March 13, 2013 by Born To Organize

Marauding Leprachauns: A Race Through the Fairy Garden

Mischievous Leprechauns passed through the fairy garden yesterday. Guess what they’ve been up to?

For starters, they turned the garden path a glossy emerald. No stone was left un-greened.

Follow the emerald-green path

As they skipped along the path they tossed Mardi Gras beads hither and yon. I missed the parade! Our precious little deer caught a few baubles. She looks surprised at the turn of events and wonders if she should have stayed in Canada.

Festive Deer

Nah…she’s having fun! Really.

Those crafty Leprechauns turned the garden furniture upside down, then dotted the path with sparkling shamrocks. I sure hope the fairies have a sense of humour. I think I spotted a pot of gold but no rainbow. Months with barely a drop of rain means the pot of gold is at the end of a dry, brittle twig.

St. Patrick’s Day Fairy Garden

I wonder if Leprechauns negotiate? I’m willing to return the pot of gold for a week of spring rains. Sounds like a fair exchange to me. Let me know if you see a friendly Leprechaun dashing through your garden. I’m ready to make a deal.

A glimmer of gold

Pot of Gold at the end of a very dry stick (no rain, no rainbows)

Sea glass, Alyssum, pot of gold, tiny cyclamen, fescue, and a fashionably dressed deer. Lantern by Tim Holtz

Many thanks to Boomdee for the charming ceramic deer. You can see her cousins Grace, Alyster and a couple of charming gnomes at Boomdeeadda.

February 14, 2013 by Born To Organize

Fairy Garden Valentines: Giving and Receiving

My heart is brimming with love today and the fairy garden is brimming with hearts. Don’t you just love the yin-yang of that?

Giving:

I had exactly enough baker’s twine to string a line between the Magnolia and the garden bench. I clipped paper valentine’s to the string (one for each of my neighbor Jazzy’s day care kids), then sent her the word. The world of make-believe is a powerful thing when you’re young. It’s fun for me to watch the children play each afternoon and to see the way they interact with the fairy garden. Although they all received the cards with gratitude, one of the older boys turned to me and said: “I don’t believe in that.” I asked him what it was he didn’t believe in and he said, “fairies.” I smiled and added “that’s okay.” It was sweet that he was still willing to go along with it for the sake of the others. Love and gratitude. It’s there when you look for it.

Valentine’s on a String

Receiving:

On the subject of gratitude, I received a package filled with love and creativity from a dear soul and kindred spirit over at Boomdeeada. She brightens my day with her artful crafts, creative blog and always thoughtful and generous comments. We’re actually going to meet for the first time this summer!

I found a tiny ceramic deer for the fairy garden tucked inside layers of the most remarkable gift wrap. I’m in love! The package also included the sweetest little banner, nestled inside a customized envelope. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking, below. Its great fun discovering all the artful details.

Boomdeeadda Valentine

Reflecting:

I’ve come to think of Valentine’s Day as what you make it. You can view it as a crass and commercial Hallmark holiday, or as a day to share a little extra love and care in the world. If you’re a garden fairy, it’s a day to let your imagination soar. ♥♥♥

February 4, 2013 by Born To Organize

Sweetheart Celebrations in the Fairy Garden

Button flowers on a ribbon-wrapped spool.

St. Valentine’s Day is just ten days away. Is your fairy garden ready?

I’ve been busy with mine all afternoon. First up, the fescue needed a haircut. Once the ends where neatly trimmed, I tied them together with a red bow. I cut the top in the shape of a heart, but you’ll need to squint your eyes and conjure up lots of imagination to see it properly.

Next up, dead-heading the miniature cyclamen. These jobs take seconds when working in a tiny garden.The baby tears are healthy but given the cool weather, they’re holding their growth. No extra work there.

I scraped up the remaining ‘snow’ and glitter from New Year’s Eve, then turned my sights to decorating. I challenge myself to use materials on hand, pulling together a bit of this and that. I’m never sure how things will turn out, but always have a great time with the process.

