Blondes that DIY Blog

In case you haven't heard, I started a new blog on May 9, 2014. It's my Blondes that DIY blog! That is actually my fourth Google blog. You know, it wasn't until August 19th that I started to engage on my new blog to do my second post. I started out with a cup of coffee, so to speak, prepared on my Bella One Scoop One Cup Coffee Maker!

Blondes that DIY blog

As of August 30th, I have published some 118 blog posts. The last article is about probably the largest scale do it yourself project I have taken to date! Using a Corona 18 inch razor tooth hand saw, I spent 14 consecutive weeks sawing the up to 50 foot limbs on the 9 crepe myrtle trees that line the back of my property. Boy oh boy, was that ever one heck of a DIY project!!

Squidoo Burp : Nothing to see here!

For me, it is a transitional time. I was a lensmaster on Squidoo for 8.5 years! Wow, pinch me. I can't believe it is over. I am sitting here at my desk gazing out at those trimmed crepe myrtle trees and wondering, "when will my Squidoo lenses transfer to HubPages?" I've set up a new profile there, Julie Ann Brady on HubPages, and am waiting for my 100 lenses to transfer as hubs. Right now, there is "nothing to see here ... yet" on HP!

UPDATE: Well, on September 4, 2014, my 100 lenses transferred over to HubPages as hubs. Because I was busy the first day removing a few, the accolades only recorded 50 lenses published and featured. Within a little over the first week, I had the 10,000 views accolade appearing on my profile. Fast forward to October 3rd at 6:30pm. I removed my final hubs that remained there and repurposed those to my JaguarJulie Blog! Right after I deleted the last one, HubPages took back several accolades that they had awarded - 50 hubs published, 50 hubs featured, 10,000 views! Squidoo never did that. Gosh, HP is rather like an indian giver or something. Taking back something that you earned through your hard work!!

I Love Blogging!

I have been a Google Blogger since December 2004. Wow, can you believe that? Ten years. What is the anniversary gift for ten years? I sure hope Google continues their blogging platform a little longer.

Do It Yourself!

Opting to add more content to my blogs, you can say I am embracing the concept of "do it yourself." I hope you enjoy my new blog and take a moment to say "Hello!" Now that things are winding down and then back up for a lot of peeps, I hope our friendships continue onward as we reach this fork in the road. And, I look forward to also forging new friendships.

Be Authentic!

I guess I need to say this again; i.e., be authentic, be original, be YOU. Don't try to be somebody else or take somebody else's copyrighted images and content to use. Content scraping is not a noble profession.

My DIY Garden of Sunflowers at 72 Days

It has been 72 days since I planted all those harvested sunflower seeds in my second DIY garden of sunflowers. Those 72 days have encompassed a lot of hours of my time tending to my sunflower garden. Early on, I spent 21 consecutive days covering my emerging seedlings to protect them from digging critters.

Looking out from my home office window, I am thankful of all the time I spent nurturing that garden.

My Second DIY Garden of Sunflowers at 72 Days ~ JaguarJulie
View out my Home Office Window
Photo Taken: May 25, 2014

From my home office, I can see a number of the beautiful sunflower blossoms. Pretty soon, I expect to see a lot more sunshine as all the plants are with buds. Some of the taller plants have multiple buds up and down the stem.

SUNFLOWER PLANTS OVER SIX FOOT

Ten days ago, at the 62nd day measurement of sunflower plant height, I reported three plants had attained 59 inches in height.

My Second DIY Garden of Sunflowers at 72 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 25, 2014

Today, I measured one sunflower plant at 78 inches. That is nearly 20 inches of growth in 10 days; wow, 2 inches per day!! Remarkable. You can see that the plants have been getting a lot of water because the leaves near the bottom of the stems are yellow. I have been watering them more recently because I did a second treatment of Kgro All-Purpose 24-8-16 Water Soluble Plant Food. I originally did my first plant food treatment on the 42nd day.

