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Hometalk is where people share and help with everything home & garden

Debbie Borthwick

Blogger | Canada http://dewdropgardens.blogspot.ca/
167 Followers 607Likes 3269 Shares
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You don't have to use regular Gardening Pots!

I had lots of fun doing this project. I had a piece of drift wood...so I stained it and put a coat of polyurethane over it. Went to Walmart and purchased a solar light for $5.99. Picked ...»
up the flowers I wanted to put in it. I decided since I am a Bed & Breakfast I would do stenciling on the front with the name of my Business!! So get creative and use other things you have to give your garden this summer some style!

Deborah Propes Dunhoft
Deborah Propes Dunhoft Burnside, KY
8 Comments | Post Comment | 1473 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on May 06, 2013
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DIY Spoon & Pallet Hook Rack

By using thrift store spoons and a board from an old pallet, this spoon and pallet hook rack will add loads of charm to any room- on a budget! Stop by the blog to see just how easy this is to make- and a secret way to "stamp" the spoons!

Shayna @ The Wood Grain Cottage
Shayna @ The Wood Grain C... Delta, CO
14 Comments | Post Comment | 2591 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on May 06, 2013
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  • repurposed treasures
  • Salvaged
  • I grabbed an empty jar, some flat sided marbles and some good glue
  • I glued the marbles all over the jar in a random pattern. 1
  • I then took a solar light from the Dollar Tree and took the long pole off. I dropped the light part, solar cell at the bottom, into the jar
  • I spray painted a leftover wooden stake a dark blue and screwed the cap of the jar lid into the pole.
  • And then screwed the jar onto the lid. Not only does it shimmer in the sunlight, it gives off a soft blue glistening glow at night thanks to the solar light inside. 
Should the light quit working,
I can simple untwist it and replace the battery in the light. 1
  • See 2 more photos

DIY Garden Art

I wanted to add some new elements to my back garden this year.I wanted something that sparkled and stood out among the plants as they start to grow and bloom.And, because you know me, and ...»
my lack of patience, it had to be easy. I grabbed an empty jar, some flat sided marbles and some good glue and went to work.

Kathe With An E (Kathe)
Kathe With An E (Kathe) Aurora, CO
35 Comments | Post Comment | 22785 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on May 06, 2013
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  • GARDEN IDEAS
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  • A vintage-look monogram, some stain and legs transform an old cutting board to an elegant serving board or trivet.
  • An old cutting board...the more battered the better...some baseboard corner posts and some stain complete the transformation.
  • I used a sharpie marker to create the monogram, gave it a vintage look by sanding it and them finished it with stain.
  • It starred as the platform for my centerpiece in my Thanksgiving tablescape.
  • See 1 more photo

From Thrift Store Find to Rustic Monogrammed Serving Board

#BeforeandAfter Using a time-worn cutting board...a Goodwill find...and four baseboard corner posts, I was able to recreate a ...»
high end serving board for less than $5.00. Compare that to the $60 Pottery Barn price tag! See my blog for a detailed tutorial.

1 Hour 5.00 Easy
Debbie @ Confessions of a Plate Addict
Debbie @ Confessions of a... Buford, GA
4 Comments | Post Comment | 538 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on May 06, 2013
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  • This handy jar is perfect for keeping twine from tangling!
  • Wind twine around a pencil or poke a pencil through a roll of twine
  • Cut out a cardstock lid and label it.
  • This recycled can jar sells for $12.
  • This twine dispenser sells for  $18!!
  • Twine can be used to decorate crafts like these citronella CANdles http://gardentherapy.ca/diy-citronella-candles/
  • Or to build a trellis: http://gardentherapy.ca/pea-trellis/
  • or to make a fresh wreath: http://gardentherapy.ca/making-fresh-wreaths/
  • See 5 more photos

DIY Garden Twine Dispenser

There are some really cool garden twine dispensers available at trendy shops like Williams-Sonoma and Terrain...but why pay the big bucks when this one is free?! Full instructions and ...»
uses for twine in the original post: http://gardentherapy.ca/garden-twine-dispens...

