Happy first day of spring! Yeaaaa.

The sun is shining, the temperature is rising and the garden beckons. I’m making plans and am thinking that this outdoor dresser, all planted up, is gonna be one of my first projects…  I’m obsessed!!

Do you agree that this is BRILLIANT!?  Found, on Pinterest… at 2:30 this morning. (Some of the best ideas appear in the middle of the night!)

Are you as crazy to get going in the garden as I am?

I’ve long been a fan of these fun, bright and practical folding chairs sold at the mecca of all things beautiful and bohemian called Anthropologie:

I’m sure you know all about this store… and the temptations that beckon from every corner. These chairs are FAB, but at $198 each, I wasn’t about to rush to the check-out counter with a pair.  Anyway… where the heck would I put them in my already bursting at the seams Casa Anderson?

My clever friend Hoiyin… partner in all things recycled, re-imagined, repurposed and reused, also fell in love and decided she needed such clever chairs… SO perfect to pull out for guests visiting her tiny but uber-cool loftette. But, ever the DIYer, Hoiyin made her own version with two folding chairs found in a back alley rather than at Anthropologie. She started with this:

These “ugly chairs” were found leaning against a dumpster.  No one wanted them, or even deemed them worthy of a garage sale or thrift store donation.

Hoiyin polished up the wood, and then with a bit of instruction at Alchemy Fine Living in Santa Ana, reupholstered the chairs with a collage of scraps from faded curtains and an old faux-fur halloween costume.  Several days later, with no $$$ spent, look at what Hoiyin has created.

Definitely cool and blog worthy… you can read all about her upholstery adventure here: Her photos are much much better than mine…  After all, she IS a professional photograper.

What have you remade, recycled, redone or reupholstered lately?

You heard about my love affair with plants last week.  Especially succulents. I’ve got them indoors, I’ve got them outdoors, but had never thought of putting them here:

                                                     Photos from designtaxi.

Maybe getting a bicycle IS a good idea… I’m feeling vibrant and pink cheeked just thinking about it! (Do you think this could work on a motorcycle??)

All of these CUTE little containers, above and below, come from Colleen Jordan of Wearable Garden.  You can see them in her Etsy shop here.

No bike?  Try out her wearable containers: necklaces, brooches and lapel pins designed to hold succulents, air plants or tiny sprouts and flowers. (wonderful air purifiers, of course!)

And then there are these plant containers… Why, who needs a trip to the pottery shop when there are household items just waiting to be filled with green goodness? Just open the closet, potting shed or, well… even your dresser drawers.

                                                Photos from Urban Garden.

My favorite, although I think that Mr. MM would prefer that I wear this one…!

What kinds of containers have you planted up?