New Life for an Old Footstool

New Life for an Old Footstool

I found this old footstool made of oak; I loved the beautiful texture of the oak wood and decided not to paint over it, but to recover the padded top and stencil a design on the fabric. I was able to get this lovely velvety chestnut brown material at an op (charity) shop to recover it in. I wanted to stencil it using Annie Sloan Chalk stencils, but wasn’t able to find any at my stockist, so I went to my local library and found a book on stenciling. It had some great ideas and traceable designs. I was able to trace a couple which I combined on a piece of baking paper and then cut it out using a craft knife on a piece of plastic I had at home. I could have used cardboard/poster board as well. I just used an old plastic kitchen chopping mat underneath it to protect the table I was working on. It was easy to unscrew the padded top to the footstool and measured up and cut out the material. I placed the stencil over the material and taped it in place. Using a small dry brush I first painted on the Old Ochre, just sparingly dabbing it on. Then I wiped my brush and did the same using Coco, but not putting it over the whole design, just dabbing it on parts to allow the Old Ochre to seen as well, giving a lovely effect in the two shades. Once it had dried I stapled it onto the padded top of the stool and screwed it back it. It looks so beautiful, what a transformation!   Thanks for visiting RiverRoad.nz

Upcycling Tin Cans as a Herb Garden

I love the look of; dear I say it, elegant tin cans, as a herb garden on my kitchen window sill. Upcycling tin cans as herb garden indoor or outside can look wonderful. Here are a few tips on how to do it and what you will need: o Potting mix from garden center (garden soil not so good for in pots) o Herbs (I just buy them from my supermarket – the living herbs, but you can get them as plants or seeds as well from local garden center) o Tins (I found Milo tins are the largest I could find at my supermarket) o River rocks (found at the river or garden center) o Plastic old garden center container, soda bottle or anything else you can find at home. o Scissors I like to plant my basil inside as it doesn’t seem to grow so well for me outside, especially when there is a frost. The best herbs to plant inside are Basil Rosemary, Oregano, Chives, Parsley and Thyme. I don’t want to put holes in my tin for drainage and have something underneath to collect the water, I think it spoils my look. So I use a plastic container with holes in the bottom. It is always important to have drainage holes, without them water can sit at the bottom and cause the plant to get water logged resulting sometimes in disease. I start by trimming my plastic container to fix nicely inside my tin and place holes in the bottom (if they don’t already have them) for drainage. Then put river rocks in the bottom of the plastic container, around about 1 inch/2.5 cm. Slide your plastic container into the tin and put some potting mix in the container. Pull your plant out of its original tub. Notice how it is actually made up of many plants, if you wish you could plant some of these in other pots or in your garden. I loosen the soil around the bottom of the roots as they have become a bit impacted by being in a small tub. Finally place the plant in the container, put more potting mix on top and water your plant. Don’t water too much, especially Basil plants. I like to have a spray bottle filled with water and spray when needed, especially in the summer. I repurposed a tin can as a vase – look how great my tins now look on my kitchen window sill.

Another Purpose

Here’s another personal touch for re purposing your tin cans. Take a personal photograph down to the photo shop and get it printed large enough to wrap around a tin can. Fill it with something memorable and give it as a gift to remember.

Growing Lettuce in Containers

I love being able to have lettuce growing in containers just outside my kitchen door, in the back yard. It is so easy to grow and then pick whenever you want. Being able to say to the children “go pick some lettuce for tonight’s dinner” is a great feeling. The lettuce is continually growing back after picking. I found at my local garden centre sells a pot of lettuce plants for only NZD$6.99, amazing the number of lettuce plants in there. I would pay at least that at my supermarket for a bag of lettuce. I then replant many of the plants into other pots. Whatever I have at home this time I am using some plastic pots. I brought some potting mix from the garden centre and nearly fill up each pot. I then transplant the plants into the new pots leaving space between plants. Water and let them grow! This is the view from my back door of my lettuce and herb plants! Happy growing!

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