Another snazzy reason to save those building scraps my friends! 

Small leftover bits can be arranged in a number of fun ways to create rustic, one of a kind garden markers!

Lathe strips or branches sanded and tapered at one end are excellent for your stakes.

Get out your paint, the woodburner, sanding block, glue, hammer and nails and start assembling.

And don’t forget your natural go-to’s….quick and easy –

 Garden markers are a great way to help your kids learn the different plant names and all that you have growing, as well!

Cheers to creating some garden markers this weekend…You can’t stop at just one.

michele.

So many lovely things to catch you all up on as I took some much needed time to get back on track with my own homesteading efforts and to work on the opening of our b. organic facility.

Balance, peace and purpose are the goals each day and unfortunately the online updates had to go on a bit of a hiatus while other things were being done.  But spring has finally sprung and I’m thrilled about managing to work it all back in.

If you get as excited about growing your own food as I do and love to create things using nature, salvaged finds and your own two hands, I invite you to join us for 3 hours of abundant fun on Earth Day (Monday, April 22) as we begin offering an ongoing series of lifestyle workshops that promise to be the perfect blend of learning, creativity, nature and resourcefulness.

I recently met a gentleman who lives in northeast Iowa who is entirely fruit and vegetable self-sufficient all year round — amazing, right?!

It can be done and it all starts with a single plant, so our first workshop is designed to get you excited and confident about growing more edibles at home — The Art of Seed Starting  is a creative, do it yourself workshop that teaches you how to start your own seeds and expand your edible gardening efforts as well as adding that creative flair.

You will plant up a tray of heirloom vegetables, herbs and edible flowers to take home as well as create a unique assortment of personalized garden markers.

The first half of the workshop will be spent on the benefits of seed starting/edible landscaping, mixing up growing mediums, selecting seeds,and planting.  The second half of the workshop will delve into the creative side of gardening with unique garden marker projects you create yourself using natural elements and salvaged materials.

• Learning how to start things from seed gives you incredible power in the backyard garden.
• You will gain greater diversity with what you can grow and enjoy incredible monetary savings.
• Growing your own edibles is an essential part of living an organic lifestyle.
• You’re developing a closer connection to nature and the foods you and your family eat.
• Gardening is a healthy stress-reliever.
• To grow your own food and maintain a backyard or patio garden is unbelievably satisfying and rewarding and contributes to greater self-reliance.

All of our workshops are designed to be relaxed, hands-on, inspiring and practical.

We provide the materials, you do the planting and creating.

Cheers my friends — Join us if you can!

michele.

b. organic — it starts at home

It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon.

Madeline was going to be home from school in an hour.

And I thought it the perfect opportunity to let the ladies out for a supervised stroll ’til dusk.

I was wandering in and out of the house checking on Berkley while she napped. 

I remember stopping by the windows, watching them roam the yard and thinking to myself, ‘what a joyful, peaceful vibe they add to the yard’…

When Madeline got off the bus, we went down for a visit and she noticed one group must have wandered down the hill or into the woods. 

The moment I saw Charlotte (one of the hens) up in the tree, I knew something was wrong.

As we came to the clearing, there were feathers scattered everywhere.

Horrible.

In less than an hour, 5 of our girls were gone.

I take my job of keeping everyone safe and happy pretty seriously, so you can only imagine how I felt…I thought I was doing a good thing by letting them forage and having a bit more freedom, but it was more like I had just released them to the wolves.

The look on my daughter’s face was unforgettable and I lost count of the number of times I repeated “I’m So Sorry”….I felt entirely responsible.  This was not what I intended my sweet girl to come home to after school, that’s for sure.  I even felt bad for having our dog tied up on the leash at the time.   She knew something was wrong down in the woods and wasn’t able to do anything about it.

The bright light at the end of this dark post however, is that we found ‘Betty White’ (one of Maddie’s favorites) bunkered down in some tall grasses…She was alive, but injured.

Our incredible vet agreed to look at her and ended up stitching the large bite wound on her chest shut and gave her a 50/50 chance of survival.  She’s proven to be a tough little bird and I’m happy to report she is back to being the ‘leader’ and doing absolutely fantastic.

We searched the woods for other ‘miracles’ that day and the days to follow but finally accepted the rest were gone.

Lots of tears were shed that evening.

Endless talks of nature and the cycle of life.

We’ll never know what the culprit(s) was/were, but I do know that they will only be allowed to range where they are ‘safe’ and ‘protected’.  So if you ride by our house and see covered runs scattered about the yard, you’ll know why.

I know to most, they’re ‘just chickens’, but Madeline has developed such a wonderful relationship with them all, it was incredibly sad to watch her lose so many, so fast.

And I’m not gonna lie…I too was a bit disturbed by it all.

Cheers to life lessons and how they affect the days that follow.

michele.

NATURAL ROPE

Look at what’s growing all around you and let your imagination run wild.

So fun and a great way to start an “I spy” game with your kids.

Cheers to walks in the woods!

michele.

They were selling them at a fantastic price of 3 for $1.00, so it inspired us to stock up and revisit some of our own projects using this very versatile material.

We dressed up some bulletin boards here in the studio for our upcoming workshops, and are going to whip up a little stockpile of reusable gift bags to use for holiday gift-giving. (Instructions found here!)

Here’s a picture of what one of the bulletin boards looked like before I covered it. Blah.  

I simply cut open the bag so it would lay flat, mounted it with spray adhesive and then primitively framed it out with salvaged wood scraps.

