Hello and Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a grand weekend! We had proud parent moments watching our son in his piano recital, followed by back-breaking yard work. I am so covered with bug bites I had to verify with my mom that I’ve had the chicken pox. But having the backyard ready for pool season is worth it. I think.
During most of my visits to the hardware store, I wander down the spraypaint aisle to see if any new colors or products have been released. I’m not sure if it’s new, but Rustoleum’s Specialty Farm Equipment line recently caught my eye. Since it’s meant for outdoor machinery that is subjected to serious wear-and-tear, not to mention the elements, I figured I was safe to try it on outdoor flower pots, too.
I grabbed an interesting looking succulent, a can of paint in ‘John Deere Yellow’, and one of the many Ikea ceramic pots floating around my house.
After taping off the top portion, I covered the pots with three light coats of paint. It has a super high-gloss finish, giving it a hard lacquered look. I’m crazy for the intense yellow hue, and this line touts it’s excellent color retention, so it shouldn’t fade under the sun’s rays.
My succulent love-affair continues…I have no idea what variety these are, I choose based on shapes I like. The bottoms of the pots are lined with rocks to provide some drainage.
These sweet pots are adding so much sunshine to our backyard. And yep, they’re sitting on my new potting bench I posted about here. Hoping to get the rest of it put together and I’ll show you soon.
And in other news, the 2-year anniversary of Hi Sugarplum has snuck up on me! I can’t believe this thing, started as a hobby and creative outlet, has become such a huge part of my life. And that’s because of you guys! I treasure the relationships I’ve formed, the opportunities I’ve had, and all I’ve learned from this amazing, giving, and accepting community. *”Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya”* I kid. I’m so grateful that you stop by, even if you just lurk.
I realize this forum doesn’t lend itself to much of a two-way conversation, so I thought I’d open things up to you. Do you have any questions for me, bloggy, personal or otherwise? Projects or post topics you’d like to see covered or shown more often? The sky is the limit, I promise to try and answer all the questions, unless they’re oogie. Well, some oogie questions might be fun. This feels highly narcissistic, but I love getting to know the real people behind the blogs I love, so I’m hoping maybe you do, too. So come on, open the flood gates! Leave your questions in the comments, or shoot me an email. Or make me feel like a total chump and leave me nothing. Your choice. 🙂
great idea! pinning this now 🙂 we have a few pots i'd like to spruce up! xoxo jillian:: don't miss my $50 NOVICA giveaway!
Love the pots! Happy Blog Anniversary (I missed mine a few weeks back). Wish you lived closer, we could compare bug bites, bruises and whine together about muscles we didn't know we had..yes, spent the ENTIRE weekend in the back yard prepping for our daughter's grad party!!
This might be kind of meta, but maybe you could blog about your tips for bloggers – especially ones hoping to take the jump into accepting ads!
Happy anniversary!
http://www.voyage-on.blogspot.com
Beautifull!!!
Kisses
Cimara
Love the pots! They are so fun!
The pots are darling…so cheerful!! And Happy 2 Years!! 😉
Love your sunny little pots! I saw that spray paint the other day at the store & just ruled it out considering I am not a farmer…LOL But smart idea it will hold well outside!
Love the pots, Cassie!! I'd love to know how you balance work, your home life, and a blog.
Cute pots! I like Amanda's question – girl how on Earth do you do it?! I barely eek by and I don't work outside the home full time!
Happy blog-iversary! Have you ever shown us your master bedroom? I'd love to see it! Oh, and what are some other lesser-seen rooms in your house?
Happy 2 years! I love reading your blog and you do an amazing job! I would love to hear any tips you might have for us newbies to blogging too! 🙂
I love the cute little flower pots. So happy and cheerful. Happy two year blogaversary!
I (like some others mentioned) would like to know how you do it all? I have a 10 month old son, work full time outside the home, have a husband, a cat and a to do list 1 million miles long! My poor blog gets neglected as do many other things. What's your secret? This first time mom needs to know!!!
Love the pots! I've been looking for something to do to liven our front porch pots up a bit!
Those pots are so colorful-just like your blog! I've been looking at your kitchen remodel lately and would love to know more about the resurfacing of your cabinets. Maybe a round about monetary figure to give us an idea of what to expect. Thanks so much!
Ooh, I'd seen that type of spray paint around. I was wondering how it looked *on* something. Thanks so much for sharing, Cassie! (Of course, now I'm thinking that black and yellow bee striped pots would be funny.)
Such cute yellow-dipped pots! So how much time do you actually spend blogging- the editing photos and drafting each post? I've loved from the start how witty and smart your posts are. How do you stay in shape without working out and while eating Mexican food?? Do you plan your posts in advance or draft the night before? Ever thought about doing online design boards or interior design as a career? I think people would go crazy for your style.
I can't even stand the cuteness of those pots!!! I desperately need to get me some succulents and this DIY just gave me the kick in the pants that I needed! ADORE. And I'm with Megan, how the *heck* do you stay looking so fabulous??? I'm more than a little jeals of your great style, so if you want to do more outfit posts, I wouldn't be mad. Just sayin'. (c:
I love these adorable little pots!! I'll have to check out that outdoor spray paint; haven't seen it before!
Ok so my question is how you balance your time- do you have a set schedule for when you do a blog post and how long you'll spend, how long you'll spend answering comments, commenting on other blogs, etc?
Oh and who's your celebrity crush? (haha, just cause I like getting to know other bloggers too!) 🙂
Happy Anniversary! You are a daily read for this bloggin' newbie. Thanks for the inspiration – and I need all your blogging tips!
Love your blog – daily!
I love peeking into other people's lives (in a non-creepy way). It's kind of like when you take a walk at night, you like to look into people's windows to see how they decorate! I agree – I'd like to know how you do it all (kids, FT work, house projects. How you stay in shape. How you keep the house clean – outside help?, favorite cleaning products, any cleaning tips? Thanks for the fun!
You have mentioned having a day job? What is it??? I have always wondered if it is a boring job like mine or something exciting and fantastic. Do tell….
I don't have a question, but I certainly didn't want you to feel like a chump, so I'm just going to wish you a Happy Anniversary and thank you for writing a blog that keeps me coming back for more! You do a really good job.
Sister! I'll see your bug-bites and raise you a hellraiser sunburn 🙂 I dig the *John Deere Yellow* – only you could rock that this hard!!
Happy Anniversary!
love these! saw some neon pink ones on pinterest and glad to see you made them look so great!! happy blogiversary dear!
Love the pots! Question: did your blog improve over time? I started mine a few months ago, and most of the time I think it kind of sucks. Wondering if I should go all-in or scrap the whole thing!
Love the pots – you have a way of making simple things look fabulous! I'm curious as to what your day job is, too. And if you could give it up to blog full-time would you? Or do you love it so much you don't want to give it up.
Cassie, I love your blog and am a daily reader! Like some others asked, how do you do it all? Maybe you could walk us through a typical day. Also, what camera do you use? Thanks!
Try purslane in those planters! TX native (north TX), arid plant, loves neglect, blooms like crazy, and (ta-dah!) is very very high in Omega 3's so can add to a salad for a bit of variety. A spicy green tasty tidbit!
Hey there! Just had a quick question about the potting bench turned bar. I actually just bought that and was wondering how it holds up outside in the weather. Do you keep yours covered or add a sealant to it? Thanks!
Hi! We do keep the bench outside, but it's covered (except for blowing rain) 🙂 At the beginning over each season, I do hose it down…and I've used some oil on it once, just to breathe new life. It's the outdoor furniture oil from World Market…the bottle will last you forever! Hope this helps!