How to Fix Your Garden Gnome (and Other Garden Decor) Garden gnomes are the cute little guardian angels that watch over our homes. And sometimes they get a bit neglected. In our case the poor fella was beaten up a bit by string trimming and the sun. So today I’m going to share how you can fix any small holes or cracks and repaint your gnome so that it looks like new. These tips will also work with other garden decor that you’d like to repair. Here are the supplies you need Hydraulic cementBucketMargin trowelGlovesGreat stuffOld towelRust-Oleum Primer (spray)Hobby paint brushesValspar paint samplesRust-Oleum Clear Coat (spray) This is a pretty fun project and the kids can participate, too. Let’s get to it Before we get started let me introduce you to Hanz, he’s our garden gnome. But this is an easy fix. Allow the Great Stuff to completely dry and harden. You can then mold hydraulic water stop cement with your hands to re-create missing pieces or fix cracks (again, wear gloves because the cement gets warm and could burn bare skin).
How To Get Old Stains Out Of Carpet | Remove Stains How To Get Old Dirt Stains Out Of Carpet What You Will Need Before You Start Carpet shampooer Vinegar Carpet pretreating solution, like Resolve Scrubbing brush Baking soda It can happen so quickly! You look down at the carpet in your living room and it has transformed from pretty beige to a dark and dingy looking brown. With foot traffic, pet traffic, and general dust, dirt, and grime, your carpets can quickly become stained. Start by thoroughly vacuuming the carpet to remove loose dirt and debris. One thing to remember when learning how to get old stains out of carpet is that any stain that has been worked into the carpet fibers is likely going to need at least two treatments in order to loosen the dirt from the fibers. How To Get Old Food Stains Out Of Carpet White vinegar Absorbent white towels Baking soda When learning how to get old stains out of carpet, you will often hear that the sooner you treat a stain, especially a food stain, the easier it will be to get rid of the stain.
Beyond Grass 3 Lawn Alternatives for LowMaintenance EcoFriendly Yards | Care2 Healthy Living A lush green lawn is lovely in theory, but in actual practice, it tends to be a major hassle. Mowing and weeding are just plain hard work, and the amount of water necessary to maintain a traditional lawn is unconscionable, especially in regions that are plagued with drought. For all these reasons, more and more alternatives to high-maintenance lawns are being developed these days. Read about some of the most popular. Ground Cover Ground cover is the term that describes any low-growing herbaceous perennial plant that can be used to cover the ground in place of grass. Wooly thyme is a silvery-green hardy herb that requires a minimal amount of care and is very resistant to crushing. Moss is soft and green, perfect for lying on with a book on a lazy summer afternoon. Wolly Thyme growing in between flagstones | Image credit: patrickstandish via Flickr Low-Maintenance Grass Fescue grass stands up well to both foot traffic and drought in USDA zones 1-7. Mondo Grass Meadow
Square Foot Garden Designs, Tips, and Plans Save Click Here for Square Foot Garden WorksheetMeasure your garden space and plot it on graph paper implementing the square gardening scale. Keep taller vegetables on the north side. Sketch in the cool-season varieties. Square Foot Gardens for Convenience Ready to Plant the Garden The basic layout of square gardening prevents the need for endless tilling, weeding, watering, and pest patrol. The idea is to lay the groundwork of seed beds in separate blocks that are not over four feet wide. A walking space is laid out around all sides of each block to prevent trampling on the garden bed while working the individual plots. The square garden is sized just right so you can reach each plot easily when cultivating. To divide the gardens, you can use planks to serve as walkways. An easy way to plant the garden is to allot one squarefoot garden for each member of your family. Test the soil for proper pH level, add amendments such as compost, fertilize, and you are ready for planting. Back To Top
How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden Having a garden is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Tangible benefits can be gained from interacting directly with the natural world, including healing faster after an illness and improving kids’ creativity and learning. Just think about how the scent of an aster or the feel of its petals completely changes your mood! Native Plants First, it’s important to select plants that are native to your region. Source: Fix.com Long Live the Monarch All butterflies are beautiful, but if your heart lies with the royals, you may wish to attract monarch butterflies above all others. Love This? Thanks for subscribing! Monarchs lay their eggs on the underside of the milkweed’s young leaves in the spring/summer. During each of the five stages, known as “instars,” the insect grows larger and the appearance of its banding pattern changes. After the fifth instar, the caterpillar enters its famous pupation stage. Milkweed Milkweed is a wildflower that is native to the U.S. Kick the Chemicals
50 Things You Should Stop Buying & Start Making You may be realizing that most conventionally made products out there contain a lot of toxic chemicals. Not only that, many of these products are harmful to our environment in a number of ways. Making things yourself not only saves you money and helps the environment, but it lets you know where your products are coming from and exactly what has been put in them. You can make anything from food items to personal care and cleaning products, all in very simple ways. Remember: Whenever you can, use organic foods and ingredients in recipes. Use sea salt instead of table salt. 50 Things You Can Start Making Homemade Ketchup – This ketchup won’t break the bank, tastes better than the real deal, and contains no added sugar, so it’s good for the whole family. Homemade Mayonnaise – This is a great recipe for any mayonnaise lover out there wanting to make their own at home. Peanut Butter – It is so simple to make this pantry staple it would be silly to buy it. H/T: Natural Living Ideas
