See her post for a link to a tutorial on how to make one of these. I can't wait to get to the part of my list of things to do this year that involves learning how to sew. I'll have to keep an eye out for cool old curtains...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tote bag sewing project
How gorgeous is this bag made from an old curtain? Jessica over at How about Orange is awesome.
See her post for a link to a tutorial on how to make one of these. I can't wait to get to the part of my list of things to do this year that involves learning how to sew. I'll have to keep an eye out for cool old curtains...
See her post for a link to a tutorial on how to make one of these. I can't wait to get to the part of my list of things to do this year that involves learning how to sew. I'll have to keep an eye out for cool old curtains...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Gardening 101
Earlier this week I attended the first two in a series of gardening workshops by my local Colorado State University horticulture extension agent. If you have an interest in gardening (or almost anything else related to agriculture), check with your local cooperative extension service for workshops and seminars in your area. I'll tell you about the classes in a minute, but first I want to show you my pepper seedlings!
They are going like gangbusters! Peppers usually take 8-25 days to germinate, and I got almost all of mine to germinate in about 7 days by putting them on an old cookie sheet on top of a heating pad set on low.
Every year, and with every seedling, I am always amazed by how quickly they grow. Here they are on Monday afternoon:
And here they are on Tuesday afternoon. Isn't that amazing?
Now aren't you totally psyched about starting seeds for your own garden this year?
Now, on with the important information. The first gardening class on Monday was on getting the most out of your vegetable garden. Dr. Swift covered designing gardens, selecting the proper plants, determining correct plant spacing and plant yield, using raised beds and containers, selecting irrigation systems, starting transplants, and planting times for cool- and warm-season vegetables. He had some great handouts, which are available on his website if you're interested.
One of the best things I learned was about blossom-end rot on tomatoes. For the last two years I have struggled with this particularly in my roma tomatoes, and last year I also had some rot on the side walls of my peppers. I was always told that this was due to a lack of calcium in the soil. However, Dr. Swift said it is actually due to an inability of the plant to take up the calcium present in the soil, and this is due to the plant getting stressed by too much heat (more than 90 degrees for tomatoes) and/or soil that is too dry. Good to know for this year!
Tuesday's class was on composting. Rather than dealing with a compost pile that must be turned, Dr. Swift is a fan of trench or pit composting. For trench composting, you dig a trench about 18" deep in an unused part of your garden and add your compostable materials to it, covered by about 3 inches of soil, filling in the trench a little at a time over the summer. You leave the trench undisturbed for the year, and the next season you can plant your vegetables right in that trench area. By that time the worms and other good things in the soil have broken down the material into good compost. He recommended pit composting around perenneals and trees: use a post-hole digger to dig a hole about 18" deep, fill with compostable material, cover with a few inches of soil, and let the earthworms go to town on it. That sure beats turning a compost pile every few days!
They are going like gangbusters! Peppers usually take 8-25 days to germinate, and I got almost all of mine to germinate in about 7 days by putting them on an old cookie sheet on top of a heating pad set on low.
Every year, and with every seedling, I am always amazed by how quickly they grow. Here they are on Monday afternoon:
And here they are on Tuesday afternoon. Isn't that amazing?
Now aren't you totally psyched about starting seeds for your own garden this year?
Now, on with the important information. The first gardening class on Monday was on getting the most out of your vegetable garden. Dr. Swift covered designing gardens, selecting the proper plants, determining correct plant spacing and plant yield, using raised beds and containers, selecting irrigation systems, starting transplants, and planting times for cool- and warm-season vegetables. He had some great handouts, which are available on his website if you're interested.
One of the best things I learned was about blossom-end rot on tomatoes. For the last two years I have struggled with this particularly in my roma tomatoes, and last year I also had some rot on the side walls of my peppers. I was always told that this was due to a lack of calcium in the soil. However, Dr. Swift said it is actually due to an inability of the plant to take up the calcium present in the soil, and this is due to the plant getting stressed by too much heat (more than 90 degrees for tomatoes) and/or soil that is too dry. Good to know for this year!
