Pedaling Whales

The next 2 free Craftsy mini-courses I’m going to take are:

“Why?” you might ask.

1. I’ve been watching way too much Project Runway, and need to get re-acquainted with my sewing machine.
2. Did I mention they’re free?!

Check out all of the other free Craftsy mini-courses by clicking here.

After way too many days of unhealthy eating, I got into one of my vegan kicks and began to scour the web for recipe ideas.  In my search, I found these vegan enchiladas with cilantro avocado cream sauce.

I’m extremely happy with my find, and with how great they turned out.  We ended up making enough for two people, and even had leftovers the next day… all for around $10! Yay for cheap, healthy eating!

After my failed attempt at polymer clay plant markers, I decided to try my luck again.  This time I went with an idea that I found on this blog.  These chalkboard plant markers are so quick and simple, and look great!  I got some of my supplies from Hobby Lobby like the wooden square pieces and dowels; the chalkboard paint was leftover from a chalkboard wall that we made.

All in all, it just took a few hours, though most of that time was spent waiting for the paint to dry (hah).  These little markers are now making a presence in our garden, which is good, because I wouldn’t have remembered what anything was until they started producing vegetables (mostly the zucchini, yellow squash, and cucumbers that are all in the same bed)!

Notice the pallet shelf?  Check out how to make it here!

My favorite part:

“You gotta make sure that you’re doing something for YOURSELF first. If you’re making something FOR outside praise then you’re doing it wrong. Make things as if you’re the only person who could make them, and you’re just doing it for yourself. It’s tough, but THEN you’ll make something uniquely for yourself, and if people don’t praise it, you believe in it enough that you don’t get crushed about it.” – Felicia Day

Link: Felicia Day AMA

The other day while I was looking for quick DIY instructions on how to make my own plant markers, I stumbled upon an ingenious idea by Wit & Whistle.  Her polymer clay plant markers are so cute and so easy to make.  I made a quick trip to Hobby Lobby and had my own made in the span of an hour (most of that time is spent letting the clay bake in the oven).

To begin with, I only made one with the hopes of getting my boyfriend’s opinion when he returned home.  I set it out in the garden, took a solitary picture, and went along with my day.  An hour later when he returned home, he went to assess my work, though there was nothing to see!  Apparently dogs, or Border Collies in general, have a love for polymer clay that I wouldn’t have guessed.  Needless to say, I’m glad that I only made the one, and will have to find another project for the remaining clay!

It’s been five months since the beginning of our time as home owners. Throughout these past months, my boyfriend and I have talked quite a bit about starting a garden in our barren backyard, though we needed to wait for the right time to make it a reality. Fall planting wasn’t an option, as we were still getting established as homeowners. That left spring planting… and holy cow, it snuck up on us! Being beginner gardeners, we are going mostly off of the average last spring frost date, which seems to be around February 22nd for our area (San Antonio, Zone 8B), and plant-specific guidelines.

Our first weekend, we planted Southern Belle Red Onions, Red Tip Photinias, Roma Tomatoes, a Flordaking Peach Tree, Mountain Laurel, Mealy Blue Sage, Lavender, Scotch Moss, and some Poppies.  We were only able to plant the two types of vegetables (tomatoes and red onions) since we built our own raised garden beds, but only had one finished in time for the weekend!  The poppies were planted from seeds, so there’s not much to show yet.  I do see tiny little seedlings popping up, so that should be a good sign!  The scotch moss did really bad.. I think it died within a few days, but that’s what we get for buying it from Lowes and not checking to see how well it does in our area.  The rest of the plants, with the exception of the peach tree, were bought at a local nursery and seem to be doing great!  I can’t wait to see what the next few months will bring!