Stephanie @ Garden Therapy
Stephanie @ Garden Therapy Canada
11 Comments | Post Comment | 3775 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on May 06, 2013
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  • windowbox with mandevilla, azaleas, gerber daisies and lobelia 2
  • a new acquisition ~ Wild Sweet William
  • front driveway flower bed 6
  • window box with mandevilla, hydrangea and geraniums 2
  • fringed leaf Japanese Maple
  • spring flower bed with narcissus "Poet", dicentra, astilbe and sweet woodruff 2
  • flowering almond shrub blooms
  • Jack-in-the-pulpit ~ arisaema sikokianum
  • Hardy perennial geranium
  • Blue Bells ~ perennial bulb
  • Columbine ~ biennial
  • pink azalea after a showerr
  • Carolina Jasmine ~ perennial vine
  • Montana Rubens Clematis
  • See 11 more photos

The Merry, Merry Month of May!

It is the beginning of May and spring is here to stay finally! No wonder it is called "The Merry, Merry Month of May"! Time for the annual pilgrimage to Groff's Plant Farm with my buddy, ...»
Renee, and filling the car with all sorts of interesting new plants to add to our gardens.

Besides buying some new lovelies, here are the "Blooms of the Week" at our house, come take a mini-tour of the flowers and new window boxes.

#MayProjects

#Gardening

Barb Rosen
Barb Rosen Wilmington, DE
14 Comments | Post Comment | 2645 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on May 06, 2013
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  • Pretty Planters (also...
  • Garden and Outdoor Deco...
  • Compost is the key to healthy, beautiful and productive plants and flowers – like this knockout rose at the farm.
  • Compost is valuable in the garden for higher yeilds.
  • Compost waiting to be used in our bin.

5 Ways To Use Compost Effectively In Your Garden and Landscape

By now, almost everyone has heard about the incredible benefits of compost. In fact - everyday - more and more people are starting backyard compost piles and bins to create their own ...»
"black gold".

Compost is THE key in adding healthy nutrients to your soil naturally! It's full of life and teeming with beneficial bacteria and organisms that can help keep your soil productive.

But what is the best way to use it once you have it? Here are 5 ways we use compost to keep our plants growing strong and healthy - and keep our soil fertile:

1. When You Plant

Using compost in your planting holes can get your vegetable plants off to a great startThis is number 1 on the list - and for good reason! There is simply no better way to get your plants off to a great start than working in compost at the time of planting. No matter what we are planting - flowers, annuals, perennials, shrubs or vegetables in the garden - we mix in generous amounts of compost to the hole!

For our tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other vegetable plants - we fill each hole with a good shovel-full of compost before we drop in the plants. With our apple trees and grapes - we use a 50 / 50 mix of soil and compost to go back in the hole. It is the single best way to give added nutrients to your new plants. The compost helps hold in moisture, and gives valuable nutrients to the to roots of developing plants.

2. To Make Your Own Incredible Potting Soil

Make your own incredible potting soil from your compost!

If you want to save money and have your hanging baskets and potted plants go crazy with growth - use compost! We make all of our own potting soil with a mix of 4 parts compost, 4 parts topsoil and 1 part sand. It becomes the perfect medium for growing all of your potted planters, hanging baskets. and containers. The best part of all - it can save you loads of money!

What about those commercial bags that contain slow release fertilizers to help? You simply don't need them with good soil. With the added nutrients of the compost in the mix - your plants will grow strong. And when you do want to give a little boost of all natural fertilizer - try the next tip!

3. To Make Compost Tea - The Amazing All-Natural Liquid Fertilizer

You can make your own organic fertilizer "compost tea" - simply by steeping water in fresh compost!

Compost tea or "black liquid gold" is an all organic "miracle-growing" solution to fertilizing the garden – minus the chemicals and high salt content that commercial fertilizers add to your soil. It works its magic in two ways – feeding your plants through the roots (soil zones around plants) and the leaves (foliar zones). Unlike synthetic fertilizers, it won't build up chemicals and salt levels that can slowly destroy your soil structure. Instead, adding nutrients that build it! You can see how we make our's here : Making Compost Tea.

We apply with a watering can or a simple garden sprayer – soaking the area around the root base and the leaves of each plant with the solution. The minerals and nutrients are then absorbed through the leaves (foliar absorption) as well as through the root zone – doubling the effect. As with watering, it is best to apply early in the day before the sun is too hot and the tea can burn the leaves of plants.