Tuesday's class was on composting. Rather than dealing with a compost pile that must be turned, Dr. Swift is a fan of trench or pit composting. For trench composting, you dig a trench about 18" deep in an unused part of your garden and add your compostable materials to it, covered by about 3 inches of soil, filling in the trench a little at a time over the summer. You leave the trench undisturbed for the year, and the next season you can plant your vegetables right in that trench area. By that time the worms and other good things in the soil have broken down the material into good compost. He recommended pit composting around perenneals and trees: use a post-hole digger to dig a hole about 18" deep, fill with compostable material, cover with a few inches of soil, and let the earthworms go to town on it. That sure beats turning a compost pile every few days!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Simon and Sadie
While looking for a particular photo hidden somewhere on my computer I came across this picture of Simon and Sadie. She was about 10 weeks old at the time, and he had just started showing signs of being sick.
Not a day goes by that I don't still think about him.
Not a day goes by that I don't still think about him.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Treehouse Point
These amazing structures in the Snoqualmie Valley of Washington state give a whole new meaning to the word "treehouse"!
Photos by Treehouse Point. Found via Sunset.
Photos by Treehouse Point. Found via Sunset.
Friday, February 19, 2010
February blog love
A huge, huge thanks to a few fellow bloggers for recently mentioning me and this little blog over on their blogs!
Just today, Ann Martin from All Things Paper wrote such a nice little post about me and my adventures in letterpress printing. If you have even a remote interest in things related to paper, make sure you check out her blog. Ann is a quilling (paper filigree) enthusiast, and in addition to sharing some of her own work, she also features the work of other great paper artists. I can't stop thinking about this lovely piece by Cecilia Louie I saw not long ago. I think one of these with a child's name would make a fantastic gift for a new mom!
(Isn't it gorgeous?? Photos by Cecilia and via All Things Paper)
Ann also posts a lot of fabulous tutorials on quilling (see the sidebar on the right of her blog), so I'll take this opportunity to say that one of the other items on my official list of things to do in 2010 is to try my hand at quilling. I'm planning on pestering Ann for lots of advice and help!
And just yesterday, one of my best friends in this whole big world mentioned my blog over at her blog, Squiggles and Stories. Like me, Sonia is a freelance medical editor, but she's also working on her first novel and has the most adorable little family with three of the cutest kids on the planet. Two important things to know about Sonia: She's the most organized person I know and she can do the Baltimore "hon" accent flawlessly! Stop by her blog and read about some of the hilarious things her kids say and do. I'm still laughing over this recent post about her youngest son.
And last but definitely not least, a big thanks to Shane Rocket for mentioning my letterpress cards and Etsy shop on one of her blogs. She has a heart of gold and is the hero of so many rescue animals. I love reading the stories about her animals on her blog My Dog Farm, which is currently the home of 6 dogs (several rescued and several Weimaraners!) and 2 kittens (both adopted after fostering them and their momma). Oh, and a few rats and hamsters have called the farm home, too. I'm of course partial to her Weimaraners, but one of the most recent additions to her dog family is Peanut. I love her and can't get enough of her ears!
(Don't you just wanna snuggle with her?? Photo by Shane Rocket, My Dog Farm)
Have a great weekend everyone!
Just today, Ann Martin from All Things Paper wrote such a nice little post about me and my adventures in letterpress printing. If you have even a remote interest in things related to paper, make sure you check out her blog. Ann is a quilling (paper filigree) enthusiast, and in addition to sharing some of her own work, she also features the work of other great paper artists. I can't stop thinking about this lovely piece by Cecilia Louie I saw not long ago. I think one of these with a child's name would make a fantastic gift for a new mom!
Ann also posts a lot of fabulous tutorials on quilling (see the sidebar on the right of her blog), so I'll take this opportunity to say that one of the other items on my official list of things to do in 2010 is to try my hand at quilling. I'm planning on pestering Ann for lots of advice and help!
And just yesterday, one of my best friends in this whole big world mentioned my blog over at her blog, Squiggles and Stories. Like me, Sonia is a freelance medical editor, but she's also working on her first novel and has the most adorable little family with three of the cutest kids on the planet. Two important things to know about Sonia: She's the most organized person I know and she can do the Baltimore "hon" accent flawlessly! Stop by her blog and read about some of the hilarious things her kids say and do. I'm still laughing over this recent post about her youngest son.
