a hidden oasis... {w/ travel}

I know this isn’t a very new trend, but man, succulents are really popular right now.

If you told me this ten years ago I would have chuckled, 

and silently wondered how boring cactus plants could ever be interesting enough to be trendy.

You see, I’ve grown up in Southern California, where cacti and succulents abound.

I never thought of them as beautiful or unique, 

but only as dry, dull and pokey. 

Interesting how opinions can change.

Now I absolutely love them and have half a dozen little pots around my house and backyard. 

I wonder if my opinion of them has truly changed (I am 10 years older now) 

or if I’m just jumping on the bandwagon. 

My thought is probably a little of both. 

But somewhere along the lines of life and trends and style and what is “popular”, 

someone decided that succulents were cool. And that someone was pretty smart.

Kristin Lately...

indoor gardening...

& outdoor gardening...

Wine Barrel Garden Planter {w/ gardening}

Spring is {almost} here!

Well, maybe not for everyone. But we had gorgeous summer style weather on Saturday. And although it only really lasted a day (Sunday was 20 degrees cooler), it got me in the spring spirit. Which meant getting my hands dirty and going to town on my garden.

Last year my garden was awesome. Not to brag, but it was incredible {ummm, that sounds like bragging}. I had more zucchini and tomatoes than I could handle. But with the colder months, I kind of just let it go. So, after the glimpse of summer that showed itself on Saturday, I decided to get things ready.

I weeded and tilled my garden bed, swept the deck, and wiped down the table and chairs. An hour and a half, 1 blister, 2 calluses, and a sore back later, and my little backyard was ready. But I still had to wait until real spring to plant my vegetable garden.

So.... I decided to get a head start on my container gardening.

Snapshots from the Napa Valley... {w/ travel}

hi friends.

Sorry for giving you the silent treatment this last week. We got away for a few days to celebrate our anniversary. Up the beautiful California coast, making stops at Disneyland, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Francisco, and Napa.

I took plenty of real photos (i.e. on a camera, not my iPhone), but have been so slammed this week I haven't uploaded them to my computer. So for now, here are a few from Instagram.

A highlight of our trip was spending a day in the beautiful Napa Valley. One of the wineries we visited, Chateau Montelena, was inside a gorgeous 1860s stone castle. In 1976 it won a prestigious French wine award that blew the socks off the hoity French judges and officially put California on the map in the wine world.   

I got this half barrel at one of the wineries. I've seen them at Lowe's for $30. This one was actually used for wine (Merlot) and is awesomely stained on the inside. We picked it up for $15. Score. I will be great on our deck. Time to plant more...

More to come in the next few weeks, including descriptions of some of the amazing meals we had.

Let's just say, Club 33 at Disneyland is incredible.

A Little Garden Update {w/ gardening}

hello folks.

Well, my garden has been growing like crazy. And I'm not even sure how. It seems like just yesterday I planted a few seeds and hoped for the best. Now I've got a jungle out there! Just water, SoCal sunshine, and a little plant food. I used EB Stone Organics Tomato & Vegetable Food and mixed it with the soil before sowing, and sprinkled a pinch in the hole for each seed. Now every week or so sprinkle a little around the base of each plant as I water.

In full disclosure, these photos were actually taken a few weeks ago. Everything is even BIGGER now. I will post some photos I took this past weekend in a few days, but wanted to show an update to give you a middle comparison step. Remember how everything looked a few weeks ago?  You can find the post here.

I added a small cucumber plant a few weeks ago (right after I first posted on my garden). This particular type of plant is supposed to do well in a container... fingers crossed.

See all that green in the top left and bottom right pictures below? That's my baby spring greens mix. It's already given us a handful of fresh salads. And the zucchini? Yep, they weren't kidding when they said they'd get huge. I still can't believe it came from a small seed.

