A Little Potty

For Mosaic Monday I'm sharing some of my teapots.
The first mosaic/collage photo is of some miniature teapots.

The next mosaic photo shows the teapots that are in everyday use.


The Little Red House invites others to join in for Mosaic Mondays.
Why don't you stop by and see what some other participants have created. Then try creating a mosaic photo of your own and join in the fun.

Spiral Wind Twirler

Spiral Hangers

This pattern was designed by Carol Nartowicz and was published in an edition of Quick & Easy Plastic Canvas. I have searched online and cannot find the pattern, although most of the patterns from this magazine are offered on FreePatterns.com this one isn't.

You need half sheet each of a main and a contrasting colour of 7 count plastic canvas.

Cut one from each colour, 27 x 40 holes. The fiddly part is cutting out the alternating spokes.

You also need 2 long pieces 2 x 77 holes. These can be in either colour.

I have a pdf file of the spiral piece and the way to cut the spokes. It also shows the assembly with the long strip on the side. To do the assembly you need a needle and yarn. You could also use plastic lacing in place of the yarn. Spokes will spread out and twist to form the spiral as you join on the end piece.

To hang, you need a piece of fishing line and a swivel. Loop yarn through the center hole at the top of the twirler and fasten onto a swivel. I tie the swivel onto a plastic clothes pin so that it can be easily fastened onto a tree branch.

I wish I had a better picture of the completed twirler, but this one was taken several years ago and the twirler has since broken. I guess that means I've got another winter project to work on. The item is only about 15 cm. x 10 cm. (6 inches x 4 inches) in size.

You can view twirler pictures and patterns on my website.

Labels: garden projects, twirlers

Lacy Scarf Completed

I found this lovely pattern for a scarf at knitnthing's weblog and back in the spring I started working on it.

It is knit using only knit stitches and yarn overs (yo). This is such an easy pattern even a beginning knitter will have no trouble, in fact, this pattern tells you to drop stitches!

It has been completed awhile but I haven't show the completed item.

I chose to drape it over the garden chair as I sat there a lot this summer and worked on my knitting. The colours of the yarn in the photos varies as the top one was taken inside and the others outside. The colour is actually Red Heart Frosty Green.

Labels: knitting, scarves

'No Dig' Potatoes

This year I did a bit of an experiment with growing some potatoes.
I had been doing some reading on the internet and came across some articles about folks that grew potatoes in containers or bushel baskets and I decided to give it a go as I had some bushel baskets just sitting in the garage collecting dust.

The first thing to do was to plant a couple of potatoes in the basket and cover with enough dirt so you couldn't see them. As the plants grew you added more soil till you had reached the top of the basket. I kept the basket on my "pot garden" ledge and could easily keep it watered.

When the plants died off I knew it was time to gather the potatoes. I say gather instead of dig as the things that attracted me to trying this method was the fact that it was a 'no dig' method. No more back breaking digging or fork prongs through the potatoes.

All I had to do was lift the bushel basket and tip it out into a large metal tub. Then the fun part came of sifting through the soil to find all the potatoes.

The harvest is gathered and ready for cooking and enjoying.

I am really pleased with the results and think that next year I'll be doing more baskets.

As with any experiment it is always a learning situation. I probably could of added some more soil to the basket as I really didn't take into account the soil settling down. Next year I'll be prepared and get some good seed potatoes from the garden center early in the season. It was easy to pull out any weeds that did appear in the basket.

I'd be interested in hearing from you if you have tried this method of growing potatoes.

I'm Craf-tea but ...

... these teacups won't be made into any teacup feeders.

This is part of my teacup collection made into a photo mosaic display.
Tea tastes so much better when drank from a china cup and saucer. Don't you agree?


The Little Red House invites others to join in for Mosaic Mondays.
Why don't you stop by and see what some other participants have created. Then try creating a mosaic of your own and join in the fun.

Edit at 10:00 am
I'm adding a photo of the item beside one of the teacups.
This is a souvenir item from the isle of Jersey, off the coast of Britain, that one of my aunt's bought home for me many years ago.

Thanks to Karen and Jackie for identifying this as a tea caddy spoon for measuring the loose tea into the pot.

I have a large collection of teaspoons and teapots that I'll show another time.

A Slippery Storage Solution

Do you love to accessorize with chiffon scarves - But have a difficult time storing them?

I've got a storage solution for those slippery scarves.