And last but definitely not least, a big thanks to Shane Rocket for mentioning my letterpress cards and Etsy shop on one of her blogs. She has a heart of gold and is the hero of so many rescue animals. I love reading the stories about her animals on her blog My Dog Farm, which is currently the home of 6 dogs (several rescued and several Weimaraners!) and 2 kittens (both adopted after fostering them and their momma). Oh, and a few rats and hamsters have called the farm home, too. I'm of course partial to her Weimaraners, but one of the most recent additions to her dog family is Peanut. I love her and can't get enough of her ears!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Seed pot tutorial
I had a request for directions on how to make the seed pots, so here you go:
Toilet Paper/Paper Towel Roll Seed Pots
1. Get a pair of scissors and as many toilet paper or paper towel rolls as you can find.
2. Flatten the roll in half lengthwise, then fold in half again, so that there are four folds along the length of the roll.
3. Cut the roll in half (for paper towel rolls, cut the roll into five sections).
4. With your scissors, cut along the four fold lines on one side of the roll. Make the cuts about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long.
5. Fold each flap of the roll in, one at a time.
6. Tuck the last flap under the first flap to secure it, the way you would close a box top.
7. Label the pots (if desired).
Fill the pots with moistened seed starting mix and add your seeds.
Newspaper Seed Pots
1. Gather up some whole newspaper sheets (one page) and any container with straight sides and an open mouth. Avoid newspaper with color photos or shiny paper. I was out of paper so I went to the bookstore. The New York Times was one of the best papers for having the smallest number of color photos. If you can get the Sunday edition, you can probably make an army of pots!
Select a container based on the size pot you want to make. I wanted small pots the approximate size of the toilet paper roll pots, so I used a small (approximately 1 ounce) spice jar. When I'm ready to transplant seedlings into larger pots, I'll use a large drinking glass or a 1- or 2-liter plastic bottle.
2. Fold the paper in half lengthwise and smooth the crease.
3. Fold in half lengthwise again.
4. On the creased edge of the paper, create a small "lip" for the pot by folding the paper about 1/2 inch. (This makes it look a little nicer and adds some extra stability to it). Smooth the crease.
5. If you're using larger newspaper sheets and making smaller pots, you can cut the newspaper sheet in half, which will give you about two layers to your pot. If you prefer a very sturdy pot with several layers of paper, you can use the whole sheet.
6. Place the paper on a work surface with the "lip" of the pot (see step 4) facing down and pointing toward the bottom of the container. Position the top of the container approximately in the center of the paper.
7. Begin rolling the paper as snugly as you can around the container. Notice that the lip of the pot is on the outside.
8. Continue rolling the paper around the container until you reach the end of the paper. Use your finger to hold the paper securely in position.
9. Beginning with the side of the pot with the end of the paper, push the paper into the open container. Don't worry about being perfect. Just cram it in there.
10. Move around the pot, pushing the paper into the opening of the container.
11. Carefully pull the pot off the container. The bottom of the pot will be sticking up inside the pot a little bit. It's a little hard to see in the photo, but the bottom of the pot is sticking up about 1 inch.
12. With the bottom of the pot on a solid surface, use your fingers or the bottom of the container to carefully push the bottom of the pot down.
Label the pots if desired, fill them with moistened seed starting mix, and add your seeds.
I line up all the pots according to the seed type and place them on an old cookie sheet. I cover them with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the humidity high until the seeds sprout. For the peppers, I also place the cookie sheet on an electric heating pad set on low to help them germinate. They like to be warm and snuggly!
Good luck in your seed starting adventures. I'd love to hear what you grow and how many pots you make. And be careful, making these little pots is strangely satisfying and quite addicting!
Toilet Paper/Paper Towel Roll Seed Pots
1. Get a pair of scissors and as many toilet paper or paper towel rolls as you can find.
2. Flatten the roll in half lengthwise, then fold in half again, so that there are four folds along the length of the roll.
3. Cut the roll in half (for paper towel rolls, cut the roll into five sections).
4. With your scissors, cut along the four fold lines on one side of the roll. Make the cuts about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long.
5. Fold each flap of the roll in, one at a time.
6. Tuck the last flap under the first flap to secure it, the way you would close a box top.
7. Label the pots (if desired).
Fill the pots with moistened seed starting mix and add your seeds.
Newspaper Seed Pots
1. Gather up some whole newspaper sheets (one page) and any container with straight sides and an open mouth. Avoid newspaper with color photos or shiny paper. I was out of paper so I went to the bookstore. The New York Times was one of the best papers for having the smallest number of color photos. If you can get the Sunday edition, you can probably make an army of pots!
