmarket.com/">World Market</a>, not vintage but definitely vintage inspired in it's design. It looks like they are available again this year in sets of 4, perhaps a fun surprise for a special someone.<br />
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Another view, the pink and green doily shows well against the white table runner and my painted dining room table.<br />
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In other rooms of my house Easter is just tucked here and there... I focused more on general spring pastels with bits and pieces of Easter. For my kitchen cabinet, that you see when you come in our door, I decided to assign a color to each shelf... besides white that is. Top shelf pink, next blue, then green and finally yellow. I'm thinking I'll keep this for the spring months... For now I added a blue Easter egg, a green basket and on the bottom a group of vintage yellow and white egg cups and finishing it off with a cute yellow (and pink) Easter basket I got on etsy from a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/saturdayfinds">favorite shop</a>.<br />
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I picked this cute little pink bunny up last summer... it sits on a shelf in the kitchen.<br />
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This little stack of cups isn't really just for Easter but they are one of my favorite things right now... they've been tucked away since before Christmas and I was happy to get them back out again. Love the colors although the bottom one reads a bit orange in this picture and it's more of a raspberry pink.<br />
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And above that vignette? My chalkboard made out of the original medicine cabinet door is still here but I've decided to change out what was above it to a collection of "B's" for our last name. None of these are vintage but I'm looking forward to adding to this small collection over time, something "new" to collect!<br />
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My galvanized windmill was updated by removing the little bottle brush trees and adding a couple of chalkware sheep I picked up a couple of years ago... keeping with the "farm-y" look.<br />
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And you may notice two of my Pottery Barn eggs tucked into this corner... the biggest one is kind of hard to find a spot for as it's rather large but this seems to work, especially with the lights glowing... and the smallest blue one is tucked to the right by the globe.<br />
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And I'm still spelling... with anagram tiles instead of scrabble these days. An orphaned half of an old candy egg has a little pink chick peeking over the edge finishes this spot off nicely.<br />
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And of course when I thought I was all done... I realized I had picked up a couple of books last summer at my thrift store with garden like covers, this one is Madame Butterfly and the pink and green cover is PERFECT for my table!<br />
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So looking forward to March and spring, Easter, blooms...<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
linking up to</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/02/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-198.html">Elizabeth & Co</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/02/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-198.html">Be Inspired</a></div>
Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-6266440082583966482016-02-18T07:31:00.003-08:002016-02-18T12:46:34.771-08:00before the seed...<br />
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<i>Before the seed there comes the thought of bloom.</i> E.B. White</div>
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I thought this quote sums up planting from seed, especially flowers. This past weekend I started some of my seeds. As you may know from prior years, I plant hundreds of white impatiens and over the last couple of years have added wave petunias and bacopa (or bicopa) to my repertoire. This year for the first time I'm also planting calibrachoa from seed! A plant very similar to a petunia, in fact some hybrid varieties are crossed with petunias. So excited to try this one this year... you may know this plant as Million Bells and just about every hanging basket seems to have some of this easy to care for annual. The larger white blooms and some of the darker pink flowers in the above photo are calibrachoa.<br />
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Last year in early spring I found out that you could finally purchase calibrachoa seeds but I had already purchased my plant starts for my hanging baskets and window boxes plus they take a long time to grow and germinate (like petunias and impatiens) and it was much too late to start any... however I KNEW I'd be trying some this year. The petunias I grow come as pelleted seeds, they are coated with a yellow substance, and I found that you could purchase calibrachoa the same way so my search was on the for the best deal in with a variety of colors. I quickly found that the "kaboom" variety was the one that could be found and it comes in dark blue (purple), dark pink, white and yellow with a few seed companies offering one or two other colors. The seed company that I selected was <a href="http://www.harrisseeds.com/">Harris Seed</a>, they offered the best price on pelleted seeds and had all four of these colors. I saved even more on the white seeds as I could purchase 100 of them.<br />
