Tag Archives: schnarrsblog.com

Making Holiday Centerpieces From Natural Materials

Holiday party centerpiece made with donated and natural materials
Holiday party centerpiece made with donated and natural materials


Litzinger Road Ecology Center has an annual Holiday party for volunteers. I wasn’t able to go because I went to the Master Gardener party instead which was the same day. I did however get to participate in the fun of making centerpieces from natural materials and donated flower arranging supplies.

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Making Holiday Centerpieces From Natural Materials

Kitchen Backsplash Project Part III – Filling in the Tile “Murals”

Frame of salvaged tiles filled with handmade tiles, salvaged tiles and purchased tiles.
Frame of salvaged tiles filled with handmade tiles, salvaged tiles and purchased tiles.

It’s a good thing I make detailed notes as I work, because this kitchen backsplash project underwent a two and a half year hiatus! I didn’t really plan to neglect the project for that long, but in 2013 and 2014 I did a lot of art and craft shows and my studio space and time was necessarily diverted to that pursuit rather than home improvement projects. In 2015 I’m doing fewer shows and determined to finish some of what I started earlier!

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Kitchen Backsplash Project Part III – Filling in the Tile “Murals”

Kitchen Backsplash Project Part II – Beginning Work on the Walls

Tile strip in my kitchen made from handmade tiles, purchased tiles, and salvaged tiles.
Tile strip in my kitchen made from handmade tiles, purchased tiles, and salvaged tiles.

After absorbing inspiration and stockpiling tiles for my kitchen for three years, how did I begin the process of actually getting some tiles on the wall?

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Fall Garden Cleanup

In my previous article “Make a Garden Sign Out of a Recycled Produce Crate” I explained that I wanted signs to let the groundskeepers at my condo complex know that I did not want them to remove the fall leaves from my garden, especially with leaf blowers, or trim or spray the plants. The condo management has agreed to let me deal with the leaves myself this year as an experiment and has let the landscaping company know to leave my garden alone.

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Lasagna Gardening

Lasagna Gardening - a way to start a new bed and kill weeds at the same time
Lasagna Gardening – a way to start a new bed and kill weeds at the same time

What is Lasagna gardening? No, it’s not growing delicious tomatoes and herbs that you can put in your lasagna, though you may eventually be able to do just that depending on your conditions. Lasagna gardening, also known as sheet composting, is an organic gardening method that entails covering the ground with layers of materials of organic origin and allowing them to naturally break down over time. The benefits of this method are less time and labor spent weeding and tilling, creating healthy soil for healthier plants, and reaping the many benefits of compostable materials instead of wasting them.

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Upcycled Butterfly Feeder

Upcycled Butterfly Feeder
Upcycled Butterfly Feeder

When I got a new dishwasher this spring, I decided to get rid of my broken garbage disposal rather than purchase a new one. When it was working, I rarely used it anyway since I composted almost anything that would normally go down it. In a way it’s kind of a bad habit because I already have more than enough stuff but I do enjoy saving odds and ends of things I might be able to re-use and seeing if I can make them into something useful. My Dad installed my new dishwasher for me and removed the old garbage disposal and he gave me several ringlike parts that he thought I might be able to use for something. One of them fits perfectly a glass part of a broken fountain/mister that someone else gave me.

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