I had tried folding them and putting them in a drawer, but then you tend to forget about them, and when you take out one you tend to mess up the others. I tried just hanging the scarves over the coathanger. But even though they are very light they still tended to slip to one side or the other. While chatting with a friend she mentioned her mom had added loops to a coathanger to make a great storage area for scarves.

And that little bell went off inside my head, like it probably does in yours when you hear a good idea. And a voice said to me, "Hey, you can do that too!" So I did!

I took one of my braided covered coathangers and stitched small loops on the bottom. This time I used some plastic curtain rings that I had in my craft stash. But you could use whatever works for you or even some ribbon loops. You could also add loops on the slanted sides of the hanger too. More loops would mean more storage. That could mean more shopping for scarves.

Now the scarves can be displayed in a colourful way and it is so easy to slip of the one you want. I think this would make a great little gift, along with a scarf or two.

I have started to add some loops onto the bottom of a covered coathanger I have. I also think that on this type of hanger you could add the loops over the body of the hanger.

Hm-m-m now what else could be stored on these loops besides scarves? I've got some ideas but how about you? Let me know what you come up with.

Labels: quick and easy gifts, hints and tips

Saturday's Critters

My digital camera is my constant companion while I'm working in the garden, walking by the water, or just out and about on my travels. You never know when that "Kodak Moment" will happen.

Looking in some unlikely places this week I found ...

a stickbug on the side of a flower pot ...

a dragonfly on the corner of a door ...

and a grasshopper on an old wooden door ... so remember

The more you look, the more you see!

Check out other bloggers that carry cameras all the time and snap photos of Camera Critters.

Labels: through my lens, garden critters

Sky Watching

Sky watching and taking photos of the sky is a favourite thing I love to do. The past couple of days have been quite cloudy and thunder storms have been predicted.
The clouds came, but the rains didn't, at least not to my part of the province.
These photos were taken looking in different directions from the back and front of the house.


To the east of us there was plenty of clouds, very little wind, and no rain for our gardens.

Looking to the west you can see some clouds and a bit of light at the top of one formation. Cloud formations cause our imagination to activate.

Looking to the south there is a mixture of stormy clouds in front of some blue sky.

Some where just to the north of us was getting some rain but not my gardens.

If you are new to visiting my blog from the Sky Watch blog be sure to have a look at some of my other sky watching photos. If you love sky photos be sure to check out the other participants in Sky Watch Friday.

Thanks for taking time to visit today. 
Posted for sole use on the Crafty Gardener blog and website.
(added as someone is taking my posts and using them on their blog)

Labels: sky

Godetia

Watching something grow is good for morale.
It helps you believe in life.
Myron S. Kaufman

Godetia, Clarkia Amoena, also known as satin flower or silk flower.

These are lovely, long lasting annuals that I received in a seed swap a few years ago. I save the seeds for future years and to grow and to swap.

Godetia grows well in containers or right in the garden. They come in a variety of colours.

Sow godetia seeds outside in the garden and cover with the smallest amount of soil.

The seedlings need thinning, else the plants will not develop properly. They prefer partial to full sun and well drained soil. You can sow the seeds inside 3 to 4 weeks before your last frost date and then transplant outside.

After blooming the seed pods develop. Let dry on the plant until they start to open. Pinch the pods off and the tiny seeds will sprinkle out into a dish. Let them dry out and then package them and save them for next year when you can watch something grow all over again.

Labels: Sow Then Grow, godetia, Thursday thoughts

2sDay Booties

It's 2sDay, the day when I post a photo of things that come in twos.

The Crafty Side of me has been busy and finished a pair of knitted booties for a new granddaughter due to arrive towards the end of October.

Soon there will be two little feet to fill these two little booties.

Labels: 2sDay, knitting, granddaughter

Up in the Sky

This summer we have had very changeable weather, with a fair amount of rain, some cooler days and some very hot, humid and hazy days.

The sky has been varying shades of blues, blacks, reds, and grays.

I'm always trying to capture the beauty of the sky in some photos, but it is harder to do than you think.



For Mosaic Monday I've created a mosaic photo of some of my favourite catpures of the sky. This mosaic was created with Picasa 3, a very simple and easy program to use. You just choose the photos and it does the rest. Looking back at the past few posts I see I've been bitten by the mosaic bug.

Up in the sky is one of my 2 years old grandson's favourite sayings. He says it when pointing our birds, planes, balloons and other things that he sees up high. So it seems to be the best title for today's post.