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My other seeds; bacopa, wave petunia and white impatiens came from <a href="http://parkseed.com/">Park Seed.</a> I have been purchasing my white impatiens seeds from Park Seed for 7 or 8 years now and they are top quality seeds with a high germination rate.<br />
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Knowing I would be starting around 700 - 800 seeds in my front porch I changed my set up a bit this year. We've recently acquired a number of plastic, sturdy folding banquet tables and 3 of them are smaller in size. Two fit perfectly in my front porch, much better than the "missmash" of wooden tv trays, metal bench and the floor! I use my front porch as it is cooler than my house but has southern exposure. It has worked well in years past and I don't forget to check my little babies for watering.<br />
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For these seeds that have a long germination and grow time I like to use Jiffy pellets to start these seeds. I tried paper pots (made from newspaper) but the 2 plus months is too long for the newspaper to hold up. This year instead of buying pellets from the local farm store or Home Depot/Lowes I bought these via Amazon. A substantially lower price and as I bought 1000 I'll have a few to save for next year.<br />
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These pellets are easy to use, warm water to plump them up and I place 96 (16 rows of 6) in a doubled up tray. These trays are inexpensive (under $1.50 each) and I use them year after year. I place a trash bag between the trays for watering as the trays have holes. If you were using these in an outdoor setting where water didn't matter you could leave them single and unlined. I break up the tops a bit with a wooden skewer.<br />
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Then it's time to plant seeds! This is actually 100 white calibrachoa seeds! Doesn't look like 100, does it? I like to use this small white bowl for viability and I use tweezers to pick each seed up and place it on TOP of the seed starting pellet. Impatiens, petunias, bacopa and calibrachoa seeds do not need to be covered.... in fact impatiens actually need light to germinate.<br />
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I planted 100 white, 50 dark blue, 50 yellow and 25 calibrachoa seeds, 30 white bacopa seeds, 20 silver (lavender) wave petunias and 10 coconut (white) wave petunias this past Sunday. Next weekend will be approximated 500 white impatiens seeds and I use the same method. Those seeds are not pelleted but I quite small, similar to a carrot seed.<br />
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As you can see from last summer, these white impatiens are just a small sampling of my white impatiens. I use all white as it show so well in the shady spots and in the evenings. Using all white is why I started planting my own as it was hard (and expensive) to find all white ones at my local nursery and garden centers.<br />
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All my hanging baskets have calibrachoa in them... these are the two on the side of my garage that I can see from my kitchen window. They are filled with pink every year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9trLc_7NI5N1N73hM8gqoVm83J_KsNReRv_bI2U42gLP00unnKIqwGOwiUwtYatXYDfcnU1-YYTEOJ1NzaS94w0y133ezHTOCbfNuyWeq5GGvLW01_CakQ5WqhowmWxE5jlHhPQL0Kk/s1600/DSC_0285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9trLc_7NI5N1N73hM8gqoVm83J_KsNReRv_bI2U42gLP00unnKIqwGOwiUwtYatXYDfcnU1-YYTEOJ1NzaS94w0y133ezHTOCbfNuyWeq5GGvLW01_CakQ5WqhowmWxE5jlHhPQL0Kk/s400/DSC_0285.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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Of course I also plant other flowers but those are usually direct seeded into the garden like these bachelor buttons.<br />
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Or sunflowers that I start a bit later in the greenhouse and transplant into my vegetable garden for cutting and garden beds for pure enjoyment.<br />
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And I can't forget my first flower planted from seed... the zinnia! I still plant hundreds of these, like the sunflowers in the greenhouse, and add them to my vegetable garden like these for cutting and some lower growing and spreading varieties in my flower beds.<br />
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So how about you? Ready for spring? Gardening? Perhaps a bit of seed starting?<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
linking up to<br />
<br />
<a href="http://artandsand.blogspot.com/2016/02/welcome-to-share-your-cup-185.html">Art and Sand's</a><br />
<a href="http://artandsand.blogspot.com/2016/02/welcome-to-share-your-cup-185.html">Share Your Cup</a><br />
<br />
and<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/02/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-197.html">Elizabeth & Co</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/02/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-197.html">Be Inspired</a></div>
Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-68880460479358583532016-02-08T18:34:00.000-08:002016-02-09T09:45:15.171-08:00a fast & free kind of holiday project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sPusnvfgm1h0kJXZ-gVVMaNS_-8W2TCw3pxccfk0I6FJdNkYrRgL-NJ5R4e03ich-ed73nxEqxxwpQkqDexAhc8EkUMItu0o20IV-SyJOsF9bilqbmsDtHCiYyj4J9Ql0VVjQDs1bp4/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sPusnvfgm1h0kJXZ-gVVMaNS_-8W2TCw3pxccfk0I6FJdNkYrRgL-NJ5R4e03ich-ed73nxEqxxwpQkqDexAhc8EkUMItu0o20IV-SyJOsF9bilqbmsDtHCiYyj4J9Ql0VVjQDs1bp4/s400/1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've come across 3 or 4 little Valentine projects I wanted to try this year but haven't seemed to get it together to get any done... finally on Sunday I dug (literally) through my sewing/craft/project room to look for some heart shaped paper doilies that was so sure I had... Unfortunately I didn't find them nor the aqua bakers twine I KNOW I have but have somehow lost in my, ahem, mess of a room. Lucky for me I did have some pink bakers twine handy and found this stash of pastel colored doilies that I've been wanting to use, but not use, if you know what I mean! Then I realized this was the perfect project as I didn't need to cut, glue, paste or sew on the doilies and could actually reuse them if I wanted to!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cclQhzs420WRrlx6PPSRHa-E97GgTqezk3-kMp_CbKKMt2PmjxP2o1l4CfxzkE0S7FPaGLJa60hDoEFNzP0UIZMR8TFCyJawU1RW5hhBaKvg6IbbWEuJMG7MaNdP4O0vpBraIkQ6cdE/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cclQhzs420WRrlx6PPSRHa-E97GgTqezk3-kMp_CbKKMt2PmjxP2o1l4CfxzkE0S7FPaGLJa60hDoEFNzP0UIZMR8TFCyJawU1RW5hhBaKvg6IbbWEuJMG7MaNdP4O0vpBraIkQ6cdE/s400/5.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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My stash also offered up these cute little heart shapes from Paper Source and I pulled out one of my new teal/aqua colored pens to add a little "love" to each heart.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mc5efnppe8TPFPtIJU4j0j5blVR53ERp-BLMUMiTDa4ivWT358W_IAF0L89FEgT3crsHFV204nIc9EySUDfm1d4vWrznJZcjRZuFzeFQtsxxRHPEwpALTTAn1E2vayDUPi6QTE_m5ds/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mc5efnppe8TPFPtIJU4j0j5blVR53ERp-BLMUMiTDa4ivWT358W_IAF0L89FEgT3crsHFV204nIc9EySUDfm1d4vWrznJZcjRZuFzeFQtsxxRHPEwpALTTAn1E2vayDUPi6QTE_m5ds/s400/6.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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My trusty yarn needle I use to sew together knit projects came in handy to thread my doilies with twine. Although I had a pretty pale blue and a fabulous pale green, I only used a few of the pink ones today.<br />
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I tied on one of my paper hearts...<br />
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Added two white round doilies to break up the pink and I was done! Five and free if you don't count the 30 minutes I spent looking for the aqua twine and heart doilies that is.<br />
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Hung on my garden gate with silver glittered clothes pins and my winter vignette now includes a pop of February and Valentine's Day!<br />
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This quick project also turned into a mini decorating frenzy when i found this little heart garland and card... since I don't have a "v" anagram letter I used an extra "a", don't think anyone will notice!<br />
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And I finally pulled out one of my layered hearts... a <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2014/02/holiday-project-valentine-edition.html">Valentine project from a couple of years ago </a>and my first attempt at sewing on paper!<br />
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My collection of vintage heart candy boxes have been on the table for a couple of weeks with a bouquet of pink carnations that just keeps on looking great.<br />
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And I even added a little something new to my built in...<br />
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A fun set of "x's" and "o's" are perfect for this time of year.<br />
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But my best Valentine is this little gal... I was lucky enough to spend the day with her a couple of weeks ago on a Monday, just the two of us. We took a little walk down the block, water bottle and all. Miss Bee likes to stay hydrated while exercising if you must know.<br />
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So we could figure out which mailbox would be holding my Valentine to her... colorful group of boxes aren't they?<br />
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And this week when the mailman delivers the little pink envelope she can show off her happy face...<br />
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Instead of the "what the heck Gigi" face!<br />
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We're already a week into February, hope it's been good to you...<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a><br />
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linking up to</div>
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<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/02/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-196.html">Elizabeth & Co</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/02/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-196.html">Be Inspired</a></div>
Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-37233803742303372112016-01-13T18:17:00.001-08:002016-01-13T18:17:19.371-08:00winter days and a new year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After the holidays it always seems a bit difficult to get back to "normal"... For some reason this year seemed to take longer to get Christmas put away and back to day to day living. I've been busy at work and with holiday events there has been little down time of late, perhaps that's why.<br />
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Like many of you, with the new year underway I wanted to make a conscious effort to be better organized. I know this ultimately translates to more time to spent doing the things I enjoy.<br />