Much more appealing to the eye now! 

There are so many creative uses for these beauties, especially at this time of year.  They’re a rustic decorative touch for Fall/Thanksgiving.  You could create pillows, tablerunners, chair covers, etc…

If you haven’t been to your local ReStore lately…stop in and see what they have in stock…it’s a fabulous resource for reclaimed goods, the inventory is everchanging which makes it a bit of a treasure hunt each time, and the prices are always great.  And it goes without saying but you’re also helping to support a fabulous organization.

Cheers to more of life’s amazing leftovers and the businesses committed to distributing them!

michele.

Her neighbor had been an interior decorator, I believe…and had oodles of fabric samples, neatly bundled

and neatly tossed for destination landfill.

Lucky for us, our friend saw the shame in this

and filled her entire trunk with whatever she could squeeze in.

She made a visit a couple of weekends ago to drop off the goods and my friend Dee has been in the studio sewing ever since.

She’s getting a jump on some sweet gifts for the holidays that are beautiful, one of a kind, and can we say, very budget friendly!

Any and all combinations look good.  All you have to do is simply sew them together to create larger panels of fabric that you can then use for upholstery, bags, rugs, window treatments and more.

I can’t really give any more of the particulars or I’ll be spoiling the surprise of her gifts, but you get the idea…. here’s a link to the rugs and valences we created for our salvage style guest room using similar decorator type samples.

I love sample books.  It sure is hard to believe someone could think they were ‘trash’.

Cheers to dumpster diving — and the friends who dive for you.

michele.

Came across this photo of a halloween costume we pulled together for Madeline a few years back…love. love. love.

an old green leotard and tights, a wig, a small grapevine wreath for the headpiece and an assortment of natural items…

I adore handmade costumes that utilize materials from around the house and a zesty imagination.

Not sure if it was one of Madeline’s favorites, though…hee.

Just thought I’d share in case you were in need of a last minute idea…Mother Nature is always a good one!

CHEERS to all the handmade costumes that will be lurking about the streets this beggar’s night.

michele.

And this concludes my colorful round of ideas for wood scraps…for a day or two, anyway! hee.

(I must warn you though…you will soon find yourself unable to throw another scrap of wood away….ever….so be sure you have a couple of good sized bins around for storage)

Today’s idea is a very playful one for kids, and it’s suitable for ANY shape or size of wood scrap.  Just work with the scraps, as they are — no need to cut down into squares or blocks.  That’s what keeps things interesting.

With a bit of paint and imaginative hands, you can create the most amazing set of building blocks.

• Sand away any rough edges
• Paint all sides of your blocks/pieces — Milk paints are great, as are any of your non-toxic acrylics.

It’s even better when you let the kids get in on painting the scraps with you.

• Other options include woodburning or decoupaging papers around the different pieces..can also use stencils, stamps, or stickers!

You could or course leave them in their natural state…but the kids find the building process a lot more exciting when they’ve got all that color and design to work with.

Scatter your blocks around the house (inside or out) in interesting containers so there’s always easy access.

If you don’t have any of your own scraps, don’t be shy about asking your neighbors or local woodworking/home improvement shops.  They’re usually more than happy to let you take a bag or two off their hands.

Cheers to wood scraps and the colorful ways to use!

michele

One thing always leads to another and today’s idea is a natural progression……. from the OSB leftovers…..to all other forms of plywood scraps.

 In a matter of minutes, they can be transformed into excellent, reusable work mats for just about any project.

Especially if you find you’re doing a lot of your work at the kitchen table.

They protect your surface, are very durable, manageable and easy to store.

The added measuring tool is also a handy feature.

• Sand down any rough edges.
• Secure felt pads to the underside.
• Glue down a strip of measuring tape along one edge.
• Seal with a few coats of shellac and get to work.

They’re even beautiful to look at.  I’m always inspired to lay out my goods and get to work.

Not sure why, but they’ll make you smile!

Cheers my friends to DIY!  Sit yourself down this fine Saturday and create something…it’ll do your mind good.

michele.

 The possibilities are MANY.

Just look at all that ‘NATURAL’ texture.

grasses, bamboo, bark…….you see it?

I absolutely love the look of this surface, don’t you!

And all it is: leftover scraps of OSB board.

My mom and dad were having a bit of work done at their house and there were piles of this stuff lying around that I think was just going to get tossed or burned.

Imagine how much of these materials get tossed from construction sites across the country. Where there is art, there is no waste.

My dad and I cut them down into manageable tiles and I thought at the very least I could use them as sample boards or canvases for some artwork.  

Then, when I really got playing around….visions of things like wall treatments, backsplashes and flooring came to mind.

I of course, haven’t had time to execute any of those more elaborate ideas yet, but wanted to share anyway!  The treatment for the tiles is simply painting the smooth side with leftover house paint, dry brushing a stain over the top and then wiping it down so it’s just picked up in the crevices.  Seal with your favorite clear sealer.  I like to use soy based ones, mod podge, and shellac, depending on the end use.  Wax is also a beautiful finish, but with a rougher surface, it’s sometimes harder to get a clean ‘buff’.  The top one in the post that is multi-colored was painted with artist acrylics and then sealed with amber shellac.

And that my friends, is your colorful repurposing idea for today….take it and run with it. 

(Then be sure to stop back and share what creations transpired)

Cheers to Life’s Leftovers!

It’s the little things in life that get me excited…hee.

michele.