The alm Project – Diary of a Crafty Insomniac

I live 1 block from the beach and although I am grateful for what some people think is an excellent location, I am a tiny bit envious of my neighbors who has the beach in their back yards. This summer I have decided to remedy the situation by bringing the beach inside. To that end, I have designed some nautical themed graphic pillows inspired by my coastal surroundings.

Jupiter Light House

I have a spectacular view of this iconic light house. I drive by it every day – it has become the backdrop to my life. I wanted to bring it inside, so I did a drawing – from my perspective of course – and created a pillow.

A Light House on a hillside

The Boston Marathon tragedy occurred while I was creating the image for the for the pillow shown above. I had visited a light house in Boston the previous summer so I wanted to create a kind of memorial pillow – although, such a tragedy is impossible to forget.

Boston Light House

The beach has become my second office. I am there every chance I get. Most days you will see me there with my sketch pad and pencils drawing the images in my head.

Sea Scapes

The images in my head usually end up as a pillow – my way of bringing the outside inside and adding so color to my life.

Light House Pillow

Even if I lived inland, I think I would still have some part of my home decorated with a nautical theme.

Hanging out at the beach

Who said coastal decor had to be seahorses, seashells & driftwood

xoxo

Al

My friend visited Sierra Leone last year and upon his return, he presented me with some beautiful pieces of brilliantly colored fabrics. One piece immediately caught my eye. It’s a bold green, yellow, orange and beige stripe fabric with gold accents. It was perfect for my semi annual couch update.

Gold Striped Accent Pillow

I made two 20″ x 20″ pillows covers and used them with existing feather inserts.

Looks great on my red couch

I loved them do much that I decided to make 2 additional pillows for my guest room.

Horizontal Strip Pillow

I used some of the left over fabric to cover a piece of PVC pipe that houses two of my African Violets. (All you need is a piece of 4 inch PVC pipe cut it about 5 inches in length. Apply the fabric with some aggressive glue and you’ve got a groovy flower pot cover:)

Groovy Flower Pot Cover

What are you working on?

I am going through my coastal decor phase, so I have been creating a few accent pieces for my home. Here is the first of my creation – they are napkin rings embellished with sand dollars.

Sand Dollar Napkin Rings

This was a very simple project. I used strips of vinyl shelf lining, silk ribbon, some glue and of course, sand dollar.

Here is how I made them. I cut 4 strips of vinyl  – 12 inches x 2 inches. Curl the vinyl around to form a cylinder/tube (circle). Secure the ends with some quick setting clue like hot glue. Alternatively, you may use the inner tube from a roll of paper towel. Once the rings are created, I used some 7mm silk ribbon I had left over from another project to wrap around the vinyl rings completely covering them. I secured the ribbon with glue, then I glued the sand dollar to complete my project.

Colorful table setting

I also created a nautical table scape for my living room. I used 3 glass globes from the dollar store, some beach sand some shells and some star fishes. I live 2 blocks from the beach, so collecting the items for my table scape was easy. But, you may purchase shells and other nautical supplies at most discount and craft stores.

Nautical table scape

I covered my sea side creation with mirrors and perched some rustic candles on top. What do you think – nautical or nice?;}

I have been a little obsessed with succulents lately. Unlike the others plants that I have attempted to cultivate over the years, my succulents do not die (as often) – or should I say, I do not kill them. They are beautiful and nearly indestructible.

Multiple Succulents

A succulent is any plant with thick, fleshy (succulent) water storage organs. Succulents store water in their leaves, their stems or their roots. These plants have adapted to survive dry conditions throughout the world, from Africa to the deserts of North America and now – my home.

Here’s what I have found out about succulents – they prefer bright light, like a south-facing window. My townhouse is a bit dark, so I rotate them on a weekly basis – one week in side, one week outside on the balcony.

It’s important to watch the leaves for indications that the light level is correct. I have found that some species will scorch if suddenly exposed to direct sunlight. The leaves will turn brown or white as the plant bleaches out and the soft tissues are destroyed.