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With this in mind, over the New Year weekend I spent my time packing up Christmas but also trying to organize it a bit better. Over the last few years things have gotten packed back into bins in the quickest fashion creating a bit of hodge podge. Now at least I know that next year when I take out my bins to decorate it will be much easier to find what I'm looking for and I can spend more time being creative!<br />
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Once I had cleared the decks and put all those bins away, I brought out things that reminded me of winter, snow, cold outside/warm inside and of course, a bit of rustic. In my tradition of decorating "the gate", I hung my <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2013/11/holiday-project-1-fluffy-fun-anthro.html">Anthropologie inspired pom pom wreath</a> on my gate again this year and added "2016" in galvanized numbers below.<br />
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And one of my favorite new items this year (I used it for Christmas too) is this cute galvanized windmill. I also added a couple of galvanized houses that were actually ornaments as well as three little white trees nestled into my wooden socket (?) holder. Very farm-y, right?<br />
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It doesn't turn or function in any way...<br />
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But I'm still smitten.<br />
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As you can see, I actually have two galvanized windmills! The windmills were actually a new purchase in November from <a href="http://www.shopterrain.com/">Terrain</a>. If you haven't taken a peck at Terrain you really must... think Anthropologie but for home and garden only! In fact Terrain is somehow affiliated with Anthropologie and you can find a link to Terrain on Anthro's website. But back to business... bits of aqua, more galvanized, my vintage globes and "snow" rounded out this corner... most of this stays the same year round but I do like to change out the smaller items seasonally or for a holiday.</div>
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The dining room wasn't ignored either. Some of this little vignette on the buffet is a hold over from the holidays. I kind of liked that the little glittered putz style houses played off the little snow village scene in the picture frame (actually a card from <a href="https://riflepaperco.com/">Rifle Paper Co</a>.). The touches of silver and gold carry out the New Year's theme too.</div>
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And finally, finally the dining room table is getting back to being just a table and not a storage or junk pile! I added more galvanized and aqua to the center of the table... not sure why galvanized says winter to me but it does!<br />
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My mason jar snow globes, some silver trees and an orchid to fill up my Pottery Barn tray.<br />
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Of course I couldn't put all my shiny brites away yet either. I actually use these silver and aqua "clusters" year round in different ways.<br />
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And perhaps you noticed a little change in my built in?<br />
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Before...<br />
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And after...<br />
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Do you notice? Not just the paper cone wreaths removed...<br />
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But a big change up too! When I was reorganized the toys in the front porch I decided to pull a bunch of stuff out of a cabinet there and was wondering where to put it... and well you know how one thing leads to another? Well I'd been wanting to do something different with my milk glass collection for a while and decided now was the time. I pulled out all of my china from the center "display" section and moved milk glass to that section of the cabinet. It's hard to see but the vintage silver is now on the upper or top shelf on the left and right. The lower left shelf is all of my green depression glass and the lower right shelf is all my pink depression glass... I really should get a better picture of the left and right sides...<br />
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A closer look at the center before...<br />
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And after... I still have some milk glass from around the house to add. Surprisingly this switch actually made for more space in the storage parts of this cabinet, as the china is now all stacked instead of spread out over three shelves. And another bonus is I have space now to add to my milk glass collection as well as my green and pink depression glass collection! Yay!!<br />
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So 13 days into the new year of 2016 and I have accomplished a few things off my list...<br />
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Cleaning up, de-cluttering and even trying to get back to a regular blogging schedule. Not too bad for just 13 days. How about you? Goals? Changes?<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a><br />
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linking up to</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/01/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-192.html">Elizabeth & Co</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2016/01/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-192.html">Be Inspired</a></div>
Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-63823413068726493432015-12-21T19:02:00.002-08:002015-12-21T19:03:43.620-08:00a holiday project: it's a wrap, with a few twists<br />
