Three DIY Craft Projects in Time for Valentine's

I made three more videos for Prime Publishing, each of them with a subtle Valentine theme. In the playlist below you will find how I made a Faux Etched Mirror with spray paint, how to make a decoupaged heart with pressed flowers, and how to make a hanging flower pot holder with an ice cream bucket. Check them out:

Tips and Tricks: Reusing Silica Gel

You know those little packets of silica gel that come in shoe boxes, furniture kits, and many other things you've purchased? Well, I collected a whole bunch of them over the years thinking I would use them to dry flowers without pressing them. I still may do that, but something a bit more practical came around and I found myself needing some silica gel to store clothing and stuffed animals. So, I took those packets I've been collecting for years, poured them all in a foil lined baking pan and dried them out in a 250 degree oven for 4 hours. I then took coffee filters and folded them into little bags, stapling the sides. I filled each bag with about two spoonfuls and closed it up with more staples. I think these will do the job just fine! ♥

My Sisters' Recent Yarn Haul and Their Plans to Knit me a Scarf and Socks!

My sister Rebekah has been knitting and crocheting for quite a few years now and just this year my sister Catherine is getting into the yarn craft as well. They bought a bunch of yarn and did a couple fun little videos of their yarn haul. And guess what, one of Catherine's first projects will be a scarf for me, or more specifically a cowl! Plus, Rebekah's first pair of socks she plans to make are going to be for me - aren't my sisters sweet?

Photo Friday: Free Photo Effects to Transform your Garden Photos into Art!

Some photos of your garden are "masterpieces" and others not so much. There is this great online tool that can transform photos using some really neat effects. Why not have some fun today and transform some of those not-so-nice photos (and even a few of those "masterpieces") into some works of art in their own right?
http://www.picturetopeople.org

Pinteresting Tuesday: Button DIY Crafts and Ideas

FREE Original Flower Silhouettes and how to make your own

I wanted to make a silhouette of a lily to use for this blog as a post header for one of my regular features. I would like to share with you how simple it was for me to do.

I used Corel Photo-Paint x5 for this, but I've used quite a few other photo editors and the procedure is pretty much the same.

1. Choose a photo with a plant or flower (or whatever may be the subject) that is easy to distinguish the edges.

Burpee Gardening: Sales, Promos, Coupons - Updated 2/24

20% off orders over $70 with code FEB2070, through 2/28 at Burpee.com!

$4.95 Flat Rate Shipping on Ready-To-Bloom Perennial Plant orders with code READY495 through 3/1 at Burpee.com!

20% off every order with code AFFEVERY through 3/1 at Burpee.com!

15% off any order with code GARDENS15 at Burpee.com through 4/1!



PLUS: Get 7% cash back if you place your order through Ebates.com! Better yet, 9% cash back through Shop at Home.

Pinteresting Tuesday: Winter Wonderland Crafts and Inspiration

Drying Gourds for Crafts!

Bottle Gourds: Freshly harvested green gourds are pictured in the front and 2010-11's crop is in the back.

When I am not farming or gardening  I like to make crafts as you well know, but I especially like to craft with gourds. I've been making and selling gourd art for over a decade now and over the past 5 years I've been sharing my knowledge and experience in this unique art form through writing and videos. This blog is not going to be an exception to that either! :) This is a great time of year to show you the first step in making gourd art – drying out the gourds. Many, many people come up to me and say they grew some gourds this year and now they don’t know what to do with them. I want to answer that question here.

Pinteresting Tuesday: Winter Wreaths

I will post my Pinterest boards with crafts and gardening ideas that caught my eye. Just click on the widget below and browse through the inspiration!


Credit: Iris collage by Carroll Woods. Her Flickr art group is: dumpsterdiversanonymous.

Photo Friday: Using Rocks in the Garden

I wanted to show you how I incorporate rocks of all sizes into my garden and what better way than with lots of photos!

My small flower garden is situated in a lush woods under the canopy of two great white oaks. It’s rather a difficult spot to garden due to the shade and lack of water (the trees soak up a lot!), but also because it is right on a rather steep hill. It’s such a beautiful spot overlooking a large lake that I didn’t mind dealing with the difficulties.

—

One of the first things I did was build dry stack rock walls to brace the soil back and create level garden plots. I made a couple large retaining walls and a couple small ones. I was lucky to have

Craft Project: How to Make Miniature Wreath Ornaments with Canning Jar Lids