Select a container based on the size pot you want to make. I wanted small pots the approximate size of the toilet paper roll pots, so I used a small (approximately 1 ounce) spice jar. When I'm ready to transplant seedlings into larger pots, I'll use a large drinking glass or a 1- or 2-liter plastic bottle.
2. Fold the paper in half lengthwise and smooth the crease.
3. Fold in half lengthwise again.
4. On the creased edge of the paper, create a small "lip" for the pot by folding the paper about 1/2 inch. (This makes it look a little nicer and adds some extra stability to it). Smooth the crease.
5. If you're using larger newspaper sheets and making smaller pots, you can cut the newspaper sheet in half, which will give you about two layers to your pot. If you prefer a very sturdy pot with several layers of paper, you can use the whole sheet.
6. Place the paper on a work surface with the "lip" of the pot (see step 4) facing down and pointing toward the bottom of the container. Position the top of the container approximately in the center of the paper.
7. Begin rolling the paper as snugly as you can around the container. Notice that the lip of the pot is on the outside.
8. Continue rolling the paper around the container until you reach the end of the paper. Use your finger to hold the paper securely in position.
9. Beginning with the side of the pot with the end of the paper, push the paper into the open container. Don't worry about being perfect. Just cram it in there.
10. Move around the pot, pushing the paper into the opening of the container.
11. Carefully pull the pot off the container. The bottom of the pot will be sticking up inside the pot a little bit. It's a little hard to see in the photo, but the bottom of the pot is sticking up about 1 inch.
12. With the bottom of the pot on a solid surface, use your fingers or the bottom of the container to carefully push the bottom of the pot down.
Label the pots if desired, fill them with moistened seed starting mix, and add your seeds.
I line up all the pots according to the seed type and place them on an old cookie sheet. I cover them with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the humidity high until the seeds sprout. For the peppers, I also place the cookie sheet on an electric heating pad set on low to help them germinate. They like to be warm and snuggly!
Good luck in your seed starting adventures. I'd love to hear what you grow and how many pots you make. And be careful, making these little pots is strangely satisfying and quite addicting!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Factory 20
I almost fell off my chair this morning when I discovered Factory 20 via a post at Hello!Lucky.
Here is just a very small sampling of the items I am obsessed with. (Can you tell I love items for storage??)
I think that library two-sided bookcase table above is my favorite! So simple, but so functional.
Also, I had a request for directions on how to make the seed pots I posted yesterday, so I'll be posting a tutorial tomorrow. I had planned to do it today but I need to take a few more pictures in the good light this afternoon.
Here is just a very small sampling of the items I am obsessed with. (Can you tell I love items for storage??)
I think that library two-sided bookcase table above is my favorite! So simple, but so functional.
Also, I had a request for directions on how to make the seed pots I posted yesterday, so I'll be posting a tutorial tomorrow. I had planned to do it today but I need to take a few more pictures in the good light this afternoon.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Pepper seeds
It's that time of year again. It's time to start some seeds!
Despite my total lack of control when ordering seeds, this year I'm being much more disciplined about actually starting the seeds. Over the weekend I developed my calendar for the next 10 weeks so that I start the right seeds at the right time.
First up are the peppers. I'm attempting to grow five varieties this year. Three are bell peppers from last year: California Wonder, Golden Star, and Gourmet, and two are sweet specialty peppers: Yum Yum and Healthy. (Who can resist those names?)
This year, rather than wrangle the little peat discs covered in netting, I'm trying some homemade recycled pots made of the cardboard rolls from toilet paper and paper towel rolls, and some rolled up newspapers.
Already the toilet paper/paper towel rolls look like they're starting to come unwound, so I don't have super high hopes for their longevity. But hopefully they'll be good seed incubators long enough to get the seedlings ready to transplant into larger pots.
But the newspaper pots seem to be really sturdy so far. We don't get the newspaper (and most of the newspaper I have easy access to has colored pictures anyway), so for the next set of seeds in 2 weeks I'm going to try to make a batch of pots using a bunch of brown kraft paper I have.
I'd better spend most of my evenings making little pots, because the next group of seeds includes about 9 varieties of tomatoes, 2 varieties of cabbage, a bunch of herbs, eggplant, and broccoli. Not to mention some onions...
