Vertical Pallet Garden

We have a very small backyard, but as a hobby gardener I want to make every square foot count. Hubby gets very snacky sometimes, so I figure, why not make our backyard a snack bar? I already have cherry tomatoes, a stevia plant, and herbs for him, why not add more? But alas, I have already filled all my flower beds this year.

Insert vertical garden! I obtained 2 pallets from the local Southern States for a whopping $2.00 each. Then I picked up some extra 1x2s and 1x4s from Lowes. We split the pallet in half, then closed out each of the 6 troughs. We arranged the garden towards the corner of our shed. It helps as a "room divider" in the yard and it hides the trashcans a bit. See photo!

(Please ignore terrible looking shed door. We had to install a new door due to massive wood rot and haven't yet painted it to make it pretty.)

I planted a strawberry plant in each trough. We have gotten a few strawberries already but we planted very late so we probably wont get many more. I just wanted to see how it would work out. Next year I am thinking of putting a squash along the bottom to trail along the edge.

As a SUPER bonus, this vertical garden hides a very small trash can behind it and our pooper scooper. This helps keeps the dog's messes tidy and keeps the flies away. And you can't even see it! :D

DIY Beaded Wire Curtain Tie-Backs

DIY Beaded Wire Curtain Tie-backs!

I am very sensitive to light when trying to sleep, so black-out curtains are a must for me! Once we put up my beautiful slate gray curtains, hubby started using the blind cord to tie them back. *grrr face*
So I needed to come up with a frugal and beautiful way to tie-back our curtains.

The trouble I ran into was a double window which didn't have enough room to do 2 of the typical "hook shaped" tie backs. What is a girl to do?

I'll make my own, genius! I went to Michaels and picked out some nice beads on sale, chose a wire, then headed over to the picture frame section for the little D shaped hooks.

Attached wire to D clip and then build beads as your heart desires. Make sure to test your first string to make sure it is long enough to hold your curtain back. My first attempt was great for a lighter curtain but didn't quite hold the thick black-out curtains.

Here are some photos, sorry the flash is throwing all the colors off:

Here is the double window I was talking about earlier:

The wire makes it very easy to manipulate how the curtain drapes. I didn't take much time to make it look pretty when I took the photos, but it can look quite fabulous!

One of the most inspired projects I have completed in my first home was a present for my Hubby. As a former theater lighting technician I knew he would like a little celebration of his former passion.

Day-dreaming at work one day I thought about how empty our living room felt without anything on the walls. Hubby is an avid photographer and I knew he wanted more photos around the house.
Then, BAM! It hit me.

Theater lighting uses gel frames to change the color of the light. These frames are typically about 5 inches square and slide into the bottom of the light equipment. Hubby always had a string of these in his truck to prepare for every gig, perfect!
After a couple calls around town, I found a theater with a stash of unwanted frames and off I went!

The next step was to ask his photographer mother to print me out some antique tinted family photos.
Lastly, I chose a coordinating fabric with a graphic print.

A couple hours of cutting and assembly, then hang! He was very surprised when he got home that day. Everything about this project screams "US!" and it was completed for under $15.00.
:D It's my most favorite project in the whole house.

If you would like to make your own frames the biggest hurdle is finding the gel frames. Sure you could buy them brand new, but then they don't have that beaten up and "loved" look.
Here is a photo of a theater light for reference:

This gel frame is octogon shaped versus my square ones. This project would be great for anyone involved in theather, singing, dancing and performance art.