End of Day 2

Today we finished the bench using 2 x 4s. It looks great and is the perfect height especially for a woman who is 39 weeks pregnant. I have a much easier time standing up from this than I do from our hammock (not pretty). I am going to sew some outdoor cushions to put on it. We will be able to use it as seating for the table that we still need to find or make or to take a nap because it is certainly long and wide enough.

I found this window for free on craigslist. Such a perfect fit! Barb hung it with hooks and then we will secure it at the bottom to prevent it from swaying if it gets windy. I still need to find another window(s) for the other side.

I found this cool pot at Salvage Works in Kenton. It is made out of aluminum and I plan to hang it in the room and plant a shade loving plant in it. It is about 15" in diameter.

Here are some window boxes that I got for free when I got the window. I still need to decide where to hang the window boxes. Barb got the basket of flowers for us as our first bit of color. Aren't they pretty?

Tomorrow's plan is to spray paint the garage a lighter color and then we are done with this portion of the yard. I just need to find a table and whatever accessories I want.

Thanks again to Barb, Sean and Joe for working so hard.

Its amazing what you can do...

...with an old, dilapidated garage when you have some wood, tools and talent! We got started today working on converting our old garage into a shed/outdoor entertaining area. The garage is a single car garage with on light switch and the cement is poured only about 1/3 of the way back. It is filled with cobwebs and is very dark and dirty.

My only contact with it is when I open the door and shove something in there and try to get out before the spiders get me.

My friend Barb, daycare provider by day, gardener extraordinaire by night, came up with some great ideas to improve the space. The majority of the project is occurring on the inside, although we got a new roof put on the garage last week. The paint color on the outside will have to be a 2011 project.

We started by going to Salvage Works which is a place you can buy reclaimed materials located in our neighborhood. See more at www.salvageworkspdx.com. It is a GREAT store located on N. Willis in Kenton. Lots of cool stuff. We found some 2 x 4s and other wood that we needed plus I found some accessories for entertaining area. We picked up the rest of our materials (plywood/nails/longer 2 x 4s) at Lowe's.

We came home from there and Sean got to work doing the demo and then rebuilding. The plan was to build a wall separating the eating area from the shed, demo the siding and repair needed areas, and build a bench along the wall for seating at the table.

Here are the before shots:

Here is the side of the garage. Someone at some point patched in that middle portion with plywood. You can also see the old roof that even has a little tree growing out of it!

Here is the inside, full of tools, drums and crap that we had accumulated. and yes, I am now aware of the swastika that was spraypainted in our garage that I never noticed. I am going to blame that one on the motorcycle gang who lived here years ago.

Here are the not-quite-finished shots. I am so excited to see the final garage after the bench is completed tomorrow and the inside has been painted.

The side has been demo'ed and Sean and Joe are working on installing the header. You can also see the new roof.

The wall has been framed and you can see the back wall of the garage has been demo'ed. I hope to fill that in with at least one old window. There was a crazy amount of blackberry bush that was growing on the right side of the garage, but Joe cleared that out. Now we have a lovely view of the neighbors trailer in their backyard.

Here is the wall completed. Now we just need pegboard or a way to hang up our tools, but it already looks so much better. We are going to bring the drums inside so that will clear up some space.

Here is the view from the back.

Here is where we stopped on day 1. The wall is completed, the bench is half way done and it is looking really great!

Show of Awesome

Not really a gardening related post at all, but I felt compelled to share.

I just got back from Crafty Wonderland's Show of Awesome at the Doug Fir Lounge. It was tied in with Hello Craft's Summit of Awesome which took place this week at the Kennedy School.

Anyway, I found a bunch of really nice things there for gifts and for me!
Here are some of the etsy stores that I would like to share with you.

rosecitysweets.etsy.com - fudge, caramels, toffee

marykatemcdevitt.com - adorable mini-goals chalkboards (this one suits me best.)

burdyflyaway.etsy.com - felt appliqued body suits and shirts for babies and shirts for adults (I got this onesie for the baby except in orange with a turquoise tree and I loved this one, but I think I will save that for September or October.

powerandlight.etsy.com - letterpress cards (I bought this one)

annajoyce.etsy.com - appliqued pillows, tea towels, aprons, bags, plus hoodies and tees (holly bought this tee and I am saving for this!)

trustysidekick.etsy.com - superhero shirts and capes made from recycled materials (I bought Joe this cape as a present from the new baby)

chetanddot.etsy.com - handmade stuffed animals and other adorable felted items.

manvsink.etsy.com - cool printed artwork especially if you like beer, bicycling or crafting in Oregon.

