Colonial Bird Bottles, Natural Insect Control

In colonial times, people used to hang these bottles, "martin pots" for purple martins and other small birds. This was natural bug control. Now if I could figure out how to attach this to the house without putting holes in the siding, we'd have some birds nesting. I may just attach a few to the oak trees, but the squirrels seem to bother the birds. Another option is to hand them on a secure pole.

These could get pretty expensive for purple martins because they nest in colonies(or so I've read), but great for other birds if you want something decorative.

The Jefferson Monticello Shop in Charlottesville, Virginia sells these online. They have a hook in back, and the little tab with the hole in it is to thread a stick through for a perch.

Here's a good example(pictured) of a bird nesting in a jar. These are reproductions of the jars excavated from Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

DIY Kusamono Japanese Flower Arrangement

I made this today with a little terracotta tray which I got at the thrift store for .75 cents. This took literally ten minutes while I looked around the yard for treasures to fill the dish. The moss was growing along our gravel patio, so I just used the sandy soil that the moss was naturally growing in for soil. We have a good number of oak trees, so mossy tree pieces are every where. In the past, I've placed collected driftwood in among the plantings, so there are little sea rolled pieces of wood among the mulch.

I could not find any small plants to add with height that were small enough, and I would have liked to place a large piece of driftwood at the edge, but I couldn't find just the right size and shape. I compromised with a piece of mossy bark and a chunk of insect eaten wood(interesting tunnels) from a log. In the end, I figured this was a better representation of my woodland garden. And that is what Kusamono is all about, trying to recreate natural environments in miniature and in an abstract manner emphasizing simplicity.

The moss will fluff up and the stones will settle in time. I haven't watered it yet because it's been raining outside, so it's nice and moist. This arrangement is so easy to maintain, just mist it every few days. It will fit on one of my window sills which doesn't get direct sun, far away from my little girls fingers.

Hmmm, suddenly I feel like eating sushi.

Make Your Own Drinking Glasses with Recycled Bottles

I'm really trying to get the hubby to try this. I'm too nervous to cut the glass myself, but it's a neat way to recycle if you are good with tools.

I think using an Ephrem's bottle cutter is the easiest and safest way to try this at home. You still have to heat the bottle, and cool it down for the cut, but the gadget does the etching for you.

After you cut the bottle to the desired height, it is just a matter of sanding the rim. You can recycle the top of the bottle as a candle holder.

Bodhicitta, an experienced glass worker at Etsy makes the glasses pictured, but he fire polishes the rims.

A friend's father gave me some antique champagne bottles from one of his digs near the Panama Canal. The top broke clean off along a perfect angle for a vase(pictured). I'm pretty sure you could etch and break away the top off a bottle this way with the bottle cutter.

Here are some lights made out of recycled wine bottles. It looks as if they used epoxy to glue various pieces together, but you could just use one single bottle for each light:

Spice Cake on the Fly

I couldn't be bothered with a recipe the other day, and made this simple cake with flour, sugar(white and brown) , an egg, a little milk, some oil(about a half cup), cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. I think I used two cups flour, one cup sugar, one egg, one tsp baking powder, one tsp baking soda, and a little cinnamon.

I can' recall how much milk I used, but I kept adding it to make the batter thinner. This cake came out really nice. I melted together a little cream cheese, powdered sugar, red food color(pink with just a drop), and water in the microwave for icing.

I think I like experimenting better than using recipes. Lately I've been almost too tired to read anything anyway... my eyes are not focusing well with all this pollen!

Recycling Glass Bottles: Self Watering Plant Devices

Those Aqua Globes are great, but free and recycled for me is even better. So I decided to try something with recycled glass bottles. The sizes and colors of glass bottles are diverse. I think you can get some pretty bottles that serve form and function, just soak the labels off.

I've only tried this with one plant, and I still have not seen if this works well. It's still a bit of an experiment, but I took a cleaned and empty plum wine bottle, filled it with water, and poked very small holes into the top. I pushed the neck of the bottle into the soil, and if this works it should drip water slowly into the plant(drip irrigation). In theory, it should work, but I may need larger or more holes. This is not the prettiest of self waterers, but it's hidden under to foliage.

Tiny vanilla bottles can be used with small plants, soda or beer bottles with medium sized plants, and wine bottles for the largest. I'm going to try this outdoors in the vegetable garden as well. I like the idea of using glass self watering devices with the edibles. I don't trust the chemicals that leech out of plastic bottles.

You can purchase plant nannies which are terracotta attachments for wine bottles, but really I think poking holes in a cork/screw top will work just as well.

Kusamono Japanese Flower Arrangements

I've always liked Japanese gardens and floral arrangements, probably because I lived in Tokyo when I was little, and because I am drawn to peaceful and ordered livingscapes.

These arrangements are fairly easy to make, and perfect for spring. I wish I still had some of my bowls from my early collecting days. Vintage stoneware is perfect for these arrangements. I'm going to take a trip to the thrifts tomorrow to see if I can find some shallow bowls.

Check out these pictures from the National Bonsai Foundation... look how many of the plants used are common garden "weeds"! I've always known that there is beauty and elegance in wild flowers.

Kusamono are potted arrangements of wild grasses and flowers in unique pots or trays. The name is composed of two Japanese characters: “grass” and “thing.” Originally, this name referred to the small, potted grasses displayed with bonsai as companion plants.

More recently, kusamono has developed into an art form of its own. A well-chosen kusamono reflects the season in which it is displayed. Some compositions are designed to include plants that will look good in several seasons. Besides the season, a kusamono should suggest a specific natural habitat--such as a wetland, meadow or woodland. Whether using a single plant or a group of plants, there are three basic styles of planting: moss-ball, out-of-pot, or in a container.