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I spent most of Sunday afternoon wrapping gifts. I'm one of those people that is pretty picky about my wrapping paper and ribbons. I like it to coordinate, usually with the tree, but definitely with each other... no wild cards usually show up here!<br />
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This year I came across the most beautiful paper... this winter scene that is in soft grayish, aquaish, blueish colors, found both at a local store and my favorite wrapping heaven, Paper Source. I knew I could make this work with my existing tree "theme" but a regular or deep red wasn't quite right. Since the paper was made by Rifle Paper Co. I checked their website to see what they had that coordinated... and found this fun polka dot that is almost a persimmon color. Not quite red but not quite orange. Then I stocked up on tags and ribbon from my go to, Paper Source, the tags also by Rifle Paper... I guess that's why it all worked together!<br />
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I had plans for this little guy since last summer... my grandmother's old shopping trolley (?). I've been meaning to make a cute little bag for it and fill it with all my rolls of paper. With time running out, for the holidays it just got a piece of cardboard in the bottom and no bag... maybe by next year!<br />
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I did however tie a cute little cardboard fruit basket (Sweet Lulu, my go to party place for boxes and containers) with ribbon and tags.. along with this fun ball of yarn ribbon! Would I date myself if I told you I always wanted pony tails tied with some of this kind of yarn? <br />
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Even without the liner this trolley made a great place to corral all my paper rolls in one spot... I have many more rolls but these were just the Christmas holiday rolls.<br />
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And then it was time to get to work wrapping. I really took my time this year, it seems in the last few years it's always been a last minute thing to get everything wrapped, sometimes even on Christmas Eve... long ago before my working days, I would have all the gifts wrapped, beribboned and bowed before December even got under way... all ready to pile under the tree! This year I wanted to enjoy it again and not have it be a chore or item to get crossed off a list.<br />
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I took my time selecting paper and ribbons. Writing tags and even using some yarn I had to make braided or twisted "ribbons" and lots of pom poms! I thought the pom poms would be fun for the little one's gifts.<br />
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And even some of the big boy's gifts!<br />
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Even got a little wild and mixed some of the yarn together for some pom poms so I guess there was a wild card after all!<br />
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Two of my nephews are getting to be teenagers and gift cards are the best gift for them. I wanted to present them in a bit different way and originally thought about making wallets out of duct tape and filling them with the cards.<br />
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But a stop a Michael's craft store a few weeks ago gave me the idea of a mason jar, this particalur one came in red and has the lid and straw together... and bonus they were on sale for cheaper than a plain jar. Filled with gift cards, and of course something sweet like m&m's, fun ribbon, an envelope of cocoa and it was all finished.<br />
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As I wrapped I placed the gifts under the tree for now... ready to deliver to their recipients soon.<br />
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And by nightfall the pile had grown as the lit tree glows through the evening.<br />
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And now just a few more left to wrap, including a special one for my little Miss Bee. We were fortunate to have her overnight on Friday and before heading out on Saturday, she was investigating a little tree in my kitchen that was just her size, complete with a little Santa on top! It was hard to get a picture since she kept carrying it to me, her Gigi! At almost 19 months old she is becoming quite the entertaining little toddler!<br />
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Time to finish up the wrapping and begin the sugar cookie making,<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-53889818499459584662015-12-17T20:32:00.001-08:002015-12-17T20:32:58.073-08:00a holiday project: fairy's wand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few years back I came across a picture on Pinterest... one of those that just led to an image with no directions but one I obviously liked since I managed to pin it more than once.<br />
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This year with one of my other intended projects fall through I decided it was time for to give this one a try. Brought out a pile of supplies including tags, odds and ends, foil reflectors, cupcake liners (again you ask?) and my other obsession... paper straws.<br />
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I may have as many paper straws as cupcake liners but can't seem to pass up a new pattern or color when I see it.<br />
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I found a couple of funky vintage sugar bells on a hodge-podge of things and thought to perhaps make a couple of pastel wands.<br />
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And all kinds of silver, foil, glitter-y goodness to go with some fun silver striped straws.<br />
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My inspiration photo included similar stars as mine...<br />
