July 8, 2013 by Born To Organize

Craft it Forward: Secret Garden in the Round

This month’s Craft it Forward creation will soon be flying over the pond to The Pyjama Gardener. PJ’s always witty and entertaining blog features ‘simple organic gardening and seasonal living.’ No need to take my word for it. You can go have a look here. According to PJ:

A Pyjama Gardener is anyone who is too impatient to get dressed before venturing outside to check the plants… it was only meant to be a quick look (honestly)… but before you know it an hour or more has passed and you’re still wearing your pyjamas!

What a thrill it was to find this beautiful paper on the shelf of Scrapbook Island! Graphic 45 has an entire line of Secret Garden paper, featuring a PJ-clad girl on the cover! Kismet.

This tiny ‘album’ pops open to reveal several panels. I’ve added photo mats and stickers inside, with bits of ribbon here and there. The circular book is now ready for small photos and memorabilia.

Cover (and view of closed album)

Clam Shell Folds

Album, top view

Inside pages featuring Secret Garden

Panel View 1 of 4

Panel View 2 of 4

I made a similar version of this album in early March. It has a Valentine’s Day theme, so I plan to feature it in a give-away closer to the time.

I hope PJ loves this little pop-up book as much as I loved making it.

Circle Explosion Album

Craft it Forward:

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?

Grab the button for your own Craft it Forward

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
Craft it Forward #3: Three’s a Charm
What is Craft it Forward?

April 28, 2013 by Born To Organize

Craft it Forward: Living Journal

Craft it Forward Button: Grab it for your own blog

In early February, I launched my first Craft it Forward. Here’s how it works. The first five people to comment on the original post receive something handmade 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.

First up: A Living Journal

This manilla-covered journal has heavy-duty art paper, appropriate for ink, paint and pencil. You can see the original, unadorned journal here. Recipient #1 is a talented artist in her own right. She paints, sketches, sculpts fabric ‘dolls,’ along with myriad other projects. I’ve been on the receiving end of her own talents, including a set of tie-dye tea towels and a hand-felted, one-of-a kind, purse.

I crafted the cover, using as assortment of ribbon in rainbow order, with some peace signs thrown in (her favorite) for additional interest.

Peace and a rainbow of ribbons

Closeup

An attached, expandable envelope lines the inside cover, great for collecting bits of inspiration. For now, I’ve tucked in a few seeds she can plant in her garden.

A Peak Inside…

The journal came wrapped in a sleeve of silky-strong paper too nice to toss, so I fashioned it into a simple bookmark, using other scraps on the face of the envelope.

Creative Journal by Dyan Reaveien of dylusions

I trimmed the wrapper and used it as a bookmark

Personalization, gardeningnirvana style

Finishing touches include her first initial made from a balsa wood letter, then covered in paper and inked along the edges. It’s embellished with flowers (of course)!

I hope she enjoys filling it as much as I enjoyed crafting it. Perhaps a year from now she’ll let us take a peak into a few pages and I can feature her work on gardeningnirvana.

Life is art, live yours in colour!

What’s inside?

Are you Crafting it Forward?

For additional Craft it Forward inspiration:

Boomdeeadda: Boom Box Number Three
Geometry: Where it all started
Just Something I Made: Celebrating Random Acts of Kindness

February 20, 2013 by Born To Organize

From There to Here, From Here to There, This Blogging Thing is Everywhere*

Shooting Star Hydrangea Closeup Today I surpassed a personal milestone. A year ago February, I set out to write every day for a year. During that time, the earth made a complete revolution around the sun. Four seasons came and went. Garden squirrels came and went too, along with aphids, scale and thrips. Raccoons dropped by, leaving tell-tale paw prints next to the overturned sod before washing there ‘hands’ in the fountain. It’s every critter for themselves in the world of gardeningnirvana.

Writing daily was sometimes challenging, but it was always worthwhile. I gained confidence along the way. Dr. Seuss said it best:

“Oh the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ‘blog’ will make you the winning-est winner of all.”

The good doctor was right. Here’s what I won:

The ability to persevere through illness, fatigue and, yes, procrastination.
Discipline, in both writing and gardening.
Goal-setting. It had been awhile since I set such a lofty goal. It was important to me to see it through.
The most generous, thoughtful, gracious, intelligent and engaged readers a person could hope for. (You know who you are)

*With apologies to Dr. Seuss

Dedicated to my fellow bloggers who inspire me daily. ♥

September 26, 2012 by Born To Organize

Birdhouse Gourd: Numbered Days?

The watched pot never boils, and the watched gourd never grows. Or so it seems…

Christmas lights in September?

Now that I’ve filled one of the planting beds with an assortment of winter vegetables, I’ve turned my attention to the runaway birdhouse vines (Lagenaria siceraria). I have just two, 4 x 4 planting beds, so space is at a premium. The vines are occupying one of them.

Still growing…

I read the fine print inside the seed packet today, and learned that some gardeners let the gourds harden on the vine all winter. I just assumed the plant would die off and we would harvest them much like the pumpkins. So…it’s decision time. Do I leave well enough alone and sacrifice the extra winter planting space? Will I face my disappointment gracefully if the vines die off a month from now, too late to use the beds till spring? Do I need to get a grip?

Shriveled flower and otherworldly baby gourd

Mini hard-shelled gourds are forming along the vine, but before today, none of them seemed viable. I finally spotted one, twice the size of the others. I got excited all over again.

How slow can you grow?

