I’ll admit it- I know next to nothing about cement. It’s uh, a rock? You build stuff with it? Sometimes it’s wet? It’s gray? That is literally all I know about the stuff. Naturally, if a cement structure on my property suddenly crumbled, I’d have no idea where to begin. Unfortunately, it happens- especially to cement stone steps. Crumbling stairs look bad, bring down your curb appeal, and, worst of all, can be a serious safety hazard. It’s best to get it fixed ASAP. If you have broken cement stairs, check out this super easy tutorial by Jeff at Home Repair Tutor. It’s super user friendly, and has lots of helpful photos.
Friday Fun Video: How To Build A Nail Polish Rack
I LOVE this! It would make my life so much more organized.
Test Your Soil With A Mason Jar
There are probably literally thousands of projects that you can do with mason jars on Pinterest: you can make lanterns, mini terrariums, pretty flower vases, makeup brush holders, and even wine glasses with them! But, there are also tons of more practical uses for them (canning, anyone?). For example, I just stumbled upon this amazing tutorial by Shelle on Preparedness Mama: it’s a very detailed guide on how to do a soil test for your garden, and how to get the optimal soil mix for growing. All you need? A mason jar and some water.
-Fill the jar half way with your garden soil, add water until it’s full.
-Secure the lid tightly and shake it so all particles are in suspension.
-Give it a few hours to settle and see your results:
-Bottom layer: heavy rocks and sand. Next: silt particles. Then: Clay. There may be organic matter floating on top of the water.
–If your jar test is 20% clay, 40% Silt, 40% sand = Loam, you have the perfect combination. You’ve been working hard in your garden!
It’s great for your garden, plus: Bonus- It could also be a fun science experiment for kids to teach about density and suspension of particles.
Friday Fun Video: Potato Growing Idea
Perfect for lots of delicious potatoes in a small space!
Friday Fun Video: Smelly Crawl Space Fix
Yuck, right?! Sometimes it happens, though. And if it does, this video will be tremendous help.
Easy Growing Herbs
This Spring, I’ve decided to try something new. I want to plant my own herb garden! The thought of having my own supply of super fresh basil, rosemary, and cilantro (yesss!) just makes me salivate. Most garden advice I’ve looked up has strongly recommended starting herbs from seedlings, especially if you’re a beginning gardener. That’s a good tip, but some herbs are just pretty dang hard to take care of: they need very specific environments to survive, and require constant care. If you’re looking for something a little less challenging, check out this post by Patrick at Survival At Home for the easiest herbs to grow. They thrive almost anywhere, and need little care:
-Basil
-Chives
-Mint
-Rosemary
-Thyme
How To Grow Ginger
I know I’ve been on an herb garden kick lately, but I just can’t help myself. Another “herb” (that’s actually a root that grows in a weird clump called a “hand”) that I love is ginger. It’s so sweet but it also has a kick! It’s great in cookies (gingersnaps!), candies, and other sweets, and it adds a nice zing to Asian food like stir fry. Plus, it’s always better fresh and can be grown indoors. Check out this tutorial by Kristina at Dream State Inspiration if you want to try your “hand” at growing some!
Friday Fun Video: Spring Cleaning! Window Screens
An easy way to thoroughly clean old window screens if you have a kiddie pool laying around.
Corner Shelf DIY
I love shelves that are creative or hidden away. At my parents’ house, the upstairs has some really cool shelves that are built right into the wall. I’ve never seen shelves like these at the House of Rose blog. They’ve built shelves into the corners of their rooms. I especially love the bathroom shelving! (Pictured). This post by Mandy has an entire tutorial on how to copy her corner shelving. Be sure to check it out! It has a list of materials, a video, and very specific instructions as well as some beautiful photos.
Jazz Up Your Flower Pots With These DIY Ideas
Decorating your flower pots is an easy way to add some charm to your porch or garden. With so many ideas floating around, it’s hard to decide what you want to do with them though. Well, I’ve found the mother of all flower pot decorating posts! Check out this compilation of ideas by Andrea at The Cottage Market. Here are some of my favorite ideas, but be sure to look at the post for photos of the final product:
-Tiered Planters: with house number
-Fabric pots
-Add lace
-Chalk paint + art!
-Dip dye/ombre
-Handprints (kids)
-Crayon drip pots