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Landscaping For Beginners

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Sometimes, getting into landscaping can literally seem like moving mountains, especially if you have no idea where to begin. However, getting into landscaping doesn’t have to be a huge hurdle. All it takes is a little bit of planning! Check out this post by Midwest Living for some landscaping tips for people trying to design their yard: hello, curb appeal!

-Start with the big stuff- use trees, shrubs, gazebos, etc. as focal points.

-Include your house in your plan!

-Study your space, choose plants adapted to your yard’s conditions and your area’s hardiness Zone.

-Shop around and check various prices to save money

-Add lights to your yard

-Create paths through your garden.

Photo Credit: David K. 

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Drying Lavender

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I love making my own soap! I enjoy the creative process of combining oils, fragrances, colors, and other additives to make my own signature bars. It’s a little bit science and a little bit art, and it’s super fun. Something I’ve been playing with lately is adding my own ingredients. I’ve tried cocoa, almonds, and flax seeds. I recently planted a lavender seedling in my yard, and thought it would be a great additive as well! If you need dried lavender for soap, a recipe, aromatherapy, or just for decoration, check out these tips by Plants and Oils at Hubpages:

-You should pick your lavender when it is just fully-opened, smelling fragrant, but not at all going over

-Cut your lavender carefully, avoiding crushing the flowers.

-Group about half a dozen lavender stalks together, and tie the bunch firmly with string.

-It’s important that the stalks and flowers are in a dark, warm, and dry place, so that they do not get mould or rot before they dry properly. It takes about a month.

Photo Credit: Jen 

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7 Tips For Starting A Fairy Garden

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Yesterday, a few friends and I got together to make our own fairy gardens. I’ve been seeing them for a while on Pinterest now and had always wanted to try them! If you haven’t seen them before, they are basically miniature container gardens that include tiny pieces of furniture and other trinkets. Basically, creating a space in your yard for “fairies” to come visit 😉 It’s fairly easy and inexpensive to start- all you need is a container, some soil, a few small plants, and some trinkets (broken jewelry, small toys, etc. that you can find laying around your house). Plus, kids will also love creating them! If you want to make your own, here are some tips that I learned yesterday:

-Keep a theme in mind: The most important thing to remember is theme. Select a theme and don’t deviate! Your garden should tell a story. Are you creating a hobbit hole? A mermaid oasis? A woodland cottage?A flower garden? Pick what inspires you.

-Remember scale: Don’t use huge, towering plants if your fairy home is only 4 inches tall.

-Plan ahead: get plants that have similar needs. If your garden is going to be indoors, choose plants that thrive in the shade. If you have a gray thumb like me, here’s a tip: succulents are almost un-killable.

-Get creative! Look for every day objects that can be repurposed. A painted thumbtack could easily become a mini toadstool. You can create fairy homes out of old milk cartons, bark, and pinecones. My friend created a little fairy-sized hammock out of a scrap of tulle and two twigs. Keep your mind open!

-Moss, moss, moss. Put moss everywhere that there aren’t decorations or other plants. It will keep your garden from looking patchy and sparse.

-When choosing a container, look for surface space rather than depth. This will give you more room to create your scene.

-Remember that you won’t finish in one day. You will most likely always be expanding your garden, and finding new things to add.

Special thanks to Katie Clark for helping me make mine and teaching me these tips!

My garden:

My friends’ gardens: 

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Spring Craft Idea: Bird Feeder From A Teacup

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I have a total thrift store addiction. But, I don’t really buy clothes. Whenever I go out, I always head straight for the home goods section. I love old furniture, kitchenware, kitschy décor, and pretty much anything else I can get my hands on. Right now, I have more colored glass bottles than I know what to do with, wicker baskets out the wazoo, more picture frames than pictures, and teacups. So many teacups. I always tell myself I’ll use them for something, but I can never decide what. Then, I saw this post by Jessi Wohlwend at Practically Functional! It’s a tutorial on how to turn a teacup + saucer into a totally adorable bird feeder. Check it out:

-Glue teacup to saucer using ceramic glue. Make sure the cup is at the back half of the saucer so there is room for the birdseed to “spill out” in front of the cup.
-Tie a piece of twine around the teacup handle and hang from a tree.

Photo Credit: Marcie 

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Easy Curb Appeal Projects You Can Do This Weekend

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Curb appeal is what sells your home. It’s the small details that make people stop and say, “Ooh, look at that!”. It is also one of the easiest things to create. It just requires some cleaning, some creativity, and a little bit of elbow grease. If you’re a naturally crafty or handy person, this post by Lilly at Listotic will be right up your alley. She has compiled the best DIY projects on the web that will instantly add a boost to your home’s curb appeal. Here are some of my favorites:

-Add shutters

-Hide your hose in a creative or aesthetic way, like in a basket or pot.

-Add solar spotlights

-Add a pergola

-Makeover your mailbox

Be sure to look at her post for full tutorials, as well as before and after photos for each project.

Photo Credit: Wonderlane 

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Making Garden Sculpture Balls

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I love any kind of decorative garden art- especially the kind you can make yourself, including garden balls. Although garden balls have been around for a while, I still really like them, and I think they make your yard even more magical. I’m sure you’ve seen them- some people recycle old bowling balls, others use lamp globes. Check out some ideas for what to put on your garden ball from Melissa J. Will at Empress of Dirt:

1. Start with clean, dry lamp globe.
2. Apply the flat marbles using a generous amount of GE Silicone II sealant. Make sure you pick the one that is waterproof, clear, and made for outdoors – either for Gutters and flashing or Windows and doors.

Photo Credit: Ben Husmann 

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DIY Paved Path

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I think that a nice, paved path in a garden really pulls everything together. Not to mention, it adds a lot to potential curb appeal! The cool part is, you can install pavers yourself. If you put in some time and elbow grease, a beautiful paved path could be in your future. Check out this post by Matt at the DIY Village for an awesome, detailed tutorial:

-Excavate path, bring in gravel base.

-Add a layer of sand, using a level to keep it as even as possible

-Lay out the pavers in the pattern you want, use a dead blow hammer to set them in place

-Spread some quickrete over the path, pouring it into the side of the path as well to hold the pavers in place.

-Fill in the surrounding area with dirt. Ta da!

Photo Credit: Porfirio 

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