Archive for the 'Projects' Category
It’s a wonderful day for a garden project and Project Garden! The following post of part of Stacy Tornio’s virtual book tour for her brand new book, Project Garden: A Month-by-Month Guide to Planting, Growing, and Enjoying ALL Your Backyard Has to Offer, which includes recipes, plant suggestions, garden plans, and even games. For the chance to win Stacy’s book head on over to her contest page.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have unique and colorful art in your garden. Colorful beaded tennis rackets can really catch the light. Here’s how to make them:
Materials:
- Scissors
- Tennis or badminton racket
- Tweezers or needle-nose pliers (optional)
- Ribbon, yarn, wire or string
- Beads and/or trinkets
Instructions:
1. Using scissors, cut the strings out of the racket. Remove all the strings. (You might want to use some tweezers or needle-nose pliers to get at those hard-to-reach spots.)
2. Measure and cut your ribbon or string to the desired lengths. These will hang down from the top of your racket, so measure twice and cut once.
3. Tie knots at one end of your ribbon. Then string with decorations like colorful beads or wood trinkets.
4. Once you’ve strung the ribbons, pull them through the holes of the tennis racket and secure with knots. You can leave the beads hanging freely or tie them from one side to another to create a web.
5. Push the racket handle into the ground, and enjoy!
Thanks to Stacy for shaing this fabulous project from the book. Look for Project Garden to get more garden fun for the entire family.
March 25 2012 | Book Club and Garden Therapy and Projects | 6 Comments »
I was so excited to get a review copy of Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical, Miniature Worlds , probably more excited than is considered ‘normal’. Flipping through the 50 projects, there was clearly lots of inspiration. After a brief introduction on materials and techniques, Terrarium Craft stunning photography showcases forest, beach, desert, and fantasy terrarium ideas.
After reading the book cover to cover, I was so inspired to try some projects I have all but put my seed starting on hold and transformed my corner window grow-op into a terrarium building site. Air plants, succulents, shells, rock and found objects abound as terrariums are a nature lover’s doll house. For my first project I fashioned a woodland-inspired terrarium out of a salad bowl, moss, Aeonium, Sedum, Bromeliad and a tiny felted owl.
Materials:
- Glass salad bowl
- Indoor cactus soil
- Polished river stones
- Branches, lichen, found objects
Plants:
- Aeonium
- Sedum
- Bromeliad
- Spanish Moss (epiphyte)
- True Moss (bryophyte)
Instructions:
1. Fill the bottom 1/3 with cactus soil (note: the book suggests using sand or moss balls to plant your terrarium, but I don’t mind the look of soil and I’m not worried about drainage because I’ll carefully. The book’s projects do look cleaner with the sand so it’s all personal preference).
2. Place true moss around one side of the bowl. Shake soil gently off the root ball of the aeonium, sedum and bromilad. Dig little holes in the cactus soil and place plants. Back fill with soil and place moss around plants on the moss side. Add some river stones to the other half to cover the soil up to the moss level.
3. Add fun personal elements that will add personality to your “mixed salad”. Shown here are Spanish moss (which is a type of Tillandsia or air plant so it should float above the soil), a twig with bird’s nest mushrooms I collected back in the mushroom foraging days of autumn, and a felted pocket owl that I bought from Etsy which has it’s own story.
The final result is a quirky terrarium that reminds me of days waking thought the woods with the dogs, hoping to spot a real owl like these, and collecting gems from the forest floor.
There are a few other projects that I’d like to try from the book, like suspending plant roots in a moss ball inside the terrarium, but for now I best get on my seed starting or I’ll be very sad and/or broke come heirloom tomato season.
If you have tried a terrarium, or plan to try one, please let me know. I would love to see photos of this very personal art form.
March 23 2012 | Book Club and Garden Therapy and Gardening and Projects | 10 Comments »
Sunflower micro greens are deliciously nutty with the flavour of raw sunflower seeds but with the texture of spinach. They are easy to grow in just about any container you can find around the house like clear plastic salad mix boxes.
Micro greens are different than sprouts because are grown in a soil or soil-like medium. This is a time lapse photo journal of about 2 weeks growing time for my sunflower micro greens.