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I got to work with, my less than trusty, hot glue gun and the silver pile first. And was pretty happy with the outcome. Three silver-y wands... beribboned and glitter-y just like a fairy want should be. I just kept layering and gluing until I was happy with the result. Metal chenille stems ensure they can be ornaments as well as magical wands.<br />
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The pastel ones came out a bit funky...<br />
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But still cute in a kind of weird 70's gone wild kind of way.<br />
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So this quick little project brings the total to five this week...<br />
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And that means tomorrow is Friday and one week to Christmas... I'd better getting wrapping things up in more ways than one!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540225849876690213.post-22088082731486007052015-12-16T19:38:00.001-08:002015-12-16T19:38:47.114-08:00a holiday project: using jars for more than jam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jars for gifts... of course you can fill your jars with homemade goodness like jams and jellies... or even purchase them ready made at a local farmer's market. But have you ever thought of using a jar and filling it with cookies? Or homemade candies? Even homemade bath salts (keep reading for a recipe)? Yes, anything that can fit in a jar can be gussied up for the holidays.<br />
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You may remember that I used jam as party favors at the <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2015/09/at-farm-join-me-for-another-baby-shower.html">farm themed baby shower last summer</a>... I even used these same little berry baskets. They are inexpensive and easy to fill and fuss with. For this, I'm getting some little jars of jam ready for a family get together this weekend as well as some for a few co-workers next week. I brought out all of my supplies... baskets, filler, tags, little spoons, ribbon, twine and my secret jar weapon... cupcake liners!<br />
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Cupcake liners make the BEST jar toppers ever! They come in every color or style imaginable, for every event or holiday you can think of... and get this... they are the PERFECT size to top a jar! No cutting, no nothing! You just remove the ring on the jar, add the liner and screw the ring right over the top. Sooo much easier than fabric too.<br />
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For this one I had a cute Santa liner and a polka dot on white. I have to admit, I do have a collection (in fact a whole drawer) of cupcake liners. When I see cute ones, I pick them up. If you look at these jars you see that the liner even makes a cute little finished edge below the ring. We used these at <a href="http://redgatefarmcuster.blogspot.com/2015/02/love-in-thea-wedding-at-red-gate-farm.html">my niece's wedding here at Red Gate Farm</a> with brown liners and actual circle stickers in the same color so we could stamp on them. The ideas are endless.<br />
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Next up was to pick a couple of baskets... add some filler, tag, tiny spoon and I'm almost done. So quick and easy.<br />
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At this point you can add ribbon to keep the jar in the basket or even put the whole thing in a cellophane bag with a bow.<br />
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For me it was ribbon all the way... tied both directions to keep those jars in place!<br />
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And that bath salt idea? Well a number of years ago I came across a recipe for Almond Milk Bath. I make it most years and it is very easy with just a few ingredients and a food processor. I like to gift it in a jar with a little wooden spoon or scoop tied onto it.<br />
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You can change the almond for any essential oil or other natural flavoring. I favor the almond, vanilla or a citrus like lemon or orange.<br />
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Almond Milk Bath</div>
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1/3 cup powdered milk</div>
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1 cup Epsom salts</div>
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1/3 cup borax (I've been using the same box for years now)</div>
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1 teaspoon almond extract (or other extract or essential oil, may need less depending on selection)</div>
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1 tablespoon gelatin (or one envelope)</div>
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paste food coloring, if desired</div>
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Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse well. Pour onto lined cookie sheet (I use foil) to dry completely. If using food coloring go very, very easy... just a touch on a toothpick as you don't want to stain someone's tub!</div>
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Fill up your jar!</div>
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Cookies, bath salts, candy, nuts or even just jam... think about filling a jar with a bit of love and sharing it with others this holiday season.</div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/72/B8B774D67CC3D5F2CBA28CD4F63AF0D9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Chris at Red Gate Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12339700094067226000noreply@blogger.com0