Nature’s twine: super-strong vine tendrils

Should they stay or should they go? What do you think?

Resources:

Birdhouse gourd plant care.
How to make a birdhouse from your gourd. Aren’t these gorgeous?
Where to hang your birdhouse for safety and appeal. Includes hole dimensions based on bird species.
Botanical Interests® Non-GMO hard-shelled gourd birdhouse seeds.

September 6, 2012 by Born To Organize

Blooming Thursday: Garden Friendships

My friend Liz has been back in the States for several months, but it took her imminent departure for us to finally get together. Our friendship is such that we can simply pick up where we left off, regardless of time passed. Liz is also a gardener I admire and look up to.

Liz has the unique distinction of gardening through one spring and two summers. She spends part of her year in California, the rest in beautiful New Zealand. She taught me and some friends how to felt on one of her trips home. I hope to learn how to eco-dye from her one day, too.

On her visit today, she came bearing gifts…and lunch! So much for my hosting skills. We enjoyed delicious, home-made, vegetarian burritos while sitting on the patio talking shop.

You probably need to be a gardener to fully appreciate the first gift: a bag of worms and worm castings. I feel like a real gardener. I have a worm bin, a kitchen scrap container, and soon my tumbling composter will arrive at my door. I’ll be brewing garden goodness all winter long.

Worm Bin

In addition to worms, I am also the lucky recipient of several eco-dyed pieces, one-of-a kind art made with natural dyes, leaves and flowers. The small pouch is made from reclaimed materials, printed with leaves, dyed, then hand-stitched.

Eco-dyed Pouch

The three pieces pictured below use a similar technique, but with paper. I love the artistry.

Eco-dyed Art Print

Eco-dyed Paper

My dear friend is not a fan of pictures, but she did let me take a closeup of her t-shirt. She bought the shirt at a thrift store, wrapped it around rose leaves, and dipped it in a natural dye. It’s exquisite.

Eco-dyed T-shirt

You can learn more about eco-dying from India Flint.

August 27, 2012 by Born To Organize

Back to School in the Fairy Garden

Our local paper ran an article on fairy gardens recently with a few ideas I hadn’t thought of. One suggestion was to plant a fairy garden in a pot up high for easy maintenance. The other was to place it in a high-traffic area so others could enjoy it.

Today I did just that. In honor of back-to-school month I planted a back-to-school themed fairy garden and placed it out front near the steps. The bees found it immediately, then my son when he got home from school. Can those ethereal garden fairies be far behind?

I used an old bird bath stand as a base, then added a fern-lined wire basket. The fern-lined hanging basket came with three chains attached to a hook. I pried the hook loose, then wrapped the chains under the bird feeder to secure it in place.

Lovely purple Ageratum line the back of the classroom, with Baby Tears serving as a walkway. The classroom chairs are part of a stacking game. I raided the LEGO® Brick bin for desks and playground equipment. If you squint your eyes and employ your imagination, you might just see an apple on the teacher’s desk.

Fairy gardens were once the purview of small children, but they’ve enjoyed a resurgence among adults. Blogs, books and websites abound with ideas and inspiration. In the end, I think it’s fun to use your own imagination and if possible, items you have on hand.

This is a great project for the young and the young at heart. Let me know how your garden turns out. Be sure to report back…with pictures of course. ♥

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From Tonkadale Greenhouse:

For centuries, the world has been fascinated with the idea that “fairies and elves” live among us and have the power to spread magic and mischief throughout our homes and gardens.

While the existence of fairies is up to your own imagination, adding fairies to your garden is a way to participate in this centuries old tradition. It never hurts to please the fairies and sprites in order to gain their favor.

From the Mercury News Fairy Garden: Creating a bit of Whimsy in your Garden
It’s tempting to buy all this cute little furniture, but so far I’ve restrained myself.

March 9, 2012 by Born To Organize

The Gardener: “I’ve tried to remember everything you taught me about beauty…”

The Gardener: by Sarah Stewart, Illustrated by David Small

We treasured books in the home I grew up in, and that tradition lives on in my home today. One of the greatest joys when my boys were young was the time we spent snuggling and reading. We punctuated our weeks with trips to the library, weekly storytelling at our local Barnes and Noble and the occasional author reading at the eclectic, one-of-a-kind Hicklebee’s children’s book store in Willow Glen. I can say without exaggeration that I’ve read thousands of pages of kid lit: the good, the great and the regrettable.

From those piles of books, emerged one of my all-time favorites: The Gardener by Sarah Stewart.

I remember the day I pulled it off the shelf, delighted to find a beautifully illustrated book that wasn’t about trains or bunnies. I stood skimming it, then sat down on the floor so I could give it my full attention. I knew I was holding something special. My little one was enjoying his own book selection, so I was free to savor every page. What I found was an incredibly moving, poignant, and hopeful book with joy on every page. The illustrations, by award-winning artist David Small are lovingly rendered with charming details tucked into the corners of each page. This review sums it up beautifully:

“A moving, wonderfully rich illustrated story. It is that rarity, a pictorial delight that in 20 double pages gives more and more of itself each time it’s read, and whose silent complexities reveal themselves with continuing pleasure.” —The New York Times Book Review

You needn’t be a child or a gardener to appreciate this gem. Go flop down on some cushions somewhere and give it a read. You’ll be glad you did.

December 5, 2011 by Born To Organize

My Heart in the Garden

“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.” -Buddha

Heart among the branches

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.” – Steve Jobs