For more information on how to grow them check out this post on growing micro greens in a chicken dome. For information on sprouting check out this post on sprouting mung beans and green peas in a mason jar or this post on my Fresh Life Automatic Sprouter.
Day 1
Day 5
Day 7
Day 15
Day 17
March 19 2012 | Gardening and Growing Food and Photography and Projects | 25 Comments »
This cheery garden apron combines the functionality to keep your tools and supplies close at hand while adding a bright lift to early spring days. The vibrant bright pattern will be right at home in the summer but for now–as spring arrives–it provides inspiration for a summer filled with gorgeous blooms.
This apron has large, deep pockets so you can fill them with seed packets, plant labels, and various tools. It is quite wide, so that you can fill the side pockets with all sorts of stuff, and still bend over to dig without getting stabbed in the belly by a weeding fork (!). I also made a loop to hold my pruners off to the side so I can draw them quickly when encountering a showdown with unruly branches. I like my ties to be extra long so they tie in the front with lots room to make a pretty bow.
Here’s how to make your own.
Materials:
Sturdy weight fabric – plain for apron back, pattern for pockets, waistband, and sash cut as follows:
- 1 – 20” x 14 plain colour fabric for apron back
- 1 – 23” x 10” patterned fabric for apron pockets
- 1 – 20” x 4” patterned fabric for waist band
- 2 – 42” x 4” patterned fabric for long, wraparound sashes
Directions:
1. Cut all fabric to the dimensions listed to make a ladies’ large apron. Adjust size up or down to fit. Hem the two short sides of the back fabric, the top and bottom won’t matter, and hem the top edge of the pocket. Using a glass, cut rounded corner on the bottom corners of both the back fabric and the pocket fabric.
2. Lay the larger pocket cut of fabric on the back fabric, and pin 3 pleats along the bottom edge so that the pocket fabric now is the same width as the back. Sew pleats with a double stitch about 1 ½” up from the bottom.
3. Place the back fabric with hem facing upward, and then lay the pocket fabric facing downward on top. Pin and sew along the side and bottom edges. Turn right side out and make a decorative stitch along the sides and bottom of the apron. Sew two straight lines to create the pocket dividers.
4. To make the sashes, fold the fabric strips in half lengthwise and inside out. Sew the two long ends together making a long tube. Turn tube right side out with a chopstick and some patience. Fold the ends of the sashes inward and stitch to finish the ends.
5. Sew each sash to the top sides of the waistband. Iron the waistband in half, and then fold over each end by ¼”. Fold waist band over the top edge of the back fabric and covering the two sides where the sashes are attached. Sew along the bottom and sides to secure and along the top edge for continuity.
6. Make a loop to hold pruners or other tools by folding a 2” x 5” long cut of fabric lengthwise and folding the edges in. Sew top bottom and sides to secure the “ribbon”. Attach to apron back by sewing the right end to the apron back, then sewing the same end 1” to the right. Loop the ribbon around to the other side, sew the left end near the right end, and then again sew 1” to the left of the third line.
Thanks for visiting for the weekend project!
March 17 2012 | Gardening and Projects | 13 Comments »
We had a great start to Garden Therapy Book Club with lots of readers visiting and commenting on the recipes from A Green Guide to Natural Beauty + Mango Citrus Body Butter Recipe and Hemp & Honey Lip Balm. The selection is a book that I’ve been very excited about reviewing: Weekend Handmade, by Kelly Wilkinson.
On the jacket, it describes Kelly Wilkinson as a “craft designer and journalist” with projects appearing in many stylish blogs like Apartment Therapy and Design*Sponge. Since the title and cover reminded me of the Weekend Project that I post here each week, I was pretty jazzed to dig in.
continue reading »
March 14 2012 | Book Club and Garden Therapy and Projects | 2 Comments »
Purple and green Oxalis planted in painted mason jars make a modern arrangement for this St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick’s Day typically reminds folks of leprechauns, green beer, Ireland, and shamrocks: the symbol seen on green-felt fedoras. But I’m a plant nerd so I think about the shamrock from a botanical point (and I try not to remember those nights drinking green beer). The symbol of Ireland is the three-leaf old white clover, Trifolium repens, which is common in North America and Europe in grassy areas as well as a pasture crop. I fondly remember summer days as a child searching for a lucky four-leaf clover lying in park grass. While many launch a year long fight to get clover out of their lawns, I’m happy to leave it blooming for the bees and give the lawn a rich green colour.
