9 Jun
2013

Posted in: Gardening
By Angie    No Comments

Garden Hard 2: Raised Beds & An Updated Yard

We are WAY overdue for updating you all on the yard progress we’ve been making the last couple of months…okay…more like in the last month (singular).  We have been yard monsters!  We’ve been working on the lawn, building new raised beds, planting the veggie garden and even building a new fence with a Goose gate to keep him out of said veggie garden.  Here’s how our yard is looking these days:

And how our yard looked just two months ago, before all the leaves came in on the trees.

We had a few raised beds that we built a couple years ago on the left side of the garden and some open garden space on the right side.  And in a sad attempt at keeping Goose out of the veggie garden (since his run is tied to the tree right beside the garden) we stored Colby’s canoe in the middle of the lawn to keep the Goose at bay.  We’re apparently a pair of rednecks at heart.

It was a good idea…in theory….but really wasn’t the most effective solution to the Goose in the garden problem.

So now that you’ve seen our hot garden mess, I think it’s time for another Garden Hard post (read the first one back here).  This time around, Garden Hard 2…the tale of the raised beds.

Endorsed by Martha Stewart herself.  Not really…Martha has more important things to do than endorse our garden projects…like bake cakes for darling grandchildren, can raspberry jam with fresh raspberries from her farm, and turn the compost.  Martha is busy.

After our last Garden Hard post, we decided that the next logical step in the “let’s create a SICK garden zone” operation was to build a few more raised beds in the garden space.  So we dropped $100 in pressure treated boards at our local lumber yard and built a pair of 6′ x 10′ raised beds.

We’ve done the “how to build raised beds” tutorial before (read it here), so we’ll spare you another one.  The only difference this time around was the size.  We tend to subscribe to the go big or go home philosophy so we enlarged them just a bit and plopped them down on the other side of the aisle in the veggie garden zone of our yard.

Eventually we want to fill the entire space back there with raised beds but we’re building them a few at a time.  Dropping $500-$700 on pressure treated wood all at once seemed a little crazy to us so we’re building up our garden in stages.  We started with four raised beds that we built last year, the two we added this year, and we’ll probably do three or four more on the other side of the ginormous beds next year.  And probably trim back the giant beds a little bit.  After planting our garden, we realized they’re a bit on the too large side.

After Colby finished whipping together the raised beds (Colby whips together wood projects kind of like how I whip up bake goods…he’s a building machine!) it was dirt time.  This year, we decided to go to our local landscape supply store and get a truckload of dirt.  Smartest thing we ever did.  It cost us $30 for a yard of dirt:

The cost is the equivalent of 10 bags of dirt from Lowes.  Getting the same amount of dirt from Lowes probably would have cost us at least $100.  But math isn’t especially my strong suit, especially at 10:00 at night when I should be in bed, so don’t necessarily trust my calculations.

Next up in garden bed goodness, the shoveling.

Goose helped.  He loves dirt.  Especially rolling in all the dirt.  What Goose doesn’t like are the baths he gets after rolling in the dirt (see his foot prints in the pic below?!).

So that’s our terribly exciting, we built raised beds in our garden post that we have for you today.  I feel like I should find $20 or $100 at the end of this post to jazz it up a little bit and make it more exciting.  Maybe Martha really would endorse this project if I did that?!

As for the fence, I’ve got a great (okay…more like so-so) post planned for you later this week on how we built a garden fence.  It was a doozy of a project and one of those spur of the moment, impromptu kinds.  Those are my favorites!  But seriously, who spontaneously builds a fence (as she points both thumbs towards herself)?!

Pssst…What have you guys been up to?  Any spontaneous fence building?  Or other spontaneous projects going on in your neck of the woods?

6 Jun
2013

Posted in: Etsy Favorites
By Angie    8 Comments

Etsy Faves: Pillow Panache

Since I had so much fun curating my own little Etsy Treasury List last week (it’s about neon products and you can read about it back here) I’ve decided to make it a weekly roundup.  And this week it’s inspired by something that’s been bugging the snot out of me for six plus months….the throw pillow situation going on in our living room…or lack thereof.

Our living room is still kind of a mess.  It’s turned into some kind of schmorgesborg of mis-matched, doesn’t go anywhere else so let’s throw it in the living room, furniture and accessories.  I have so many things I want to tackle in the living room but don’t even know where to start.  But what bugs me the most…the throw pillow mess.  Two of those pillows (the gray ones that blend into the couch) were the freebies that came with the new couch and I hate them…but alas…continue to use them.  The orange ones are okay, but they’re kind of sad looking on the couch since they have no throw pillow friends.  So I’m starting a quest for new throw pillows and I’m starting on Etsy.

So today’s Etsy Faves roundup is coming at you with a throw pillow theme.  Without further ado, below is a cuter schmorgesborg of throw pillow options for the couch (my absolute favorite throw pillow options that I found via Etsy).