Painting:

Martha Stewart’s Pomegranate Red Glitter paint makes yet another appearance. I’ve used the same 10 OZ/295 ML jar for four different projects and I’ve barely put a dent in my supply. I freshened up the chairs with a coat of red, then painted the legs of the chair with Craft Smart silver acrylic paint. While I was at it, I painted the patio and dance floor silver, too.

Fruit tree branch fence
Painted chair
Button flowers
A lantern lights the way

Building:

When I pruned the fruit cocktail tree last month, I saved several small branches. They’d make a perfect fence. Today I fashioned open-style posts,dipped in a bit of Martha paint.

Beeswax hearts and bunting, red fence posts

Decorating:

At last, I could hang the bunting fashioned from last year’s garden calendar. I made tiny triangles from one of the pages, glued them back-to-back, then passed them through a piece of baker’s twine. A small ‘floral’ arrangement made from crafting buttons provides a focal point. Heart-shaped ‘plates’ complete the setting.

The ‘oil cloth’ table cover is a piece of beeswax, left over from a candle-making class. Additional hearts, tucked here and there, provide cover for a fairy game of hide and seek.

Heart shaped bench shows the long view

Fescue cut in the shape of a heart

We’re all set. Garden fairies welcome! Please help spread the word.

January 9, 2013 by Born To Organize

Garden Calendar Lives Another Day

Have you hung up your 2013 wall calendar? Do you love a new calendar as much as I do?

My sister gave me The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Calendar this year. It’s always been one of my favorites. The pages are beautifully illustrated with helpful notations and interesting quotes. Here’s one:

Benjamin Franklin introduced kohlrabi to colonial America.The vegetable’s German name originated from the Italian words cavolo rapa, meaning “cabbage turnip.”

You learn something new every day! ;-)

It’s fun turning over a new page to a new month and a fresh beginning. Conversely, I removed my 2012 gardening calendar with great anticipation. In the past few years I’ve been re-purposing the beautifully designed pages into envelopes and stickers, tags and the odd bookmark.

This year I’ve challenged myself to use all of last year’s garden calendar in new and different ways. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Gift Card Holder

This design simply evolved based on the pattern of the flower. The gift card holder folds into thirds and is held in place by a sleeve. When the sleeve is in place, the butterfly keeps the top flap from opening.

Gift Card Holder (cutaway with sleeve)

Gift Card Holder (closed)

Desk Top Organizer

I’ve always loved little boxes, and this one is no exception. It arrived with some unexpected treasures from a dear friend. Rather than pack it away with the Christmas gear, I covered the box with four different calendar pages. I used the stiffer cardstock from the front of the calendar to make a pair of dividers. Now I can easily get my hands on what I need.

Christmas gift box from a dear friend

Desk Top Organizer

Dividers

Box Lining

Napkin Rings

Once folded in half and glued together, the pages are quite sturdy. I cut them into strips, formed a ring, and stitched them together with a scrap of raffia. Now I’m all set for Thanksgiving.

Napkin Rings (8 for next fall)

Envelopes, gift tags and stickers

Assorted gift tags and stickers

Envelope

Wine Tag

Postcards from the Edge

I used the only bit of white from the calendar to create a writing space. The reverse side of the postcard has a quote.

Two-sided postcard (back side has quotation)

Bunting

For the Fairy Garden…of course. :-)

Drawer Liners and a Poster

Drawer Liners (My husband swears we need all these remotes)

Poster (back of guest bath door)

Check this out:

Katherine at Pillows a-la-Mode likes to re-fashion or re-purpose clothing in a similar fashion. She held a contest a few months back. The lucky winner mailed her a beautiful embroidered jacket (that not longer fit), and Katherine turned it into a tote bag, a tissue holder, a pillow and more. You can check out the contest winner and lots of other fun ideas at Pillows a-la-Mode.

January 5, 2013 by Born To Organize

A Little of This and That

Guess what?

I was out on the deck taking pictures when a bright yellow flower caught me eye. There aren’t any yellow flowers growing this time of year, so it really took me by surprise. Then I realized little visitors stopped by the fairy garden. What a nice surprise.