So far only a few carrots have popped up, despite planting nearly 2 dozen seeds :(

I added some marigolds and pansies for color - plus I've heard marigolds are a natural insect repellant. Speaking of ... I've found a few snails lurking near my plants in the early hours of the morning. So far they haven't devoured much, just a few bottom leaves of my zucchini. The other bugs have been helping themselves to a small salad everyday (how rude!). 

The tomato plant has surpassed all my expectations. I've done tomatoes before, but only in containers. They've always been small, and only given a handful on tomatoes. Well this one has taken off. It started as a 6 inch tall seedling and has exploded. I had to get a larger cage to wrap around the plant for added support. I've been trimming away the sucker stems based on a tip from Life On The Balcony. Even after all that I've trimmed, it is still out of control... in a good way.

See that little baby tomato? Someday soon it will grow up and be so yummy in a caprese salad.

Do you garden? If you don't, what would you grow if you did?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

hello world. How are you on this fine Spring day? I am doing splendid, so happy that I get to share some of the progress on one of my favorite pastimes: gardening.

A few weeks ago the hubby built me a raised garden bed in the backyard. It's the perfect size for our little outside space, and large enough to have quite the harvest come summer.

I'm still trying to get the hang of this gardening thing. I've become quite an expert at growing kitchen herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, etc) and last summer I had some potted tomatoes and jalapenos that did very well. But now I'm transitioning to an actual garden. An in the ground, from seed packets, garden. It's kind of scary.

I sowed the seeds a few weeks ago (zuchinni, mesclun lettuce, and carrots). I was so nervous they wouldn't pop up that I planted more than I should have, with the intention of pinching any extras. I also purchased an heirloom tomato seedling and planted it at one end.

Well, it's only been a few weeks, but so far so good!

The mesclun lettuce popped up right away! Mesclun refers to the spring greens mix that are harvested young (also called baby greens). This type of lettuce is "cut and come again" meaning it will continue growing once you harvest it. I decided on mesclun lettuce after reading a post on it here. I've been told it is easy to grow, and given that I am definitely a beginner, thought it to be better safe than sorry.

The zucchini took a bit longer, but they sprouted soon after. I was so happy! I decided to make my own garden markers with left over wine corks and copper wire from this idea on Pinterest.

They've started to take off. I've heard that zucchini's will get HUGE {several feet wide} so I need to reassess my organization of them, considering that all of my seeds sprouted.

The carrots are taking a bit longer, but I've been told this is to be expected. There are a few green sprouts in the area I planted the seeds, but they rather look like weeds. I'll just have to be patient and wait to see which are carrots and which are not.

Anyone have any experience they'd like to share? I'd love to hear your tips or tricks on how to have a green thumb. Please tell me, how does your garden grow?

A Funny Named Fruit

That's right, we're talking about Kumquats.

A fruit that I have only recently discovered. For years I confused them with another "quat", the loquat.

Kumquats however, are quite different. A sweet, edible rind coats an almost unbearably sour, juicy inside. These little bad boys will have you near tears with their sour pucker. But if you're a citrus fan (I am! I am!) you will find them almost addictive.

A co-worker brought in a large bag of them a few weeks ago. I had to be coaxed into eating one. "You mean you eat the rind? Really?" But, being one who is always game to try new things, I gave it a shot. It wasn't long after that I took a handful for myself.

A friend recommended refrigerating them. Not necessary, but a definite enhancement. There's something about eating them cold that brings out the sweet flavor of the rind to perfectly contrast the acidic flesh of the fruit.

Since then I've been on the lookout to find them again. My local grocer, farmer's market.... no such luck, until last night. There they were, packed and saran wrapped in a small basket. Without hesitation I plopped them in my cart. Forget dinner, as soon as I got home I was washing and soon after devouring them. I ate so many my lips were tingling from their sour punch.

As of yet, I've only been eating them on their own. But I found a few recipes around the web in case you'd like to try them prepared. Enjoy!

 Kumquat Sorbet 

Candied Kumquat Ice Cream

 Kumquat Sour

Kumquat Marmalade Jam

I'd love to try them, but I can't seem to stop eating them long enough to use them in a recipe. Do you like kumquats?

