June 25, 2013 by Born To Organize

Craft it Forward: Three’s a Charm

I dubbed this month’s Craft it Forward: Three’s a Charm. I incorporated three loves (photo manipulation, paper and cats) to create my third craft it forward: a series of greeting cards. If you’re new to the concept of Craft it Forward, you can read about it here. Links to the first and second project are at the end of this post.

I’m trying a little something different with each craft, stretching the old comfort zone if you will. It’s good challenging myself.

This set of cards is for Sheila. She’s an animal lover, photographer and all-around nice person. She fosters cats and nurtures children and is always quick with support or a compliment. She’s guiding and supporting a young woman through a difficult time now. I hope these cards serve as a little pick-me-up.

At my request, Sheila sent a digital photo of one of her cats, a stunner named Rodent. I altered the photo using Picasa software, creating three different images. Sheila loves purple and robin’s egg blue, so I applied colored filters to the photo to achieve the effect you see below. The third photo is in its original form. After manipulating the image, I printed the photo on heavy-duty watercolor paper. The paper absorbs some of the color, creating a mat finish. Let me know what you think.

Included with Three’s a Charm:

Twelve, 5 x 7 greeting cards, 4 of each design
Twelve ‘Secret Garden’ envelope seals
A small, faux birdcage.

The small faux cage currently houses the cards. Once empty, she can reuse it to hold a small house plant or fill it with laundry lint and other soft materials for nesting birds.

Birdhouse of Cards

Lovely Lavender

Kitty in the Garden

Shades of Blue

Cards in a cage

Craft it Forward:

craft it forward button Here’s how it works. The first five people to comment on the original post receive a handmade item with the gardening nirvana touch. In return, they agree to pay it forward, crafting their own unique item for the first five people on their list. Craft it Forward encourages community, creative spirit and camaraderie. It also encourages flexibility, so I expanded my list from five to seven based on interest in the project. Isn’t it fun making your own rules?

Further, in the era of the internet, who doesn’t like ‘real’ mail? If you haven’t started your own Craft it Forward, today is a good day to get one going.

Craft it Forward #1: Living Journal
Craft it Forward #2: Flowers and Oscar Wilde
What is Craft it Forward?

June 24, 2013 by Born To Organize

We’re Off to See a Different Mouse

We’re waving goodbye to Mouse (the cat) today as we fly to Disneyland for a short holiday. Mickey Mouse, here we come!

My traveling companions are two active 13-year-old boys. There will be no moss growing under my toes this week! My son asked me to take photos of the garden today and then again on Friday to compare. Without further ado, here’s a snapshot of some of the faster-growing garden favorites.

June 24, 2013
Female pumpkin buds

June 24, 2013
Young pumpkin

June 24, 2013
This pumpkin is further along, but those two snails look suspicious to me. We may not have a pumpkin to photograph.

June 24, 2013
Basil in the rain. It’s looking fresh and tasty.

June 24, 2013
Three stages of hydrangeas

June 24, 2013
One of these things is not like the other
The sunflower on the left continues to grow up

Have a terrific week!

June 22, 2013 by Born To Organize

A Mighty Wind: Bending and Breaking

Sunflower Save

I guess the downside to planting a small garden is that ever single plant seems precious. Farmers, especially organic ones, expect to lose 20% of their crop. They simply take it in stride. Not me! So when I pulled into the driveway last week, greeted by heavy winds and leaning sunflowers, I knew I had to act.

Earlier this season, I planted several sunflowers from seed, for a near-perfect garden fail. One sunflower survived. To be fair, we do have a thriving squirrel population, so it’s important they don’t go without. ;-)

I hit the nursery for a second go and bought a cell pack of (6) six-inch plants instead. I planted the second batch of sunflowers during an early season heat-wave and they all survived. Thrived even! Within a month they had tripled in height with flowers everywhere. Ironically the one plant started from seed continues to grow in height. It’s the big sister to all the other plants.

I digress.

So…I’m driving up the road bemused at the crazy weather, only to see my precious plants bending in the wind. No one else was home to help, so I dragged the heavy wooden garden bench across the yard and the walkway so the plants could lean into the back for support. I grabbed some garden twine and laced up the stalks to the slats in the bench. I’m sure the neighbors thought I had lost it, placing a garden bench at the curb facing the driveway, but I’m past worrying about that.

Garden bench and a card table to the rescue

Relieved that my impromptu support was working, I turned to go inside, only to find the glass hummingbird feeder smashed to pieces. Again with the mighty wind. The wind snapped the tree branch holding the feeder, sending sticky glass crashing to the ground. I found parts of the feeder on the patio step, across the lawn and in the shrubs along the walkway.