My Second DIY Garden of Sunflowers at 72 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 25, 2014

CHARTING THE PLANT GROWTH

1. 23 days - 6 inches wide by 7 inches across by 6 inches tall = 0.5 ft.
2. 30 days - 9 inches wide by 10 inches across by 12 inches tall = 1 ft.
3. 37 days - 11 inches wide by 13 inches across by 18 inches tall = 1.5 ft.
4. 42 days - 24 inches tall = 2 ft.
5. 51 days - 38 inches tall = 3 ft. 2 in.
6. 56 days - 49 inches tall = 4 ft. 1 in.
7. 62 days - 3 plants at 59 inches tall = 4 ft. 11 in.
8. 65 days - 2 plants at 63 inches; 1 plant at 66 inches tall = 5 ft. 6 in.
9. 70 days - 2 plants at 73 inches; 3 plants at 74 inches = 6 ft. 2 in.
10. 72 days - 9 plants over 72 inches; 1 plant at 78 inches tall  = 6 ft. 6 in.

My Second DIY Garden of Sunflowers at 72 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 25, 2014

SUNFLOWER POSTAGE

I think a neat part-time opportunity would be to design postage stamps for the United States Post Office! Hey, wait! I believe I already did that in my Zazzle shop.

BACKYARD GARDENER CONTRIBUTOR AT SQUIDOO

You might have already heard that on May 4th, I became the Backyard Gardener Contributor at Squidoo! This time of year, I am pretty immersed in my backyard gardens and particularly in my sunflower garden. That means, I don't have a lot of discretionary time for my writing. That's OK! I'd really rather be working that green thumb of mine out in the garden than at the keyboard.

My mom keeps asking me why I haven't been contacted to work for some large Home and Garden company to help them in their online presence. Because I have been a sort of brand ambassador for Burpee Gardens, always promoting Burpee Sunflower Seeds, I was thinking that would be a great company with which to work!

BLONDES THAT DIY

Another niche that I have launched is Blondes that DIY -- you know, blondes that do-it-yourself? Living in Jacksonville, Florida has allowed me to seriously explore that niche. And, more so lately since I am a single senior gal. Since my divorce in November 2010, I've found that I seriously NEED to learn how to DIY more things around the house. And, you know what? I have surprised myself along the way.

Are you a blonde that can seriously DIY? Hey, let's hear from you! Don't be shy.

Beautiful Early Sunflower Blossoms

It is equal time for the other beautiful sunflower blossoms that are blooming in my sunflower garden at 66 days. My first blossom was a dainty yellow one that arrived on Wednesday, May 14th. It was followed the next day, May 15th, by another dainty blossom, but with autumn or fall colors.

Today, I have already written one blog post to put the spotlight on that ah moment of the first autumn beauty sunflower blossom of 2014. It is a beauty and some of the photos were over the top; the best sunflower photos on the planet according to Bonnie! Thanks Bonnie ... us #blondesthatdiy have got it seriously going on ... Yes?!

I can honestly say that I have started to lose track of the emerging blossoms; i.e., which was third, fourth. There are so many magnificent sunflower buds in various stages of growth - so many different shapes and sizes and styles, much like fingerprints in that no two are alike.

CHECK OUT THESE BEAUTIES

Here are unedited beautiful sunflower blossom pictures direct from my Jacksonville Florida sunflower garden. These are the early sunflower blossoms ... which show what  variety you can have! By the way, thanks for enjoying my sunflower blossoms ... PLEASE DO NOT STEAL my original photography!

Pretty Yellow-Orange Sunflower Blossom

Pretty Yellow-Orange-Brown Sunflower Blossom

Pretty Yellow-Orange-Brown Sunflower Blossom

Pretty Yellow-Red-Orange Sunflower Blossom
JaguarJulie Hand with Pucci-licious Color Club Poptastic Nail Polish

Pretty Yellow Sunflower Blossom
JaguarJulie Hand with Pucci-licious Color Club Poptastic Nail Polish

Pretty Yellow-Orange Sunflower Blossom

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Are you impressed by all the variety that has been achieved with these beautiful early sunflower blossoms? I mean, aren't you surprised that sunflowers can have so many different types and colors of blossoms? Look at all the vivid colors. Look at the shape of the flower petals. There is a lot of artistic stuff going on there ... all thanks seriously to Mother Nature and to Burpee sunflower seeds. I thank Burpee for my fifteen minutes of fame.

