with Annie Sloan chalk paint. I loved the outcome and will be doing this project again very soon.

after. Hop over to the blog to see how I did it...I've got the full tutorial for you!

which way to the carriage house? What's behind door number two?

Find out how we made this room into a room where you want to enter through the doors!

easily bring them indoors from time to time when you need a boost of spring inside. More photos and ideas are on my blog.

#SpringDecor #Gardening

disgusting gunk out of it (worms, poop, slime) and starting the whole process over again. So last summer I decided to turn it into a planter instead.

It's nothing permanent. I just used the bottom of a clay pot (the thing that catches the excess water) to hold the plants and it could be moved at any time that I wanted to water the birds again.

#springdecor #OutdoorProjects

gardeners over the past 10 years...

What I have learned so far:

1. This is a lot of work! So make it count for double the time & money: add nutrients while you mulch.

2. Apply it 2-3 inches deep to suppress weeds for the growing season. You still may get some, but usually they are easier to pull out of the loose mulch than the firm soil.

3. Make sure to leave your plants some wiggle room. Apply the mulch deeply, but leave it at least one inch away from the crown of the plant. Leave 2-3 inches of space all around tree trunks.

4. Do not apply hot compost (meaning mushroom compost or other nutrient rich sources) to woodland (e.g. ferns) or silver-leaved plants (lavender).

5. For garden areas in which you want to encourage self-seeding plants, use a garden fork to "tickle in" some compost over those areas. Christopher Lloyd talks all about this in his book Succession Planting for Year-Round Pleasure. He also covers many other aspects of ornamental gardens. (It is my favorite garden book\!)

6. If you are mulching with well-rotted mushroom compost, be sure to save some extra for patching you lawn, topping off your vegetable beds (or containers), and even your ornamental containers.

7. You know you are a real gardener when just thinking of rotted plant and animal material gives you excited butterflies in your stomach... as opposed to the queasiness that most people feel in their stomachs.

Any more tips from my fellow gardeners?

Illustrator to make an SVG file so that I could cut them out using my cricut machine. I cut out heat n bond, Iron it to the sweater and hand cut the actual sweater. Then once the skirt is all made and the ruffle is sewn into place, I add on the owls. This is one of my favorite creations! I am so excited to be making christmas stuff already! These skirts are available at www.thelittlegreenbena.etsy.com