Fertilizer Friday/ Flaunt Your Flowers July 6/12

IT’S FRIDAY AGAIN!!!! I am SO glad you stopped by!

Friday is a BIG day for us here at Tootsie Time…(ok, just me…there is no one else here…lol) It’s a big deal because it means it’s PARTY TIME!!!! Fertilizer Friday is the day of the week than an ELITE group of gardeners from all around the world get together, snap photos, link up and Flaunt Their Flowers!!!
If you are new to Tootsie Time and Fertilizer Friday, I just know you are asking yourself…”How do I join?”
Well…it’s easy really. Here’s all you need to know to become a part of this great group of gardeners, bloggers and friends:
If it is spring or summer where you live, you need to snap a few photos of what you have growing, blooming or just love to look at that is of the plant variety…if it is winter where you live, you may post past favorite photos…or indoor plants…whatever you like. The only criteria is that it is a plant or something growing! You do not need to use fertilizer to participate in this party, but if you do, this is the reminder to fertilize weekly! All I ask is that: Your post must include the logo above and/or a link to Tootsie Time, or the linky will be deleted.
So....I would like to invite each and every one of you to join in and share your photos...

I have been the busiest Tootsie in these parts this week. My kids left on Sunday for a full month!!! Getting them ready to go was a big undertaking. Seeing them off was …well…entertaining. *) tsk tsk. *) Look out Arizona!!! Tootsie’s gang is coming for a visit! ha ha

With the kids gone, I decided to DEEP clean my house and get a lot of junk out…so my house is spic and span! Just as I was about to turn my attention to the yard work that awaits me…a huge storm front rolled in and ended all of my good intentions. Heavy rainfall and dangerous winds put me right back inside…and I don’t see me getting out there any time soon to do any of the weeding or mowing…or anything!

I know what you are thinking…”in a couple of days Toots…you will be out there just working like a maniac…” Well…that is not going to happen…because for the first time, this Tootsie is going on a holiday!

The original plan was to head to California and visit a dear friend. Alas, as the departure date grew close, I received word that the plan must change. So…a very disappointed Tootsie is forced to use a back up plan.

I can’t wait to share all the photos I am taking! I am going to be away for a couple of weeks, so if you don’t hear from me…that is why.

Now, with Mother Nature hammering us with her wrath, I haven’t gotten outside to take any photos to share…as everything that was blooming that I had planned to share with you today has become waterlogged…and wind whipped into a state of SAD. So…I am taking a “time out” so to speak. For this week and next, I will not be flaunting anything new. This Tootsie is on vacation!

Today I am sharing the garden I miss so much. It has only been about 8 months since I moved away from it.

I still have this rocking chair. I should really find a place to use it in my new garden…once I get it all built!

Last year was a good year for this area.

I have planted a vine at the new place…I can’t wait until it is as lush as this one was!

I need to find my cement form…I miss my cobble stones!

Can you see the bike in this photo? ha ha

I do hope one day that my current gardens are as successful as these were!

It makes me so sad to hear from my old neighbors, that the new owners did NOTHING to keep up the yard so far…and it looks like a mess. I hear that you couldn’t even tell I had ever lived there right now. I can’t bring my self to drive past there…I would be heartbroken to see all my hard work gone to waste! The neighbors say they miss me!

This brings us to the end of my flaunt for the week. Now it is your turn…bring it on! (keep in mind, I will be away from my computer…and that I moderate all my comments, so with that being said, be patient with me…I will do my best to get online and publish what comments you leave as often as possible…but I will more than likely not be around to drool over your flaunts until I get home.)

What are you waiting for??? Get flaunting!

I wish all of you hugs and smiles, and safe and happy weekend plans! Thank you all so much for dropping in today, and to those that faithfully link in to this party…and who are patient while waiting for me to finally visit you…THANK YOU!

Until Next Time….Happy Gardening!

*)*)*) to my three special winks….People shouldn't burn bridges and then turn around and ask for help across.

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

Fertilizer Friday/ Flaunt Your Flowers Nov. 18/11

WELCOME FRIENDS!!!

I am posting a bit early this week as I will be away from my computer this afternoon and won’t be able to pop in and publish it for you!!!

I am so happy you stopped by!

Friday is a BIG day for us here at Tootsie Time…(ok, just me…there is no one else here…lol) It’s a big deal because it means it’s PARTY TIME!!!! Fertilizer Friday is the day of the week than an ELITE group of gardeners from all around the world get together, snap photos, link up and Flaunt Their Flowers!!!
If you are new to Tootsie Time and Fertilizer Friday, I just know you are asking yourself…”How do I join?”
Well…it’s easy really. Here’s all you need to know to become a part of this great group of gardeners, bloggers and friends:
If it is spring or summer where you live, you need to snap a few photos of what you have growing, blooming or just love to look at that is of the plant variety…if it is winter where you live, you may post past favorite photos…or indoor plants…whatever you like. The only criteria is that it is a plant or something growing!
You do not need to use fertilizer to participate in this party, but if you do, this is the reminder to fertilize weekly!
All I ask is that: Your post must include the logo above and/or a link to Tootsie Time, or the linky will be deleted.

So....I would like to invite each and every one of you to join in and share your photos...

This week brought a lot of exercise to my life. I feel like I have been running a marathon the last few weeks! My time has been stretched very thin.

Hockey, building on the greenhouse and all the usual things have kept this Toots on her toes! I have been packing and cleaning and just plain busy! I am almost grateful to see the bad weather roll in today… It gives me a little bit of a break! ALMOST!

I wish all my American friends a happy Thanksgiving holiday this weekend!!! Have a piece of pie for me!

Today I am going to share some of the photos that I have collected over the years that I would love to use as inspiration for a project or two of my own one day!

I love this table and chairs…wouldn’t that be a cute thing to have just around the corner in a garden? One day I may try this out!

How about these? They are another version of the table and chairs idea…I still like the first one best…but shows that you can do almost anything up with a bit of imagination…

I wonder if Grammie has any shoes I could plant in…I betcha she has a few high heels I could “borrow” hee hee! She might regret having me so close by…tsk tsk. My Dad and I will be keeping her on her toes! ha-ha!

I have saved my favorite idea for the last…

Now is this NOT the most awesome? I would love to have a garden large enough to have something like this planted all pretty and in fine junkin’ style! I even think I might know a ‘place’ where there are few oldies just waiting for me to show up! hee hee!!! wink wink!!!

Seriously…I think you can do just about anything up with a few flowers and make it look like a work of art! I am already getting my ‘plan’ on for the new yard. First, however we need to finish putting up the greenhouse. Daylight seems to end far too early these days, and the chilly weather isn’t helping the construction process! Soon though…it will be up and running and all Tootsie’d up for the winter!

I hope you enjoyed these inspiration photos…unfortunately I don’t know where they came from anymore or who took them…so I can’t give credit out…but just the same…I appreciate them!

So? what are you waiting for???? Get Your Flaunt ON!!! I can’t wait to see!!!

Wishing you hugs, smiles and a safe and happy weekend…thanks to all who have taken the time to visit, comment and flaunt with me! It is an honor and a privilege to have the chance to host this party!

Until Next time…Happy Gardening!

*)*)*) to those three who follow and watch me…There is no statute of limitations on the "reaping what you sow" law of the universe (sometimes called karma) Just sayin’

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

www.tootsietime.com

“NO BUMS ALLOWED!!!” *Garden Bench Tutorial*

This Bench is my own creation! You have seen it a million times on here...and today it is the star of the show.

One day, as I was browsing around in the shops in the downtown of our city, I came across a shop that sells very high end benches. The one in the store was around $400.00! I almost passed out at the price! There is no way on earth that I would be caught dead paying an amount like that for something I could build myself.

Not having a cell phone with a camera at the time, and not wanting to look too obviously taking measurements, I used my body as a measurement. In fine Tootsie form, I made the measurements as follows: The top peak comes up to my boobs, the arm comes to just above the knee...you get the idea. I ran out to my car, wrote the "stats" on a napkin, and drew a quick diagram. I raced home, pulled the barn board that I had been saving for a special project out, and got to work! I made two of them...gave one to a lady that had become very special to me, and the rest is history.

A few days ago, I got an email from a lady named Betty with a special request. She wrote that she is a faithful follower of Tootsie Time, and that she has fallen in love with my olden bench that I built to hold my flowers. In the letter, she asked me if I knew where she could get her hands on some dimensions and/or instructions so that she could build one for her gardens.

This very thoughtful lady also suggested that perhaps I could do a post about this bench, so that not only she but all of the others who had fallen in love with my bench could have one too!

