Jun 22, 2015

Companion Planting/Vegetable Planning Guide Now Listed!

Happy Monday, friends!

I am so excited to share a new project I've been working on for some time now.

vegetable planting guide cards

A very, very long time ago I was asked to design some planting cards for a family member, who shall remain nameless, ahem, sister, these are for you. We were talking about gardening and what we just planted in the garden and she made the comment that now that grandpa was gone (our family's go-to garden expert for all things Oklahoma gardening) she didn't know when to plant anything.

See, my grandpa had a loving way to let you know what you were doing wrong in your gardening efforts. You could ask him just about any question during the season and his response would be something like, "you mean you don't have your onions in yet?" or "oh, spinach seeds should've been planted 2 weeks ago." I kind of think we could've planted things weeks earlier than he did and we still probably would've got the same kind of reply - though that's just purely speculation because it never happened. He was on top of his garden and the produce that came out spoke for itself.


photo stolen from my sister, ashley


I've mentioned before that much of our garden knowledge and experience comes from what I learned from him. And it's without a doubt that I get the same reaction sometimes from my garden when I'm picking lettuce weeks before others are in the same area or eating tomatoes late in the year. It's that competitive spirit he drove in us and appreciation for growing your own food in your backyard that keeps us growing things even when it seems we're just feeding the squirrel population.

picture from instagram but combined and then stolen again from my sister


Anyway, my husband and I came together on this little project to make it easier for others to have a more successful gardening season. The first set of companion planting/vegetable planning cards have been added to the shop!

 companion planting cards

This set of four vegetable cards have been conveniently set up in standard post card format to allow for easy referencing and storage and each card is printed front and back on recycled matte paper.

The front design offers a beautiful watercolor painting of each of the following four vegetables, as well as a list of its companion plants (plants that positively effect the vegetable's growth or flavor). Vegetables included in this set include:
  • carrot
  • cucumber
  • lettuce
  • tomato

The back side features:
• short planting guide that works for any time zone - all you need to know are your area's typical first & last freeze dates (link to find those below). Things like:
   - when and where to start seeds
   - planting depth and spacing
   - days to harvest
   - and even some fun tips for each veggie!
• And since it's postcard size - I included some lines for an address and space for postage so you can send it to your favorite gardening friends!

*Find your first and last frost dates by zip code here: almanac.com/content/frost-chart-united-states

Get your set here!

P.S. For those that have asked, yes, I'm working on more! Set two is almost finished up & features herbs that every garden should have and the next set is all about flowers, followed up with more vegetables. I'll keep you posted on the release dates of those & how my temporary shop closing will affect that but I hope to have the entire collection ready this fall - just in time for next year's gardening season. Stay tuned!

Jun 19, 2015

Garden Salads - so many options

~ Originally posted at Beautifully Rooted 5/2012 ~

br-salads

Well hello again, friends! I'm back today and have some easy salad ideas for you.

My husband is quite the gardener which means we have tons of produce growing in our backyard! This happens to be my favorite time of the year for our garden because we have lettuces, spinach, onions, radishes and other greens ready to pick each evening and I love salads!

Since we have a surplus of greens right now, we eat salads nearly twice a day but that doesn't mean we eat the same thing every day. I have to mix it up and love getting a little creative with our salads.

One of my favorite things to put in a salad are fruits. Strawberries and feta cheese are one of my favorite combos, not to mention, grapes paired with blue cheese! Anyway, if you're looking for some salad inspiration, I'm sharing some of my favorites today.

First up, lunch ideas.

Cranberries and Feta
cranradishfeta

Ingredients:
mixed greens
thinly sliced radishes
sliced green onions - white and green parts
dried cranberries
crumbled feta cheese

Blue and Purple
bluecheesegrapes

Ingredients:
mixed greens
halved grapes
chopped walnuts
crumbled blue cheese

Veggie Max
carrotcadofeta

Ingredients:
mixed greens
grated carrots
diced avocado
sliced green onions - white and green parts
crumbled feta cheese

Northern Bean Salad
beansalad

Ingredients:
mixed greens
top it with bean salad, recipe here, but I didn't add rice or cumin

Now for dinner salads. You can take any of the above, or make your own combo of fruits, veggies, cheeses and/or nuts and throw in some protein. I like topping it with grilled chicken, prepared chicken salad or even adding hard boiled eggs.

chickenstrips

I also LOVE adding fried goat cheese to a salad.

goatcheese

As for dressings, my favorites are poppyseed and balsamic vinaigrette, you can get my easy vinaigrette recipe here.

I hope these inspire you in some way! I'd love to hear your favorite salad combos.






Jun 8, 2015

The Love Project Fundraiser


Happy Monday you guys!!! I am so excited and honored to share some news with you today.

My sister, Ashley, has been working on a beautiful project with Meredith and the good people of Morning Star and today they announced the launch of the LOVE project.

In short, the LOVE project has been created to raise funding for life-saving surgeries for children born with congenital heart disease. Children who, if their parents cannot afford the surgeries, are likely to end up abandoned and orphaned in hopes that the orphanage can save the child's life. I can't even imagine that kind of reality. You can find more about it on her blog post here.
 


In efforts to raise money for those life-saving surgeries, Morning Star has launched the LOVE Fund. Several artist's, many I am blessed to call real life friends, have designed and donated a one-of-a-kind print (for immediate download) to the LOVE project shop.

Artist's include:




When you purchase one of the designs, not only do you get a beautiful print to hang in your home or gift to a friend, you are also making a donation to the LOVE project fund as all proceeds go directly to Morning Star for the LOVE project. Win-Win!!




My sister also shared some of the cutest ways to use the designs in non-print format by printing with different options through Mpix.com. Check out her post to see them as magnets, folded cards, gift tags and more.

Oh, and! I shared a sneak peek on instagram, @lesleyzellers, of a print I was working on a while back and I finally get to share the final piece here. Many asked if it is the print would be available in my shop. The answer is no. But! You can get it over at the LOVE project shop today!



Before I end, I have to say how incredibly proud I am of my sister. Ashely, you are an inspiration to me and I am so thankful to have you in my life. You encourage me to love big, dream big, fight for those that can't and walk in faith and courage. So thank you, sister. I love you and pray blessings upon blessings for sharing your voice to fight for family preservation and orphan prevention. I love you.

How exciting is this?! Please, go check out the LOVE project shop. Get a print for yourself, buy another for your mom, maybe even another for your friend's wedding! I encourage you to join the fundraiser and be part of a community saying yes to family preservation!

design by Fancy That Design House