There are a few other three-leaf herbaceous plants that share the Shamrock moniker my favourite being Oxalis. Native to South America and Africa, this genus of over 500 species are often grown as ornamental plants in home gardens or as houseplants.
Oxalis in my garden in tucked in shady woodland areas where it generally hides from the camera. To get a few better shots and really enjoy the beauty of the plant, I picked up a few from the garden centre to use in my spring arrangements.
Oxalis regnellii is typically grown in this zone (7-8) as a houseplant due to its vulnerability to frost. Pale lavender to white flowers bloom regularly on healthy plants given plenty of light but away from direct sunlight.
With Oxalis regnellii ‘Atropurpurea’, the blooms are hardly worth considering when compared to the dark eggplant foliage, often with brighter purple centre leaf margins.
Inspired by the colour palette provided by the two false shamrocks, I created a St. Patty’s day floral arrangement using painted mason jars as planters and as a case for some deep purple tulips.
Painted Mason Jar Tutorial
Materials:
- Mason jar(s)
- Latex house paint
- Craft paint
- Foam paint brush
- Flowers / plants
Directions:
This is a simple project that I have seen done with spray paint. I chose to tint some leftover latex trim paint as : a) I had some, b) I wasn’t keen on the fumes from the spray, and c) I wanted more control over the colour.
Simply mix up the colour that you want by added craft paint into the latex pain in a yogurt container. Mix really well then pour a little into your mason jar. Use the brush to paint the inside evenly and leave to dry. Apply a second coat if necessary. One coat is shown here.
To make into a planter, fit a plastic nursery container containing your plant onto the top. Ensure there is a little lip holding it on the edge so you can remove it when necessary.
To make a vase, insert a thin glass vase into the painted jar.
Choosing interesting shapes and patterned jars will add even more interest to the project. I like the simplicity of them on my fireplace mantle where they contrast with the painting.
It has also been quite fun to watch the Oxalis “go to sleep” at night, or rather the leaves droop down as a result of nyctinasty, a plant’s chemical response to the onset of darkness that causes the leaves to tuck in for the night. It gives these guys a bit of personality which may leave you unconsciously whispering at night as to not disturb them.
Thanks for visiting this weekend’s project which will be added to these link ups.
March 10 2012 | Flowers and Gardening and Projects | 8 Comments »
The weather may be warming a bit and it’s been many months since we had our green thumbs in the soil so it’s no surprise that folks are just itching to get seeds started. I’m hearing about or seeing a lot of different seed starting blog posts floating around the web, from rookies who picked up a kit at the local hardware store to seasoned pros with pretty sophisticated grow ops (no, not that kind). I’d like to share my experiences with all those super-adorable containers you can make at home (Part 1) as well as some thoughts on the store bought stuff (Part 2). So here goes, the good, the bad, and the ugly of seed starting containers.
Note: for more information on the whole process of seed starting, check out Seed Starting 101 for the basics. The following is more in depth on only one of the topics covered briefly in that post.
Homemade Containers
You absolutely, positively, do not need to BUY anything to be successful at seed starting. Well, besides your seeds (if you haven’t saved your own) and some great sterilized seed starting mix, you can find most of what you need around the house. Not every oh-so-cute Pinterest-worthy repurposed container gives your seeds the best start though. And some are just plain time consuming. Here are the facts so you can choose what is right for you.
Newspaper Pots
These wildly popular little containers can be easily made but cutting strips of newspaper and rolling it around a can, glass, or a fancy-dancy pot maker to make cheap little starters. Make sure the paper you choose uses a non-toxic soy based ink, especially when growing veggies starts. Newspaper is biodegradable so you can plant your seedling out in the garden in the newspaper pot and it’ll break down naturally from the bacteria and other organisms in the soil.
