Romancing the Inexpensive Urn

My DIY adventure began when I fell in love with an urn from Charleston Gardens.

The container was new and lightweight--yet it looked 100 years old, with a lovely faux patina.

I winced when I saw the price.

So I decided to try my hand at faux painting.

 

I began with two resin urns and gave them a good cleaning.

 

In a moment, cleaning will seem counter-productive when you read about the unusual ingredient for "patina."

 

At K-Mart I bought 4 cans of "faux concrete finish" spray paint and several cans of Rust-Oleum (in white and off-white). Next, I unearthed sample pots of Sherwin Williams paint (Tricorn Black and a mossy green). 

 

I put on a mask, and I'm glad. Even though I was working outdoors,

fine bits of paint ended up on my camera. It's always a good idea to

protect your lungs!

 

 



Here are the urns after one coat of the "faux concrete" spray.

After the second coat.

 

 

I finished spraying with the 3rd can and part of the 4th, reserving the latter in case I goofed on the faux painting.  I also gathered a huge scoop of potting soil--that's right! Instant patina.

I'd read that Annie Sloan recommended garden soil as a way to age pots, in conjunction with paint,

though I could have easily misunderstood. Perhaps "garden soil" was a paint color!

I was curious, so I decided to give it a go.

 

I mixed several shades of green and dabbed the urns.

Next, I dipped the brush in soil, scrubbed the bristles in paint, and shook off the excess.

 

Because of the heat, I had to work fast--the paint kept drying. And I really needed a smaller brush to reach the crevices.

By adding layer upon layer, you can achieve a darker patina, if that's what you want.

Here is a faux copper look-in-progress.

For my house, I wanted lighter-colored urns.

My goal was to make them resemble concrete.

 I also used a lighter touch with the faux "moss."

The menfolk came outside to watch.

They were fascinated that I had begun with two perfectly fine urns and was doing my level best to make them look as if they needed to be power-washed.

 

I continued to layer, ignoring my aching back.



 

 

Will the dirt wash off?

Will the paint peel?

 

A better question might be: Where did I put the Advil?

 

Next, I touched up two small, white urns with a little off-white spray paint (not the faux concrete).

I put a Hefty bag over the plants, because that's how I roll.

I was tired and grubby, but I dabbed faux "moss" paint onto the urn, concentrating on the indentions.

Every now and then, I rubbed potting soil into the raised decorative areas.

Last night's rain washed away the exterior soil on this pot, but it looks older.

Dirty decorating has taken on new meaning. The urn has aged overnight. It looks like concrete, not resin.



You can see traces of soil on this pot.



 

 

After the urns dried, it was time to fill them.

I always use kitty litter in the very bottom for drainage,

then I added potting soil.

 

The "in progress" mess was horrific.

 

 

By the time I was finished, my DIY project certainly didn't feel like

a romance. I was covered with dirt, and my bones were crying out for a hot shower.

  

I dearly love autumn and couldn't wait to add mums. These were $6 each at Home Depot, Chrysanthemum morifolium or "garden mum."  I'd had a mishap the other day after I filled four containers. Take a peek HERE.   The photos are pre-mishap. And they lead to a major mishap.

I popped in a flowering vine. The tag says: Evolvulus: zonal geranium, snapdragon, and salvia.

 

Lemons add a summery vibe.

Later, I'll add small pumpkins.

 

 

The tall yellow perennial will eventually be planted near the garden path.

It's a Gaillardia aristata, and it loves heat, humidity, and drought conditions.

Ivy and Mexican heather filled out the little pot.

 

A mixture of vines were added to the large urns.

The urns are in place, guarded by twin rabbits, which I bought many decades ago in Watertown, Tennessee. They might get a dab or two of "faux" moss tomorrow.

 

I told you that I'd explain my earlier mishap. It involved a herd of pygmy goats. 

 

Here's what happened. The other day, I filled four urns. You may have already seen the photos; if not, click HERE.  Except for one urn, which held a mum and a vine-like lantana, all of those container plants have been consumed and digested by the Galloping Goat Gourmets.

 

 The very next morning, I opened the front door and saw overturned pots, spilled soil, and skeletal plants.  Some plants had been plucked out and tossed aside. I'd never seen so much dirt in my life.

 

One butterfly bush took a hit, too.

 

After the second attempt to spruce up the porch, 

we propped baby gates (which are reinforced by heavy pots, not pictured) in front of the steps.

 

The barrier worked last night, thankfully.

 

 

I made a protected area for the perennials. These are earmarked for the path garden.

 

 The miscreant goats missed this urn.

