Table of pine, from mine to thine

Pine table. 

What image does that phrase conjure up in your mind? 

Something outdoorsy like a picnic table in a forest clearing? 

Maybe something rough-hewn with a highly visible grain?

Wait wait, was it this?

Behold: Table, pine

No?  Not quite what you had in mind?

Oh well, too bad.

This is what you get when you walk through the trash area when someone is moving out in the middle of the month.  I've been around long enough to recognize that this table was from the flatpack scandi-superstore, and the interwebs tell me it retails for $69.00 new.  Despite the small gouge on the front right edge and the sticker residue on the top left this table was in good condition -- all parts present and accounted for.  One quick text message and I had a friend claim it before it made it to my apartment.  His plan was to do a little work, some sort of staining, sealing, or painting

and make it into something lovely for a covered patio area. 
But in the end it turned out to be something even simpler.

Ta da!

Wave hello to your new desk!

I
t's a very small space - the table juuuuuust fit into this little nook between the brick wall on the left and the bookshelf on the right.

 

And in case you were wondering, yes, that desk chair is also a freestyle find. 

A pretty good loading dock loot haul, in two parts, and now this guy has a comfortable spot to write papers and maybe even fill out some grad school applications..... get those personal essays ready.
 
As 2015 draws to a close I wish you all a 2016 full of deliberate living. 
Whatever form your deliberate choices take, whether it is buying less stuff, repairing and then donating what you don't need to those who do, spending more time with those you love, or volunteering your skills for causes you care about, make your day something to be proud of.

Happy freestyling in the new year!

Passion flower vine progression

I was seduced by a photo.

It was something I'd only seen once before, at a famous botanical garden, but never found the name.

The passion flower.

Sigh.

Not familiar with the plant family Passifloraceae? 

Look it up, you'll understand.

In the spring I received a gardening catalog addressed to a former roommate.  While idly flipping through the pages I saw it, the passion flower vine, for sale.

Thus began my first foray in purchasing plants from a catalog.

The vine survived over the summer on our balcony. Through my absences while it was casually cared for by roommates, through the beating sun and car pollution, in spite of a small container and less than optimal drainage, it survived. 

I saw buds for those magnificent flowers form, but they never opened.

Sigh.

So what to do with the passion flower vine at the end of autumn? It would not survive the winter outdoors.  I reused a larger plastic container for repotting and put that into a prettier freestyle green plastic planter.

 It looked kind of spindly and sad. No fit state for a passion flower vine.

Then I remembered the two bamboo poles I bought at a garden center over the summer for no particular reason other than that they were cheap and seemed potentially useful...

Ta da!

a little peppier

I placed the dark red sticks (leftover from found orchids) in the soil and attached them to the bamboo poles to act as anchors.

I reused the orchid accessories to tie the vine up, including the small green clip shown below.

We'll see if the passion flower vine likes its new indoor home. 

Will there be a winter passion flower? Time will tell.

Happy gardening.

Fern curiosity

How long can a fern grow in the same pot and be happy? Apparently quite a while.

This common Nephrolepsis species had been growing for at least 2 years in this medium size ceramic pot. It had been sitting near a south-facing window in a climate-controlled environment for most of that time and was looking pretty lush.

Channeling the hair-spirit of Sideshow Bob?

 The fern fronds seemed happy, but I wasn't sure how much longer I should wait before splitting the plant seeing as how the roots were growing abundantly outside the pot.

reaching for it

As fate would have it I came across an extra planter just waiting for a new friend, time to split and repot the fern!

This is what it looked like when it came out of the pot. Hardly any soil fell away because it was so caught up in the roots. Very impressive.

Bonus close-up show of the root ball.

 After quality time with a sharp knife and some new potting soil the fern was split and I had two containers of air cleaning plants instead of 1.  The white ceramic pot went back to its old spot since I know the fern will continue to be happy there. The cutting was planted in a black plastic pot that had once held some mums (not very pretty). That black plastic pot now sits inside another plastic planter (light green, slightly prettier, and yes, it is a freestyle find).

getting used to the new digs

The new plant needs a bit of time to grow new fronds before it is large enough to balance out the proportions of this planter.  Given the growth history of this fern I've got no worries that it will settle in and get down to growing and air cleaning.  

Curious about what plants you can easily grow in your home to improve air quality and reduce common household air pollutants? Check out How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office by Dr. B.C. Wolverton, formerly of NASA. I found a copy online for a few dollars and have found it to be clear, informative, and a good resource for recommending which plants will do best in different parts of the home.  It doesn't include every possible house plant on the market, but if you are new to growing houseplants it might be just the thing for you get started. Maybe fresher air in your home is a good goal for the new year?

Happy gardening!

Un Vaso de Veracruz

On an unusual mid-morning loading dock walk-by I saw a neat little ceramic pitcher with some southwestern style designs around the bottom.  The bottom said 'Veracruz, Mexico'.

lines and colors and shapes

It immediately made me think of a friend with lots of earth tones in her apartment and a fondness for geometric patterns. Soon after I found the vase my lovely friend was over for dinner, but she left with more than a full stomach. She took the pitcher home and said she would use it as a flower vase. 

Ta da!

From discarded to on display into under 48 hours, not too shabby.

Happy freestyling!

A Bright Idea in 5 Parts

Lamps can be so expensive. They can also be really cheap. 

How did it get to the point where lamps can become throw-away items? Aren't they complicated electrical devices with wires and switches? Apparently that doesn't matter, I still find them next to the dumpster sometimes.

I've found 2 of these 5-bendable- arm lamps, both solid pieces in working order with a well weighted base so the lamp doesn't feel like it will tip over if you bump it.

One lamp had matching white shades, and the other had each shade a different color.

(Yes, that is a bag of clothing donations in the corner, waiting to be dropped off)

I had seen a photo of a friend's new studio apartment and it looked a bit dark so i asked her if she wanted a free floor lamp to brighten things up.  She said a lamp would be great, but the style of the shades didn't really match her personal aesthetic. I suggested removing the shades and having only bare edison bulbs (aka cool hipster light bulbs) instead.  She was game to try and the results turned out pretty well. 

The photo below shows her new cool floor lamp casting a gentle glow reflected off the room divider.

There are multiple styles of edison bulbs out there, from globes to elongated tubes available in stores and online. Lots of possibilities.

Happy freestyling, don't be afraid to experiment with light!