• Chevron burlap pillows from East And Nest
• Printed silk fish pillow from Carla J Designs
• Aqua blue coral pillow from Comfy Heaven Pillows
• Green bike pillow from Andrekart

• Yellow birdcage pillow from Lily Pillow
• Orange and gold ikat pillow from Couple Home
• Caramel brown grain sack pillow from Oliver And Rust
• Emerald geometrical pillow from Home Living Ideas

• Lobster pillow from A Treasured Place
• Pink flamingo pillow from Studio Alef
• White rose on coral pillow from Bed Buggs Boutique
• Polka dot pillow from Home Living Ideas

• Blue and white pillow from Draw Your Way
• Every day I’m hustling pillow from Michelle Dwight Designs
• Mint and gold pillow from Katie Scarlett & Co.
• Rose linen pillow from Sukan

I’m pretty sure I would give my left arm for that “Every Day I’m Hustling” pillow.  It’s not like I use my left arm anyway.  Although, in the long run, it would probably be cheaper to just buy the pillow outright since the co-pay on arm removal is probably a bit higher than the $38 sticker price for the pillow.

Pssst…How about you guys?  Any favorite Etsy sources for pillows?  Feel free to share your favorite Etsy shops in the comments…ESPECIALLY if they’re pillow related shops!

5 Jun
2013

Posted in: Guest Bedroom, Shopping Deals & Steals
By Angie    11 Comments

I Wanna Stoop Baby

Here I go, here I go, here I go again, girls what’s my weakness?!  Stools!  Okay then!  What?!  Can’t a girl start a blog post with a little Salt ‘n Peppa circa 1992 around here?!  Oh well I tried.  Instead, we’re gonna talk about stools.  Just to clarify, the ones that you sit on not the….never mind…I’m not going to go there.  Anyway, I’ve got stools on the brain these days, stools for the new office/Etsy workspace.  Even though the beefy work desk in the former guest room/soon to be an Etsy office isn’t finished (it still needs to be stained and polyed) I’m already thinking about the work stools that I want to butt up under it.  Here’s a shot of the work desk actually being used as a work desk so you have a smidge of an idea of what I’m talking about.

Just because a desk needs to be finished doesn’t mean I can’t use it right?!  I’m actually kind of glad that I’ve been using my desk because I’m learning a few things about what I need and want for my work space as I’m working at it.  For instance, I’ve learned that I’m a perpetual stander/edge of my seat worker.  And that I really need to divide my work space into two zones…one for packaging shipments and one for creating.  Thankfully, we built the desk in two zones, divided by that post in the middle.  So what I really need next for my space (after finishing the desk of course) is a pair of stools.

I’ve been thinking about the stools since before we even built the desk, mostly because I was worried that having a higher work surface (the desk is 36″ off the ground) would make it difficult to find proper seating.  I had a blonde moment (even though I’m a brunette) and then realized that…duh…counter height stools would be perfect.  Nobody says “duh” anymore…I’m bringing it back.  So without further ado, here are Angie’s dream industrial stools.

Boy do I love a good industrial stool!  From left to right:

• Diesel – From School Outfitters
• Christopher – From Overstock
• Endure - From Overstock
• Martin – From Target

Now here is the scary part of the post where I let you into my mind to see what I’m thinking.  First, if money weren’t an option, I would pick Ms. Endure in a heart beat.  But alas, she is the most expensive choice of them all.  Now if only I were independently wealthy….I’ll work on that.  So that probably means Chris is out too.  Since I need two stools, spending $300 isn’t necessarily my idea of a good time.  I have other important things to spend my money on…like ice cream and beer.  So that narrows it down to Diesel and Martin.  I love them both and it’s like picking a favorite child (not that I really know what that would be like since we only have Goose…and he is PLENTY).  I’m liking the all metal of Diesel since there’s so much wood going on in the room already (the trim, the floor, the desk) but Martin is so budget friendly!  It helps that I’m a RedCard carrying member of the Target club and receive an extra 5% off my purchase AND free shipping.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m having a heck of a time trying to choose just the right stool.  I like them all!  I really do!  Some days I’m jonesing over Diesel…other days it’s Martin.  I’m hoping to make a decision and order a pair of stools this weekend…any thoughts?!  Which one do you like?!  I can totally be swayed in these decisions…maybe it’s because I change my mind eighteen gazillion times and then pick something way out from left field in the end.  Watch me find a pair of stools at a flea market this weekend and paint them pink!  That’s precisely what will happen…I can see it now.

Pssst…Okay guys, I’m serious!  Tell me your favorite stool!  Is it Martin?!  I’m thinking it should be Martin.  Or if you think I should try something else.  Why are decorating decisions so difficult to make?!  Scratch that…why are decisions in general so difficult for ME to make?!

4 Jun
2013

Posted in: Roostic Etsy Shop
By Angie    2 Comments

New Etsy Shop Product: Rustic Wood Cookbook Stands

This just in…the Roostic Etsy shop has a new product…I repeat…the Roostic Etsy shop has a new product.  It’s being reported to us that the shop has expanded and now includes not only rustic wood iPad stands, but also…wait for it…rustic wood cookbook stands.  This breaking news is being brought to you live from Angie and Colby’s living room.

