Green thumb wannabe

I mentioned that I picked up some fresh herb sprouts at the farmers market this weekend. Basil and cilantro, two of my faves. Last year I grew them from seeds. They lasted a while and I got to use them in some recipes, but I also didn't know what I was doing. The nice guy at the farmers market, or I guess I could call him the farmer (duh), told me how to care for these precious little guys. "Morning sun, afternoon shade. And don't over-water the basil." Last summer it was so hot that I watered my plants all the time, thinking they needed more to drink in the stifling heat. But soon my basil had yellowing leaves, and I found out I was drowning him as well as scorching him in the afternoon sun. My cilantro pretty much keeled over at one point, maybe from too much sun as well. So I obviously made some changes this year: brought them off the balcony onto the table so they'll get the morning sun and be shaded in the afternoon; waiting to water until they really need it, which is not necessarily every day. I'm sure hoping this works better! So far they look great... but then again I've only had them for 4 days. Hopefully my black thumb is at least turning a hunter green by now, so these beautiful guys actually stand a chance!

DIY Flower Pots

Original how-to instructions here.

I am LOVING these fabric flower pots! They are so cute and I really wish I had seen this idea before planting my herb garden. I guess I could still do something like this in my house somewhere. If you are not an artist (as I am definitely not!), this craft is great because you can just use a pretty fabric pattern and it looks amazing. Oh, I want to go make one now!!

Herbs & a New Favorite

I have two things to tell you about today!

1. I have started an herb garden. Basil, cilantro, and parsley (in that order). In the dollar section at Target they were selling mini pots with seeds and soil inside to plant these herbs. Mini pots + bad soil = no herbs. So instead I transferred them to these pots with fresh, nutritious soil so they can grow fruitfully. And look at them now! It's only been a couple weeks, and soon I will get to use them in my recipes!

2. My second thing is about where I got the pots. Ever been to Carolina Pottery? It's my new favorite store! It's a HUGE home goods store with thousands of items all for amazing deals. These pots were only 99 cents each! If you're going to be potting some herbs or plants, I highly recommend you skip the Lowe's or Home Depot and head over to Carolina Pottery. They also have kitchen items, art, a wine collection, seasonal decorations, and so much more. So just be sure either your wallet or your will power is prepared before
going in. You have been forewarned.