A copycat vegetable garden... part1.

So work has been pretty hectic lately. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new job. Getting to work with kiddos on the weekends, teching them about the love of an amazing savior is the most rewwarding endeavor this side of parenting i have ever encountered! I just completely underestimated what juggling a job and family would be like (even part time). After nearly a decade of doing my own thing, it's taken quite an adjustment to being on someone else's timeframe. (Or many someone eles's for that matter)

As you can see, my blog time has suffered. I am sorry to neglect you. If it feels like i have forgotten you- I haven't. I promise. You are there in my dreams... now if only I could sync my dreams with this blog, we'd be flyin high!

There are so many crafting projects just screaming to be finished right now. (in fact they are all piled in the trunk of my car) You moms know that a mom's trunk is just about the only place the kiddos won't plunder and destroy right? Or are my copykittens especially destructive?

Anyhow, spring has sprung at chateau copycat and it has brought the itch to garden. So, in a feeble attempt to scratch the gardening itch I am daring to plant a vegetable garden. (Currently Mr.Copycat is cursing in the living room as he attempts to plot my front yard to scale on graph paper, so I can try to design my garden. He loves me. This I know.)



Today I planted my first batch of seeds in a table top green house and hopefully in a few weeks I will have seedlings. For now, I just have to be content to dream about the type of garden I want. Ever the optomist (so far the only thing that grows at my house are the kids and they are pretty insistant about letting me know their needs! ) I started looking at renaissance vegetable gardens. Here are a few examples:


Now, I am fully aware that the chateau copycat is no castle. I am also aware that I have nowhere near the amount of space that these gardens require but I have been reading. I have been reading this little darling of a gardening book called square foot gardening that gives me hope that I may be able to accomplish this similar style in a more humble space to a similar effect. In true copy cat fashion, I am aspiring to make a square foot renaissance vegetable garden in my front yard. (Do you think I am crazy?) Heres what my front yard looks like currently:


I think this blank canvas is just begging for a pretty addition that also saves on my food budget (And increases my design budget in the process!!!) I'll keep you updated on copycat gardens as we progress. Till then- have fun. stay crafty. C.

March CopyCat: Restoration Hardware Faux Belgian Linen

There is just something so irresistibly crisp and comfy about Belgian linen. Maybe its the understated cool- its casual texture and warmth. Perhaps it has a way of looking so polished and relaxed at the same time. So very Hemingway meets Casablanca. I love the neutral palate and the mottled flecks of dark and light fibers woven throughout. I love texture and Belgian linen is a linen you can feel as you look at it. I believe it is safe to say I love everything about Belgian linen...except its price tag. These yummy curtains on the left are from Restoration Hardware and will set you back $104.99- $599.00 (And that's their sale price!)



Seeing as I am the kind of person who would rather, um, eat for the month than buy delicious Belgian linen curtains; how would you like to learn of a super cheap, super, easy, just as luxurious way to duplicate these darling gems? What would you say if I told you you could have luxuriously long, spill on the floor in extravagant piles, faux Belgian linen curtains for just 10 bucks a piece?



Its true. Let me introduce you to my dear friend, who will make repeat appearances in this blog I assure you: Painters Drop Cloth. Because of its cost effectiveness, durability and versatility, it is a Copycat essential and it is my personal belief that no designers tool box should ever be without it.

You can get painters drop cloth at your local hardware store. I buy mine at Walmart. Just 10 dollars for a pre-hemmed on all sides, 9' x6' sheet.

One you get these beauties home there are many ways you can handle them to transform them into your masterpiece. Some prefer to wash them in loads upon loads of fabric softener and dryer sheets. Some like them pressed and proper. I love their folds and creases so I just shake them out and clip them to the curtain fasteners, hang them from the rods and let them puddle on the floor.

Here are a few pictures of my DIY faux Belgian linen (drop cloth) curtains.

So what have you used painters drop cloth for? I'd love to know!