* Remodelaholic *: Plants

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Hyper-whata? Hypertufa Pots, 33 Shades of Green

08 July 2010

. I'm so excited to be here at Remodelaholic guest posting again! Thank you Cassity for having me! Please come and visit me at my blog, 33 Shades of Green. You'll find me cooking, crafting, decorating, and trying out all sorts of creative projects.

I made these hypertufa pots after seeing this article in the March 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine. My Mom and I made hypertufa pots a few years ago using a similar method. They were larger than these and not quite as cool! When I saw this article I knew I had to try again. It's actually a pretty easy project.

Supplies you will need:

- Various containers. You can use almost anything but I collected plastic and cardboard containers. I also used metal but it didn't work for me (more on that later!).

- Peat Moss

- Perlite

- Portland Cement

- Mold Release Spray (I ended up using a no-stick cooking spray after researching online.)

The perlite, portland cement, and peat moss are all readily available at Home Depot or Lowes. Make sure that you use real portland cement and not a quick-set material. Also, you want to use peat moss that is finely ground and not in large pieces.

In order to make your mold you will need to nest two containers together. Both should have sides that are straight or taper out and make sure that there is a gap of at least 3/4 between them.

Mix together equal parts perlite, peat moss and portland cement in a large container. The amount you use of each does not matter as long as they are equal parts. I used 2 quarts of each. A wheelbarrow would be great to use for mixing, but I don't have one so I used an old rubbermaid container.

Make sure you wear gloves!

Slowly begin to add water and mix until mixture is the consistency of cottage cheese.

Coat containers with mold release spray. Pour mixture into the outer mold until it is an inch thick. Add the inner container and start adding mixture around all the sides. You can fill the inner mold with sand or water to steady it. Pack mixture in tightly.

This is what my containers looked like after I had added the mixture.

Cover the containers with plastic. After 24 hours remove the inner mold. Replace plastic. After 36 hours remove outer mold. This is where I had a little trouble. I was able to easily remove the plastic and cardboard containers. But the one metal container I used would not come off. I guess I should have followed directions and used mold release spray. Stick with cardboard and plastic and you won't have any trouble!

After removing molds, you can drill holes using a masonry bit in the bottom of the container for drainage. Also, use a planer file or sand paper to smooth out any rough edges.

Recover containers with plastic and let sit for several weeks in order to finish curing.

Finally, your pots will be finished!

Aren't they cool?

I planted with succulents and placed the pots in my screen porch.

I am just thrilled with these little pots. I love how they turned out!

Try these - I think you will be happy with the results! If you have any questions, please drop by 33 Shades of Green.

Sanctuary! Outdoor Space; Guest Feature

08 May 2010

It's the weekend and it is early May and the weather is beautiful for a few more weeks at least (crossing my fingers as we "speak"- which is hard to do while typing by the way!) Anyway, I thought today would be the perfect day to highlight some beautiful ideas for your outdoor spaces. First of all I have Pam from Design Fanatic. ( I have featured her handiwork before, I seriously have some major yard envy. See she lives in the state I LOVE! (shout out to North Carolina, I miss you! and all my wonderful friends there, including the trees) and she has ferns, ivy and hostas, three of my very favorite things in the world. (more outdoor projects to come...)

This is her space:

Here's my favorite spot in our backyard ... and front yard, for that matter!

I love to sit out here in the morning, look out into the woods and listen to the birds sing.The space is the patio outside my walkout basement. It is below the deck off the main floor. The little cleyera shrubs we planted several years ago have grown up to create a little privacy on one side. On the other side of the patio, the house juts out making a little enclave; my own little sanctuary. I will miss this space most of all when we move. tear :'-(

This is the beautiful view I see in early Spring when sitting on the bench. The little blue playhouse was mine when I was a little girl. Yes, we brought it with us from California, all the way to North Carolina. It is painted blue because we lived in a little blue house in California. It is painted just like our sweet little house ... cornflower blue, grey shutters and bright white trim. This view is just another reason why this space is so special to me.

We found the bench many years ago back in California at Costco. It used to sit on our front porch. Reminds me of a cute Halloween photo I took of my girls when they were young. Jess was a cat & Jen was dressed as a little bride. Back to the patio... This year it was looking pretty weather worn, so I put a coat of stain/sealer on it. We had some leftover stain from our Adirondack chairs.

As you can see I needed a new pad for the bench.

I also needed some flowers.

I found a new seat cushion at HomeGoods. Blue and Green are my favorite colors,
so I 'm glad they are back in style! The pillows are from Target.

And, as you can see, I couldn't leave those pots alone, so I spray painted them! I know they will only last a season, but that's ok. The large one is old & the planter is starting to chip and the one on the right has a big crack in it. I bought Valspar spray paint in Mediterranean and Green Leaf .

I bought two impatiens and two 6 packs of begonia at Lowe's. Can't wait for the plants to fill in.

I've had that Ivy for years. I just keep dividing the ivy into more pots & cutting it back every year. You can't kill them!!!

The lantern was an online purchase from JC Penney a while back. I didn't really like it when I opened the box and tried to make it fit in on the patio in the woods, the deck and then the porch, but it didn't look right. Yesterday, I brought it down here & I think it has finally found a home. Need to put it on a couple of bricks to raise it up, though.

Here's a closer look at the painted pots.

I brought home three ferns from Home Depot. - One for each post.

So, that is my favorite space. I hope you enjoyed seeing it.

I also hope everyone is having a great weekend and did something fun!
You know I love digging in the dirt, planting flowers and making things pretty.

Now, on to the front porch!

I need some inexpensive ideas for a wreath for the front door! Anyone have suggestions???

Pam- that is so beautiful!
I love the way the bench looks now, it is amazing how you can revive the look of old weathered wood with stain!
It makes me want to sit out there and read a book!
Can I come over?

Late Bloomers

27 May 2008

We have a few more lovely plants to showcase.
My favorite is from our tulip tree.
This is the first year we've seen it bloom and they are incredible.

Tulip Tree Blossoms

Rhodo.
This is the fist time this has ever bloomed!

Not really sure!

Hostas

Spring Has Finally Sprung

11 May 2008

We have been busily taking pictures of our ever changing yard. Actually this month alone we have taken well over 200 pictures of the misc. plants in our yard. We had to really narrow these pictures down to find some of our very favorites. Justin has really done a great job getting these. So without further adu, here are just some of the reasons we love Western North Carolina, and our new yard!