May I recommend you try:

• Burpee 47902 Sunflower Autumn Beauty Mix Seed Packet
• Burpee Flower All Summer Sunflower Cutting Garden Simple Solutions Seed Packet

P.S. Do check out my unsolicited product review of Burpee Sunflower Seeds and my DIY Garden. And, then take a look at my story about My DIY Garden of Sunflowers. I must tell you that I am one of those Blondes that DIY - that's the new blog with the hashtag of #blondesthatdiy.

First Autumn Beauty Sunflower of 2014

Over the past couple of days, I have been charting a particular blossom in my sunflower garden. Waiting for it to emerge. It isn't on the tallest plant, but it is on one of the plants which grew from the seedlings which some critter originally dug up. The first autumn beauty sunflower of 2014 has made its appearance ... and it is true to its name; it is a BEAUTY!

CHARTING THE ARRIVAL

First Autumn Beauty Sunflower as a Bud

First Autumn Beauty Sunflower as a Bud Opening

First Autumn Beauty Sunflower as a Bud Opening

First Autumn Beauty Sunflower as a Bud Opening

First Autumn Beauty Sunflower Blossom of 2014

I am normally out in my sunflower garden first thing in the morning, then mid-day, and finally in the evening. And, I am taking pictures ... lots of pictures. Especially when I see such a beauty as this blossom!

If you move back a little and look at the autumn beauty sunflower, it might not look so impressive.

First Autumn Beauty Sunflower Blossom of 2014

Where is that blossom in the sunflower garden? Why, it is front and center in the fourth row. Look!

First Autumn Beauty Sunflower Blossom of 2014

Hey, it doesn't look like much does it? Well, I got to see a couple of photos of that first autumn beauty sunflower blossom that blew me away. I had an artistic moment where it made me feel so infused with inspiration. I think my blood pressure went up a bit ... I had to reach out to a fellow artist to share my moment. She told me that she feels like that every day and that I should take a walk.

THE ARTSY SUNFLOWER BLOSSOM

First of all, my photos have not been edited or retouched. These are exactly as I took them. Here are the two photos that seemed to pop today for me. I had stooped down to take a photo of the emerging autumn beauty sunflower against the pretty blue sky of Jacksonville, Florida. I snapped these two photos one after the other.

First Artsy Autumn Beauty Sunflower Blossom of 2014

First Artsy Autumn Beauty Sunflower Blossom of 2014

There actually are a few more photos before and after these two; however, those also captured some other bits of nature in the background in addition to the pretty blue sky. These two artsy shots look too good to be natural shots! Well, at least for me and my FujiFilm FinePix V10 digital camera. I seriously need a better camera so that more of my shots will be like these two ... and then I will have more of those inspiring moments that make me go, "AH!"

ARTSY SUNFLOWER BLOSSOM CLOSE-UP

It's a close-up view of that pretty first autumn beauty sunflower of 2014.

First Autumn Beauty Sunflower Blossom Close-Up of 2014

Have I convinced you yet to want to try and grow your own sunflowers from seeds? Today my garden is on its 66th day! Yesterday, on the 65th day, I measured several plants at 63 inches with the tallest already 66 inches! How about that? I have Burpee Gardens to thank for those terrific seeds.

May I recommend you try:

• Burpee 47902 Sunflower Autumn Beauty Mix Seed Packet
• Burpee Flower All Summer Sunflower Cutting Garden Simple Solutions Seed Packet

P.S. Do check out my unsolicited product review of Burpee Sunflower Seeds and my DIY Garden. And, then take a look at my story about My DIY Garden of Sunflowers. I must tell you that I am one of those Blondes that DIY - that's the new blog with the hashtag of #blondesthatdiy.

Blown Away by all the Buds

Folks, I apologize for the catchy post title; however, that is the TRUTH! I have been watching one of my tall sunflower plants for a few days. It was maybe two days ago that I noticed something different from the other plants. This plant had a spectacular bud on top. But, it also had the little buds emerging along the stem of the plant. Take a look for yourself.