Or maybe they saved it for a future snack?

 

The vines have really taken off this week.



A closer look at my experiment with paint and dirt.

Decorating with Dirt was an adventure.

My husband begged me to take down half of these pictures because

of the goat-wrecked porch. The soil was ground-in.

"The porch doesn't need patina," he decreed. "Let's rent a power-washer. Then you

can take pictures."

No, I'm keeping it real. Dirt is part of life--certainly it's part of our lives.

Now, it's part of our urns. :-)



 

 

 

Our next projects:

Power-wash the porch and steps.

Re-pot small lavender plants.

Add patina to a favorite clay pot--then fill with late summer flowers.

Sand front doors. Would you stain or paint them? 

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

A Metamorphosis Monday contribution. 

 

 

Foodie Friday -- August 9th

It's time for Foodie Friday!

What did you bring to the potluck today?

 

I made Garlic Focaccia.

It's probably the easiest focaccia recipe I've ever tried.

 

Add 1 package active dry yeast to 3/4 cup warm sugar water. I dissolved 1 T white sugar into the water. After the yeast proofs, add it to 5 cups all purpose white flour. Add 1 tsp salt (wish I'd added a bit more) and 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO0. Mix and knead. Cover bowl with a warm, damp towel and let dough rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.

 

Knead dough again and shape to fit your pan.

Make sure you add 1/2 cup EVOO  to the pan.

Shape the dough to fit the pan and flip the dough over.

Press indentions into the top.

Mince 2 garlic cloves and sprinkle into the indentions.

Sprinkle liberal amounts of sea salt over the top.

Let the dough rise 1 hour.

Add more Evoo and salt to the top, allowing the oil to pool in the indentions.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown.

Remove from oven and cool.



 

If you are participating in Foodie Friday,

please take a moment to read the guidelines.

To participate in Foodie Friday, locate the blue Inlinkz icon and follow the directions. The red "x"

will allow you to delete your link if you made an error; the "x" is visible to you only.

For a complete guide to this linky party, click HERE. If you have still have questions, click HERE

for a detailed Foodie Friday tutorial.

** By adding your link to Foodie Friday, you are granting us permission to include a photo of your FF recipe in a feature story.

** Would you like to add your recipes to the "Consuming Passions" group board at Pinterest?

It can be found HERE. We're a small, sociable group; Foodie Friday folks are always welcome to "pin" with us and chat about food. Just leave a comment on one of my recent"pins," so I'll be sure to see it, and I will send you an invitation. Or you can email me.

**I would like to ask pretty please if Pinners will visit the host blogs to pin photographs.

 Thanks for visiting us today!

Now tell us all about your recipe.

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The Novice Gardener Digs a Hole

 The rain stopped long enough for me to plant a flat of sage.

 

The pots were mercifully small, which meant tiny holes and minimal exertion;

but I had no idea where to plant the herbs.

 

 

My family keeps saying, "Less is more."

They know how I am. But I took their advice and planted a dinky

row in one bed and a messy clump (don't ask) in another.

I thought gardening would be a simple matter of digging a hole--okay, a bunch of holes--

and adding plants. They would "magic" themselves into a fetching arrangement by height and color. Images on Pinterest and Houzz reinforced this idea.

In my mind's eye, I imagined a garden like this:

 

Traditional Landscape by Vernon Hills Landscape Contractors The Arrow Shop, Ltd.

... and this:

Traditional Landscape by Vernon Hills Landscape Contractors The Arrow Shop, Ltd.

 

 The perennials (dutifully purchased in "fives") are going on the path.

The verbena, ivy, and mums are earmarked for our neglected urns.

My plan was to begin with a few yellow mums and verbena for a summery but transitional look. Then, in September, I would buy burnt orange mums, pumpkins, gourds, and hay stacks.

Armed with potting soil and Gatoraid, I slogged into the steamy August afternoon.

I really tried to follow the "thrill, fill, and spill" formula, but honestly, I couldn't find a single thriller at Home Depot. The thrills were probably there, but my novice eyes could not see them. I opted for stumpy ivy and vine-like verbena.

 

  Anything would be an improvement, right?

 

Small mums went into the lone concrete urn (you can see my Christmas urn

disaster HERE.)

 



I was perspiring mightily by the time I attacked the little wire planter, which

has suffered. The weeds and old dirt came out, and fresh dirt went in,

along with a tiny mum and a few vines.

 My husband had played a joke the other day by sticking the camellia in the old

bee skep, and then shoving the arrangement into another Lone Urn. I

added a larger mum, a sprawling verbena, ivy, and spider plants.

