As we move into fall, our gardens are slowing down. Some gardeners relish this slowdown to the busy gardening season. Others of us try to squeeze every moment we can into the garden. Knowing that the gardening season is ending can be disheartening. Instead, let’s make the most of every outdoor opportunity we have to enjoy the end of the garden season. Rather than lament that we’re getting close toRead More →
Pull up a chair and sit awhile in your garden. You have a wonderful outdoor space that attracts birds, bees, and butterflies. Now it’s time to enjoy your garden and create a cozy garden retreat. Spring is time to get your flowers and veggies planted, to clean up the winter mess, and to repair winter damage. Summer is all about weeding, maintaining, and harvesting. And autumn is the time toRead More →
This year I used what I already had for holiday decorating. Rather than spending lots of money on new decorations, I dug through my stash to see what I could incorporate into my decor for the holidays. And I realized I’ve never used vintage silver in my Christmas decor. Let me show you how easy it is to decorate with vintage silver. I like to collect a variety of vintageRead More →
All year long I like to forage for things outdoors. In the spring I look for morel mushrooms. In the summer, I gather wildflowers at our cabin. But fall is the best time for gathering natural materials to use for crafting and display. This is the perfect time of year to take a hike and look for dried flowers, grasses, pinecones, branches, colored leaves and so much more. The weatherRead More →
As I walk through my garden and enjoy all the beauty of the flowers, bees, and butterflies, I’m already thinking about next year’s flower garden. What can I do better? How can I improve on what I’m growing? And how can I get flowers earlier in the growing season? A few years ago, I began to experiment and grow hardy annuals. The more flowers I planted, the more excited IRead More →
I start my day with coffee…every day! Not only is coffee a staple in our home but I enjoy anything coffee related as well…coffee ice cream, mocha brownies, kalua with cream. My love of coffee has led me to collect coffee-themed containers as well. Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of vintage coffee pots. To me, they’re a reminder that although the method of delivery has changed,Read More →
Spring has passed and it’s time to start thinking of summer. Each season it’s fun to decorate your porch with touches that remind you of the upcoming season. Make these patriotic crafts to decorate your summer porch. One of my favorite ways to decorate my garden porch in summer is with patriotic colors. Red, white, and blue just screams summer. And while the summer of Covid will not look likeRead More →
We’re all feeling the pinch of close quarters these days. With family members working and schooling from home, we have less time to ourselves. As much as we love each other, taking a break from the togetherness, stress, and worry can help each of us to stay sane. One way to do this is to head out to the garden to work on spring garden chores. Even if the weatherRead More →
Recently, I went looking for a pair of clippers in my shed and stumbled over a pile of items I’d left laying on the floor. When I looked around I realized that over the winter months I had done it again…left little piles of things here and there. During the active garden months, I try to keep the shed neat and organized. But over the winter, it’s just easier toRead More →
The cold, gray days of winter are upon us. We often have the tendency to stay cocooned in our cozy warm houses when the weather turns cold. But there are simple activities that you should do in your garden this winter to help prepare for spring. Some of these activities will need to be done outdoors but a few of them can be enjoyed in front of your fire. BeginRead More →