Are any of you starting seeds? I'd love to hear what you're growing and what you use to start your seeds.
Despite my total lack of control when ordering seeds, this year I'm being much more disciplined about actually starting the seeds. Over the weekend I developed my calendar for the next 10 weeks so that I start the right seeds at the right time.
First up are the peppers. I'm attempting to grow five varieties this year. Three are bell peppers from last year: California Wonder, Golden Star, and Gourmet, and two are sweet specialty peppers: Yum Yum and Healthy. (Who can resist those names?)
This year, rather than wrangle the little peat discs covered in netting, I'm trying some homemade recycled pots made of the cardboard rolls from toilet paper and paper towel rolls, and some rolled up newspapers.
Already the toilet paper/paper towel rolls look like they're starting to come unwound, so I don't have super high hopes for their longevity. But hopefully they'll be good seed incubators long enough to get the seedlings ready to transplant into larger pots.
But the newspaper pots seem to be really sturdy so far. We don't get the newspaper (and most of the newspaper I have easy access to has colored pictures anyway), so for the next set of seeds in 2 weeks I'm going to try to make a batch of pots using a bunch of brown kraft paper I have.
I'd better spend most of my evenings making little pots, because the next group of seeds includes about 9 varieties of tomatoes, 2 varieties of cabbage, a bunch of herbs, eggplant, and broccoli. Not to mention some onions...
Are any of you starting seeds? I'd love to hear what you're growing and what you use to start your seeds.
Monday, February 15, 2010
What's your color?
This is interesting. True Value Paint has a color quiz.
I think their description of my personality is mostly accurate:
"You are quite the powerful thinker. It’s this talent that allows you to overcome a plethora of great obstacles. Luckily, this doesn’t affect your ego and you give off a pretty easy-going appearance. You enjoy the finer things in life and also have an attraction to art. If you can help it, you try not to rock the boat. But you also can’t stop yourself from searching for new ideas, methods or styles."
But they say my color is yellow. I have never thought of yellow as something I want in my life except for sunshine, sunflowers, and lemons. Interesting.
So what color are you?
Found via How about Orange.
I think their description of my personality is mostly accurate:
"You are quite the powerful thinker. It’s this talent that allows you to overcome a plethora of great obstacles. Luckily, this doesn’t affect your ego and you give off a pretty easy-going appearance. You enjoy the finer things in life and also have an attraction to art. If you can help it, you try not to rock the boat. But you also can’t stop yourself from searching for new ideas, methods or styles."
But they say my color is yellow. I have never thought of yellow as something I want in my life except for sunshine, sunflowers, and lemons. Interesting.
So what color are you?
Found via How about Orange.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Margaret Meyer and Becky Fowler
Yesterday I discovered the work of Margaret Meyer. She is an amazing artist in Portland who was so, so lucky (in my opinion) to work on designing and fabricating the costumes for the stop animation film Coraline.
I discovered Margaret because she sells some of her art in her Etsy shop, and she asks people to share the stories that they make up based on the characters in her paintings. My brilliant and funny and unbelievably creative friend Becky (the one who loved to quote Pee Wee Herman during knitting class) actually took her up on this offer. Yesterday, her story--Chapter 1 of “Finders Keepers: A Summer Story (that Ends Sadly and Happily in the Fall)”--was posted on Margaret's blog.
The story was inspired by the rabbit and bird in this painting of Margaret's, called "Lost," and it is well worth your time to read the short story that Becky wrote about them. (And I'm not just saying that because Becky is a friend!) I suspect that you, like me, will be left begging Becky to tell the rest of the story and can picture Becky writing the entire book with illustrations by Margaret. I can but hope!
Painting and photo by Margaret Meyer.
I discovered Margaret because she sells some of her art in her Etsy shop, and she asks people to share the stories that they make up based on the characters in her paintings. My brilliant and funny and unbelievably creative friend Becky (the one who loved to quote Pee Wee Herman during knitting class) actually took her up on this offer. Yesterday, her story--Chapter 1 of “Finders Keepers: A Summer Story (that Ends Sadly and Happily in the Fall)”--was posted on Margaret's blog.