The Little Red House invites others to join in for Mosaic Mondays. Why don't you stop by and see what some other participants have created. Then try creating a mosaic of your own and join in the fun.


Labels: Mosaic Monday, sky, Through my Lens

Crane Fly

My digital camera is my constant companion while I'm working in the garden, walking by the water, or just out and about on my travels. You never know when that "Kodak Moment" will happen.

Today while heading towards the van to go out I captured some photos of a crane fly as it rested on the garage door.

At first glance you might call this insect a daddy long legs for it does indeed have long, fragile legs. Another name for this insect is mosquito hawk. There are 14,000 different kinds of crane fly or Tipulidae. I imagine this one was just passing through.

Check out other bloggers that carry cameras all the time and snap photos of Camera Critters.

Labels: through my lens,

Friday's Flower is Geraniums

For Friday's flower I'm flaunting some geraniums.

My neighbour gave me a flat of geraniums a bit late in the season. I planted them up in an old wheelbarrow, a large metal pot and in some old metal buckets.

They have just started to bloom after some tlc and some Friday fertilizing.

2sDay Friends

It's 2sDay - the day when I post photos of things I have discovered that come in twos.


A quick look out the kitchen window and I saw the chipmunk trying to imitate the cast iron bird. This photo is a little blurry as it was taken in a bit of a hurry through the window.

Another quick shot from a slightly different angel shows the two friends just sitting there observing what is going on in the garden early in the morning.

Labels: 2sDay, chipmunks,

Re'find' and Re-use

All gardens need a little whimsy.

I love to come across re'find's, as I call them. Some folks would call them junk, cast offs, or garage/flea markets buys. I re'find' tham and reuse them in my garden.



I love to come across items that can be added into the garden. Sometimes an item inspires me to create a setting for it, like the never ending cup of tea. Then there are the keychimes made from old cd's and keys.

Most of the items in the mosaic photo above were free or found at garage sales for under a dollar. You can't even buy things at the dollar stores for a dollar anymore. Both Dollarama and Dollar Giant stores have raised their prices. I think they had better get new names.

The only thing I paid more than a dollar for is the dragonfly made from an old furniture leg and some rusted metal. But he was worth it.

Here is a closer look at it. Isn't it adorable. And it hangs by a wire and twirls around in the breeze. I think I'll be looking for bits and pieces to create some of these myself.

My latest find over the weekend was this wooden rooster, with wings and legs that move. It was the perfect addition for my farmyard garden. I sat it in an old window frame that was collecting dust in the garage. The plants are of course hens & chicks. The posts are from an old telephone pole, cut down when newer and taller ones were put in. There is a little garden gnome sitting under his own mushroom and of course some other farm yard animals. I've got to get myself a little barn for this garden.

The Little Red House invites others to join in for Mosaic Mondays. Why don't you stop by and see some other participants.

Labels: re'find', Mosaic Monday, whimsy

Venidium

This is a wonderful annual that was native to South America. Plant in full sun.

I was introduced to these annual flowers a few years ago and was amazed by the colouring and the formation of the blooms.

To see them is to love them and to want them in your garden.

I've grown Orange Prince and Zulu Prince.

Take time to click the above links and see the slideshows of the venidium in bloom in 2007.

The white flowers have an exotic inner ring and they can be 2 to 12 cm. in size.

Plant the tiny seeds in full sun, either in large containers or along the borders of your garden. You won't be disappointed.

I plant the seeds towards the end of May when all danger of frost has passed. The plants bloom about August.

The seedlings are easily transplanted. Alternate the orange prince and zulu prince for striking colour combinations.

This is a must-have annual plant for the garden.

Labels: sow then grow

A Family Outing

My digital camera is my constant companion while I'm working in the garden, walking by the water, or just out and about on my travels. You never know when that "Kodak Moment" will happen. This day I happened to be an hour early for a dentist appointment (I had the wrong time) so I went for a walk down by the bay, took out my small camera that is always in my bag, and took some photos of the ducks.


I came across a mother duck and wondered what she was guarding.


Down between the rocks were three little ducklings just venturing out into the open water.



Once she had them safely out, they followed her along the rocks looking for their morning breakfast.

They posed for a family photo, just perfect for Camera Critters this week.

Check out other bloggers that carry cameras all the time and snap photos of Camera Critters.

Labels: down by the bay, through my lens, ducks,