Getting Ready for Summer at the Cottage

Scattered DIY's at the Cottage

Getting ready for summer to begin... in DIY-style!

I haven't had a start-to-finish DIY post in a little while, but that's because we just transported ourselves to the beach cottage for the summer, and we've been busy trying to get things set here. But that doesn't mean I haven't been DIYing (not sure it's possible for me to stop).

It's been one of those multi-tasking weeks for me. Start a project, start another, go back to the first, start another, dabble in the first two, etc., ect.... Doesn't help that the kids are out of school, so there's a lot of entertaining in between, but in case you're interested, here's a snippet of the projects we've (notice I say "we"? Husband took last week off, and he's been a HUGE help!) been working on over the past week:

Outdoor Shower Enclosure

I can't tell you enough how excited I am about this! My husband built it himself, and I am beyond happy! A luxurious outdoor shower house... although I do take credit for the pink trim. I'm going to do a major tutorial post on this one (how it was built, etc), with my favorite guest blogger... my husband! Just need to get him motivate to write it. I don't want to nag him about it, though, because he just did all this work! But it's coming, I promise you!

Vintage Children's Piano Makeover

This was a flea market find that I repainted using ASCP. Also labeled the keys to get the little ones familiar with the notes! Will do a tutorial post on this, too, but here's a preview:

Vintage Mirror for Outdoor Shower

Another flea market find. Only $5, so the price was right. I repainted it in this light blue, and I think it will look nice in the outdoor shower as it ages with the elements!

Veggie Garden: Carrots!

How I wish gardening came naturally to me, but, alas, it does not, so I have resolved to really work at getting SOMETHING to grow. This is one of our experiments. B1 picked carrot to grow, B2 picked broccoli. The broccoli is in a container, and seems to be doing ok, but look at these carrots! I fear we may have majorly overloaded the space with seeds, but hey, it's all part of the experiment. I'll keep you posted on their progress!

Clematis Around Mailbox Post

Ok I must admit, I'm VERY concerned about this one. You should have seen how beautiful and healthy this plant was when I bought it! It had a ton of blooms.... Now look at it! I followed all of the nursery's instructions about peat moss and mulch and fertilizer... I've been talking to it... but I guess we'll see. Any suggestions about how to nurture this baby in sandy soil?

The Debut of My New Standup Paddleboard

My husband got me a SUP for Christmas, and I've been dying to use it! I was finally able to break it out this week, and I LOVE IT! I even signed up for a SUP Yoga class in July, so I'm hoping that will get me back towards my old yoga practice, too. A great workout, and very relaxing. Any other SUPers out there? I also just ordered a deck rigging kit; can't wait until I get it!

All in all, I consider it a busy, but productive week. More cottage projects to come! We're planning some really cool renovations. More to come on that soon.