The story was inspired by the rabbit and bird in this painting of Margaret's, called "Lost," and it is well worth your time to read the short story that Becky wrote about them. (And I'm not just saying that because Becky is a friend!) I suspect that you, like me, will be left begging Becky to tell the rest of the story and can picture Becky writing the entire book with illustrations by Margaret. I can but hope!
Painting and photo by Margaret Meyer.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Scarf model
I finished my scarf at knitting class last night. Today Sadie agreed to model it.
But she had a hard time hiding her boredom and couldn't stop yawning.
Well, I assume she was yawning and not acting like the scarf made her want to barf...
I think it was less than five minutes between when I tied the last piece of fringe onto the scarf and when I was at the counter buying new yarn. The instructor had on such a pretty loosely knitted shawl, I somehow decided I couldn't live without one.
As soon as I got home from class I started on it. I was in the middle of one of the rows when the husband came home. The moment the husband gets home is the best moment in Sadie's day. She goes beserk. They have a little routine where she sits in front of me, facing him. Then she stands up on her back legs and sort of punches the air with her front legs. She likes to have me nearby because she often loses her balance! Then she sort of runs at him and punches him in the chest with her front legs. They wrestle for a bit on the ground, she gets loose and runs to me ('cuz I got her back), and then he stays crouched down on the ground and she dives in for the "kill," which, in this case, is the mother of all wet willies. It's hysterical, and one day I'll have to figure out how to get it on video.
But I said all that to say that when the husband came home, I was knitting and I didn't want to quit in the middle of a row. So I continued knitting. Sadie was so wound up because I wasn't there as her backup that she came running over and grabbed the ball of yarn (like the yarn thief that she is!) and took off. I was running around the house after her, trying to keep the yarn from being pulled off the needles, and the husband was practically rolling on the ground laughing. He finally managed to get the yarn out of her mouth, but not before it got quite a bit of dog spit on it. Thankfully I didn't lose a stitch in the whole fiasco!
But she had a hard time hiding her boredom and couldn't stop yawning.
Well, I assume she was yawning and not acting like the scarf made her want to barf...
I think it was less than five minutes between when I tied the last piece of fringe onto the scarf and when I was at the counter buying new yarn. The instructor had on such a pretty loosely knitted shawl, I somehow decided I couldn't live without one.
As soon as I got home from class I started on it. I was in the middle of one of the rows when the husband came home. The moment the husband gets home is the best moment in Sadie's day. She goes beserk. They have a little routine where she sits in front of me, facing him. Then she stands up on her back legs and sort of punches the air with her front legs. She likes to have me nearby because she often loses her balance! Then she sort of runs at him and punches him in the chest with her front legs. They wrestle for a bit on the ground, she gets loose and runs to me ('cuz I got her back), and then he stays crouched down on the ground and she dives in for the "kill," which, in this case, is the mother of all wet willies. It's hysterical, and one day I'll have to figure out how to get it on video.
But I said all that to say that when the husband came home, I was knitting and I didn't want to quit in the middle of a row. So I continued knitting. Sadie was so wound up because I wasn't there as her backup that she came running over and grabbed the ball of yarn (like the yarn thief that she is!) and took off. I was running around the house after her, trying to keep the yarn from being pulled off the needles, and the husband was practically rolling on the ground laughing. He finally managed to get the yarn out of her mouth, but not before it got quite a bit of dog spit on it. Thankfully I didn't lose a stitch in the whole fiasco!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Warm water
I would like to be at any of these places right now. And I bet my friends in the mid-Atlantic would really like to be at any of these places right now!
These amazing images are by photographer Adriano Bacchella.
These amazing images are by photographer Adriano Bacchella.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
2010 garden
They're baaaaaaaaaaaaaack. The seed catalogs, that is.
I've received about 8 of them so far this year. And who am I to resist temptation when it comes to buying things related to gardening?? I ordered a lot of seeds from Territorial Seed Company last year and really liked them, so this is my go-to catalog again this year.
These seeds arrived yesterday. They are just part of my order...
I also bought an indoor mushroom kit, an outdoor mushroom kit, 75 strawberry plants, 5 more raspberry bushes, and a fig tree. A fig tree? Yes, a fig tree. It isn't supposed to get that big and I'm told it does well in a container and can be brought inside during the winter. And I suffer from an incurable disease that prevents any self control when placing an order for garden things, and so I cannot be held responsible for buying a fig tree when I live in Colorado.
