Irises, Cat proofing the garden, and new projects

 Hi guys! I have been busy lately..and not a lot of pics to show what I was up to! In the garden the irises are blooming..they smell wonderful.

These are ones that I transplanted from my husband's Gramma's garden In SD a few years ago. 

 Gramma Minnie was a wonderful lady and lived to 104. I felt like she was my gramma too!

 Her irises seem to like living in TN. I guess that is why they are the state flower. I am glad I transplanted them. I feel like I have a piece of her still with us.

 These yellow ones weren't from her garden, but pretty nonetheless.

 I have raised beds in my gardens and have had issues with our lazy outdoor cats treating them like their personal litterboxes (ewww)I surfed the web for answers and tried this this year. Plastic garden fencing from Lowes. It comes on a roll. I got a large one for $35 ish bucks. It did all my beds. I just drilled a few screws into the bed edges and hooked the plastic on. I have already folded it back off the tomatoes and peppers when they started growing through it.

 I used newspaper to deter the cats after I folded the netting back.

 I just laid it right over the top of the peas and beans that were not planted in raised beds. I have since removed them from the peas and have added them to a framework over the top of them to act as a bit of light shade.

 I planted the squash and watermelons in my former tomato cages. I wanted something for them to climb on. We'll see how these turn out!

 These are the latest in my Etsy shop. These are reproduction enamelware that I have added waterslide decals onto.

 I also made canisters. I wanted them to look like the old French ones I am too poor/cheap to buy!

 I did them in red..

 a blue that I matched to old transferware that I have..

 and black..always a classic.

 I also did some pitchers and have some wallpockets waiting for my attention. I spent last week ripping tile off the walls and floors in my bathroom. We have it almost replaced with new floor tile and beadboard wainscotting. I'll take pix when it's done! I spent most of this week tearing my antique booths apart..taking 75% of the things out and putting new old things in. We have the HWY 11 yard sale in Sweetwater this weekend and I have space that I plan to fill with things lurking in my sheds and house that are too big for my booth and things clearance priced. I hope it doesn't rain! It has rained almost every day for the last 2 weeks..craziness. I need an ark! I have also been working on painting projects and I hope to have more pics soon..check back! Til then! Julia