Sunflower Plant with Multiple Buds on Stem ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 15, 2014

Here is another view of the multiple budded sunflower plant!

Sunflower Plant with Multiple Buds on Stem ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 15, 2014

I find this so exciting ... that you will be seeing a sunflower blossom on top ... and along the stem! Hopefully, the weight of all those blossoms will help to steady the plant. Some of those heads can get to be quite heavy. I'll have to refresh my mind on my largest head from the 2013 sunflower garden. Hold on, while I check!

... OK, I'm back! I found in my June 9, 2013 blog post about harvesting seeds from the heads that I had a weight of 4.5 ounces on one of the heads and that my largest head actually weighed 8 ounces! Many of the sunflower heads were measuring in at around 4 ounces or more! So, doing the math, that stem could be supporting a pound or two! Holy smokes.

We are going to be keeping an eye on this particular sunflower plant. Check back in to see what develops. And, why not plant your own sunflower seeds and see what develops?? I'd love to see YOUR pictures!

My DIY Garden of Sunflowers at 62 Days

Reflecting back on some two months, it is incredible to see the growth in my second DIY garden of sunflowers! Take a look at the garden view you have grown accustomed to seeing!

My Second DIY Garden of Sunflowers at 62 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 15, 2014

I just took a break and went outside to get a measurement on plant height. I have three plants at 59 inches! That's nearly 5 ft. How about that? Fifty-nine inches at 62 days ... I wonder what will be the magic number when the height matches the days? Maybe 70??

My Second DIY Garden of Sunflowers at 62 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 15, 2014

There's that second view of the sunflower garden, a side view from my daisy garden. For some reason, those sunflower plants look taller!! And, one last view! It is the other side.

My Second DIY Garden of Sunflowers at 62 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 15, 2014

When you compare this growth to the first couple of pictures of this year's garden, you really see the difference! Then, when you compare it to last year's garden, you see the difference in amount of plants.

I was concerned that my sunflower plants were too close together; however, I think it might be a good thing. You see, yesterday we had a lot of windy weather. All the sunflowers were blowing to the West. Last year, when we had similar weather, some of the plants were bent over. This year, because of all the plants, they seem to be supporting each other with the wind, and cushioning the blows, so to speak.

I think it is a good thing to have so many plants. Sure, some of the plants are being shielded from the sun ... but, that's OK! I have plenty of taller sunflower plants with some spectacular buds!

WHY NOT GROW YOUR OWN?

Have I convinced you to want and try your own sunflower garden from seed? I am telling you that I am forever changed by a couple of packets of Burpee Sunflower Seeds! I mean, who seriously knew that sunflower seeds could change your life and bring you so much joy. I'm not kidding. Why not bring some joy into your life ... my secret? I am a very nurturing person who tends my garden every day. How about you?

First Sunflower Blossom of 2014

It finally happened! Yesterday, May 14th, we were at 61 days for our second DIY garden of sunflowers. That was quite the day! On May 12th, we wrote about how the bud was emerging into a yellow blossom. Then, two days later, I noticed that the yellow bud had finally opened to reveal itself. It's not one of those mammoth blossoms, but it still is quite pretty!

FIRST SUNFLOWER BLOSSOM OF 2014

The First Sunflower Blossom of 2014 ~ JaguarJulie
Arrived on May 14, 2014

What is really awesome about the location of that first sunflower blossom? Would you believe it is right in line with my view outside my home office window? I mean, when I look to my left, outside the adjacent window, I can see it!! It looks like this ...

The First Sunflower Blossom of 2014 ~ JaguarJulie
Arrived on May 14, 2014

It is really quite thrilling to finally have a blossom appear after nurturing this flower garden for 61 consecutive days! Much love and attention has gone into the garden; probably more attention than I spend on myself.

The other thrilling part about the whole thing happened on May 14th as well. After tending to my garden, I came inside, fixed myself a cup of dark-roasted Costa Rican coffee with my Bella One Cup coffee maker. And, then I came into my home office, opened the window and gazed out at that first sunflower blossom of 2014, and opened my inbox.