 

 More is okay in my book.

 

A large verbena went into the broken concrete urn, spruced up with fillers and spillers.

I added hydrangeas to amuse myself, though my mother swears they'll last for weeks.

 

Four planters, and I'm wasted.

Totally.

I'm about to faint. But first I must water my little darlings. Then the porch needs to be hosed down.

 

Now I've got to figure out how to plant my clumps of "five."

Nevermind that everything is the same height.

Nevermind that False Dragonwhatevers are invasive and prolific.

 

I'm worried about digging fifteen holes.

 

It's tricksy.

 

Will says that August is the wrong time to plant. He's right. But I am in the grip of a green fever and will not be deterred. In my mind's eye, I see tall clumps of purple-blue Russian Sage at the far end of the path. And over here, I see mounds of coneflowers. Everything will sort of flow like a colorful river.

 

Ain't gonna happen.

 

Every time my shovel hits the ground, I discover irrigation hoses and electrical wires. Who knew??

I absolutely don't want to nick anything. So the plants will go where they must go.

 

 

List:

 

Shovel

Gloves

Hat

Gatoraid

Wear boots, not ballerina flats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Portabella Fries with Meyer Lemon Sauce

Meyer lemons were on the menu at the first Mystery Ingredient Club event, and they

caused a bit of a ruckus in my kitchen.

 

My husband was horrified that I would prepare something exotic and inedible (it happens). Will is the type of physician who is dead calm in emergencies, the kind of doc you want in a life or death situation. But he can get excited about food, and not in an anticipatory, lip-smacking way. I'm not saying he's an ole stick in the mud.

He's not.

But he doesn't want anyone messing with his dinner.

 

That said, if a category existed for Missionary Position food, it would be his favorite.

 

"What are you doing with those rubbery-looking lemons?" he asked when he saw me open the "mystery ingredient" jar.

 

"I don't know," I admitted.

 

It was the truth. I didn't have a clue what to do with a Meyer. I'd been attracted to the pretty jar, and now I'd saddled nine sweet bloggers with the responsibility of preparing recipes for the MIC party.

 

 

If you missed the recap of the MIC's feast, click HERE to meet the great cooks who participated in the event--they prepared ambrosial food, the kind that will have you rushing to make a grocery list.

 

"Well, I have an idea," Will said. He channeled Elvis for a moment, then he requested a fish sandwich, thinking (hoping?) that I would use lemons as a garnish,

keeping them far, far away from his nourishment.

 

I kept looking for ideas and found one (see below). But I had promised to cook a Missionary position sandwich, and I keep my promises.

 

So Meyer lemons were discreetly tucked into a fried Tilapia Po'boy.

 

 

I gathered up my leftover Meyers and studied a recipe at The View from Great Island.

I would deep fry portabella mushrooms and make a sort of lemony aioli dipping sauce.

 

This is an anti-Will recipe for sure, but he loves anything that's deep fried, and I decided to give it a whirl.  Note: If you want to see how it's done "proper," as we say down South, please visit The View from Great Island. 

 

To Make the Batter:

2 c buttermilk

1 c all purpose flour

(I added sea salt, pepper, lemon salt, and preserved Meyer lemon bits.)

 

 Procedure:

Whisk buttermilk and flour. Add seasonings.

 

I set up a "frying" station. I put flour in one large plastic (shallow)

container. Beside that, I poured the buttermilk/flour mixture into another container. Next to that, I

put a cookie sheet (for the "dipped" mushrooms to have a landing place on their way to the frying pot).

 

I don't have a deep fat fryer, so I poured canola oil into a Dutch oven.

It's best to fry only a few mushrooms at a time. Turn them over once or twice--or thrice.

When the mushrooms are brown and crisp, transfer to a serving platter (line it with paper towels).

 

These mushrooms tend to get soggy after a while--if you have any leftovers, that is.

 

Expect amazing flavors when you combine portabellas and lemony things.

The batter is a 2:1 mixture of buttermilk and flour, which I seasoned liberally with sea salt, pepper, lemon salt, and the Meyer lemon "bits" (see above).

After frying the first batch, I made the aioli:

Duke's mayonnaise
preserved Meyer lemons (juice and pulp)
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
(I added fresh minced garlic and a little honey, too)
 



I texted a photo to my eldest son, Chef Trey,

and he texted back: "Porta-too-mucha. Less is more!"

 

Soon the platter was empty.

Will gave the mushrooms a thumb's up.

 



By making these fries, I stepped out of my culinary comfort zone -- and Will's. 

 

But it was worth it.

 



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