  

Garden Storage Crates

As we keep getting further and further into April, I have this inescable desire to work in the garden. And although the weather in SoCal has been telling a different story, Spring is here!

I picked up a small coiled hose at the hardware store that is the perfect size to reach my new garden bed and to wash off any messes on the deck. We use a drip system to water most everything, but I'm planning to bring in a few potted plants to add some different color and texture. Plus it's just so handy to have an actual hose, even in a small backyard.

The problem is that the hose just sits on the deck. The water spicket is right next to the table, and while its not too much of an eye sore, it doesn't really visually add anything to the space. I decided I wanted a small  crate to store the hose and a few plastic gardening tools. I started asking around and trying to figure out where I could find one. My husband, being the extreme DIYer that he is, decided to make one for me. We set off to the hardware store and picked up a few poplar boards in the hobby section. I kept trying to talk him out of it, saying I'm sure I could buy one that was cheaper (or free), but Steven was persistent. Truth is, he likes to build things. When we got home he went straight to the garage and his worktable to saw, hammer, and nail for about 30 minutes. The result is my perfectly unperfect crate.

My original plan was to let it sit outside for a few months and I'd eventually get the rustic, reclaimed wood style I was going for. Lucky for me, one of the blogs I follow, Lil Blue Boo, had a tutorial on how to get the rustic look in far less time. I followed the instructions using vinegar, steel wool, and tea and here is the result:

I am so happy with the result that I'm planning to get another larger crate and do the same process. I think I'll turn it upside down and use it as a small table for a potted plant. Mayble I'll stencil some words to make it look like an actual vegetable or flower crate. Who knows, the possibilities are endless.

Berry Iced Tea

Today is another unseasonably warm day in San Diego. It is absolutely beautiful. I couldn't help but brew some iced tea and sit outside to enjoy the sun and a new book. Any other commitments or responsibilities I had for the day will have to wait.

Our gardenia bush had one beautiful flower, tucked away behind the trellis. I snipped it and put in some water so I could enjoy its fragrance while I read my new book, The Hunger Games. I'm sure I am the absolute last person to jump on this bandwagon, but can I just say it is so good! I understand what all the hype is about.

Berry Iced Tea isn't so much a recipe, but a simple upgrade for your standard black iced tea. Regardless, I'll share my steps for a delicious slightly sweetened tea.

Berry Iced Tea {6 servings}
4 black tea bags
frozen raspberries, blueberries
mint (for garnish)
water
ice

1. Heat about 6 cups water in tea kettle and bring to boil.
2. Steep 4 tea bags according to instructions (I use Lipton's black tea)
3. Pour over about 3 cups of ice.
4. Pour into glasses with more ice and add frozen berries. Top with fresh mint.

Distressed Terra Cotta w/ Burro's Tail Succulent

Hi there! I thought I would share on a little project I did this weekend.

I found the perfect sized mini succulents at the local farmer's market early in January. I'd been looking to add some life (literally) to the bookcases I'm in the process of restyling {a post on this will come soon}.

The succulents were resigned to live in their 4 inch plastic containers for weeks as I've searched high and low for the right pots. I'm still looking, but in the mean time I decided to create my own. Or rather, put some crafty love on plain terra cotta pots.

This was almost too easy. I used linseed oil paint mixed with turpentine to make a thin coat {you could also use acrylic paint mixed with a little water}. Using a standard flat paintbrush, I brushed on the mixture, making sure to avoid any clearly defined brush strokes.

 Once I made sure every visible inch was covered, I took a paper towel and roughed it up a bit around the edges, the way natural wear and tear would look. The combination of turpentine and extremely porous terra cotta helped the paint dry in no time. I used some river rocks at the bottom (to help with drainage) and repotted.

The result is a rustic, distressed style terra cotta that is a perfect temporary home for the Burro's Tail succulent.