When we first started the Etsy shop, we anticipated bringing a new product to you every week and posting some info about it here on the blog as a little bit of shameless self promotion.  Seriously…I have no shame.  But that’s when I was striving for four sales per week, which at the time I thought was a lofty goal.  Instead…we were blessed with an average of four sales a day!  Not that I’m complaining or anything, it just means that our poor research and development department has gotten sidetracked and found itself filling in on the production line for a few weeks.  Have I mentioned we’re a two man shop?!  But we’re catching up on orders and recently launched a new cookbook stand in the shop.

The cookbook stands (so far) aren’t nearly as hot of an item as the iPad stands but were still popular enough for us to sell out of them last week…ironically on the day I had originally planned this post.  How dare that cookbook stand sell out!

The cookbook stand is almost identical to the iPad stand except for a few notable items.  Mostly, it’s bigger.  The stand itself is a few inches taller so it can easily hold a beefier cookbook.  And the bottom lip of the stand is a whole lot deeper.  So deep that it comfortably holds the Julia Child cookbook like a boss. That 700+ page cookbook is like the litmus test for a good cookbook stand.  If it holds the Julia Child cookbook….it can hold anything!

The other noticeable difference to the cookbook stand over the iPad stand is the bottom lip.  It’s a bit shorter and more low profile than the iPad stand lip, meaning it won’t cover up the important bottom-of-the-page words in your recipe (which was a problem Colby and I were noticing when we were using our iPad stand to hold cookbooks).  Now, with the lower profile lip, we won’t be pulling a Rachel and the “trifle” incident (you know…Rachel…on the TV show Friends…when she made the truffle and two of the pages from the cookbook were stuck together…so it was half truffle and half shepherd’s pie…and Joey still ate it…ahhhh…the good ol’ days of Friends).

So now that we have flaunted our cookbook stand in front of you, feel free to open up those wallets of yours and fork over the $35 it takes to own one of these.  Too far?  my shame knows no bounds.

Pssst…So I know I promised a Kindle Fire stand soon but I’m having doubts and need your help.  Kindle owners…would you still use a similar stand for your Kindle even though the power button for it is on the bottom?  The powering on/off dilemma has me stuck!!

3 Jun
2013

Posted in: Insta-Addicted, Uncategorized
By Angie    No Comments

Insta-Addicted May

Lasso your ladies and hog tie your britches, it’s May Instagram round up time!  Apparently I’m a little bit country tonight.  Sometimes I’m a little bit rock ‘n roll too.  I’ve just been listening to way too much Eric Church radio on Pandora than what’s good for me.  I believe the term you’re searching for is….anyway.  Every month I like to roundup all of the Instagram pics that I’ve captured over the last 30 or so days in a nice little post…primarily for my mom who has no clue what Instagram is.  And this month’s roundup is extra exciting because (A) it includes outside shots from outside activities which means that it’s finally getting warm outside, and (B) it includes early Etsy shop shots.  Which, by the way, is steadily chugging right along and growing every day!  I can’t believe the crazy success we’ve had so far with the shop.  Without further ado, our little Instagram round up.

Hmmm…like the early Etsy packaging?!  What was I thinking gift wrapping every…single…shipment!  That stopped the day I received 10 orders in one day that were ALL rush orders!  Eeek!

This roundup also included photos from my Day In The Life post.  Not that I amount to anything very exciting during any given day that’s worth reading, unless of course, boring bloggers’ lives are your jam.  Hmmm…I also think it might be time to upgrade the hot pink, silicone alarm clock for something just a smidge more adult like…or not.

Of course it wouldn’t be a proper Instagram roundup post without showing off our favorite pics all blown up like so you can actually see them.  And true to form, Colby and I both picked Goose shots as our favorites.  He’s just so gosh darn photogenic!  Here’s my fave Instagram pic of the month:

It’s a Goose-In-A-Box (not to be confused with Jack-In-A-Box or a certain Justin Timberlake body part in a box…ahem…gratuitous SNL reference).  Doesn’t Goose look amused?!  He’ll do anything for a cookie!  ANYTHING!  That box is actually a planter made out of scrap pressure treated wood from our fence building extravaganza a few weekends ago.  I have soooo much to catch you up on.

And now for Colby’s favorite Instagram pic:

Another Goose shot.  This pic was taken a few days ago on one of those sweltering hot days we were having here in Maine.  It was early evening and starting to cool off so I took Goose for a little run at the Bangor City Forest.  We run back and forth over the crest of this giant hill until Goose and myself are both sufficiently tired.  Then we hang out and look at the pond…and the beaver dam.  This is how Goose and I bond…in fields…overlooking ponds.

So that’s our little Instagram roundup for the month.  We’re already snapping away with pics for June’s roundup.  And as always, if you don’t want to wait until Instagram roundup time comes again, you can always follow me on Instagram @angiesroost.

Pssst…What have you all been Instagraming these days?!  Do you also take ridiculous amounts of pictures of your pet?!  We can’t help it…he’s just so adorable!