Pros: cheap, readily available, plantable pot breaks down easily
Cons: can be flimsy when wet, can’t bottom-water delicate seedlings, time consuming to make many
Toilet Tissue Roll Pots
These pots are a bit sturdier than the newspaper pots and again readily available. To make, cut tissue roll in half, then cut four ½” long slits on the bottom of one end, equally spaced to make 4 flaps you will fold over like closing a box. In theory the cardboard will break down in the soil so they can be planted out like the newspaper pots BUT not all soil is equal. If your soil doesn’t have the necessary elements to break down this cardboard quickly the roots will not be able to spread and the plant will suffer. If you do plant them in the ground be sure to plant the whole container, as if the lip stays above soil it can wick moisture away from the roots.
Pros: cheap, readily available, sturdy, hole in the bottom for drainage
Cons: time consuming to make many, too small to be useful for most seedlings, will likely need to be removed when planting.
Egg Shells and/or Egg Cartons
These are so adorable aren’t they? Using a cardboard egg carton filled with soil giving 12 little cells to start seeds they you just rip up and plan in the garden like the toilet tubes. And the egg shells couldn’t be more precious. HOWEVER…I won’t even do a pros and cons list on them because that’s it for pros (cute) and never mind that you’ll have to remove the seedling from that shell and crush it before it hits the soil, they are just too darn small. For both the carton and the shell you will have to delicately extract that little seedling before it has its true leaves and plant it in a bigger, deeper container. I say, why not just start with a bigger container and save Mr. Seedling the stress?
Yogurt Containers
They don’t have to be yogurt (shown here are cream cheese containers) but you get the picture. This is the equivalent of the plastic nursery pots. Just punch a few drainage holes in the bottom and Bob’s your uncle. My only suggestion is to check your plastic for food safety to make it isn’t toxic to yourself or your plants.
Pros: cheap, readily available, sturdy, drainage holes for bottom watering
Cons: Unless you are fairly new to gardening, you probably have more nursery pots than yogurt containers, not all plastic is safe to reuse
Plastic Salad Containers
The box that you buy pre-washed baby greens in will make a lovely container. As will a chicken dome, or a cake tray. Anything that has a bit of a bottom on it and a wonderful clear plastic lid will create a mini greenhouse akin to what you can buy in retail. Cut a few holes in the lid for ventilation and check it often to make sure seedlings don’t succumb to the dreaded “dampening off”, a fungal infection that kills the seedling. You can either set all your little homemade containers in these or line the bottom with soil and plant directly.
Pros: cheap, readily available, sturdy, is a built-in greenhouse
Cons: not all plastic is safe to reuse, you must keep an eye on greenhouse domes and vent regularly to avoid dampening off, need to prick out and transplant germinated seedlings one by one which will inevitably cause some loss
Shredded Paper Pots
Now these brilliant little things I just saw today on Pinterest but they are the same concept as the plantable seed paper I made for Valentine’s Day cards. For instructions on how to make them please visit the tutorial at 365 Days of DIY. I think these would make amazing pots to give plants as gifts using different coloured paper to tint the pot. I’m so inspired!
I haven’t used them personally so my pros and cons are based on experience with the plantable paper. Chime in if you try them and want to share your experiences.
Pros: cheap, readily available, sturdy, breaks down easily in soil
Cons: time consuming to make, takes a long time to dry
That’s my list. Are there more? Please comment if there are others out there that you have used and loved or hated. What it really comes down to is personal preference. I’ve tried many ways and I have my favourite, trusted, old standby seed-starting methodology, but you will have to wait for Part 2 for that one.
Speaking of it, stay tuned for Seed Starting Containers: The Real Dirt – Part 2 where I’ll write up the pros and cons on the store-bought seed starters out there: peat pellets, fiber pots, and more.
March 04 2012 | Gardening and Projects | 28 Comments »
Green roofs are all the rage right now but why should we humans have all the fun? In this Weekend Project you will learn how to make a removable, plantable roof addition to a standard cedar birdhouse. Adorable.
My husband is a hobbyist woodworker. Lucky me, right? And since we were talking about setting up some nesting boxes for our chickadees, he found some plans online, bought some wood, and then a few hours later we had this beautiful little birdhouse.
Gorgeous and perfectly made, with vent holes for the bird family’s air circulation, and the rough wood facing in so the fledglings can crawl up to the perfectly-sized hole for their first venture out into the world. Oh, and it has a hinged roof so that you can peek in on them <ahem> clean the birdhouse at the end of the season.