SQUIDOO LENS OF THE DAY

Holy Smokes! My DIY Garden of Sunflowers lens was being featured as the Squidoo Lens of the Day on May 14th - the same day I saw my first blossom. We just had a full moon; and the planets had aligned.

SECOND SUNFLOWER BLOSSOM OF 2014

It just keeps on keeping on ... today, May 15th, as I did my walk through of my garden, I spied the second blossom emerging!!

The Second Sunflower Blossom of 2014 ~ JaguarJulie
Arrived on May 15, 2014

This second sunflower blossom just happens to be an Autumn Beauty. You can see the pretty orange and reddish colors.

After all the traffic and attention my DIY Garden of Sunflowers lens received for being the lens of the day, today it jumped to the top spot of all my lenses, knocking out my formerly top page, Stuffed Cabbage : The Best Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ever!

Last, but not the least, I was thrilled to receive in the mail today, my signed copy of Kelli Ellis's Do I Look Skinny In This House? How to Feel Great In Your Home Using Design Psychology. It arrived in the knick of time for me to hurry up and get my skinny on!

What a day ... or two, eh?

Sunflower Buds at 52 days

In the morning of May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, I was doing my early morning mother hen walk through in my sunflower garden. Much to my surprise, FINALLY, I spotted the very first sunflower bud!! That meant I was seeing the very first bud at 52 days.

On May 4th, I was writing about how the sunflower plants were measuring 36-38 inches tall. However, it would take just one more day for a bud to be detected.

It is pretty exciting to see the buds because the sunflower blossoms are coming up next! I put together a little collage of the very FIRST buds! I didn't snap the photos until the next day.

The Very First Sunflower Buds at 52 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 6, 2014

Watching over the flower garden for the next couple of days, I lost track of which sunflower bud emerged next. It was getting to be pretty exciting.

SUNFLOWER HEIGHT MEASUREMENTS

The plants were starting to fill in and getting taller each day. I thought I might have to go on a diet so that I can fit through the four rows to water the plants. But, it's probably good that on my garden walk throughs that I rub off any bugs that might be hiding on the leaves.

Be sure to shake yourself off before you come inside! I've had a pair of love bugs tag-a-long and come inside. Boots the cat was giving me the stink eye when she saw them fly to a window!

Sunflower Bud on 38 inch Plant at 56 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 9, 2014

I am seeing sunflower buds on a variety of sunflower plants at different heights. Actually, there is one plant shorter than 38 inches that sprouted a bud!

Sunflower Bud on 46 inch Plant at 56 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 9, 2014

There's a plant that hit 46 inches with a bud. The buds are pretty interesting as they seem to be almost like fingerprints in that no two are alike!

Sunflower Bud on 49 inch Plant at 56 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 9, 2014

Now, 49 inches is my tallest sunflower plant at 56 days. Are you betting that at precisely 60 days I will see my first sunflower blossom? Thinking back to my first DIY sunflower garden, it was April 28th when I saw my first hint of a blossom which was around the 57-58th day.

Sunflower Garden at 56 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 9, 2014

This year's garden was planted about two weeks later and with seeds I harvested from my first garden. And, taking into consideration differing weather conditions, we won't match that timing for the first blossom. But, we are very close!!

BACKYARD GARDENER CONTRIBUTOR AT SQUIDOO

On May 4th, I became the Backyard Gardener Contributor at Squidoo! Bonnie asked me to take on this role since I had been writing so much about all my work in my backyard gardens!! For those of you who have followed my sunflower journey through my blog, you already know that I have a green thumb for sunflowers.

I hope to find more time to write on Squidoo about my projects and to work on developing my niche there.

BLONDES THAT DIY

And, that would be a perfect segway to tell you about this exciting new project. You'll have to read the blog post introducing Blondes that DIY to see how this germ of an idea unfolded.

Shout out to my readers! Thanks for coming along for this journey ... you know, I started blogging in December 2004? Can you believe I am coming up on a decade - ten years of blogging? How about that.