Quick and easy Fourth of July table decoration crafts are a fun way to add color to your holiday party. These fireworks swizzle sticks are made using 12×12-inch scrapbook paper and bamboo sticks to create a fun pattern of overlapping stars. Party on!
Living
When used as companion plants, edible and ornamental plants grow beautifully alongside each other and make interesting container gardens, arrangements and traditional garden beds. Pairing your favorite fruits and veggies with your favorite blossoms and blooms is a great way to grow and enjoy all of the plants you love together, while enjoying the benefits […]
I think this is the last time I can mention Twin Elm Farm—an excellent antique co-op in Peterborough, New Hamsphire, near Yankee’s offices—for at least a while. I’ve written about my finds from this place so many times that you might think that I’m getting kickbacks. I promise I have no financial interest in the […]
Gardens
DIY: Build a Backyard Greenhouse
Small, backyard greenhouses like the kind shown in mail-order catalogs are a gardener’s dream. They prolong the growing season and offer protection to young plants. Unfortunately, they can also be quite pricey. Don’t waste your money — you can save hundreds of dollars and achieve the same results when you build a greenhouse yourself. Use […]
Matryoshka Dolls have delighted me since childhood. There is something surprising and whimsical about taking apart a figurine a layer at a time to discover how many personas are hiding inside. Matryoshkas typically feature folk women in their traditional dress, but modern day matryoshkas are called “nesting dolls” and you can find them today in […]
Many gardeners, even ones that have been growing successful gardens for years, often shy away from growing lettuce in the scorching summer months, because they’re worried that their crop will be bitter or bolt before it’s ready to harvest. But growing lettuce during the hot months of summer is a breeze if you know these […]
Gardens
How to Plant a Strawberry Pot
Most of us have a list of garden projects we’d like to tackle one of these days. Mine include putting in a small berry patch, some raised vegetable beds, a rose arch, a grape arbor, and wisteria vines. We live near the city, so some of these ambitions are clearly outsized. But I did cross […]
Slipping a small note or gift in a decorative re-purposed mint tin is a creative way to show your appreciation for someone special. The tins are visually appealing, and they’re also functional and reusable containers. They’re also easy to make and customizable to the tastes of the person you are presenting it to. Materials Needed […]
Fresh cranberries and a few simple tools are all you need to create this festive cranberry wreath for the holidays.
Container gardening can be fun when you think about using theme that are creative, beautiful or functional. Plants can be grouped together in any size container and are as suited to a tabletop as to a porch, deck or yard. Container gardening is not only easy to set up and maintain, these little gardens also […]
If you walk by my office right now, you will smell a potpourri of cayenne and ginger (Badger Muscle Rub for my sore shoulder), pink grapefruit (my lips feel silky soft smoothed with Badger lip balm) and beeswax. I smell good and I feel good. Who is this Badger? Why do I love him…or her…or […]
During the summer months, there’s a period of the day between dusk and nightfall when it’s not dark enough to turn on lamps, but a bit of soft lighting would be nice. Whether camping or enjoying the comfort of your own backyard, the solution to this lighting dilemma is simple: make gypsy-inspired hanging lanterns. They […]