If you are reading this post and you know who the fairies are, please be sure to extend my thanks. It was such a treat to find those flowers. I spotted a tiny mum tucked in as well and a few greens. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!!!

Flower Surprise

Pumpkin Countdown

Last summer we grew several pumpkins. Four of them were over 40 pounds. My husband carved one, but they were really thick and not well-suited for ‘Jacks. We lined the wall of our garden pathway with the remaining pumpkins, and they’ve weathered the months beautifully. Twice in recent weeks, someone came to the door and asked if they could take one for cooking. We happily obliged, with a warning to please lift carefully. We now have one large pumpkin sitting on the wall, with a smaller, autographed one nearby. That one is just now starting to soften and will probably be headed to the compost bin in another week. We’ll be down to one ‘little’ pumpkin, sitting on a wall. :-)

Two ‘little’ pumpkins, sitting on a wall

Avoiding the Scale

I know what you’re thinking. It’s January and I can’t hide from the scale forever. Time to put away the treats and face the music. All true.

I’m avoiding the scale that remains on the now-dormant Magnolia. Honestly, it creeps me out. We had quite the infestation last summer. We did a bit of research and got down to business. I ordered beneficial insect larvae. While waiting for them to arrive, I heavily pruned the tree. The inner crown was far worse, so I removed as many of those branches as I could. Left unchecked, scale can kill a tree.

Magnolia infested with scale

Now that the Magnolia is dormant, it’s easy to see what remains. I need to scrape the scale into a bucket, before it takes hold again.

To think I thought putting away the chocolate was hard.

December 31, 2012 by Born To Organize

Sailing into the New Year: Party in the Fairy Garden

I’ve been sprucing up the fairy garden today. Word has it there will be a party going on. I cleared away the furniture to make room on the dance floor. It’s freshly swept and covered with fairy dust. You haven’t really danced till you’ve danced atop some fairy dust.

Aerial View

I was fresh out of fairy-sized disco balls, so I improvised using a glass bauble from an old flower arrangement. I squeezed out the last drops of Stickles™ glitter, brushed it on all the surfaces, then rolled it in sparkles for that extra-special glow. What do you think? Won’t those fairies have fun!

Please have a seat

I tucked the table inside the garden yurt, decorated with pink candles (their favorite). The party theme is “Sailing into the New Year.” Will you look at that fancy ice sculpture? It almost looks like…glass.

Candles and Sculpture

I draped some glittery blue ribbon flown in all the way from Canada to create a small, flowing walkway. Fairies have wings, but they enjoy slippery ramps as well. The invitations read: B.Y.O.B. or bring your own bauble, so I’ll be anxious to see what they bring.

Entrance to the Fairy Garden. Won’t you please come in?

Blue Ribbon Ramp

As for you, my dear reader, wishing you all things wonderful in the coming year. Thanks for your love and support, your likes, votes and comments. I’ve learned so much this year and I’ve had a great time along the way.

Happy New Year!!!

Looking for more blogging fun, inspiration, and joy? Here are a few of my favorites (in alphabetical order):

December 25, 2012 by Born To Organize

Fairy Mystique: The Young and the Young-Hearted

If you’ve been following Gardening Nirvana for a while, you’ll know that I’ve fallen in love with fairy gardens. You can read a bit about them here. I created several over the past year, and shared them on my blog. They’re whimsical and fun.

Imagine my delight to learn that the two little girls across the street decided to create a fairy garden of their own. They caught the fairy garden bug!

When the holiday season rolled around this year, I thought it would be fun to don my “fairy cap” and create a little magic of my own.

On my first visit to their families outdoor Christmas tree, I left a tiny note and some “decorating material” including sequins, silk thread and a roll of red laundry lint, perfect for making fairy pillows and blankets. I tucked it deep in the branches so they could enjoy the search.

Fairy Garden Package #1

Next up, another note along with some ribbon, a few wooden stars and a family of matchstick-sized dolls tucked inside a baby food jar and wrapped in mesh.

Fairy Garden Package #2

On my last visit to the tree, I left a parcel of miniature bristle trees, a few shiny mirrors (great for lakes and ponds) and a bag of fairy snow.

