We all must learn to grow vegetables. Whether we live in a small apartment without a balcony, a unit with just a small patio, or a luxury house with lots of land. Don’t you think? Growing veggies is easy & fun, once you know how, particularly with the ingenious plastic bottle vertical gardening system I’m showing you today. You can buy seedlings (which are easiest) but I prefer to start with organic heirloom seeds.

Vertical vegetables gardens don’t take up space and will help you save loads on groceries. Not to mention, you’ll eat more organics, and oh … the delight you’ll feel every time you pick your own goodies!!! 

First Things First: Get Seeds

Start an indoor vertical container garden now, and learn just how much fun gardening is.

Get your set of organic edible flowers, vegetable and herb heirloom seeds out from under the kitchen sink or your garden shed, or order high-quality, organic heirloom seeds now online, because…

…I have 2 videos on how to make a vertical vegetable garden using recycled plastic bottles and they will inspire you!

   ***  Pick Pansies ***

Perennial pansies are hardy

and thrive in shady areas or

with partial sunlight.

Tip: don’t forget to order organic potting mix.

Vertical Container Gardening Howto

Essentially, you stack the bottles upside down and use a drip-irrigation system. Let me show you the details ~ They are a little bit different for the indoor and outdoor gardens.

Indoor Vegetable Container Garden for Apartment Dwellers

Indoor Kitchen Garden

Video: If you don’t see the video above, click this link

For this system, you’ll need to cut a large circle on either side of the bottle to allow your plants to grow thru them.

This video discusses a bit of the details, and what’s important for indoor gardens. The next video is a lot more detailed and I think is even of use for those who want/need to make a garden indoor. In particular, its details on irrigation are interesting. So, read on…

Recycled Bottle Stacks for Vertical Outdoor Kitchen Gardening

Ideal for Patios & Small Outdoor Spaces.

The video below gives you the exact details how to set up your own vertical vegetable garden completely fitted with the most efficient irrigation system.

video: http://youtu.be/-uDbjZ9roEQ

Embellish & Add Bling!

Of course, if you are a regular follower of this blog, then I expect you to not leave the ugly labels they show in the video onto the bottles.

I hope that instead you embellish the bottles with cute labels, tags, plastic flowers, butterflies, etc.

Remember these darling aluminum butterflies, made from recycled tin foil plates? They would be perfect for this gardening project.

Grow Edible Flowers

Besides growing the vegetables you love to eat of course,   pick a couple of fresh herbs that offer beautiful flowers too.

I’m thinking of adding a few rows of easy to grow Nasturtium (Tropaeolum Majus). This entirely edible plant makes great flowers that cheer up any salad, herb vinegar or garnish. They like full sun and a warm climate, which impart a wonderful peppery flavor to the plant.  Perfect in the Roman sun. Ahhh…

Other Plant & Garden Projects

Have a look at some of our other plant and garden projects:

• How to Make a Topiary
• How to Make Succulent Wreaths
• How to Make a Rustic Garden Bench
• How to Landscape with Grasses (even in Pots)
• Cool DIY Fence from Recycled Corregated Iron
• Succulent Garden in Recycled Small Kid Shoe
• DIY Cool Outdoor Shower
• Free Sewing Pattern for a Quilted Gardeners Tote Bag
• How to Make Your Own Tire Swing

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Lets make a topiary. I will show you how.

It is winter and not much creative gardening going on besides making winter veggies and protecting whatever you planted from frost. It is however a time that in Italy, the olive farmers clip their olive trees again, and loads of free branches are to be had. And we can have fun with those branches,  yessery!

Topiaries, or natural garden sculptures, can be quite expensive. But if  you make your own, you realize you can make a thousand for the price of one store-bought sculptured plant.  The secret: patience, a bit of ingenuity, and those olive tree branches. Because these branches make great topiary frames!

Step-by-step Topiary Making Instructions

1. Start with some ivy.  Purchasing a plant with at least two long trails of leaves, or taking a clipping with roots and trails from a plant you already have.   Ivy is pretty cheap at the moment. I think I paid $1.95 for a nice plant a couple of trails of ivy leaves.

