{ Anthropologie Love } A vibrant Afternoon in a Hammock

All photos Anthropologie – Vibrant Afternoon Hammock

I am absolutely in love with the blue version of this hammock from anthropologie.  At only $98, I am wanting to plant two trees, just so I have somewhere to hang this hammock in our yard.  Its so boho-retro looking.

And when you are done lounging for the day in the hammock …

You can just fold it away in its cute little sac! I am definitely putting this on my birthday wish list!

{ Graphic Design/Favorite Finds } Funky May Desktop from Free People

Free People May Calendar

Just came across this fun desktop for the new month.

{ Gardening } Salad from your backyard …

For the first time this year, I bought some lettuce from Home Depot to give lettuce/romaine a try and I am so excited with the results of these plants.  We have now eaten salads from the garden only (instead of buying the Earthbound Organic salad boxes which we love — 3.99) for about 3 weeks.  Its a little bit of a transition to different kind of green than you get in the stores, but its so exciting to just be able to go into the yard anytime we want a salad. I have not the foggiest idea why the heads are places so randomly, but I think it was because we still had the winter kale in when I put them in.  Each time I got out I pull off the outer leaves and I am just astounded by how fast new ones replace them.  I think, from my reading, that since the stems are getting taller that the romaine might be ready to bolt here soon, but I hope we can get a few more weeks before it gets bitter.

I have some kale and cimmaron lettuce seedings in there, but not sure if they will make it to full growth.

This week we finally started harvested our first bunch of spinach.  I am not sure how much longer it will grow well before the NC heat gets going. I will definitely be sure and get it in the ground sooner this year.  The best tip I got about growing spinach was that when it first comes up from seed, it will look like grass before it gets its first two round, spinach-like leaves.  I know I was probably pulling out all my spinach seedlings last summer thinking it was grass in my raised beds.  Live and learn!!

{ Anthropologie Love } Scoop up some scarves

I am continually in awe of the stylists at Anthropologie.  One of their latest emails has scarves displaced in ice cream cones.  So clever!

{ Home Decor/Anthropologie Love } Planters on safari …

Cutest … planters… ever! From Anthropologie, of course!

{ Travel } Going camping in a retro RV bus …

Photos:  VWSurfari

I am not a huge camping fan, but even I could be convinced to go travel across California in one of these adorable retro VW vans. VWSurfari rents them in multiple colors and themes.

Love the interior of the red one with the festive Hawaiian florals.

 

{ Gardening } New additions to the garden …

This weekend was an incredibly productive one in the garden.  I got a few new accessories for the porch, a 5 x 8 rug and a new plantar.  I wanted to keep the some strawberries a little closer to the house so perhaps the humans (darn birds are greedy) could have some of them.   I planted them with some moonflower I had grown with seed (to go up the trellis) and put in a handful of melon and watermelon seedlings since I have nowhere in the garden that I can really grow them.  I am hoping that they can thrive by spilling out of the plantar onto the deck area.

The plantar is one of those light-weight ones that look heavy by are less than 10 pounds when you pick them up.  I am not positive how long it will last in my 7B climate, but I am hoping I can get a season or two out of it.  I couldn’t pass the fun bright color up!  I might have to see if they have any smaller versions.  I have so many seedlings right now I can’t possible fit them all in the raised gardens.

{ Favorite Finds } Propoganda posters — with a modern twist

After coming across these cool etsy-sold posters by Victory Gardens of Tomorrow in a couple of magazines and online, I have been dying to get a few for my kitchen. Not only do the muted colors match my house perfectly, but the message is spot on what we are trying to do in our backyard.  At only 12.00 a piece for most or three packs for $30.00, what a great bargain too.

Break New Ground poster art by joeseppi on Etsy.

{ Gardening } Why the blog has been neglected …

Since early March I have been busy tending to the little seedlings, pouring over seed catalogs, and trying to find different organic and heirloom plants for us to try this year.  I have never had the greatest luck with seeds, but it always fun to try, and I figure each year I will gain some experience to maybe, someday, be able to succeed at it.  In this tray is everything from cucumbers, to tomatoes, holy basil, and goji berries seedlings.   Sadly, I misjudged this neverending winter and put some lettuces and zucchini out that ended up (I think) perishing from the bite of light frost.  Our temps in NC have been jumping from 80s to 50s and down to 30s and back.  Hopefully, in the next few weeks we will be consistent.

The next seeds I am going to grab are these neon bright swiss chard seeds. I am hoping that in our climate they might be perennial.  How fun will these look planted in a border area under some apple trees?  A bright splash of color in a sea of green.

{ Gardening } … a little bit of spring from last year.

I loved these tulips, and I am kicking myself for pulling them out.  I thought I would want to redesign things in the garden so I pulled them all out to store, but… they got ruined.  Sigh.  I love how beautiful, dark green our yard looks.  I can only hope it looks that way this spring.  Fertilizer is going down tomorrow!

I think one or two of the dark burgundy ones  escaped my grasp last year and are coming through.  Its always fun when you plant tulips to see what strays turn up despite ones best effort to take them out.

In my gardening journal I have that I planted 40 crocus, 50 freesia, and 40 pastel tulips.  I also planted 4 of the gladiator alliums, and I am so excited to see if those actually grow.  They are the giant, dandelian flower looking bulbs on 3 foot stems in purple.  The look like this:

PHOTO: Fleur-de-Louis