Once there was a hummingbird feeder…

“Cleanup on aisle….” Oh right. I guess I’m on my own with this one, too. Ten minutes and one pair of worn out gloves later, the broken glass was up. While I tidied the sharp and sugary mess, hummers buzzed overhead. They couldn’t figure out why dinner had suddenly disappeared. They seemed to think I was responsible.

It was tempting to redirect them to the aforementioned sunflowers for a drink. “Hey…look over there!” Since we’re in the business of spoiling our local wildlife, however, I headed indoors to unearth our backup feeder. I mixed up a quart of sugar-water and we were back in business.

The mighty wind is fierce and strong; the resident gardener, resourceful.

Win or lose?

I think we’ll call this one a draw.

June 20, 2013 by Born To Organize

Summer Solstice: We’re Both Right!

I’m old school. Sure, I have a computer and a smart phone, but I still hang a paper calendar on my wall. I love glancing over my shoulder now and again to see who’s celebrating what and where. According to my wall calendar, Summer Solstice is Friday, June 21st. Imagine my surprise when my husband commented over dinner that today was the longest day of the year.

Turns out, both are true, depending on where you live. Here on the west coast of the United States, Summer Solstice hits late Thursday night. On the east coast, it’s Friday. My friends in the UK are already celebrating and are privy to the cute Google Doodle, which as of this writing, still hasn’t rolled out in Silicon Valley.

The Weather Channel has a stunning image from Australia here that you won’t want to miss. As we approach the longest day of the year, they’re experiencing the opposite.

The Guardian has a screen shot of the cute Google Doodle, though not nearly as fun till you can interact with it. I remain a child at heart.

The fact that everyone observes both the summer and winter solstice gives me a sense of camaraderie with the rest of the world. It feels like a big party and we’re all invited. Happy Solstice wherever you live. ☼☼☼

Herb and Vegetable Garden on the Summer Solstice (includes pumpkins, strawberries, basil, tomatoes, peppers and raspberries)

Shared affection with Mouse the Cat at dusk

June 19, 2013 by Born To Organize

Little Free Library: Books Beneath the Willow

Little Free Library Campbell

Several times in the past few months, I’ve passed what looked like a tiny, curbside library. I’d heard about these little libraries somewhere, but it was just a vague idea, tucked away in my brain. I had never actually seen one and assumed they were ‘somewhere else.’ Do you know that place too?

Well guess what? We have one right here in our neighborhood. I’m hooked! I finally took the time to stop the car to show my sister, then went back later with my husband, a couple of books and my camera. It was so much fun!

Here is what I’ve since learned about the movement:

It started as a simple tribute to his mother, a teacher and bibliophile. Todd Bol put up a miniature version of a one-room schoolhouse on a post outside his home in this western Wisconsin city, filled it with books and invited his neighbors to borrow them.

They loved it, and began dropping by so often that his lawn became a gathering spot. Then a friend in Madison put out some similar boxes and got the same reaction. More home-crafted libraries began popping up around Wisconsin’s capital.

Three years later, the whimsical boxes are a global sensation. They number in the thousands and have spread to at least 36 countries, in a testimonial to the power of a good idea, the simple allure of a book and the wildfire of the internet. You can read more at the Source: Open Salon

Browsing the selection on a nearby bench at the Little Free Library in Campbell

Little Free Library registration, the long view, art among the books, and how the library works

The charming Little Free Library pictured above is in Campbell, California. We’re so smitten that we plan to build one of our own. I started pinning ideas on Pinterest over the weekend. The designs are as varied as books, all delightfully unique and inviting.

The idea of a Little Free Library appeals to my love of gardens, books and community. I plan to involve my boys in some way, either helping their dad build it or coming up with an initial book offering. I can’t wait to get going.

Have you heard of the Little Free Library movement? Do you have one in your neighborhood?

Pinned it!

Check out some of these beautiful library designs on Pinterest and let me know your favorite. I bet you can guess mine. As it turns out, they have their own page, too (thanks Betsy!)

June 18, 2013 by Born To Organize

June Bug #2: Happy Birthday in the Fairy Garden

Both of my sons were born in June, so I affectionately call them my June Bugs. My youngest son turns 13 today, and will enjoy a new right of passage in our world of technology: his own YouTube account. He’s already at work on a logo, safety features in place and an awe-struck mom (that’s me) amazed at the things he can do. He loves all things Apple, so this month’s fairy garden theme is my low-tech tribute to a young man who is going places.

Happy birthday, M!

Fairy Garden Birthday

Table coverings, Apple motif

We’re serving birthday cake once again among the moss-covered stones. We hope you’ll stop by for an apple-sized bite.

I like to furnish the fairy gardens with an eclectic mix of ‘this and that.’ It’s fun challenging myself.

