Vintage planters glam up the garden

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Flower pots, whether plain or custom painted, are so nice to have out on the porch, or in the yard. And there are so many kinds of containers to enjoy, from thrifted finds to high-end stone. One thing is certain: flower pots can add to, or detract from, the style of your house. Make sure that your choice of flower pots matches the stye of your house. Modern house equals modern flower pots. French Country house equals vintage flower pots. Right? Right.

Fortunately, blogger Courtney from French Country Cottage (a great DIY painter near San Francisco) curated a collection of vintage flower pots that she loves. Many of the pots that she chose are not even pots at all. Instead, they are cleverly used random vintage objects that have a whole lot of style and a whole lot of personality. Are you ready to check out some of Courtney's vintage picks? OK, let's roll! (Or, head over to Hometalk.com to see Courtney's whole Vintage Planters clipboard.)

The junk garden wheelbarrow: What do you get when you combine a big old vintage wheelbarrow with two big galvanized steel tubs full of pretty flowers? You get something special. All you need is some Thomson's water seal to preserve the chippy finish of an old-fashioned wheelbarrow. If you love this project and can't find a vintage wheelbarrow, feel free to faux finish a new one with a chippy paint job.

The vintage bicycle planter: This is Courtney's own project, and it is a lovely one. Affix two vintage baskets to an old bicycle, one in front and one in back. The bike can be rusty and in disrepair, since you're only using it for decoration. Plant flowers in the baskets. Lean the bike against a tree or something to make it look really spontaneous.

The vintage kettle garden: One of my favorite Canadians generated this idea, Donna from Funky Junk Interiors. This fantastic DIY remodeler turned her vintage kettle collection into funky planters by, um, planting herbs in them. The visual impact of a collection of planters is stronger than a single planter, but a single kettle could look great grouped with other vintage planters.

What's the weirdest thing you have used as a planter? Mine is an old toilet bowl. One, two, three, comments, GO!

Chaya Kurtz writes for Networx.com.

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Oliver Garden reviewer Marilyn Hagerty is back with a new book a bit of cynicism

Remember Marilyn Hagerty, the food reviewer who waxed on poetically about Olive Garden's chicken Alfredo, crisp greens and "two long, warm breadsticks?"  

It's been a year since her original review ran in the North Dakotoa's Grand Forks Herald, creating an Internet sensation.  And what a year Hagerty's had.   

The 86-year-old columnist, after 30 years of churning out copy on truck stop food and fast food joints in relative obscurity, has been catapulted to food critic fame.  She's judged an episode of “Top Chef,” been awarded the Al Neuharth Award for excellence in journalism, dined with chef royalty at Le Bernardin and got a book deal from Harper Collins under Anthony Bourdain’s imprint, Ecco.

Now that book, called Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 100 Reviews, is set to be released in August.

Hagerty told New York's Daily News that restaurant reviews were the furthest thing from her mind when she started writing them.

“Starting a restaurant review in the lifestyle section — where I was editor — seemed like a good way to attract male readers who usually go to sports first and fling the rest of the newspaper in a heap.” 

Hagerty says she's found her foodie stardom has given her a new view on the food at Olive Garden and the media world in general.  To commemorate the one year anniversary of her article, published in the Grand Forks Herald, Hagerty wrote:

"The food is predictable, down to the four or five black olives you find in the salad bowl. The vegetable soup is hearty and satisfying. Children are well-treated with color crayons and choices including a little cup of grapes as one of the side dishes."

She adds: "No longer a novelty in Grand Forks, the Olive Garden has settled in."

I guess she has too.

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