4. As A Mulch

1 to 2" of compost as a much around your garden plants can pay huge dividends

Compost is simply incredible to use as a mulch around your plantings!

We mulch all of our annual plantings with an inch or two layer of compost about 6" in diameter around each and every plant. Not only does the compost act as the perfect mulch, keeping moisture in and weeds out - but it also adds valuable nutrients as it breaks down in the soil.

Another benefit - every time it rains or you water - those nutrients are leached out of the compost and into the soil around your plants - feeding them even more. It's the ultimate win-win of composting and mulching.

5. As A Fall Or Spring Top Dressing:

We incorporate 3" of compost into each bed in late fall or early spring each season - keeping our beds productive.

If you make enough compost - you can use it as an excellent top-dressing for your garden beds each year. Every fall or spring, (or both if you have enough) we like to add a 2 to 3" top-dressing of compost to all of our raised row beds. We then will work it in easily with a pitchfork or shovel and incorporate it into the top 6 inches of soil.

Each and every year, our soil becomes easier to work and more fertile with the added compost. Even if you can only make enough to put an inch or so on top of your beds to work in - it will pay huge dividends over time to increase your soil's fertility and vitality.

There you have it - 5 ways to use compost in your garden and landscape this year! Time to get composting! You can find more tips on how to compost here - Composting 101

Happy Gardening - Jim and Mary

If you would like to receive our DIY & Gardening Tips every Tuesday – be sure to sign up to follow the blog via email in the right hand column, "like" us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter

Old World Garden Farms
Old World Garden Farms Newark, OH
Post Comment | 4987 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on May 06, 2013
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  • Rustic "Cowboy Cooler" made from furring strips and reclaimed fencing 3
  • 2x2 furring strip frame. A piece of threaded PVC extends the drain for the spigot.
  • Inside shot of the cooler.
  • Attaching the facing and the pre-drilled spigot piece.
  • Finished side.
  • See 2 more photos

DIY Cowboy Cooler

I was in love with the look of a rustic cooler for our patio, but was turned off by the high prices. So my husband and I took an old cooler apart and built our own! The base is held by a ...»
2x2 frame, covered in reclaimed fence posts found by the curb. We attached a spigot to the drain hole in the cooler for drainage, used an antler shed for the handle, and added a bottle opener for decoration. It was so easy, and only $30 in supplies (since we had the cooler and fence wood on hand). You can check out the full step-by-step tutorial on my blog ( http://www.killerbdesigns.com/rustic-cooler-... ) to see how to make your own! It's a great addition to our back porch, and was so easy to make.

#Bestof2012

Brooke N
Brooke N Lake Jackson, TX
33 Comments | Post Comment | 46188 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on Apr 23, 2013
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  • Before and After of Annie Sloan Chalk Painted Upholstery
  • We painted this chair with Annie Sloan Paris Gray 1
  • See 5 more photos

Painting fabric upholstery with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

We painted the outdated upholstery on these antique chairs with a mixture of 50% Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey and 50% water. We misted the fabric with a spray bottle of water ...»
with each coat of paint so that the fabric would absorb the paint and not be stiff. It took three coats of paint, with about 24 hours of drying time between each coat. We stenciled a french design on each chair using Annie Sloan Graphite. The blue stripe was stenciled with Aubusson Blue. We then distressed and glazed the arms and legs. You can see the full tutorial here: http://bella-tucker.com/2013/04/painting-fab... #repurpose #painted fabric #painted upholstery #Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Bella Tucker Decorative Finishes
Bella Tucker Decorative F... Franklin, TN
15 Comments | Post Comment | 4032 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on Apr 19, 2013
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  • Sometimes nature provides the best entertainment!

Something Funny To Brighten Your Day

Have you ever seen this? When Canadian Geese are preparing their young ones for flight, they take them jogging to build up their strength. Turn your sound on and watch as they run through ...»
the neighbourhood. [15 seconds]

http://www.empressofdirt.net/geesejogging/

Enjoy!

Empress of Dirt - Melissa
Empress of Dirt - Melissa Canada
9 Comments | Post Comment | 748 Views
  • Debbie Borthwick
    Liked on Apr 19, 2013
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  • Birds & Other Garden...
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