Archive for martha stewart green
The Highs and Lows of My Organic Garden – Part 4
Posted by: | CommentsHello, my fellow gardeners and welcome (back) to another installment of the highs and lows of my ongoing adventure into organic gardening. Today’s post is more about the lows as I am struggling with my seedlings. As you may know this year I decided to start my garden from seed. I had this brilliant idea after having issues with the quality of the plants sold in my nurseries last year. However, it is proving to be much harder than I expected.
In mid-march, when the moon was full (according to gardening folklore – I wasn’t leaving anything to chance) I lovingly planted my seedlings. I obsessed over these plants and used only the highest quality organic soil, plant food and seeds. I labeled all of my planters and read extensively from both online and printed resources about the process. I even had my local library order books for me (yes, they still have those) and then put all that knowledge into practice. I placed my five hundred plus seeds in two hundred containers (some were small biodegradable cups for only two to three seeds) in my basement. I kept them in an area that was very warm and comfortable and even though the basement is below ground, they were placed in an area that receives a good bit of light.
The number one rule to seedlings is to keep them hydrated but not overly so. Everyday I tested the soil, using my knuckle as per the gardening guide I read. If the soil was damp and pliable I left it for the day. If the earth was dry and hard, it received a gentle watering. Weeks passed and I soon saw signs of life as little green pinpricks were beginning to sprout. I was overjoyed that my experiment worked. My mind raced with all that I could do with the bushels of tomatoes that my plants would yield – I was mentally bequeathing extra seedlings to various people in my life because I wouldn’t possibly be able to manage so many on my own. Unfortunately, as more days passed, the joy became short lived.
Healthy seedlings
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Baby Sock Advent Calendar and Eco-friendly Craft for Kids
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Hello and welcome (back) to the blog for another eco-friendly craft Friday. The holiday season is here and if you have little ones you might have an Advent calendar to countdown to Christmas. Often Advent calendar are the store bought ones, where the child opens the little windows to reveal a chocolate. Another common version is a wall hanging calendar that has twenty-four pockets for hiding little surprises for each day of the countdown. Today we bring you a fast and easy take on this classic Christmas tradition that is eco friendly and resourceful as it uses up socks that are too small or have lost their mate. It’s never too late to put one up and this is a great way to keep them from peeking under the tree. This fabulous Christmas craft comes by way of Martha Stewart kids crafts.
Tools and Materials
- 24 socks
- Ribbon
- Number stickers
- Round stickers
- Pushpins
- Mini clothespins
Calendar How To
Gather 24 socks – singles or 12 pairs – in colors that go well together (vary the sizes, if you like). Lay them out in the order you want to hang them, leaving space in between.
Cut the ribbon to the desired length; to find how long it should be measure across the row of socks and add 12 inches (ours was 72 inches). Use number stickers to label each sock. If one has a busy pattern, place the number on top of a solid round sticker so that it’s easier to read. Tack the ends of the ribbon to a railing or mantle; if you like, you can fasten the ribbon in several places to make a few swags. Use mini clothespins to clip the socks to the ribbon; overlap them if you need to save space. Tuck a gift inside each. If the item is heavy, use a larger clothespin to secure the sock.
The twenty-four socks would (obviously) work best if they were all holiday-themed socks or coordinating socks but any lightly-worn sock will do. This is a fun craft because you can hang it from anywhere – from the mantle for a cute take on stockings hung by chimney with care or over each child’s bed. Stuff each sock with a small age appropriate gift such as an organic lip balm, eco-friendly toy car, toxin-free crayons or any little (preferably eco-friendly) trinket will suffice. As each day passes, the child can take down the sock and enjoy the little surprise inside and will know that is one less day to Christmas. This is a fun tradition that you can carry on every year, so while the tiny toy may brighten their day, the memories will last a lifetime. Happy Holidays.
All images courtesy of www.marthastewart.com
Tags: eco crafts, Eco Friendly, eco friendly crafts, eco friendly living, eco-friendly craft for kids, eco-friendly lifestyle, ecofriendly, Green Lifestyle, Green Living, martha stewart, martha stewart craft for kids, martha stewart crafts, martha stewart green, planet forward, reusable, sustainable lifestyle, Sustainable LivingAutumn or Thanksgiving Eco-friendly Leaf Place Card Craft
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With autumn here and Thanksgiving fast approaching for our American friends you may find yourself thinking of finishing touches for your dinner party menu or deciding on your table settings. If you do, these leaf place cards will add a fun and whimsical touch to your table and they are eco-friendly. This fabulous autumn or Thanksgiving craft comes from the master of entertaining and crafts Martha Stewart. Let’s make some place cards.Tools and Materials:
Brown cover-weight card stock
Scissors
Dried leaves
White gel pen
How to:
Fold a piece of brown cover-weight card stock in half.
Write guest’s name with a white gel pen.
Cut 1 or 2 notches (about 1 inch wide) in card, at an angle.
Slide fallen leaves — fresh or dried and pressed — into each notch
Craft notes:
To make this craft you do not need to use brown cover-weight card stock, it is just what Martha recommends. You do need to use a paper that has some weight to it though because if you use regular computer paper they will fall over easily. I think a happy medium might be a good quality construction paper. Also the craft would look lovely using red, orange or brown, whatever you have or can find will work just fine. Try to choose a color that will coordinate with the leaves and your décor. Also, if you don’t have a white gel pen a sliver marker would work well or a black of you chose a paper color other than brown. If you are allowing children to do this craft, then they will need parental supervision because it involves the use of scissors.
A fun activity for the children would be going out in advance of Thanksgiving to collect leaves, come in have some hot cider and you make the place cards. In the end, these seasonal eco-friendly place cards are a nice touch to make your table special any day.
Tags: autumn craft, eco crafts, Eco Friendly, eco friendly crafts, eco friendly living, eco-friendly lifestyle, ecofriendly, Green Living, greener lifestyle, martha stewart, martha stewart green, Martha Stewart show, sustainable lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Practice, sustainable practices, sustainable solutions, thanksgiving craft
