Happy Monday! It’s time for my weekly edition of Zinnias, Tomatoes and Monday Musings. Today’s topic: My New Etsy Shop.
Thanks for being here!
Zinnias, Tomatoes and Monday Musings 3.4.24
Zinnias, Tomatoes and Monday Musings is a peek at retired life in our country home and garden. Each Monday I share a favorite story (this week’s topic is My New Etsy Shop) and a few highlights from the previous week. Plus, what Bill and I have been doing at home, in the garden and out & about. I also share some of what’s on my weekly to do list and calendar as I look forward to the upcoming week.
My New Etsy Shop
It’s official! My new Etsy Shop is open for business.
If you know anything about me, you know these two things: 1. I love all things country garden and 2. I love hunting for vintage treasures.
So, I’m launching an Esty shop to share my love of both with you.
To get the ball rolling, I’ve added two items to my shop. Both are prints made from vintage seed catalogs.
I shared the photo below when I first found the vintage seed catalog prints and have had lots of requests to make prints available for you to order. So, I did it!
The blackberry print featured above is the vintage seed catalog original and the dahlia print is a poster-sized print I made from the original.
The prints available in my Etsy shop are a happy medium, 11″ x 17″, and printed in full beautiful vintage color on high quality paper. All you need to do is add a frame that matches your home’s style.
You can check out my new Etsy shop here. Also, be sure to follow my shop so that you receive notices when new items are added.
Zinnias and Tomatoes
Let’s chat Zinnias and Tomatoes (aka my flower garden and Bill’s vegetable garden).
March has arrived and gardening season is upon us. Hallelujah!
Our focus this past week has been getting our cool season garden underway, we’re in gardening zone 7a and our last frost is April 15. Cool season gardening begins around March 1 for us each year. (Find your zone here.)
Our Country Garden
I planted Sweet Peas on my trellises last weekend and Bachelor’s Buttons in my herb and flower bed in the backyard. Bill also planted a few sweet peas in the vegetable garden, as well as Nasturtiums.
The real story is our spring vegetable garden. I helped Bill get my favorite potatoes in the ground, Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Bill did the rest. He has beets, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, all kinds of greens, peas and more already planted.
Want to learn more about starting your spring vegetable garden? I’m sharing a few tips and a list of our favs on the blog: How to Start your Spring Vegetable Garden Early
Monday Musings
Lately on Instagram I’ve shared that I have been eating more plants since the start of the year AND I’ve had lots of questions about my reasons for changing my diet. The short answer is I watched the Netflix series titled Live to 100: The Secrets of the Blue Zones and I found it so interesting that I decided to conduct a bit of an experiment on myself.
Let me explain.
The Blue Zones
The Blue Zones are communities around the world marked by a higher-than-average number of centenarians, people that live to the age of 100 that live strong and vibrant lives.
Sounds good to me!
So, I decided to follow the Blue Zones recommended diet (which is mostly plant-based) and see how I feel. Plus, I have an appointment in May to have my blood work done to see if my plant-based diet has any impact on my numbers.
I can tell you that since I started my new eating plan in mid-January, I have lost a little over 10 pounds, I sleep so much better, and my energy has skyrocketed. Not bad for about six weeks of eating a plant-centered diet!
I’ll keep you updated.
Dining Alfresco
Have you been outside this season to have a meal? It is good for the soul.
As soon as the weather changes and we have our first glimpse at spring weather, I love to head outside for a meal.
This past week, Bill and I have been eating dinner on the back porch most evenings. Midge loves joining us. It’s a perfect spot for her to watch the deer and wait patiently for a little snack. It’s also the perfect spot for a glass a wine as the sunsets.
We also picked up lunch from Chipotle (great plant-based options) last week and headed to our local botanical gardens. It was so relaxing, sitting at a picnic table, enjoying time together as we ate lunch and then strolling around the gardens.
I can’t wait to go back and see the gardens in full bloom…I might even take a few photos next time.
The Week Ahead
I’m heading to lunch today to meet up with one of my friends that has an Etsy shop. I’m excited to see her and to learn from her. You can check out her shop, Passed Loves, here.
I also just made a list of some of the things I’d like to accomplish this week including items needed to begin working on my porch project that I shared here in a blog post.
And, I do have an appointment this week…the dentist! Not my favorite thing to do, but I know that the health of our gums and teeth is very important. I actually have my teeth cleaned three times a year.
Cheers to retired life, and as always, happy gardening!
x Penny Pennington Weeks
Previous Editions
The Good Life: Zinnias, Tomatoes, and Monday Musings, 2.26.24
Vintage Loves Times Two: Zinnias, Tomatoes, and Monday Musings, 2.19.24
The Start of Something New: Zinnias, Tomatoes, and Monday Musings, 2.12.24
Enjoying your blog,and the posters are beautiful. I took a trip to our local antique mall o er the weekend. Found a treasure or two. Made me smile ☺ Have a good week.
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog and dropping me a note. I love antique malls. So glad you found a few treasures!
Hi Penny,
Thanks for sharing in your blog posts. Have just enjoyed so much reading about the flowers and the vegetable planting. Cute blog name too.
Also, your trial run of more plant-based eating. I’m always trying to get more protein and it’s good to know that you have great energy levels even just eating basically plants.
I enjoy watching Midge too, she is adorable.
I’m going to go take a look at your new Etsy shop… The posters are beautiful.
Have a great week, and again, thanks for sharing all your tips and how you’re navigating through a wonderful, retired life.
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog and for sharing your thoughts…it’s great getting a little feedback and knowing that someone is reading my post.
The plant-based eating has been surprisingly good! Although I do miss cheese, I don’t really miss the meat. And I’m eating beans once a day to get a bit of protein. So far, so good. I’ll be sure to share updates.
Have a great day! Cheers to retired life.