Farm life

A few weeks ago we visted a farm.

The kids played for hours.

I took out my camera.

I created a slideshow on Flickr.

Please check it out.

Summer, summer, summer!

Sorry not much time to write.

We are going to spend most of our weekend here.

Summer has arrived!

Library discards

I didn't get the chance last weekend to check out
our local library's bi-annual used book sale.
Doesn't really matter as I have folks who
regularly bring me their own library's discards.

So happy these haven't gone on to other homes,
or, more horribly, into trash or recycling bins.
I enjoy looking through every single one before
eventually listing them in my Etsy shop.

I am continually listing single sewing magazines
as well as lots of multiple issues in Vintage Supplies/How-to.
Many hard-to-find "Australian Smocking and Embroidery"
plus Martha Pullen (of PBS fame) titles are popular
and full of really hand tips and instructions.

If you are over, say 40, this title probably looks familiar.

"Free To Be ...  You and Me" was a favorite in my house.

This songbook is now listed in my Vintage Books section.

My sister found it plus others in her school library's discards.

Coming soon, two nearly complete sets of literary tomes.
From 1952, "The New Junior Classics" from Collier
and from 1962, "Collier's Junior Classics."
I will be selling these books, with great read-aloud
stories and nice illustrations, individually.

Frugal container gardening

This post is about really frugal container gardening.

After pulling together what I already had at home,

I spent about $15 total for all the supplies used:

Moss: Free

Pebbles: Free

Potting mix: $1

Activated charcoal: $4

Plants: $4

Containers: $6

That is $15 for 11 new container gardens.

I know this looks like a roofer's nightmare but I found

beauty in the north-facing side of my inlaws' boathouse.

With the help of a long-handled metal hoe

I "harvested" some of the moss and lichen Saturday

and brought it home to make terrariums.

Since it was so dark and rainy yesterday,

a potting station on my back porch was needed.

A thrift store trip provided me with lidded glass containers

and a few more milk glass planters for some repotting

I had already planned on doing soon.

Terrariums are so easy to make

the whole family can join in and add their favorites.

In your clean glass container, layer pebbles,

activated charcoal, potting mix, plants and little tchotchkes.

The charcoal prevents everything from becoming stinky

and can be found at an aquarium or pet store.

Kids especially like adding little critters

or other toys to their finished terrariums.

Plants can go in as randomly as you want.

I picked little bits of moss and lichen I thought

looked nice with the bought plants.

Before closing everything up, water thoroughly.

Check your terrarium every day to see if it needs water.

Dry soil means it does, wet pebbles means it doesn't.

Place your terrarium in a spot with moderate sunlight
and enjoy a little bit of nature indoors all year round!

Look at this bounty in white!

Even my late great aunt's Christmas cacti

looks so much better in coordinating containers.

These two Christmas cacti sat in their original

bright red foil wrappers all winter.

They look so much cuter now.

The hens and chicks are from a senior center plant sale.

I only wish I had bought even more.

I had planned on selling the two matching planters

with embossed leaves marked "FTD 1975."
Find other milk glass planters on Etsy.

Then hens and chicks, with bits of moss and pebbles

from a landscaping project look adorable.

For now, all of my new plantings are adorning our porch,

but I will soon find new places for them --

either in my home or as gifts for family and friends.

Hen party

We regularly get old-fashioned brown eggs

from these four lovely little ladies.

My two youngest boys paid them back

with blades of grass and clover flowers.

pipers and drummers

Finally getting my design on

I decided I had to get going on the Red Hen Studio redesign

since Vistaprint is offering 500 business cards for $10.
(Click on image if you actually want to read it.)

Off to work on the brand spanking new redhenstudios.com next.