Showing posts with label crochet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crochet. Show all posts

Saturday, October 22, 2011

31 Days to Branch Out: Day 22

I found this really great pattern for the Rhiannon Bag online and I just thought it was adorable! I love that it's pretty cheap and would be adorable in just about any color!






I was beginning to think about my compost bucket (that I'll be making today since it's lovely outside!) and I had some potato shards that I wanted to put in it but I wasn't sure what was allowed or not....so I looked it up for everyone if you're having the same questions I was!



Old can of paint
NEVER COMPOST:
Bread products: This includes cakes, pasta and most baked goods. Put any of these items in your compost pile, and you've rolled out the welcome mat for unwanted pests.
Cooking oil: Smells like food to animal and insect visitors. It can also upset the compost's moisture balance.
Diseased plants: Trash them, instead. You don't want to transfer fungal or bacterial problems to whatever ends up growing in your finished compost.
Heavily coated or printed paper: This is a long list, including magazines, catalogs, printed cards and most printed or metallic wrapping paper. Foils don't break down, and you don't need a bunch of exotic printing chemicals in your compost.
Human or animal feces: Too much of a health risk. This includes kitty litter. Waste and bedding from non-carnivorous pets should be fine.
Meat products: This includes bones, blood, fish and animal fats. Another pest magnet.
Milk products: Refrain from composting milk, cheese, yogurt and cream. While they'll certainly degrade, they are attractive to pests.
Rice: Cooked rice is unusually fertile breeding ground for the kinds of bacteria that you don't want in your pile. Raw rice attracts varmints.
Sawdust: So tempting. But unless you know the wood it came from was untreated, stay away.
Stubborn garden plants: Dandelions, ivy and kudzu are examples of plants or weeds which will probably regard your compost heap as a great place to grow, rather than decompose.
Used personal products: Tampons, diapers and items soiled in human blood or fluids are a health risk.
Walnuts: These contain juglone, a natural aromatic compound toxic to some plants.
 
NEVER RECYCLE
Aerosol cans: Sure, they're metal. But since spray cans also contain propellants and chemicals, most municipal systems treat them as hazardous material.
Batteries: These are generally handled separately from both regular trash and curbside recycling.
Brightly dyed paper: Strong paper dyes work just like that red sock in your white laundry.
Ceramics and pottery: This includes things such as coffee mugs. You may be able to use these in the garden.
Diapers: It is not commercially feasible to reclaim the paper and plastic in disposable diapers.
Hazardous waste: This includes household chemicals, motor oil, antifreeze and other liquid coolants. Motor oil is recyclable, but it is usually handled separately from household items. Find out how your community handles hazardous materials before you need those services.
Household glass: Window panes, mirrors, light bulbs and tableware are impractical to recycle. Bottles and jars are usually fine. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) are recyclable, but contain a small amount of mercury and shouldn't be treated as common household bulbs. For ideas on how to handle them, see 5 ways to dispose of old CFLs.
Juice boxes and other coated cardboard drink containers. Some manufacturers have begun producing recyclable containers. These will be specially marked. The rest are not suitable for reprocessing.
Medical waste: Syringes, tubing, scalpels and other biohazards should be disposed as such.
Napkins and paper towels: Discouraged because of what they may have absorbed. Consider composting.
Pizza boxes: Too much grease. While some compost enthusiasts steer clear of adding pizza box cardboard to their pile, others report no problems. It's that or the trash.
Plastic bags and plastic wrap: If possible, clean and reuse the bags. Make sure neither gets into the environment.
Plastic-coated boxes, plastic food boxes, or plastic without recycling marks: Dispose of safely.
Plastic screw-on tops: Dispose separately from recyclable plastic bottles. Remember that smaller caps are a choking hazard.
Styrofoam: See if your community has a special facility for this.
Tires: Many states require separate disposal of tires (and collect a fee at the point of sale for that purpose).
Tyvek shipping envelopes: These are the kind used by the post office and overnight delivery companies.
Wet paper: In general, recyclers take a pass on paper items that have been exposed to water. The fibers may be damaged, and there are contamination risks.
 Branch out and Be Creative!



Thursday, October 20, 2011

31 Days to Branch Out: Day 20

Yay! We're on to actually crocheting something! Huzzah! I found this lovely thing while browsing around and I wanted to share it with you all. This one is not free but it's very in expensive and would make really great gifts! Good luck!


The other day we were talking about raised garden beds. I really love this idea since I'm all about utilizing space. They turned the pots around the edges into herb plants! Perfect and fragrant!!








Branch out and be creative!!



Wednesday, October 19, 2011

31 Days to Branch Out: Day 19

Boy we are just truckin along here! It's already day 19! Yay!


Today is Learn to Crochet day here at Branch Out Craft Club! YAY! I honestly think Crocheting is much easier than knitting and it only uses one needle! So, to start, go HERE! It has a video plus step by step illustrated instructions that are pretty darn easy to follow! Don't try them all in one day- Just remember: Crafts are for relaxation and fun! Not frustration!


 I want to touch on one of the major problems with gardening: critters. Bugs mostly is what we're covering today. I wanted to have a garden so I could have my own somewhat organic veggies but I can't seem to grow squash without buggies gettin in the vines. So, luckily there is this!







Homemade Pest and Disease Remedies
Insecticidal soap, rotenone/pyrethrum liquid spray, and diatomaceous earth for horticultural use (silica particles from the skeletal remains of sea creatures that penetrate the bodies of insects on contact-sold as a dust) are good store-bought natural pest remedies. Follow the directions on the labels.
Alcohol spray for Aphids
Mix ½ to 1 cup alcohol with a quart of water. Do not spray the entire plant until you have done a test leaf. Spray one leaf. Wait a day. If it shows signs of burning, do not use alcohol on the plant. Never use in the heat of the day in the sun.
Beer Traps for Slugs
Put some cheap beer in saucers. Place the saucers every 3 to 4 feet around the plants that are being eaten. The slugs will crawl into the beer and drown.
Chamomile Tea for Damping Off
Spray seedlings with a hot water infusion of chamomile tea to prevent the disease.
Citrus Spray for Aphids
This is a good spray for aphids or any other soft-bodied bugs. Boil 2 cups of water in a glass or stainless steel pot. Remove from the burner and add the peel of one lemon or one grapefruit. Cover the pot and let steep overnight. Mix ½ water and ½ citrus liquid. The spray must come in contact with the insects' body to be effective. Spray as needed.
Eucalyptus Liquid Soap (found in health food stores)
Add ½ teaspoon to a quart of water and spray for insects
Horticultural oil
These sprays have a petroleum distillate carrier for natural botanical insecticides. Never use them on a sunny day, and be sure plants are watered well before spraying.
Insecticidal soap
Sold under the Safer brand name. You will find it in any garden store. The concentrate is a better buy than any others.
Liquid rotenone/pyrethrins spray
Bonide is the brand. Follow directions on the label. This spray is very effective, especially if not overused.
Molasses Spray for Rusts
1 cup sulfured molasses
1 cup powdered milk (optional)
1 gallon water
1 cup seaweed powder (optional)
1 cup rock powder (optional)

If you are using only molasses, stir into water and use. If using all ingredients, mix molasses and powders and make into a paste. Wrap 1 cup of the paste in a panty hose. Put in the water, and let sit for 2 to 4 hours. Strain and spray.


So good luck with your gardening!
Branch out and be creative!'