If a succulent plant does not have enough light for a prolonged period of time, it will begin to stretch, with an elongated stem and widely spaced leaves (it gets leggy). It helps to prune the plant back to its original shape.

One of the problems I had with my previous gardening efforts is that I could never gauge their water needs. I would either water them too much or too little. With succulents, you need to water them more in the summer allowing them to dry between watering (Once per week seems should do the trick). During the winter, when the plants go dormant, cut watering back to once every other week – if you live in South Florida. Over watering can lead to plant rot, this is the single most common cause of plant failure.

Succulents should be potted in a fast-draining mixture that’s designed for cacti and succulents. The most important factor in choosing a planting medium is that it allows food, water and air to get to the roots and is porous enough to let water drain through.  I have been adding sand, small pebbles and vermiculite to the soil, it so far so good! Sometimes I add A top dressing of crushed granite or sea shells just to kick things up a notch. The top dressing has the added benefit of keeping the topsoil from drying out faster than the rest of the soil in the pot, also, it keeps the base of the plant dry and assists in the even distribution of water through the soil.

My favorite part of my new found gardening success is combining my latest succulent find into mini succulent or cacti gardens.

I also enjoy finding cute containers for my succulents. Sometimes I will use a simple clay pot,

A brightly painted fancy clay pot  – I love bright colors,

Cacti

A beach bucket/pail  – I prefer metal to plastic. I also love anything cobalt blue.

I got these pails at Tuesday Morning for $1.29 – they only had 2 in stock. I keep going back hoping to find more. No luck so far.

I have found some great flower pots at Ikea – bold colors like I like.

I like adding birds to my creations – I pick them up at the dollar store. They stock them during Christmas and spring. You may find them at craft stores as well

I still need to figure out the best fertilizer for my plants – I am told that  adding a low nitrogen, water-soluble fertilizer at ¼ the recommended rate is ideal, I have not tried this recipe yet – I let you know.

going Vertical

I am running out of room in my back patio garden – it’s getting a little crowded back there. The logical thing would be to stop buying plants, but I am not a logical person – well I have my own brand of logic. I decided to go vertical. I have a lot of unused space on the walls, so some shelving should do the trick. I stopped by Ikea and picked up some inexpensive shelves and wall hooks.

The the Water-resistant MOLGER shelf is perfect for the covered back patio. It’s Solid birch and it protected with clear polyurethane/acrylic lacquer. I think it should hold up well in humid Florida. I mulled over painting it a bright color,  gave up on that idea – I did not feel up to priming and painting.

The HYLLIS galvanized shelving unit was another of my Ikea purchases. It’s a steal at only $14.99. It’s a little light weight, but I like the spacing of the shelves. I can fit taller plants on that unit. Again, I thought about painting it – I think it would look great in a bright yellow – But, I was not in a painting mood. I may still do it – we’ll see.

Room for growth

Now I need to dust off my drill and get ready to put some hooks on the walls to accommodate more plants – after all, its prime real estate – I cannot allow it to go to waste.

About 10 years ago I purchased my first ‘grown up’ patio set. About two years ago they started showing their age. I was going to replace them, but I was having a hard time finding something affordable that fits my true personality – something bursting with color. I decided to make them over.

Before

The paint on my chairs were chipped and unattractive – plus the chairs were brown:(  A little elbow geese will take care of that issue. I used a wire brush remove the old finish, then I sanded the chairs with my Sander Next I primed the chairs, then spray painted them with outdoor/indoor paint.

My Blue Patio Chair

I could not decide on a color, so I painted each patio chair a different color.

My Red Patio Chair

There was a toss up between painting one of the chairs orange or yellow. Orange won – it was more vibrant. I will paint something else yellow, I’m sure.

My Orange Patio Chair

Looking back, I should have chosen yellow over purple.

My Purple Patio Chair

Now I needed to address the chair cushions. The brown stripe was not doing it for me.

