first position

the basket

Chloe was such an amazing helper today that I almost did not get this post done, she has been by my side all day.  She helped me wash my car and clean the floors, we decorated cookies, and dyed eggs.
We have been going strong all day long, and she finally went to bed at 9:30.  She is rocking the spring break late nights.

So the tradition is that she gets a swimsuit, and that the easter basket itself is a functional container.  This year it is a watering can from the dollar bin at Target.  She always wants to water outside, so this was perfect.

Inside we have a cute sundress, a butterfly bubble blower, SweeTarts gummies, a travel puzzle, socks, and chocolate mousse Peeps dipped in chocolate.  I am not a fan of Peeps, but these I have to try.  A leotard because she only has one, and has really taken to ballet; it is a reward for sticking with it.

I had to get sneaky and pick up the swimsuit after the short time alone I had to assemble the basket, so I will be adding these things tonight.  A cute suit from Children's Place, matching flip flops, and sunglasses.  All of which are necessities as we are heading to the desert for a few days! I am beyond excited.  Not sure how it happened but we haven't been to the desert for almost two years, it is time.

Happy Easter, everybody!  Enjoy your day.  

If you're interested you can see last year's basket, and previous years.

Thanks Easter Bunny, bawk bawk!  

pallet as planter

Geoff and I made something together! We jumped on the pallet bandwagon for one very obvious reason, they are free!
We were out on a date several weeks ago and saw a version of a pallet as planter and were talking about how we could improve on the idea.  Here's the shocker, we actually made it happen.

Geoff brought home a pallet he found by a dumpster at work.  We had some chicken wire in the garage, and in the spirit of making this an almost free project, decided to use it to make our plan happen.  I made cuttings from succulents in our yard and left them out to dry for a week--they replant better if you allow the cutting to scab up a bit.

Geoff cut the wire to fit, and then screwed it in place, making little pockets in which the potting soil/sphagnum moss mixture could sit.  I am making it sound easy, but there was some blood, chicken wire isn't very friendly.  We didn't bother sanding the wood because it is going to be hanging up on the wall out of reach, and also because I am impatient and like to finish projects in one day.

I threw on a quick coat of outdoor paint that I had leftover from last summer when I repainted our patio table.  Really, that should have been done first, again with the trial and error.

I made a succulent wreath at the same time, following Prudent Baby's  tutorial, and I planted these very much the same way.  I added peet moss to the sphagnum moss, soaking it in water beforehand.   I didn't end up using rooting hormone because my Lowe's was out of it.  I did douse them with some transplant vitamins afterwards though, which I also found in my garage.  
They need to be watered frequently for the first couple weeks, then they take care of themselves in bright sunlight.  Here's how it's looking just a few weeks later, there is a lot of new growth! Oh, and it's been sitting angled back a bit, giving the roots a chance to take hold.

I plan to fill in more where there are some bald spots, choosing some plants with more upward growth.  I am really happy with how it turned out.  Last thing is to hang it, and it is a heavy beast, so I think we'll use a wall cleat.  Perhaps we'll attack that this weekend.