D.I. Y. Tutorials // Wood Planters

Ok, have you all been to Ana White? If not stop whatever you are doing and go spend the day there. She has so so many free plans to make just about everything under the sun! I spent about 3 days scouring her blog and drooling over all the amazing projects I want to start making. Some day I'll be making this beauty

Source: ana-white.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

Swoonzies. But for now, I need to start small, so I chose this project for my first

Source: ana-white.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

So cute, right? If you want to whip up your own Planters, follow these instructions on Ana White's website!

Garden Seeds // May Garden Checklist

The beginning of each month is a good time to create a checklist for your garden.  Here are some priorities to include for May:

• Adjust your irrigation timers for hotter weather.   It is best to water in the early morning or late evening.  Always water deeply and less frequently to give those roots a nice drink.  For a complete watering guide, download this excellent  resource:  Landscape Watering by the Numbers:  http://www.amwua.org/watering.html

Suspended shade structure over tomatoes last summer

• Shade your tomatoes and peppers using a 30 or 50% shade cloth.  This will prolong their productivity into June-July.
• Add mulch or compost to your vegetable garden to help retain moisture in the soil.
• Move potted plants into partial shade.  Full Arizona sun in the summer is stressful on most non desert-adapted plants.  As a result, I like to rearrange my pots in May to give them a little protection.  Remember, pots also dry out quickly.  Group them together if you are hand watering to decrease your watering time.
• Stock up on sunscreen and big hats to protect your skin while gardening in the hot sun.  Especially your hands!  I was recently reminded by a dermatologist that sun spots often occur on the hands because people forget to apply sunscreen to them.   

May planting includes:

Edibles: Armenian cucumbers (most tolerant variety for heat), black eyed peas, melons, basil, okra, sweet potatoes and sunflowers

Hibiscus Sabdariffa

Flowers:  Cosmos, zinnias, some amaranths, balsam, hibiscus sabdariffa, mexican sunflower, vinca and portulaca.  Last year was the first time I grew hibiscus sabdariffa - it is a gorgeous shrub!

Domestic Fashion // Dip-Dyed

Dip Dye. It's so hot right now.

via house or earnest

via oh happy day

via craftgawke

via design for mankind

via french by design

via curbly

via wish flowers

via kicsi haz

via design for mankind

via element of style

via michael penney style

via martha stewart

via design sponge

via martha stewart

Organize Your Life // Emergency Food Supply

via martha stewart

This topic has been on my mind lately. It's something that I know my family needs but doesn't have. We insure our homes, cars and lives...but how many of us have food insurance?! There is so much information out there on how to organize your home to be prepared for an emergency. There is so much to learn about food storage (year supply, 72 hour kits, 3 month supply, water drums vs. bottled water, etc)!

What a great feeling it is to be prepared! So if you have a sudden loss of income or a natural disaster occurs you can feed your family!!

It seems like an overwhelming task for both storage space and finances. So I googled around to find someone who has done it so they can tell me where to start!

Here is what Provident Living Today suggested:

When I set out to put together my three-month supply of meals ready to eat, it seemed overwhelming. I needed a plan. My friend, Claudia also wanted to put together a plan that broke this project down into steps. Here's what we came up with:

1. Pick out 2 weeks of recipes. Use easy meals your family eats now.



2. Convert each meal to “non-perishable” foods. If you use fresh chicken, use canned. Fresh or frozen corn, use canned. You get the idea.



3. Write each converted recipe on a 3 X 5 card. Run each card off 6 times.



4. Times each ingredient by 6 and write how much or how many you need on a shopping list. There you have it a 12 week supply of food.



5. Go shopping!!! Remember to take some help! You can do this in one big trip if you have the money, or gather the supplies over the next few months.
   
   
   Note: Use name brand labels.
   The metal is heavier and stores longer.
   
   
6. Take each recipe and all the ingredients and put them in a gallon freezer bag - right down to the spices and cup of rice.
7. 
   Use Ziploc freezer bags, they hold up better. You can also buy the Jumbo size bags for a large family. Put the spices in a snack size bag. The ingredients like rice or a cup of biscuit mix can go into a sandwich size bag.
   Now put the recipe in and ZIP . . . It’s “ in the bag!” Store them in boxes under the bed or bins in the closet. You want them to be easily accessible.

Keep a few meals ready to eat in the pantry and use them on busy hectic days. Keep the recipe cards. When you have a few stacked up, go to the store and replace the ingredients. This is a great way to rotate your three-month supply of food. Start eating your food storage now and save money.

I like this concept because it's food storage that your family will actually use and be accustomed to. You can use the items before they expire in your every day life, as opposed to canned wheat you need to grind to use. I am so on it! And don't forget water and medications too!

Kitchen Revival // Slow Cooker Menus

If you don't have a crock pot, I guarantee your mom does. I've had mine for 4 years, and I'm pretty sure I can count on my fingers the times I have actually used it. Why I haven't is a mystery to me because Slow Cooking is one of the greatest time saving, plan ahead-ing things you can do. As I was browsing around Pinterest, I happened upon this:

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

Intriguing. An entire year of Slow Cooking? Could it be true? I say yes. Here are my favorite recipes I'll be trying this week:

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

D.I.Y. Tutorials // May Day Baskets

Today is May Day! I have always wanted to participate in the holiday! For those of you who are not aware of the May Day tradition, here is a quick breifing taken from A Field Journal:

"Chapter IV: May Day" in The Original Girls Handy Book (a reprint of a book published in 1887), had a few things to say about "a very pretty custom observed in Merrie England of fastening bunches of flowering shrubs and branches upon the doors of neighbors." The author writes of the (then) surviving tradition in New England, of "hanging upon the door-knobs of friends spring-offerings in the shape of small baskets filled with flowers."

Here is my inspiration for a container (I followed their tutorial in the link below):

via design sponge // diy paper party cups

I want to watercolor paint white paper cups, punch two holes at the brim and hang with ribbon and a big bow. And I would obviously fill them with flowers!! I thought this would be very cost efficient and easy for throwing it together on MAY FIRST!! Procrastination!

Other May Day baskets to inspire!

via a field journal

via martha stewart

via beehive art salon

Just find or make a container, add a strap, fill with flowers and you are good to go adorn your friends doors! And wouldn't it be lovely to be on the receiving end?!

Garden Seeds // Storing Spring Bulbs

As the hot weather approaches, remember to dig up your spring bulbs and store them for next year.  Just as winters are too cold for bulbs in many parts of the country, Arizona summers are too hot for most spring bulbs.

Narcissus (top), Freesia below

I dug my Narcissus and Freesia out yesterday.  Wait until the leaves turn yellow, dig them out store in a dry place.   Wash off the dirt and dry in a single layer.  Store them in a place that is not in sunlight and between 60-65 degrees.  Avoid temperatures below 50 and above 75 degrees.  Be sure air can circulate around the bulbs and do not pile them on top of one another.  Too many layers will restrict air flow and generate heat, possibly causing decay. 

Freesia

These flowers were just beautiful this spring!  It is extra work to dig out your bulbs but it is the right thing to do to ensure you will have them year after year.

For more information on bulb care, including a general description of bulbs, time of planting, depth of planting, mulching, fertilizing and moving instructions, read this excellent resource from AZ Master Gardener:  http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/flower/bulbs.html.

Happy Digging!