Before - The brown stripe seat cushion

At first I was going to purchase new ones, but I did not want to pay the high prices you tend to see at the beginning of the summer season. I decided to cover the existing cushions. I can get new ones at the end of summer when they go on sale.

Afterish

I used painters drop cloth to make a simple cover for the chairs. I basically made 4 over-sized pillow cases and slipped them over the seat cushions. But, they were a little underwhelming. May be adding pillows would help…

See how I made the pillow here

No, It needs something more… May be a painted yellow daisy…

Yellow Daisy

But, as usual, I cannot decide on an image. So, I painted a red butterfly on the other chair cover…

Red Butterfly

And a dark red/maroon poppy – The poppy pattern started off as an embroidery patter I designed (you may download it from my Facebook page).

Poppy flower

A peach tulip completes the set.

Tulip Seat Cushion

Now all I need is a larger patio to house all my plants – and I need to make some lumber pillows for my patio chairs – maybe, we’ll see.

xoxo

Al

I wanted to add some color to my patio garden so I went to my favorite nursery to pick up some inexpensive foliage. The Alcea Rosea Chaters Double Yellow immediately caught my eyes.

Alcea rosea

I hope that I can keep this plant alive – at least until the end of summer. They are inexpensive, so if it falls victim to my brown thumb, I will just pick up another. Maybe next time I will get the pink.

Mezoo plant

I am a bit more confident about my Mezoo plant – at least, I think that’s what it is. I got it yellow and pink. I have had great success with the variegated variety, so I hoping that these will be around for a long time.

Yellow Purslane

The flower above is from the Purslane plant.  I think it’s stunning. There are new blooms each day. This plant is edible. I am told that they are sold for $7.00 per pound at farmers markets. Mine was 99 cents.

Pink Purslane

I got them in pink and orange as well. I think I will try some in my salad tomorrow.

The next project on my to do list is a guest room mini make over. Pillows made from the images of my blooms will preserve them. So, even if they fall victim to plant killing ways, I will still be able to cherish them.

Pillows in bloom

xoxo

Al

Face Clay Pot

I call this clay pot my lucky clay pot. This is the 3rd plant that has flourished in this clay pot.  Once this plant out grows the ‘face pot’ I think I am going to try my luck with a Donkey’s Tail Cactus.

Back of My Face Clay Pot

I do not know the name of the plant – Do you?

I am in the process of doing a mini make over on my back patio. I am planning to spending a lot more time out there doing hand embroidery – I have a few unfinished projects that I would like to complete.  I wanted to add some pillows to my patio chairs  – the plan is the more comfortable I am, the more I will get done:)

Outdoor canvass drop cloth pillow

 The Pillow Process

Out door pillows are relatively inexpensive – you can pick them up at any big box store for between $13 and $20.00. However, if you prefer not to have the same pillows as your neighbors, then you can easily whip one up.

Monogrammed 'm' Pillow

I had some pieces of canvas drop cloth left over from another project (I’ll tell you about that in another post). I decided to use them for my outdoor pillow project.

• First I cut the drop cloth into 18 inch squares
• I selected a font on my computer and printed it on 11 by 17 paper.
• I used carbon paper to transfer the monogram to the fabric – I happen to have a large supply of carbon paper – I got them from an office that was going out of business.  You can pick them up at any office supply or craft store. They are sometimes called transfer paper.
• I used color craft markers to outline the letters and then filled in the outlines with a contrasting  fabric paint.
• To make the fabric water proof, I used Thermoweb Heat’n Bond Iron-On Vinyl. Follow the manufacturers instructions and apply the vinyl to the drop cloth.
• Construct your pillow.

I like the look of lower case font – I think they look casual yet sophisticated.

Century Gothic Font

I like bold colors and choosing a large font – (I used 1200 font size) – made the monogram pop.

'w' Monogrammed Pillow

Notice the rose on the left side of the ‘w’? There was a flaw in the drop cloth – a silk ribbon carnation covered that right up. I was going to add flowers to the other pillows but I decided the single rose was more interesting.

xoxo

Al