2. Hop over to your nearby olive farm (I did the first year we were here), clip your own olive trees (I did the second year) for a bunch of the thinner branches.  Take all the leaves off. Weave the olive tree branches into a circle, till your base wreath looks like photo #2. Do not make it too heavy with too many branches, although you could add a few more branches than I have used here if you wish, as it will make your topiary look fuller from the start. You want to create a topiary frame that’s stable. That’s the most important criteria.

No olive trees nearby?

Alternatively, use other thin branches from your garden or local park, or if you must buy something, go to your N. American dollar store and pick up a wreath made of olive branches, or purchase an official topiary frame, which is often made of a metal shape with a chicken-wire body. Here you can find topiary frames for near wholesale prices.

What we are doing today is pretty simple and straight forward. If you however want to make a topiary heart shape, well, than I highly recommend you purchase a topiary heart frame . This one here is only US$ 6.80, which seems inexpensive.

I’ll talk more about special topiary forms later, as I have some amazing topiary garden photos to show you of the most amazing living sculptures. But for now, we do an easy home decorating project…

3. Now here comes the  secret to making olive tree branches work as topiary form: you take a bit of metal wire and fold it around 3 inches of your form.   On both sides of those 3 inches you should have a pin coming out of 3 inches, pin A and pin B.  These two pins are to be at the bottom of your form and you are to stick them into the earth of your pot with ivy. This will hold your wreath in place.   Look at the photo of the heart topiary form and you’ll know exactly what I’m referring to.

4. Next, take one of the longs trails of ivy leaves and weave these around one side of the wreath form.  Take the second and or third trails of leaves and fold them around the wreath going into the other directions.  They will overlap with the first trail around the top of the wreath.  Make sure it’s even and full all over.  

5. Add some plant food to stimulate your ivy into growing a bit faster and fuller, and you’re done.   Easy enough, right? Now go find 10 minutes to do this creative DIY project, because that’s all that it took me. 

Other Garden, Porch & Plant Craft / DIY Projects

• Garden DIY & Garden Craft

• Recycle Shoe Mini-Garden
• How to Make Succulent Wreaths
• DIY Cool Outdoor Shower
• Reversible Garden Blanket
• Adirondack Deck Chairs
• Lawn or Beach Chairs

  Garden Bench

• Recycled Tire Swing

  Hammock & Garden Umbrella

• Beach in a Pot
• 

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Not fair that Pinterest followers were getting my best design ideas, instead of my loyal blog readers. Being Chinese New Year, I’m changing it now, and during the coming year, I’ll add a Daily Pinterest Favorite to my blog.

I’ll feature a mix of interior design styles, home decorating DIY projects, knititng, crochet, paper art, and of course holiday crafts.

TODAY’S FAVORITE HOME DECOR

If you wonder how to make a charming Italian Farmhouse kitchen, that it’s essential you start with some rustic basics, such as this authentic …

1. Farmhouse Kitchen DIY table. This table is a classic to be found everywhere in the Italian country side. I hope to inherit one, rather than to have to build my own, as it can take the good part of a week, besides a couple of hundred dollars worth of timber.
   
   However, without such luck, I’ll use these instructions.

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Now that all your holiday decoration is gone, does the front door look a bit barren? Not for long, because here’s an idea for you that you wished you’d tried before:  year-round colorful succulent wreaths that need next-to-no-attention to good looking. Best of all, the plants on these wreaths are alive! Like a garden on your porch!

How to Make Your Own Succulent Wreath

The designer of this particular wreath, Jaime from Prudent Baby, simply whirled through her garden with clippers to get her succulents.

However, most of us don’t have such a wide range of colorful succulents around our own home, so a bit of patience and planning on our part is warranted. We may even need to purchase some plants to round-out the color scheme. But, with a bit of patience and a plan to make this one day, you might overcome this need. This is because succulents, as all succulent-owners know, tend to grow back rather rapidly and easily.  Even a broken off leaf can be planted back to become a new flower. Therefore, succulent owners tend to be very happy sharers of their plants.  And maybe a very generous donator of a variety of plants could be rewarded back with a wreath like this for him/herself.

source: Prudent baby

How you begin is finding yourself a metal wreath frame, and to fill it up with moistened spaghnum moss (soak for 5 min)(supplies below).

