Chicken Coop - Day 2

Here is where we were this morning:

This is where we are now:

We (Brian) have made the upper construction and I have painted the floor boards. This is going to take a while...

Chicken Coop - Day one

We have decided, we want chickens in our garden, and we want to build them a pretty little chicken coop.

I love the look of old fashioned red barns like these:

Last night, we sketched and came up with this first draft:

We began building it today and found the construction more sturdy than we had imagined, so the supporting beams were not nessesary. We changed a few other details in the process as well.

Here is where we are so far:

It took most of the day, because we had to go and buy wood and a few tools. Also Brian was very perfectionistic with everything.

But will you look at that! - I'm very proud of his work.

Paper Orchids

Why hide away your orchids, while you wait for them to reebloom?

Make this easy paper flower, attach it to the plant - and it will still look beautiful, while you wait for the real flowers to come back.

Just follow this tutorial:

All you need is paper, sissors and a piece of wire.

Cut out the two pieces of the flower according to the template (at the end of this tutorial).









Pull the wire through the first part of the flower.

Bend the small leaves back around...

... and pull in front of the large petals.

Pull the wire through the back petals and twist.

Bend and shape the petals and attach to the stem or a stick with the wire.

All done!

Template

Self-Watering Pots

I was getting very tired of watching my herbs die because I forgot to water them EVERY day. So I decided to try and make my own self-watering pots for them.

All you need is some cotton string, a tall container and a plant in a flower pot that is just a little to big to fit into the container.

As you can see above I used different containers: An orchid pot, a metal tomato can and a plastic nudlecup. You can paint them, if you like.

Coffee mugs, will do as well and could look very pretty I think.

Soak the string in water and use a knitting needle to stick it into the bottom of the plant.

Measure how far into the container the pot goes. Fill the container with water below this point.

Make sure the string is in the water, as you insert the pot.

Here you can see, how the edge of the flower pot keeps it from falling into the container. The pot needs to be above the water or the roots of the plant will rot.

Check often to see if there is still water in the container. If you use a glass vase or a tall caffè latte glass as container you can easily keep an eye on the water level.

Woven Bird Baskets

I made this owl as a woven basket. It is my own design and it is not as complicated to weave as it looks. I glued the top parts of the red and purple paper together.

I think it turned out quite nice.

I had the idea from these birds, which I saw while window shopping this Christmas.

I am going to try to make some other bird designs later.

Easy Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Today I made pine cone feeders for the birds.
Here is how it's done:

You will need some bird seed - or grain, seeds and muesli from the cupboard (which is what I used), a pine cone, some string and peanut butter

Mash up the seeds and peanut butter.

Apply to the pine cone (from the bottom up). Hang in a tree and wait for the birds to come. Easy!

Beware Of Dog Sign

We have a small West Highland Terrier, which is often running loose in the garden. The gate is a large black door, and people who come visit have no chance of knowing, if the dog is behind it.

To make sure they will take ekstra care to close the gate behind them and not let the dog out, I cut this sign in fun foam and nailed it to the door.





Feel free to print and use: