Outside Progress and Inside Plans

I can't figure out how a yard the size of a postage stamp can suck up so much of my weekend time.  Even weeding a postage stamp takes time, I guess.

Morning glories are beautiful, but they are impossible to control, multiply faster than you can weed them, and grow everywhere.  I'm trying to fix this issue with landscape fabric and mulch.  Landscape fabric accomplished.  Mulch, not yet.

In addition to morning glories trying to stage a take-over of our yard, the cucumber plants are trying to break out of their planter.  They have completely taken over one planter and are expanding into the surrounding pathways.  They suffocated my canteloupe plant and have the butternut squash plant in their sights next.  Who knew cucumber was so vicious?

With all my focus outside, I'm still itching to make some big changes in the dining room.

I've been debating between two different moulding approaches.

Board and batten

or

Picture rail

I wanted test out these theories without actually any construction or painting, so I tried out the different divisions of the wall with painters tape.  (I also was testing out a potential future built-in which would utilize the dead space above the basement stairs)

I'm currently leaning toward the picture rail.  When I walk in the room with the higher tape line, the room seems to feel a bit larger.  The lower one had much less of an impact.  Either way, I want to get started soon... I'm sick of talking about it!

Sneak Peak {NYC}

Last weekend I drove a lot, used my hand as a pin cushion, made a new furry friend, and watched a LOT of Rue Paul's Drag Race.  Oh, and I spent the weekend in NYC helping my amazing sister-in-law make her apartment amazing.  Check out the "befores" of the apartment here. We pretty much spent the entire time recovering the couch, which really was the elephant in the room.  There's still a lot of finish work to do in the room, but it's starting to look pretty great.

Well on it's way to looking like an apartment fitting a dazzling young actress, don't you thing?

Succulent Terrarium

Thanks to the kick in the butt that is the Pinterest Challenge, I finally put together a succulent terrarium. I had purchased the container months ago at HomeGoods and it was just waiting for the right thing to go inside.  I kept being drawn to the collections of succulents plastering Pinterest and I got sucked in.  I'm a sucker for succulents.

I purchased the succulents for $3 a piece at the hardware store.  My mom had river rocks (small and large) left over from past plants and willingly passed them on to me.  Since I already had the container, the actual plants were the only cost.

First, I used layer of both small and large rocks to cover the bottom for drainage.  One issue that I didn't anticipate is the small opening of the container.  I could barely get the succulents in the opening, so maneuvering them into the right positions was a challenge.  Once I placed them where I thought would look nice, I covered the entire surface in more of the small pebbles and strategically placed a couple large stones on top.

What was an empty vessel a few days ago is now a warm addition to any room.

I just hope my black thumb for houseplants can manage to keep them alive!

_______________________

Did you do a project for the Pinterest Challenge: Summer Edition?  Post your links in the comments, I'd love to check them out!!