Then, collect ‘flowers’ from your various succulent plants and clip of the bottom leaves so you get mini-stems, which you stick into the moss. You might use a pen to prepare holes in your thickly packed moss so the plants will go in without breaking.  Secure the plants with florist wire or equivalent to keep them in place till the roots have grown, which can take anywhere from 3-5 months.

Succulent Wreath Design & Care Tips for Wreaths

Tip 1: for a nice design, group plants together. Vary large and smaller florets, and and repeat colors. See sample wreath.

Tip 2: dip your succulent in rooting hormone to grow roots faster.

Tip 3: as this is a life wreath, spray it with water occasionally, but do not over-water.  Succulents like sun more than water. So, go lavish on one, sparing on the other.

This life wreath will continue to grow, bloom and be beautiful year-round. Now, don’t you want to start making one right away?!

Get Your Wreath-Making Supplies

• Spaghnum moss
• Wreath Frame (12")
• Rooting Hormone or Rooting Stimulant
• Florist wire, or … simple fishing wire, or … whatever you have.
• And, of course, your succulent plant clippings

Click here for …

More Wreaths

DIY Wreaths in any shape, make or form

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: I spotted this darling French country kitchen lighting and just have to share it.

Vintage funnel + bit of wire-cover fabric + 3 string ties made a plain light bulb into an exquisite shabby chic kitchen lamp. You can do it.

It’s a winner.

source: Tattered and faded

Designer Lamps / Lighting Ideas

Black, Feathered Unique Art lamps ~ Found in-Paris

Clay-covered Wicker French Country Lamps

French Baccarat Chandeliers

More Lamps Found in Paris: crochet or fumbled paper lamp shades & Venetian antique

Recycled bottles Designer lamps

DIY Lamp Designs w Tutorials

DIY Scrappy Lampshade

Curly Tube Lamp + Upcycled Driftwood Dangles – lamp , Designer Home Style, Rieti, taly

Recycled Wool Cable Sweater Lamp

Baby Food Jar Chandelier

                                       … and MORE lighting ideas ..

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: this hexagon designer pillow pattern reads like a nature mosaic. Something soulful about handmade pillows that have such attention to painstaking detail. It’s an exquisite sewing pattern and it’s free.

By centering 6 identical petals, the master seamstress team at Sew4Home has orchestrated yet another winning design.

They share the sewing tutorial and instructions.

Hexagon Pillow Tutorial

It’s pretty easy. But the secret, she says, is “to cut six identical pattern pieces for the front of the pillow. It’s crucial that they are exactly the same.”

Pillow Sewing Tips

Other tips she gives are:

• Use an ½" seam allowances, and have them included in and marked on your base hexagon petal form.
• Use a good sewing machine like the Janome DC4030
• It’s optional, but consider using a zipper foot for the corners with the tassels as it gets a bit thick and tricky at each of the six corners. (My idea would be to simply add the tassels by hand, but I’m not a ‘real’ seamstress.)

Winter or Summer Pillow?

Prefer to bookmark this tutorial and make a summer version instead? Look at the result of this pattern using fresh and bright summer fabrics. 

source images/instructions: sew4home.com

Pillows – Cushions – Sewing Patterns

25+ Free Pillow Patterns & Designs

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Martin Luther King Day coming up again on Monday January 16.

To me, Martin Luther King Jr. stands for following your heart, your soul desire, your dream, your conviction and for courage doing so. Therefore, every year, I like to orchestrate a creative project in his honor. 

This dream quilt pattern featured today is a tribute to Martin Luther King who created peace and freedom for all people, no matter what color their skin. So, make it a colorful quilt, will ya?!

Quilting Pattern

(click left image for true-scale design, and to start fabric measurements.)

Kim Diamond designed this peace symbol quilt pattern, that allows you to use up a thousand remnants of fabric, or perhaps splurge on a gorgeous quilting fabric set….

You will have to do a bit of math to figure out how much fabric you’ll need of each type of color, and perhaps it’s best if you design freely as you go along.  Filling the field with more and more peace symbols.

Tip: add a double layer of ruffles on the outside of the quilt in colors that make the entire quilt come together.

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood…" ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

More Creative Ideas

• Martin Luther King Crafts  (crochet, paper craft, and more)
• Quilting Projects / Patterns (from simple ideas to full blown detailed quilting patterns)

Tip: this pattern can also be used for a rug, albeit that I would enlarge the design so it’s less work and more durable.

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: easy rug-making technique that even kids can do.

This handmade DIY ruffle rug offers a great way to blow new life into the mountain of unused or outgrown t-shirts in your family’s (and your neighbors’) closets.

Fabulous and colorful, they would make hip and fun floor mats for bedrooms and bathrooms.

With colors wisely chosen, it could  even be a kitchen mat too! 

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Decided on the color scheme of your rug for your chosen location.

2. Cut strips of t-shirts in those colors. 3/4” width is a good average choice but make it fit the size of the weave of your base mat.

3. Use an old (Mexican) woven rag rug as a base. You can also buy inexpensive ones at budget homewear stores. Or, you can get yourself a Blank Latch Rug Canvas With Grid. This one measuring 36”x60” is only $7.50. Tip: If you use a canvas as a base, make sure you cover the entire rug with t-shirt ruffles.

4. With a big-eyed plastic needle or a crochet hook size 4 or bigger, weave your t-shirt strips  through every 3rd or 4th weaving thread (see picture below and video).  Leave a 2-3 inch loop between each stitch you make.

5. After a few stitches, with your fingers, pull and adjust each loop so that they are all of even length.

6. Cover your rug either in patches or in its totality, depending on your desired design.

7. When done adding the t-shirt loops all over, cut all t-shirt loops and your ruffle rug is done.

  The end.

How to Make a Ruffle Rag Rug –(video tutorial)

Video Tutorial                   Source images &  kid craft kits:  Alex Toys

Where to get a Base Mat for your Ruffle Rug

If you can’t find an old rug in the garage, nor at your local Goodwill store, and if you insist to buy a new one, most budget house wear stores will sell you some. Ikea, for example, has flat-woven Signe rugs (2’ x 2’ 9” or 60 x 90 cm) for $3.99. Or, if you prefer to work with a clean slate and also if you prefer to make a bigger rug, you can buy inexpensive blank Latch Rug Canvas With Grid. A large rug base of 36 x 60″ costs only $7.50 and could be cut to size into many smaller mats or left as one hug rug base.

Tip 1: adjust the width of your t-shirt strips to the weave of your base mat. Also, you may wish to leave more stitches in between each loop.

Tip 2: I would machine wash all your t-shirts before using.  Handmade rugs tend to be more delicate and are better washed by hand.

Oh, rugs, rugs

and more rugs…   

Can’t get enough of them :_)

Other RECYCLED / HANDMADE RUGS

(Rug making patterns, instructions & tips)

• Eco-friendly Luxury Bath Rugs – tutorial
• Care tips for Eco-friendly Bath Rugs
• Contemporary Soft ‘Grass’ Floor Mats (photo right)
• DIY Anthropologie: Burlap ‘Animal Feed Bag’ Floor Mats
• Recycled knitted Cabled Sweater Floor Rugs
• Contemporary Handmade / Crochet Area Rugs
• Rugs for Kids Bedrooms and Playrooms

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Tired of snow, rain or otherwise gloomy winter weather? Cheer up. This happy orange pillow tutorial will bring you into a good mood again. Dazzling ruffles are fast to produce on this easy-as-pie pillow.

The tutorial ::

Felt Rosette Pillow

Step-by-step Instructions

1. cut circles

2. fold them twice and secure each rosette with two stitches near the center circle

3.Attach each rosette with a few stitches onto the pillow top. Line the ruffled flowers up, not too close, not too dense.  You’re done when you’ve covered the entire front of your felt pillow.

4. Attach the pillow back to the front, leaving an opening for filling.  Consider kapok for the reasons spelled out here.  Hand sew the closure with a few push pins, or if you are making this in white and want to wash it frequently, add a zipper at the pillow back.

Felt Furnishings

This happy ruffles pillow is one of many projects in this wonderfully creative book:   Felt Furnishings: 25 Accessories for Contemporary Homes . Get your own book for only $5 and cents!

via: Etsy

More Pillow Patterns & Ideas

Kapok as ideal Pillow Filling – learn more about this filling

Sew a Wild Scrappy Pillow – art quilting at its most fun (see right)

Pillow Patterns – crochet, knitting, quilting, felt and other

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.