Well Betty…you are in Luck!!! I built that bench…it is the very first thing I ever made for my garden. I have photos…dimensions, and possibly some direction to offer you (and anyone else who might like them).

This is the bench…sans plants…ha-ha

I used weathered old boards that were ripped off of an old barn that had fallen down. I have taken the time to measure in inches…instead of body parts, so I hope this works for everyone!

I sure hope you can see the dimensions that I put on the photo…if you can’t…let me know. If you click on my photos, they will open larger for you to see…(just a tip)

I also thought it might be nice if I could offer some explanation…

The back of the bench has five pickets cut to three different lengths. You will need to cut:

2-40 inch long pickets

2-44 inch long pickets

1 4 foot long picket (for the center)

The peaks of the pickets were embellished to look like little bird house roofs. I cut one side at 6 inches and one at 5 inches. This allowed me to have them even when I put them together as shown above. You will need to cut:

5- 5 inch long pieces

6- 6 inch long pieces

…these will be screwed or nailed onto the top of the picket.

I took one picket apart a bit to show you ….(and it needed to be repaired anyways…ha-ha) That is what you see on the bench.

The “seat”, front, and the support piece across the back of the pickets are all 3 feet long.

You will need to cut 5 pieces to 3 feet long in total.

The side of the bench and front of the arms are all 2 pieces cut to 2 foot lengths…you will need to cut 8 - 2 foot long pieces in total.

There is also the top of the arms that you will need to cut 2 pieces for. They are each 18 inches in length.

That is all there is to my bench.

I started to construct the piece by cutting and putting together the pickets that make the back with the support that goes across them.

I then screwed each of the arms together.

I put the entire thing together by adding the seat piece by piece.

The bench is not flimsy, but it is not really all that strong. I didn’t make it to be sat on, but to hold plants. If you are planning to sit on it, you may want to use smoother wood…and make the cuts a bit neater…my version of this baby is very crude…as it was intended to look primitive.

I love the look of this bench with flowers on it.

I use empty pots tipped upside down to add different heights to the position of the plants…and some decorative ones tipped on their sides for added interest. I also will add different things in and amongst the pots as decoration.

Betty asked how on earth I get the old watering can to sit that way on the pickets. Well…it is propped on one picket and supported with another. There is a bit of gravel inside it for weight.

Every summer it gets a bit different look.

The bench itself hasn’t changed since I first made it. It is now about 8 years old.

Considering how this bench was created…I am sure you don’t have to follow any specific instructions to make it…just do what I did…wing it! I wanted one soooo bad…that I figured it out. ha-ha.

Good luck with building one for your garden Betty!

I would love it if anyone who decides to build one of my garden benches would send me a photo!

If you have questions regarding this post, or any other post that you find on Tootsie Time…please feel free to contact me either via email or in the comment section of this post.

More photos of GARDEN ART that I have made are just a click away!!!

What are you building to add to your gardens???

Thanks for stopping by!!! See you again very soon!

Until next time…Happy Gardening!

*)*)*) to my very special three…"Love grows where trust is laid, and love dies where trust is betrayed."~Tigress Luv (trust after it is lost cannot be re-gained completely)

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

www.tootsietime.com

Fertilizer Friday/ Flaunt Your Flowers Sept. 23/11

Happy Friday!
Friday is a BIG day for us here at Tootsie Time…(ok, just me…there is no one else here…lol) It’s a big deal because it means it’s PARTY TIME!!!! Fertilizer Friday is the day of the week than an ELITE group of gardeners from all around the world get together, snap photos, link up and Flaunt Their Flowers!!!
If you are new to Tootsie Time and Fertilizer Friday, I just know you are asking yourself…”How do I join?”
Well…it’s easy really. Here’s all you need to know to become a part of this great group of gardeners, bloggers and friends:
If it is spring or summer where you live, you need to snap a few photos of what you have growing, blooming or just love to look at that is of the plant variety…if it is winter where you live, you may post past favorite photos…or indoor plants…whatever you like. The only criteria is that it is a plant or something growing! You do not need to use fertilizer to participate in this party, but if you do, this is the reminder to fertilize weekly! All I ask is that: Your post must include the logo above and/or a link to Tootsie Time, or the linky will be deleted.
So....I would like to invite each and every one of you to join in and share your photos…



We have been blessed with some wonderful weather this last week of summer!!! The temperatures are just so nice and warm…I wish it wasn’t the end of the season!
Many things have finished in my gardens…and in a way that is a good thing, as I pull the decorations that I have had placed for years from the positions they were in. I took the white bike out of the flowerbed by the garage…and to fill that space, moved the flower tower over.



