Mystery Shrub

Click on image to enlarge. This woody plant

grew rapidly in a corner of my vegetable garden near the leeks. It looks a bit like a butterfly bush? Anyone know what it is? I've been searching Google without finding a match. We are in zone 7, bordering on zone 8 on the east coast. The soft non-glossy leaves look as if they are lanceolate with mild serration. They are growing out of clusters rather than randomly along the stem.

Printable Gardening Worksheets for Early Learning

Source: homeschoolcreations.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Click on source link above for free PDF download.

Happy First Day of Spring

Images from my garden today. : ) Happy first day of spring.

Rainbow Maker

40mm(1.57 inches) Crystal Ball Prism  
I purchased this crystal before Saint Patrick's Day to make rainbows(for my daughter) in our sunny craft room. It came just in time, and after I hung it in front of the window, we immediately had rainbows all over the wall. Just gorgeous!  It was a great price as well, $2.98 with free shipping.


I almost did this beaded drop with a crystal at the end, but I ran short on fishing wire.

Source: paintcutpaste.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Build Your Own Sectional Platform Sofa/Couch

We finally made it! We used twin mattresses (standard 39 x 75 inches) on homemade platforms. The construction of the platform was very basic: Six 2 x 11 x 10 pine lumber boards(three each), and two long lumber posts cut into legs, nine inches tall each(10 altogether). The cuts were made for us in the lumber section at Home Depot for a small fee. We used an old twin box spring as a guide (template) for width and length. Everything was screwed together with long dry wall screws. There are five legs on each platform, one at each corner and one in the middle. We used some scrap lumber to tie(cross brace) the boards together by screwing them across the width in a two areas. We spent about $75.00 for the two platforms. Look in the garbage bins at the end of the lumber aisles for free scrap lumber(cross braces). Ask first, of course.

We accidentally purchased the ten foot boards, but if you can find eight feet, it will be less expensive - about $2.00 less a board. Although, if you need it, longer lengths will mean more leftover scrap wood, which could be reused as cross braces.

We have a small Honda Fit and were able to get the materials home in two trips. So, you don't necessarily need a truck to made this. We used one mattress on hand, and had one delivered from an online mattress discounter.

It's very rustic, but that's what we were going for. We've traveled a lot during our life times, so we have a penchant for ethnic items. We used what we had for a cheerful and child friendly living room. It's a north facing room, so tends to be a bit deary and dark. It needed color.

You can eyeball the work in the picture, and get a idea of construction. It's heavy, and very sturdy. Although it's a fairly clean cut, we still need to sand the exposed ends.

Because these are made with sleeping mattresses, they are very comfortable and roomy for relaxing and hanging out with family. Cleaning is very simple - just take off the covers and wash. A plastic mattress cover can be added underneath the coverings for wet spill protection. Probably the least expensive no-sew upholstery-like covering would be an Indian dhurrie throw rug. I found the large stripped one(all cotton) in the picture at Big Lots for about $15.00, several years ago. All this makes for a hygienic and allergy friendly couch.

We made a taller twin platform bed for my daughter in August of last year here.

Vintage Instructional: How to Brush Your Teeth

Source: milliemotts.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

To save, go to Millie Motts blog source, above. This would look cute framed in a bathroom - super for health lessons and morning reading practice for early readers.

Printable (Vintage) Watercolor "Wash" Art Lesson for Young Children

Very basic beginning watercolor "wash". Printable (vintage) art lesson for young children - landscape and sky. Right click on the image of the page at the link(source below image) to save/print.

Source: books.google.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Penguins!

We had to drive a little less than two hours to find penguins, but it was worth the drive. My daughter's latest obsession is penguins. This week we watched March of the Penguins on DVD and visited the zoo. I must say these African penguins were so adorable! I'm glad we were able to get close to them at this particular zoo. What a happy group these were and very well cared for. These two kept posing for my pictures.

Leprechaun Trap

This is hilarious. We may do this along with our Irish fairy tale readings.

Source: aggiemania.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Printable vintage leprechaun paper doll.

Update:

We made one! I'll put a leprechaun in it on Saint Patrick's Day.

Vintage Children's Paper Crafts for Spring: Rabbits

Rabbits for tracing and grouping, and a cut-out rabbit paper doll. Both are in public domain, dated 1915. I found these at Google Books. Click to enlarge and print.

Reposted from 2010.

Easy DIY Pine Couch

We are waiting for a mattress to be delivered, and then we'll put together something like this as a living room couch. I'm actually thinking about making two for an L-shaped sectional. See link below picture for instructions. It's very easy, simply a platform with an old door for a back. Instead of an old door, we'll use two open spaced pine boards along the back to allow for an open look. The blogger who made this couch made her own slip cover. I may purchase a fitted futon cover, or just use a fitted sheet with an Indian dhurrie over it.

Source: uglymuffinlibrary.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

It can be stained with dark tung oil(a plant resin) which is less toxic than regular stain.

Spring Time Mobile

So pretty and looks easy enough to make.

Source: marthastewart.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Frugal Gardening: Leaf Mulching

Our neighbor has been providing bags of leaves for us to mulch and use in the garden as a top dressing. It works wonders at keeping down weeds and providing nutrients to the soil. Best of all, it's free, not counting gas for the mulching mower(which is minimal).

My daughter's little garden with some fine mulched leaves and a little compost soil.

Inexpensive School Textbook(Vintage) Reprints

Today I received three reprints of early 20th century English composition texts for eighth and ninth grade levels, available free at Google Books as a PDF. These freebies could be read on a laptop, but the student in question(the son) wanted a print book. They are excellent content and were less than $13.00 each as reprints. Many books are available for reprint via Qoop. When you find a vintage free books that you'd like in print, look for the Qoop button("Get Book in Print" pull down menu) on the left hand Google Books sidebar(at "About Book" link) The reprints are available in black and white print as paperbacks only, and will be the exact replica of the book(as seen) on Google Books.

Using Literature to Teach Science

Source: intranet.cshgreenwich.org via Alexandra on Pinterest

A third grade booklist with PDF lessons plans and printables. See here.

Inexpensive Silk Drapes

Update: Here they are. I ended up just hanging them over the rod. I'm very happy with these. Two were long enough to doubled over the rod as curtains, and the other is being used as a swag. All were placed on an existing rod with two of my older off-white sheers in the middle. The edges are finished with an ornate gold trim.
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2/7/12:

I just purchased some vintage pure silk Indian saris(ebay) for under $15.00 each. Each piece is 43 inches wide and 4 yards long. I am hoping to made some curtains out of these by sewing them to the front of my existing thin white tab top curtains.


I think it will bring out the blue in our old Persian rug. Or it might look garish, either way, you can't beat the price! If I could have found it, powder blue would have been a better choice. Saris tend to be made in vibrant colors.

These old saris can be made into beautiful comforters and pillows. Something I recently learned about silk is that it resists dust mites; so they make great bed coverings for allergy sufferers.

Inky the Octopus, Recycled Art

I'm getting a lot of mileage out of empty toilet tissue rolls! Today, I made an octopus for my daughter from a T.P. roll with tissue paper "ink", which is tucked inside until pushed out through the roll from the other side. I made the "ink" by cutting strips from a folded rectangle of blue tissue paper(dollar store) and taping it onto the inside of the roll.

The printable penguin is from here. He is taped to another T.P. roll which I use as a stand for cut-and-paste play items.