The garden table base is the metal twist top from a bottle of champagne.
The table top is the cover from a set of ear-buds, topped with the Apple logo.
I reversed the birthday banner from earlier this month, using iconic black lettering
I re-painted the chairs, featured in last year’s fairy garden, in the boys favorite colors.
The table and chairs rest on part of a broken fountain.
The tiny cake appeared early this month it the post Sweet 16 in the Fairy Garden.

birthday cake in the apple fairy garden

June 16, 2013 by Born To Organize

A Tale of Two Dads

My dad, center, in India, 1941

Mike Francini, awesome dad

I celebrate my dad whenever I garden, so in my world, most days are Father’s Day. My love of gardening is a gift from him.

My dad was a horticulturist by trade, loving all things gardening. He worked all week at a local nursery, then spent his weekends gardening at home. My sister and I took turns on the one-way wheelbarrow rides, while he hauled rocks to our London, Ontario back yard. He built a meandering brook through the center of the garden, then added flowers and trees. I savored my first cherry tomato from my dad’s summer garden. I remember walking through the kitchen door with a handful of tomatoes and giving them to my mom for our lunch. To this day, they remain a garden favorite. Dad died when I was just a girl of 9. How I missed him!

18 years ago I married a wonderful man. He’s father to our own two boys. Today we celebrate him as well. Not a gardener himself, he does everything in his power to make my garden look carefree. He installs and regularly repairs the irrigation to keep things watered evenly. This summer he built a new raised bed so I could add more flowers to the garden mix. He stains the deck, repairs the fences and helps research garden pests. We’re a good team.

Most of all, he nurtures our two boys, helping see to their ‘care and feeding’ as well.

A father lost and a father found. Happy father’s day to the men who stand up, show up and make the world a better place. Hallmark sentiments aside, this day is in honor of you.

June 14, 2013 by Born To Organize

Flower Tower: Summer Edition

Tower of Sedum

Earlier this season I created a ‘Flower Tower’ by stacking three clay pots in graduated widths, then securing them with a stake. The flowers were beautiful, but the narrow space for planting, meant they dried out quickly. Annuals are shallow rooters to begin. Couple that with the porous clay pots and you have a watering challenge on your hands.

I loved the tower, and had fun aging the pots with gold leaf. I wasn’t ready to give up. I shifted the annuals to larger pots, then replanted with drought-tolerant Sedum.

I’m really pleased with the results. The plants don’t mind drying out between watering (and in fact probably prefer it). The soft greens contrast nicely with the clay. As they grow, they’ll cascade down the sides of the pots, and once established will send out tiny flowers.

Power to the tower!

Sedum Guatemalense

Sedum layered in tower of pots

June 13, 2013 by Born To Organize

Sunflower Power: Still Number One

I’m a firm believer in one of the following two clichés:

Variety is the spice of life.
Familiarity breeds contempt.

Can you guess which one?

Emerging Sunflower, 2013

Sunflower, 2012

Sunflower going to seed, 2011

Hope blooms from a packet of seeds

Did you guess?

I love the variety a garden affords. When you live and play in California soil, variety abounds. That said, I have three garden favorites that appear year after year: pumpkins, tomatoes and sunflowers.

My top three favorites never breed contempt. For over a decade now, sunflowers make the list. One tiny seed leads to a magnificent flowering plant, growing a majestic 5 – 12 feet (1.5 to 4 meters) or more. As they grow, they attract beneficial insects. They’re a huge favorite with the bees. Sunflowers produce a mass of seeds which we generally ‘offer’ the squirrels at season’s end. The bright yellow flower is my favorite anyway, so I’m happy to share the remaining spoils.

How about you: variety, familiarity or a little of both?

Sunflowers, 2013

Also from gardeningnirvana:

June 4, 2013 by Born To Organize

Sweet 16 in the Fairy Garden

Happy Birthday, Sweet 16

No one is more shocked than I am. My oldest son turned 16 today. He’s grown into a tall, charming and kind young man, nice enough to compliment me on the fairy garden, even though the idea of one is long past its prime.

We’re serving birthday cake down among the moss-covered stones. It would be lovely if you stopped by for a wee slice.

Fairy-sized birthday cake

Happy birthday, C!!!

Thwarting the curious cat: small links attach to the bench, keeping the fairy garden upright.

My fairy garden decor is often a mix of ‘this and that.’ It’s fun challenging myself to use what I can find.

The garden table base is the metal cap from a wine bottle, topped with a scrap of paper and a geranium leaf.
The birthday banner uses scraps of paper and string
I re-painted the chairs, featured in last year’s fairy garden, in my ‘June Bugs’ favorite colors.
The table and chairs rest on part of a broken fountain.
I purchased the tiny cake from my friend Donna’s booth at antique colony. They once belonged to her young daughter. They’re making the rounds.