I found the moss kusamono image at top on Google images. I'd love to try this one; I've got lots of moss in my yard, my favorite.

Growing Potatoes in a Garbage Can

Thanks Myrnie for this tip! We will be trying this.

Ciscoe's To-do List: Grow potatoes in a garbage can

By CISCOE MORRIS
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

Growing spuds in a garbage can is fun, and it's something you can do to get your kids interested in gardening. Any clean plastic garbage can will work. Drill at least four 1/2-inch holes in the bottom for good drainage and fill the bottom 6 inches deep with houseplant potting soil. Mix in slow-release fertilizer, or feed every two weeks with high-phosphorus, soluble houseplant fertilizer. Buy starter potatoes at a nursery, and plant them whole, 5 inches apart, just under the soil surface and water them in. The vines will soon begin to grow and as soon as they reach 4 inches tall, cover all but 1 inch of the lowest vine with compost, wood chips or potting soil. Continue to cover the vines in this way until they grow out of the top of the garbage can. Once the vines bloom, you can reach in and pick the biggest spuds you can find. These are new potatoes and they won't store, but they are delicious for that evening's dinner. Wait to do the main harvest until vines die back completely in fall. You never know what you'll get. My champion harvest was 42 softball-size Yukon Golds. Then for some reason, the next year I planted the same variety and got exactly 9,347,012 spuds smaller than pingpong balls.

I've got an idea to get two cans, one for us, and one for the food pantry. Gardeners, plant a row for the poor.

I'll be trying out these Red Pontiac Potato 2 Pounds Organic Certified Seed Tubers from Hirts Garden.

Make a Moss Terrarium

These can be made in much more elegant glass vessels, but this was spur of the moment, so I used what I had on hand. This little jar fits nicely on my kitchen window sill.

Materials:
- Glass or clean plastic container
- Soil
- Pebbles
- Charcoal
- Moss

Put the pebbles in first, then the charcoal to control odors, soil, and moss. I didn't use charcoal, but I did made some air holes in the top of my lid with a hammer and nail. This will help control odor. Mist the moss once every few weeks, or less for smaller terrariums.

All these materials were available in my garden and recycling bin. Other ideas for plantings: lawn "weeds" such as oxalis, violets, sorrel, shamrocks, or anything on the small side. With a large container little decorative elements can be added, like coral, interesting smooth stones(Asian theme), drift wood, or whimsical items.

An elegant terrarium sold by Made by Mavis at Etsy. I love these terrariums; we had them in the house in the '70's. I'm glad to see them back. See more at the Make It Form Scratch Carnival(4/14/09)

Make Your Own Skirt - No Pattern, Easy

Make a Simple Drawstring Skirt
This is so easy. I'm a beginning seamstress, and I can handle this just fine. This skirt can be made to any length, and to any size. Try using vintage sheets for fabric on this project, especially for teenagers and small children.

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Here is another one that I'd like to try. I've made pillowcase dresses for my toddler, but this one is a pillowcase skirt. You do have to be skinny for this project, so this may exclude me. I'll have to see if I can stuff myself into a pillowcase. If not, I'll try this for my daughter when she is older. This one requires only hand sewing.

Here's a good clothes saver for post baby body: How to Put Side Panels in Pants. This could be done with skirts as well.

How to Make Rag Rug

Easy, even if you are not an expert crafter or have never learned to knit or crochet.

How to Make a Rag Rug: The Basics for Beginners (Part 1)

How to Make a Rag Rug: The Basics for Beginners (Part 2)

Green Weaving: Make Your Own Loom

This is my kind of loom - easy, free, and recycled.

How to Weave on a Cardboard Loom

Here is another one made from a box:

Here are instructions for a children's loom using a craft stick. I have also seen people use a flat hair clip.









A few more loom ideas from Montessori World

Cardboard Weaving printable PDF instructions.



YouTube - Weaving on a Cardboard Loom

Here is a nice tutorial for a plastic bag rug, although any scraps of fabric will do.

Not cardboard, but doable with the purchase of a 2x4 and a wood dowel: homemade wood peg looms.

Random Crafts This Past Week

A few crafts I made for and with the children:

Butterflies using this template and junk mail:















A purse made of packing paper dyed with food color, a cream cheese box, and a braided plastic bag handle.

Free Vintage Children's Sewing Cards

This link also includes some free paper dolls.

Vintage sewing card instructions here, along with printable sewing cards.

A few more at Flickr.

Vintage National Geographic Online and in Public Domain

From 1908 - 1922, here at Google Books.

Build a Rustic Wood Shed

I'm trying to convince my husband to build this. Right now, we are using a tarp and bungee cords for the lawn mower. Directions here. Really, any scrap wood could be used, including deconstructed wood pallets.

Beauty Berry, a Natural Insect and Tick Repellent

Denese had an interesting blog post with free resources for folk remedies, and one of them caught my eye, Old-Time Mosquito Remedy May Work Against Ticks, Too. Using crushed beauty berry leaves has long been used by Mississippi natives to repel both mosquitoes and ticks.

I buy plants from my local native plants society twice a year, and three years ago I planted a Beauty Berry bush. I will definitely be trying this; we have a lot of ticks and mosquito here in coastal Virginia.

I recently bought some organic citronella oil from Mountain Rose Herbs, so I'll be using this as well. They have dog and cat pet collars using natural herbs as a flea repellent which I'd like to try. Even though we use a monthly treatment on the pets, they still seem to get ticks and fleas. My cat likes to roll in one particular place on our patio, so last year I spread diamateous earth in that area. It's a natural bug killer. It works by dehydrating the exoskeletons of the bugs. It may have helped, but it couldn't have hurt. I'm willing to try something natural this year.

I'll post my results during the summer.

Homeschool and Household Time Management and Planning Freebies

Click on title.