Random thoughts on a brilliantly sunny Saturday morning:
1. Have you ever tried to compost yourself? We are thinking about it here. I’ve done some research and found this tumbling composter.
It spins and has two chambers and has over 3500 ratings on Amazon—most of them positive.
If you’ve ever tried composting yourself, I’d love your best tips.
I’m all about budget gardening right now.
2. I cannot THANK YOU ENOUGH for the amazing response to my question about the peel and stick wallpaper.
The results are in and we have two winners. This tree paper and this calligraphy paper.
I’m going to order both and then show you both and film myself installing it.
3. I also filmed a video this week about all the decorating mistakes I’ve made along the way and how I fixed them.
And a little decorating encouragement, too.
You can see it here.
4. It was a great week on the blog. We discussed the best blue gray paint colors and turned an office into a guest bedroom and talked about updating our kitchens and shopped for Mother’s Day together.
5. In amazing news, my mother called me yesterday and told me how much she liked the list I put together for Mother’s Day and how she felt like I was thinking about her when I picked out the gift ideas.
Which I was. Of course.
But shhhhh…..let’s just keep that between us.
And now?
Ready for a little distraction? Here are some of my favorite things I found this week from around the web.
Love how these beams made such a difference in this space.
This is a DIY with a big impact.
You can see how she did it here.
Looking for simple tips for outdoor entertaining?
Here are some of the best (and I LOVE her home).
You can see them here.
If you have five minutes you can create this mantel.
It’s so easy.
See how she made it here.
And in honor of Earth Day here’s how to make your own laundry detergent.
It’s super simple.
You can see the DIY here.
In random news this week:
This sweet small space
This is a classic
I love this project
This creative craft
How to organize a pantry (and it’s so pretty)
How to style a bed
These clever trellis designs
I’m trying this DIY
This is such a clever idea
This fun porch
How to make oatmeal soap
And I am by NO means a fashion blogger, but someone recommended these cropped sweatpants and these shorts to me and I cannot recommend them ENOUGH so I’m passing on the favor. They are so soft, with big pockets and they feel so expensive and look so high end. I ordered them in the Heather Gray. They run true to size and I got them in a day.
You can see them here.
And one more for the road:
You can change up a tile project by changing up a pattern.
I’m sharing all the tile pattern ideas and project inspiration over on the Jeffrey Court blog today.
You can see it here.
My first thought on reading “composting yourself” was that you were looking for burial or Cremation alternatives. Then I realized that if you were composting yourself you most likely wouldn’t be posting a review after. Thanks for my morning giggle.
Me, too! Oh so funny! I pictured KariAnne knee deep in coffee grounds and egg shells. But still smiling, lol.
This post is loaded with good stuff!!! Love the video for the notecards too! That’s a fun project 💜 We will hit 100 here today🔥. Bright and HOT!!
Oh good, I wasn't the only one who was wondering about your composting comment. 😉. Thistle keeping is one of my favorite things on a Saturday morning. So many clever people and beautiful things to see--thanks for rounding them up for us.
I had a composting tumble bin at one time and loved it. My problem was it was so far from my kitchen that it was just easier a lot of times to throw away. Now having said that, the year I emptied my compost dirt out of the tumbler and mixed in the ground where I was planting my tomatoes, it yielded the biggest nicest, sweetest tomatoes I ever grew! There was definitely a difference for the good using that compost. We had to downsize and I don’t have a tumbler now but I do compost in large coffee cans and add to my flowers. Definitely love composting and a tumbler makes it easy! Love your posts!
Composting...consider building your own, with three stations for the various stages your compost will take on. This container on Amazon is way too small. Look on line for building plans. loved your post about best grey/blue paint colors!!
Agreed! I have this exact same composter, and it works just fine...for one person, with a small yard. You probably have more room on your property to support a three station setup, and with kids still at home, will always have far more material than a tumbler can handle. Also, a compost heap on the ground will break down everything much faster than a tumbler, and will continue working throughout the winter. The tumbler might do okay in Texas, but periods of cold weather will take it out of commission, and you'll be back at square one. A larger setup would probably be a better fit for your family.
Oh my goodness. I just this morning asked my daughter to add washing soda to her Lowe's pickup order so I could make this exact recipe! I'm even using the same soap pictured. (She and I have been buying natural detergent, and I said I'd try to make us a batch to save some money.) Only peeked, but looks like so many great things in today's post. Planting, then coming in to reward myself with a cup of sweet tea and your post! Have a lovely weekend!
Always love the Saturday posts. Such great things here today. LOVED that porch idea, so gorgeous!
Look the weekly wrap up! So many great ideas. Have wanted to make the Hypertufa pots for years...guess I have no excuses now! Also I am watching World on Fire, forgot to mention last week...
I look forward to your Saturday posts. So many yummy things!!!
How cute, yet sophisticated, was the space in the Back Bay!! Love, love!!! xoxo
As always, enjoyed Thistlekeeping very much this week! And as for that particular compost turner - get it. My daughter has it and loves hers. I have been composting my whole adult life - we are fortunate enough to have a few acres in the back - and in suburbia too - so lucky - and we have our compost pile back there. We cook every day from scratch so get a lot of compost - any neighbor or friend who wants good dark wonderful soil comes and grabs some. We have to "turn" ours - whereas that turner on Amazon does the trick much more easy. I even compost coffee and tea grounds. And eggs shells. They say NOT to compost onions though - I read that recently - but we always have. Don't compost grass scraps if you have a chemically treated lawn for weeds and growth - but if you do not grass clippings are great to throw on a pile. Keep it to a minimum in your tumbler thing tho - you want a good balance of PH going on - too much of any one thing throws it off a bit. And add earthworms if you can - they are nature's best compost makers!! Good luck! It's fun!!
Thank you for the sweet mention of my pantry organization project KariAnne. You are so kind! xoxo