I hate that I have to dismantle the entire yard. It is bad enough having to pull the flowers when we get frost, but taking it all out, and packing it all up is almost heartbreaking! That spot beside the garage door seems so empty now!



I pulled out the old pump that my Dad gave me…the one I made into my fountain…and replaced the fire pit blocks to fill the hole it left.



My bike is now in the far back…I pulled it from this bed and placed a couple of pots in the empty space that it left. Man was that hard to get out…the tree had grown roots over the tires! I was a sweaty mess after getting that out of there. haha



It doesn’t look too bad with the petunias, rudbeckia, marigold and pansy pots in there…just not as pretty or interesting as when the bike was in there.



Boy does this area look bare!!! I dumped the large pots that were finished and looking ragged…took down the shelves over the BBQ and all the metal tea pots that I had on them. It is all in that wash tub waiting for me to put away. Most of my hanging pots were finished and looking awful, so I pulled and dumped them too.



I have gotten a lot of work done in between other busy things that keep my household hopping. The kids’ activities and school schedules keep me running my little feet off! I am putting all of this stuff that I have taken down to move back in the gravel area of the yard until I load it up and store it somewhere else! What a jumbled mess of wonderful junk!



There are some pretty things to share this week! Dahlia…and a little bee…



Osteospermum…so pretty!



Thymophilia and Bacopa…looking so pretty together!!!


I have enjoyed this color combination this year…


More Dahlias…


Rudbeckia….I love how they just bloom and bloom!


My proven winners calibrachoa is still going strong! Oh how I love this plant!!!



My pansy’s seem to be happy as they can be in their pot!



The grass is still green in my gardens…and many of the flowers are still blooming. I am lucky to still have the flowers blooming…it is almost October…normally the gardens would have been killed by frost at this time.
Friday is the first official day of fall for us all…the summer season is over…and we are getting ourselves a bit of an indian summer!
So? what are you waiting for…lets get flaunting!
Wishing you hugs, smiles and a safe and happy weekend…thanks to all who have taken the time to visit, comment and flaunt with me!
Until Next time…Happy Gardening!
*)*)*) to my special three…words can never make your actions erase. Some things, once they are done…are forever remembered.
(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

I'm FALL-ing! and I Can't Make it Stop!

FALL_ing...Not Failing you sillies!!! Fall us upon me in Alberta...I can feel it, see it, smell it and I don't like it. But...since I can't stop it...I may as well go with the flow right?

I noticed that this was the scene in my next door neighbors yard today....It just breaks my heart to know that soon the trees will be bare and my gardens...gone. I have been noticing that many of my pots are starting to finish...and I don't mean in a good way. U-G-L-Y is the only way to spell it. Now if you know me...you know I can't stand an empty space in my gardens...if there is a hook...there has to be a plant! So I headed out the door...

The front door to be exact...on my way I hung a wreath I made..it needs some primping I think.

Not bad for dollar store picks...at least it won't hurt my heart when the wind takes them down the street!

The plants that were here...are in the front bed now, so I had to fill this corner a bit. A plastic berry tree from a very good friend...and some faux pumpkins....

The big hanging planter box is ...toast...so I got inventive...a MUM...is filling the hole...looks different that's for sure...not sure I like it much...but time will tell...

Then I took a stroll to the back yard...where the dead and ugly had to go. A few more plastic pumpkins...and I am starting to feel a little cranky about the fall stomping on my garden parade!
Many of these pumpkins...are actually jack-o-lanterns with light bulbs and electric cords...I hate the real thing...they don't take well to the weather here and tend to rot or turn an ugly color. (at least for me they do) Plus...they are not as heavy to dispose of in the end! Just put them in the box for next year!
Well...that's my post for today!...hope your day is good! See you all right back here tomorrow evening for the start of the weekly flower Flaunt!!! I can't wait!

Until Next Time….Happy Decorating!

*)*)*) to my special three…the seasons change…but hearts…don’t…be careful what you cause!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

9/2/09

www.tootsietime.com