Me: “Great birdhouse, Honey. Let’s make a green roof for the birdies.”
Husband: “Um, ok, well….but if we put a green roof on it we won’t be able to lift it up to look clean inside.”
Me: “There has to be a way. We can figure it out, right?”
Husband: “Um, yeah…”
If you speak husband like I do then you know that basically means, “I don’t know what you’re up to, Crazy Woman, but I’m not touching that birdhouse”. So I waited for him to go to work and I got busy building this fabulous removable plant tray that acts as a green roof. Want to make one too? Here’s how: (If you don’t see the tutorial, please click ‘continue reading’.)
continue reading »
February 23 2012 | Garden Therapy and Gardening and Projects | 26 Comments »
Since February is Before and After Month at Apartment Therapy, the Gardenist, Rochelle Greayer of Studio G and Leaf Magazine, featured the backyard renovation that we have been working on for the past many years. While it’s always changing and evolving (as a good garden should) here is the original post I wrote that features the big reveal.
May marks the anniversary of breaking ground on my back patio project. I use the term “breaking ground” loosely as the year was basically a mud pit in the winter and a dust bowl in the summer.
Over the course of a few months, my husband loaded up thousands of pounds of the backyard “soil” (another loose term) into a wheelbarrow and replaced it with a patio surrounded by beds and a small grassy area.
In the next 5 years the patio changed many times over. New house colours. New patio furniture. New deck. And last year was the beginning of the potager phase where I packed this wee garden with hundreds of vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers.
This year it already looks quite a bit different. I have replaced one of the tomato planters with a strawberry planter. I’ve been growing only lettuces in the wine barrel planters as they get too much shade from the trees now. I’m now growing mushrooms in my zen garden under the deck. I’m only going to grow what was a success last year (sorry, no purple cauliflower) and I’m going to try to keep the clutter down (damn giant purple cauliflower).
The corner of the patio holds the container herb garden. While the plants change up yearly deepening on culinary fancy, this photo shows sage, parsley, oregano, garlic chives, Egyptian walking onions, romaine lettuce, wild arugula and a few other treats.
The herbs don’t get lonely however, as we also grow quite a lot of veggies. Enough to feed us through the summer and put some by for the winter. The keys to growing edibles in a small space (that you want to use mainly as entertaining space) are to choose decorative varieties, tuck them in among ornamentals, and use interesting containers (like the wine barrel of lettuce shown here).
There are many showy flowers to keep spirits bright…
….and containers, containers, containers.
In the end what the space is now best used for is enjoying a little quiet time in the garden.
February 22 2012 | Projects and Vancouver | 43 Comments »
This inexpensive and easy weekend project shows you how to create a stylish coat rack with just some branches, paint, and a few tools.
Materials:
- Branches with strong sections of wood that are no smaller than ¾” in diameter
- Bypass pruners / pruning saw
- Cedar plank or other raw, natural wood
- Drill / screwdriver
- Wood screws
- White latex paint
Directions:
1. Using the saw of bypass pruners, cut sections of branches that:
a) have a nice shape to make a hook
b) are thick enough in diameter and strong enough to hold coats, etc when mounted
c) have a straight, flat back to lie against the cedar plank when mounted
2. Lay your branches out on your board to get the pattern and look that you like. If wood is green, then it must dry before you use it. Place in a warm, dry room until the wood turns brown.
3. Sand the edges of the branches lightly so that there are no sharp edges to snag your stuff.
4. Drill pilot holes in the wood with a thin drill bit, this will help the screw go through the wood without splitting. It is a good idea to have a few extras as backup though.
5. Add about ¼ cup water to 1 cup of white latex paint in a lidded container (like a large yogurt container) and stir. Drop each branch into the thinned-out paint, replace lid, and shake until branch is thoroughly coated. Place on a piece of wax paper or parchment to dry. Repeat with a second coat for a thicker paint look, although only one coat was used in this project as I like the wood coming through a bit. Touch up with a brush if necessary.
6. Using thin 1 ¼” screws, carefully drill each branch through the pilot hole onto the back board.
7. Mount the coat rack on the wall.
Thanks for visiting for the weekend project.
February 18 2012 | Projects | 51 Comments »
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