Starting Seeds

I finally started the majority of my seeds yesterday! Will plant the rest when I get back into town this weekend. I'm so excited to see them grow - I keep going outside every few hours to see if I see anything lol.





And this is a gorgeous tree in my backyard that I have absolutely no clue what it is!

Hiking at UWF

Went on a 12 mile hike on Sunday. Got lost a bit toward the end lol. Beautiful scenery though!









Also - can anyone positively identify this as a huckleberry bush?

Day in Fairhope

Fiarhope, Alabama has to be one of the cutest towns I've ever vistited!

No commentary really necessary - we enjoyed a picnic, strolling through the town's center, driving past old Victorians and drooling over the window of the Fudge Shoppe. If you have the time it's definitely worth the trip!





Not very scenic but seriously...Guido wealth management?

Works in progress

Remember this post on Gibbous Fashions?
http://etsyfoodsnob.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-mission.html

Here is the materials I have gathered thus far!


Will work on it when I get two spare seconds - but for now I stare longingly at the fabric pile every time I sit down to work at home!

Secondly - I'm toying with the idea of opening up another shop that focuses on felt items. I've taken to hand sewing since quitting smoking almost 3 months ago {yea me!] and of course I immediately though of selling things on etsy since I'm making ridiculous amounts of items just to keep my hands busy. Here is one of them at a photoshoot with my cat, Salem.






And his actual portrait and listing

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42320886
He is made from felt that's created using post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. How awesome is that?

Thoughts on Happy Irish Kitty?

Recycle = Love

Last garden related post today - I promise!

I'll start off with my dream garden and the rest are photos I've found while looking for ways to recycle containers in the garden. I think gardens that utilize upcycled or 'found' objects are beautiful *and* I'm a total tightwad and love to do things for as cheap as possible =)


http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcline/3625870529/


Repurposed Tin Cans
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=185900.0


Old Suitcase Planter!
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=121215.0


Not related to veggies or herbs but how could I not include this amazing chandelier bird feeder?!
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=48418.0


Tin Can Strawberry Planter
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=33296.0


Wall Tin Containers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/happy_sleepy/827459282/


Old Tires
http://www.flickr.com/photos/degan/172475158/

I've caught the gardening bug!

With Spring fast approaching I've started daydreaming of massive vegetable and herb gardens again. I've been doing a ton of research and think I'm finally ready to have my first 'real' garden this year! I'm going to do it all in containers since my life is fairly unpredictable as far as where I'll be living and I also like the fact that if I screw up with the placement of the veggies I can just move the big lugs around :)

My inspiration garden!

Part of a great article on container gardening
http://hubpages.com/hub/Vegetable-Growing-in-Containers

Another idea I may try to save space - vertical gardening

Craftzine How-To: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/07/how-to_vertical_vegetables.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954

Based on what I know we will eat the most of I'm planning to start this March...
Herbs: Borage, Chervil, Dill, Ginger, Lemon Balm, Mint, Oregno, Sage & Tarragon
Vegetables: Bush beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, sweet corn, lettuce, mustard, green onions, peppers, potatoes, radish, tomatoes & squash.

Luckilly I have an extra pair of green thumbs this time so I may actually pull this off!

Of course I have been spending as much time on etsy looking for adorable garden-related items as I have actually researching gardening techniques. Enjoy!

Vintage silverware Garden Markers from http://monkeysalwayslook.etsy.com


Handcrafted birdhouse from http://Mymothersgarden.etsy.com


Handpainted bird pots from http://SchwidleShop.etsy.com

Jewelry Holders

So I'm trying to make it a point of having all of my jewelry pieces for sale in my other shop (loveandlust.etsy.com) pre-made (versus making them as they sell). This would save me time & make my life significantly easier but of course the question then becomes: how would I store everything?

I'm a very visual person so I couldn't just pack them up before they sale, so I've been looking at ways to hang and organize my dozens of pieces. Here are the top runners thus far!

Elephant Jewelry Holders

Tutorial found on craftster: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=325856.0
Of course I wouldn't do elephants but paintings of vaginas or something else equally random and slightly offensive.

Baby arm necklace holder!

Also found on etsy: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=333885.0
This is by FAR my favorite! Especially since the baby parts serve a dual purpose. I'm perpetually hunting for porcelin dolls at thrift stores so I can use the heads for a kick-ass candle holder idea I've been working on. I've only score one so far but as soon as I can get 4-5 I'll be making both projects!

DIY Hanging jewelry holder

Found on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/queenofdiy/3428188127/
Seems to be one of the easiest to do and will hold the most. If I can find the perfect antique frame it's definitely getting put on my ever growing 'to craft' list.

Last but not least

Found on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamalang/4350619634/
I am really drawn to the geometric shape of this piece. I think if I found some vintage nobs I'd totally make this one weekend.

I hate how looking for an idea on one particular project inevitably leads to a dozen more that I feel compelled to create.

The weather here in Florida has been warming up - took a lovely hike this past weekend with Chef bf. Pictures to come shortly!