Crafty DIY : Decking Lavender Boxes

EnthusedMonkey is back online! Whoop whoop! Apologies for the radio silence, but the energy has returned and summer projects are back in the groove. I'm pleased to say that there are lots of garden ideas coming this way, crafty DIY for indoors and out. as well as a few recipes for those sweet summer evenings. Now that the sun has finally broken through in the UK, what better way to celebrate than with a DIY for some homemade lavender beds? Made out of leftover deck wood! Bring on that sunshine!

This DIY uses up your old cut offs of decking and does not take too long providing you have access to a trusty 'chief holder' (my job) and somebody else (patient other half) to screw all the sides in whilst you're doing a grand job of holding it all together. Cut six bits of deck the same length (ours are 50cm) and four pieces for the sides (roughly 20cm depending on how deep you would like the boxes to be and to cover the depth of the base).

Assemble by screwing through the ends of the smaller pieces to the front and back and again with the two bits for the base tucked up inside. Complete by using two small pieces of deck (roughly 10x10cm) and place these underneath your planter. Screw down into these two pieces to stabilise the base and also to raise it off the ground for easy drainage.

To protect the wood from rotting, line with a length of plastic tarp and pierce the base with a knife to allow the water to drain. Fill with soil, pop your lavenders in (here we used three French lavender in each planter) and sprinkle a few stones or pebbles around the plants to keep in the moisture for the summer months (hugely optimistic I know). Finish up your hard work with a glass of wine in the sun. Job done.

Temporary Downtime

Sorry it's been a little quiet around here lately, my health has taken a temporary knock. But soon enough I will be pounding the pavements (with my feet not my hands, I've not lost my marbles) and beating up virtual opponants with my new Wii Fit boxing game and should be back on my feet in no time. There's lots to show you in the garden and with a big birthday heading this way, lots of adventures on the cards too. Hope to see you all soon.

No Need For Words

Creativity Challenge

I have not drawn or painted a picture in a long time. But I have great plans. Like for example, I have a metre squared frame that periodically gets updated with a new painting inside. This year, I would like to paint meadow flowers to cheer up a spot on the stairs, or a dark, haunting foggy scene to add to the hallway but I have been putting it off because I'm worried it will turn out badly, like it's been so long that my hands won't remember what to do.

But recently, during a craft night, I made myself sit down and draw. Yeah. Not to be melodramatic or anything, but it was a little scary and the first few sketches turned out a little bit crap. But I kept going and soon I was really enjoying myself. The shapes became more identifiable and gave me a little more confidence. My hands slowly remembered how to blend. These nudes didn't exactly turn out to be Degas-esque, but by gum, it was fun creating them from memory. I'm working on the other half to get his kit off and let me do some life sketching next. Like any man needs an excuse.

So if you have been putting something off for a while, here's my advice. Just get on with it. It's much less scary once you start. And you might even get to see a naked man to brighten your day. Hooray!

New Cake Stand

My new favourite thing (other than the cumbersome bunny break dancing) is this little gem - a glass cake stand from Ikea. I was looking for one in charity shops throughout all of Kent, but Ikea came up trumps and I was won over. How did I last this long without it? Most of our friends have them on the work top and I drawl each time we visit. Now we have our own!

What a treat to wheel her out when we have guests over whether it's for post dinner dessert or merely a bum fight for leftovers with a cup of tea, it feels truly decadent. Be warned though - once the glass dome reveals only crumbs it doesn't half give you an excuse to fill it up again. You need to hone your will power to enjoy such a provoking piece.

No Need For Words

Recipe : Garlic Dough Balls

Homemade garlic dough balls. Where do I begin? Well for starters, I’d like to thank the delectable Pizza Express for their inspiration. Who can resist their dough balls as a starter when visiting? Then, great thanks go out to Lawrence Dallaglio (true, it is quite bizarre that I should be thanking a rugby player, but he the man) for his recipe I found online that formed the basis of this here recipe. These are simply scrumptious and a good fun starter for any meal. Good fun to make, good fun to eat, good for getting the kids involved, good fun, no word of a lie.

These are best served straight from the oven so that the butter mouth wateringly melts (although they are also pretty good the day after with a quick blast of heat, also good to freeze) and they need an hour for the dough to rise, so work back from when  your guests will be ready to settle down. You can make the garlic butter the day before so that the flavours are fully absorbed. These are pretty easy, they will quickly become a simple go-to recipe when you want to impress, but don’t have the time. And did I mention fun? Oh and remember to knead the dough for the magic number - 500 times. A little tip my talented bread guru cousin taught me and it works wonders!