There were over 40 vendors there from around the country, so this is just a small preview. There was a ton of great stuff!

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Or when life gives you a garage built for a Vespa and you are too scared to let your husband ride one, make it into a potting shed.

I was able to find the June issue of Southern Living today. Who knew that Southern Living magazine would be so hard to find in the PNW?

Anyway, there was indeed a great article about a couple who transformed their backyard on a budget and employed some of the same ideas that we are. They used pea gravel to make a courtyard and create a sort of outdoor living room feel using shrubs and trees and lots of containers.

They transformed their garage by removing the garage door and installing three sets of exterior french doors, whitewashing the interior and converting a space that is too small to park a car into a space that is useful for their family.

Our garage will be modified by replacing the roof, removing some siding and incorporating some old windows to make an area where we can entertain outside in the shade and also have some storage for gardening tools and a mower, etc.

Here are some pretty pictures from Southern Living to inspire you.

Patio furniture that is easy on the Earth and my wallet...

...although it might not be too easy on my back.

So I picked up the latest issue of ReadyMade magazine the other night at Target. I was actually looking for Southern Living because my mom said that there was an article about turning a garage into a potting shed, but they didn't have it. I couldn't let those $5 burn a hole in my pocket so I bought ReadyMade.

Anyway, turns out I kind of like this magazine! They had an outdoor spread with some great ideas. The above chair was designed by a Seattle man, Sanders Viegers, using basically 2x4s and a saw. I'm thinking it sounds like my kind of project! Simple and sturdy with the option of giving it a brightly colored coat of paint.

You can see more from Sanders Viegers at 2822shop.com including how to build a matching bench!

So please pardon the horrible cut & paste scan job I did above, but this was another project that caught my eye. This is a table made from two pallets, some 1x4s and 2x4s. I love it. I had originally thought that we would do some kind of picnic table in the covered entertaining area that the garage will become, but I am liking this idea more. I can build this table with a little help from Joe, I am sure, and I can get pallets for free.

I might even be able to pair the above chairs with it if I can increase the leg length. This table was designed by Jen Turner of NYC. You can learn more about Jen at thejenturner.com

I bought Joe a hammock from Kohl's for all the work he has done with the pea gravel. I hope that I can assemble it myself so that I am not making more work for him and he can just lay in it and surf the web on his iPad. Sounds like a nice way to spend some time, doesn't it?

One more reason to cloth diaper

What is this, you ask? Why, it is a disposable diaper found in our backyard under some overgrowth way in the back corner. How did it get there, you ask? I have no idea! The only thing I can think of is that an animal swiped it out of our trash and carried it back there. We end up some with odd things in that corner, like gatorade bottles and Doritos bags. Things we don't use at our house. Odd.

Its an environmental lesson for all you folks out there. Disposable diapers aren't going anywhere for a long time!

Blue Sky!

We finally got some blue sky! It is just what my soul needed. The forecast for the next week looks beautiful. I hope to make some real progress on the yard. !

The backyard plans are starting to come together. I ordered 7 cubic yards of pea gravel from A Oregon Decorative Rock and had it delivered on Wednesday. The driver almost delivered it to the house across the street. Luckily, I was paying attention and stopped him in time.

We got the landscaping fabric laid down to cover the raised portion of the yard and near the fence and arborvitae to create shade-loving plant beds in the future. These will be covered with mulch which I will order in the next week or so. I still need to weed-whack behind the arborvitae and get the area along the fence cleaned up.

Barb came over one night last week and helped move/rake the pea gravel. Joe did a lot of trips with the shovel and wheelbarrow. I think I owe him a trip to the chiropractor!

Here is a view from the back corner of the yard. The gravel is almost done being spread on the raised portion of the lawn. The rest will be used for the unpaved portion of the garage. I am going to make a bed around the deck to camouflage the underside of the deck.

Here is Joe golfing in the backyard. Even with it partially done it has still be fun to spend more time out there, which we never used to do. Our backyard used to kind of feel like a weight on our shoulders. Now it is starting to feel like one more place we can hang out.