Best 8 Automatic Cat Litter Box Comparison Chart 2014-2015 - Cat food dispensers reviews An automatic cat litter box can be good help in the tedious task of scooping the litter box daily, because it automatically cleans the waste clumps from your cat’s litter box . But we have to keep in mind these units are not perfect and so far none of them are, but they can be a great help for cat owners if used correctly. When it comes to different brands of automatic litter boxes what works for one person does not necessary work for another. As follows you will find a comparison chart that tries to resume the most important aspects when choosing a unit. The comparison chart has been updated to 2015, according to new features and ratings. Click on the image or link to see a FULL REVIEW COMPARISON CHART: Summary of Main Aspects Here you will find a summary with the best and the worst of each automatic litter box, the most common issues directly related with the unit’s design and solutions (not problems because of bad usage). Litter Robot Bubble Unit ScoopFree Ultra CatGenie Litter Box
Let It Marinate: The Importance of Reflection and Closing I am one of those people who regularly figures out exactly what to say after the moment has passed. I will be deep in conversation with someone, sharing thoughts and bouncing around ideas. Yet, as the thoughts swirl, I'll have an unsettled feeling. Often it is not until some time later, when the ideas have marinated, that I realize what matters most to me and how to say it. I find that the flow of learning for many of my students matches my personal need for intellectual reflection. A Classroom Example Recently, we spent a chunk of one of my world history classes discussing an excerpt from The Power of Myth, a conversation that Joseph Campbell had with Bill Moyers about enduring myths and the human condition. The discussion was interesting but felt aimless. As the discussion slowed down and the clock began approaching the end of the period, I asked everyone to jot down a one-sentence final thought. Deepening Learning Closings and Reflective Activities
Moss Art Moss Art Mud Maiden Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornall, England www.heligan.com Mud Maiden Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornall, England. www.heligan.com The Giant's Head Lost Gardens of Heligan. Mud Maiden (a newer sister to above) By Susan & Pete Hill - Private Collection. www.flixya.com Eve by Susan & Pete Hill Eden Project, Cornwall. Eve's Car Photo: www.2012forum.com Moss Graffiti - see recipe below. Moss Spider By Helen Nodding aka Ladybird Currently represented by Studio Caparelli, London. www.storiesfromspace.co.uk Moss Hideaway By Helen Nodding aka Ladybird Currently represented by Studio Caparelli, London. www.storiesfromspace.co.uk "One of the Moss bros fishing?" Moss on Ceramic By Mineo Mizuno Born 1944, Gifu Prefecture, Japan Lives/works in Los Angeles since 1964. www.mineomizuno.com Moss Guardians by William Ricketts environmentalgraffiti.com Moss & Rock Arangement By Sally J. Bright Moss Door By Sally J. Moss Faerie House By Sally J. Moss Carpet Moss garden by Makoto Azuma.
Broken Pots Turned Into Brilliant DIY Fairy Gardens Never let those broken potted plants go to waste again, you can repurpose your planter! All that you need is a broken pot, your imagination, plants, and maybe some pieces of the broken pot to create an amazing fairy garden. Some people are going above and beyond, incorporating miniature houses, glass mushrooms, and colorful bird houses into their fairy garden. If you create one of your own, you never what sort of gnomes or fairies you will attract to your garden. Recycling is one of the best trends out there, after all if we don’t start reusing what we have, we are going to run out of resources and landfills before we know it. Taking your old and broken materials and turning them into something new is one of the best ways you can help relieve the burden our planet faces. Plus, you’ll be going green in another way as well, enjoying the perks of working with flowers and fairy gardens. These DIY fairy gardens are the perfect craft to fill up your next unbooked weekend.
Yurts & Nomads - Original Mongolian Yurts Yurts and Nomads The yurt has been the main habitation of Central Asian nomads for thousands of years and continues to be the main form of dwelling in Mongolian steppe. These structures are known in many parts of the world by their Russian name, yurt, while in Mongolia these sturdy, attractive homes are called ger. A yurt has many unique features that make it ideally suited to serve as a dwelling for nomads in Central Asia, who must move regularly and face severe climatic conditions for much of the year. Portable: A Yurt is easy to assemble, dismantle and carry. Picture: A Nomadic herder is moving his yurt homes As nomadic herders move at least three or four times a year in the search for good grazing lands, this feature is of essential importance. Air circulation: A yurt has an opening in the center of the roof, which is called the crown or toono. When it is hot, the lower end of the soft covering of the yurt is raised slightly and held in place with belts on the exterior.
50 Things Everyone Should Know by Mark and Angel Self-reliance is a vital key to living a healthy, productive life. To be self-reliant one must master a basic set of skills, more or less making them a jack of all trades. Contrary to what you may have learned in school, a jack of all trades is far more equipped to deal with life than a specialized master of only one. While not totally comprehensive , here is a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. Read the rest of the article