And here's a really neat thing that the Territorial Seed Company is doing this year. With your order, they are including a free package of carrot seeds and ask that you grow a row of carrots to donate to a food bank, soup kitchen, or a neighbor in need.
Isn't that neat? So I'll grow a row of carrots for that purpose this year. And for those of you keeping seed score, you'll see that with five new varieties of tomatoes and SEVEN new varieties of winter squash (in addition to the five varieties of tomatoes and three varieties of winter squash seeds I still have from last year...) there is a very, very good possibility that I'll have a lot more than just a row of carrots to donate!
Now all I have to do is start the seeds indoors (I'll probably start a few this weekend) and then find time to actually plan where I'll grow all this stuff!
Here is a great thing I just found the other day while looking through my Gardener's Supply catalog: an interactive tool to plan gardens! They offer 8 pre-planned 3x6 foot gardens, complete with a layout, planting instructions and an illustration of what it will look like once it's all filled in. It also lets you swap out plants with other things or even plan your own garden from scratch.
Are any of you planning a garden this year? I'd love to hear what you plan to grow!
I've received about 8 of them so far this year. And who am I to resist temptation when it comes to buying things related to gardening?? I ordered a lot of seeds from Territorial Seed Company last year and really liked them, so this is my go-to catalog again this year.
These seeds arrived yesterday. They are just part of my order...
I also bought an indoor mushroom kit, an outdoor mushroom kit, 75 strawberry plants, 5 more raspberry bushes, and a fig tree. A fig tree? Yes, a fig tree. It isn't supposed to get that big and I'm told it does well in a container and can be brought inside during the winter. And I suffer from an incurable disease that prevents any self control when placing an order for garden things, and so I cannot be held responsible for buying a fig tree when I live in Colorado.
And here's a really neat thing that the Territorial Seed Company is doing this year. With your order, they are including a free package of carrot seeds and ask that you grow a row of carrots to donate to a food bank, soup kitchen, or a neighbor in need.
Isn't that neat? So I'll grow a row of carrots for that purpose this year. And for those of you keeping seed score, you'll see that with five new varieties of tomatoes and SEVEN new varieties of winter squash (in addition to the five varieties of tomatoes and three varieties of winter squash seeds I still have from last year...) there is a very, very good possibility that I'll have a lot more than just a row of carrots to donate!
Now all I have to do is start the seeds indoors (I'll probably start a few this weekend) and then find time to actually plan where I'll grow all this stuff!
Here is a great thing I just found the other day while looking through my Gardener's Supply catalog: an interactive tool to plan gardens! They offer 8 pre-planned 3x6 foot gardens, complete with a layout, planting instructions and an illustration of what it will look like once it's all filled in. It also lets you swap out plants with other things or even plan your own garden from scratch.
Are any of you planning a garden this year? I'd love to hear what you plan to grow!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting...
Years ago when I took my first knitting class, a couple of brave friends were right there beside me. All of my friends are funny, but one is particularly funny and can do great voices. She used to repeat that great line from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (voice and all):
"The mind plays tricks on you. You play tricks back! It's like you're unraveling a big cable-knit sweater that someone keeps knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting..."
Well, that's how I feel right now! I took the first part of my refresher knitting class on Tuesday, and I'm happy say that it came back to me quickly! Now I have almost 1.5 feet of my scarf finished and I'm on a roll. I can't wait to finish this project at next week's class. And my mind is already overloaded with all the projects I can do.
This post today over at design*sponge by the ladies at bbbcraft just added fuel to the fire. Seriously! How cute are these??
Totally adorable baby socks. I am obsessed with baby socks. The only thing in the world cuter than a baby sock is a puppy. But baby socks won't eat your shoes!
How do you get away with giving baby socks to a new dad? Just put it in a cigar box. Awesome idea.
And these little guys?
They're adorable. They have tails! I think I'm going to make a set for myself.
You can get the pattern for the animals at Knitting at Noon. Look how cute their animals are!! I just love the elephants' ears.
"The mind plays tricks on you. You play tricks back! It's like you're unraveling a big cable-knit sweater that someone keeps knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting..."
