March 26, 2011
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…time is just a melody…
hey! remember these?
yeah. that’s right. that picture from, like, a month ago…i got on a huge kick about wanting to start my own herb garden. and about that same time, i came across this tutorial for upcycled herb cans and got on a huge kick about saving all the cans we used that week. i managed to get the black base coat and this first layer of color on them in a matter of a day and a half. and then i got super-involved with working on little shop, and didn’t get a chance to look at them again for a few weeks.
by the time i managed to get back around to them, i started to feel a little bad. was starting my own herbs really even feasible? after all, i’m pretty terrible at plants. not being one to leave a project unfinished, though, i pressed on—and thankfully, by the time i got the second coat of colors on the cans, i was pumped about the concept again! then i hit another snag…the weather. i needed to be able to spray the cans with a waterproof lacquer to make them resilient. as you can see a bit in the picture above, without a nice, thick coating, the acrylic paint was just flaking off of the aluminum. but it was too cold and damp to spray the cans if i had any hopes of a good (and bubble-free) finish. so i turned to another new project (which you’ll hopefully get to see soon!) and waited patiently for clearer skies and warmer temps.
thankfully, those came last weekend! i headed outside as soon as i could and smothered those cans in as much glossy lacquer as i could. that did the trick of sticking the paint perfectly. and they looked pretty snazzy, too!
delightfully 80’s inspired, just like me!they just needed one thing: plants! so lex and i headed up to lowes and he stood sweetly and patiently by as i circled the seed racks about 178 million times, trying to decide which five things i would like to grow. i ended up getting basil, oregano, rosemary, and flowers, because i’m a nerd and couldn’t choose appropriately.
back at the house, i enlisted lex’s super-strength to help me put the holes in the bottoms of the cans (to my credit, i managed to get the holes in all but two. whichever vegetables/beans came in those cans must be capable of destroying the world if they get loose, because those cans were reinforced better than an underground bunker during a zombie apocalypse!)
smart. sweet. strong. silly. he’s the best.
p.s. check out that jack black impression on the left there
here’s what the bottoms looked like:
no, i’m not being cheeky by showing you the can’s bottom.
i’m proving that i’ve provided adequate drainage for excess h2o!i put a layer of small rocks in the bottom of each can…because the tutorial said to. i honestly don’t know enough about plants to understand why, although i sort of assume it has something to do with keeping the water from draining out entirely? that sounds plausible, at least. a bit of seed-starting soil mix, seeds planted according to package directions, and voila!
my soon-to-be herb garden!
the tiny terra cotta pot there is bell pepper seeds…just for fun
if my seeds sprout at all, i’ll be sure to post pictures. i guess we’ll all have to keep our fingers crossed on that one!
bonus points to my mom this week, for presenting me with this gem:
warning: contains words. and paisley.a quick glance through tells me that it will be a constant go-to. it reads adorably, offers giant, color-coded pictures, and has that general “1969 threw up all over the pages” appeal. i love it!