Fairy Snow

It has been so much fun sorting through my sewing box, scrap-booking materials, and left over art supplies to pull together little treasures for the fairy aficionados.

On Christmas Eve, just before heading out with my family to look at neighborhood Christmas lights I made one last visit. My son helped me fill the top half of a paper Christmas cracker, with a few gold coins. While my husband backed out the car, I tiptoed to their door, deposited the gifts, rang the bell, and ran like crazy. Getting caught in the act would spoil all the fun.

As I raced across their lawn and out of view, the neighborhood kitty gave chase. My parting thought as I ran around the corner was how funny it must have looked to see a woman in her fifties running across her neighbor’s lawn, with a small white cat in hot pursuit.

There’s Magic in that Tree

Fairy Garden Snow Recipe

one small handful of craft snow
a pinch of sparkles
a dash of blue bakers sugar

December 20, 2012 by Born To Organize

Fairy Garden Snow

Little hands made it snow in the fairy garden today. It certainly felt cold enough for the real deal, but alas the skies were blue and clear.

My neighbor Jazzy’s day care kids love to run up and down the ramp and along the deck at day’s end. They were full of energy, happy to be outdoors and impervious to the cold. One of the little Munchkins asked if she could play with her doll in the fairy garden. How lucky that I had my camera! She was full of questions: was the grass real? Were the plants real? What about the berries?

Playing in the fairy garden

A pinch of snow

I love the inquisitiveness. One by one, the others joined in. I was pointing out the “snow” when I realized the wind had carried much of it away. I ran inside for more and within short order, they created a fairy winter wonderland.

Fairy Winter Wonderland

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

November 30, 2012 by Born To Organize

Look Ma, No Ads!

A little housekeeping was in order at gardeningnirvana. First up, no more ads! When I started this blog I had two to five “hits” a day, so I guess WordPress couldn’t be bothered. Then my following grew. Hurray and thank you. At some point, ads magically appeared at the end of each post. I never saw the ads, and didn’t know they were there until a friend pointed them out.

I hope you enjoy the ad-free experience.

Next up, I created a new page featuring my various iterations of a fairy garden. I started one on a whim, and had so much fun, that I’ve kept it up all year. It’s a terrific creative outlet. It’s also a way to garden on a smaller scale. If time or space is limited, you might want to give it a go. You can see photos of the miniature garden evolution at Fairy Garden Frivolity.

Thanks for reading, commenting and liking my posts. I look forward to logging on every day.

November 27, 2012 by Born To Organize

Christmas in the Fairy Garden, Storm on the Way

We’ve got a storm headed our way. A gully washer. Serious wet stuff falling to the ground.

My UK friends are yawning about now, but “big rain” is unheard of in Silicon Valley. I’m pretty excited. Everything in the garden perks up when it rains and we are well past due. I hope folks behind the wheel remember to take their time. The roads will be slicker than usual.

Knowing we’re in for the wet and windy, I temporarily moved the fairy garden indoors. Christmas is less than a month away, so I got busy decorating for the wee ones.

Planting

I bought a pair of miniature cyclamen with my nursery haul over the weekend. They look so cute next to the tiny Blue Fescue fairy house. The ground cover is holding up nicely, but the Fescue needed a trim. That done, I “planted” sprigs of holiday greens and added lights.

Miniature Cyclamen

Sprucing Up the Fairy Garden

Sprucing

In light of the weather, I moved the chairs under cover and set up a table to go with them. The “slip covers” are re-purposed wrappers from the Hydrangea. Some festive ribbon adds color to the base of the table. I think I spotted a few tiny deer drinking nearby. A few broken ornaments add a bit of cheer. I pulled some dried flowers and berries from last week’s Thanksgiving arrangement. They worked well over the entrance to the house and to add color to the table.

Fairy Christmas Table

A Lovely View

Entry Way

All set for the holidays!

If you haven’t tried fairy gardening, give it a whirl. It’s a fun, creative and relaxing way to garden on a small-scale. I like to challenge myself by reusing items from around the house.