Well, that's how I feel right now! I took the first part of my refresher knitting class on Tuesday, and I'm happy say that it came back to me quickly! Now I have almost 1.5 feet of my scarf finished and I'm on a roll. I can't wait to finish this project at next week's class. And my mind is already overloaded with all the projects I can do.
This post today over at design*sponge by the ladies at bbbcraft just added fuel to the fire. Seriously! How cute are these??
Totally adorable baby socks. I am obsessed with baby socks. The only thing in the world cuter than a baby sock is a puppy. But baby socks won't eat your shoes!
How do you get away with giving baby socks to a new dad? Just put it in a cigar box. Awesome idea.
And these little guys?
They're adorable. They have tails! I think I'm going to make a set for myself.
You can get the pattern for the animals at Knitting at Noon. Look how cute their animals are!! I just love the elephants' ears.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
More things to do in 2010
Here it is, February already, and I still haven't completed my list of things to do this year!
So here are a few more items on my list of things to accomplish:
1. Give up soda, and diet cokes in particular (I can hear the horrified gasp of my old "diet coke break" buddy coming all the way from Michigan!). This was one of the first things on my list to do this year, but I never put it in writing because, well, frankly I didn't think I could do it! But I have done it, and I'm now entering my fourth week of diet coke-free living. There was one day last week where I was so busy and hit a mid-afternoon sleepy spell. I had a diet coke out of pure desperation for some caffeine and found that it has totally lost its charm with me. I haven't had another one since. I knew I'd still be craving something sweet to drink, so I've been drinking things like crystal light. It has really helped with the transition. The first day was the roughest, because I was SO thirsty. I drank about 120 ounces of water that day, but since then it's been fine.
2. Be better about tending to my garden this year, and also expand the variety of things I'll grow. Last year I got too busy with house projects and just didn't have time for the garden. This year will be better, and I can't wait for all my new seeds to arrive!
3. Learn to sew! Once I get reacquainted with knitting, I'm going to learn to sew. My mom gave me a very basic lesson last year. I don't want to do anything fancy, but it would be nice to be able to make simple things like curtains, pillows, and pretty summer skirts.
Speaking of knitting, I'm taking my first knitting lesson tonight! It's a beginner/refresher course and we'll be making a scarf. Later this month I'll be taking another lesson on how to make their "two-hour hat." After that I should be well on my way to my goal #4 to knit some baby hats!
I already bought my yarn for the class. The solid yarn on the left is for the scarf, and the multicolor yarn on the right is for the hat.
I forgot how much Sadie loves soft things (socks, piles of yarn, fleece blankets) and the yarn wasn't sitting on the stool more than about 30 seconds before she walked right over to thieve it!
So here are a few more items on my list of things to accomplish:
1. Give up soda, and diet cokes in particular (I can hear the horrified gasp of my old "diet coke break" buddy coming all the way from Michigan!). This was one of the first things on my list to do this year, but I never put it in writing because, well, frankly I didn't think I could do it! But I have done it, and I'm now entering my fourth week of diet coke-free living. There was one day last week where I was so busy and hit a mid-afternoon sleepy spell. I had a diet coke out of pure desperation for some caffeine and found that it has totally lost its charm with me. I haven't had another one since. I knew I'd still be craving something sweet to drink, so I've been drinking things like crystal light. It has really helped with the transition. The first day was the roughest, because I was SO thirsty. I drank about 120 ounces of water that day, but since then it's been fine.
2. Be better about tending to my garden this year, and also expand the variety of things I'll grow. Last year I got too busy with house projects and just didn't have time for the garden. This year will be better, and I can't wait for all my new seeds to arrive!
3. Learn to sew! Once I get reacquainted with knitting, I'm going to learn to sew. My mom gave me a very basic lesson last year. I don't want to do anything fancy, but it would be nice to be able to make simple things like curtains, pillows, and pretty summer skirts.
Speaking of knitting, I'm taking my first knitting lesson tonight! It's a beginner/refresher course and we'll be making a scarf. Later this month I'll be taking another lesson on how to make their "two-hour hat." After that I should be well on my way to my goal #4 to knit some baby hats!
I already bought my yarn for the class. The solid yarn on the left is for the scarf, and the multicolor yarn on the right is for the hat.
I forgot how much Sadie loves soft things (socks, piles of yarn, fleece blankets) and the yarn wasn't sitting on the stool more than about 30 seconds before she walked right over to thieve it!
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