Creating Sanctuary by Jessica Bloom

Available November 27th

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Creating Sanctuary is a first a truly beautiful book but is it also a wonderful reference for many levels of gardeners
 If you are interested in learning about creating a sacred space or even just a tranquil space in your backyard, this book has wonderful ideas for that. If your interests lie in creating a kitchen garden or an apothecary garden this book is for you. The way it is laid out and the writing encourages you to take what information you need to create your own place in your own time, and allows you to have a space that works for you. It's not a cut and dry blueprint, everyone has their own needs and this speaks to that part of a person that needs healing.
Bloom encourages the reader to use all of their senses, not just sight or smell but also touch and hearing and to use those senses to bring times to your garden that a uplifting and comforting to all five senses. She points out that we should be aware of how colors or scents affect us, is it a positive thought, do certain plants evoke memories?  I know I will always associate some plants with my grandmother and I find that I add those to my garden every year, just to feel close to her.
Other parts of the book discuss what kind of garden you are trying to create, all garden can be beautiful but why not create an area with a deeper meaning., Such gardens could be for memorials, spaces for healing, energizing you mind or just relaxation, a space to escape from the stress of the everyday world.
If you decide to delve into the world of plants for apothecary purposes or even kitchen purposes, the author shows how to harvest, preserve and collect seeds for the next growing season. Then there are recipes for teas, tinctures, essentials oils and lotions.
Over all a garden means so many different things to different people, and this book is a wonderful resource for creating your own Sanctuary. Becoming more attuned to the natural elements around us will help us to leave the stresses of daily life behind and enjoy our time just a bit more.  It is not just for the advanced gardener since it has information how to have an intentional design in mind, what to plant and where to harvesting your seeds. Creating Sanctuary is a great resource that I plan on adding to my library.

Thanks to Timber Press and Net Galley for an Electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Extra Vases and What to do with them

Vases, old, new, clear, colored, we all have a few hanging around. Mine are under my kitchen sink and laundry room sink and it's quite possible that there are a few in the barn. It's not that I have gotten so many flowers in my life time but but I've inherited some and some were left over from other projects and some have been filled with flowers. But what to do with them other than let them take up much needed space? I've done the research and I'm ready to share it with you, so pull them out and get ready to repurpose.

Most vases have a lot in common, they are glass and they are clear, they don't a have lot of personality going for them so they end up hidden away. One easy fix is to give them a little notoriety with some paint and some embellishments. Then you can group them and different sizes and styles work together because they have something in common, color!

I love everything about this idea from Vera Morae

Can you believe these were once just clear glass from the thrift store?

Madigan Made tells you exactly how she got this cobalt color 

Are your vases a little on the plain side? No worry you can add some interested with Twine.

  Teach Craft Love used A bit of twine and some hot glue for a interesting display 

Here's an interesting tutorial on decoupaging with Lace by Urban Comfort, that would be great for adding a bit of Shabby Chic to a plain vase

Not looking to add more items to your counter top, how about using those vases in your garden? 

Add a bowl and you've got instant whimsy for your garden. 

If these mushrooms aren't enough for you how about slipping a vase over those not so pretty solar lights to turn them real decor like they did at My Frugal Home. How pretty would this be at night?! And if you have different types or shapes all the better/

No matter what you do with them, there are lots of ideas out there that will fit your style and budget. I hope this helps to get those gears turning to help clear out some of that cabinet space that those old vases are taking up.

I can't believe we are in the home stretch of the A to Z Challenge and I'm going to finish this year. I hope you all have had as much fun as I have and if you've learned something along the way so much the better. W is for Windows and I've been collecting these ideas for a while, so be sure to come back tomorrow and see what all the fuss is about!

H like hula hoops

It's Monday again and were starting back with the A to Z Challenge with H, I know there could be lots of items, including hutches  and hinges that could fit this upcycle category but I'm choosing something near and dear to my childhood heart; Hula Hoops.  They were a staple in my childhood, I have many great memories of jumping them, twirling them around and playing crazy games of monster ring toss. But now that I'd matured a bit I can see how they could still be upgraded into some pretty cool items. I scoured Pintrest and now that I have all of these ideas, I'll be running by the dollar store for a couple for me so I'll have them on hand for all of these cute ideas!

I know some of you think that Hula Hoops went out in the 70's and you could be right, but they are making a come back along with something else that went out back then too; Macrame! Don't you remember those owl, towel hangers and of course plant hangers? Well both of these things have had an update and people are using them to create something pretty awesome. Once you see it I think you'll want one too!

Swings! Check out the options and instructions below!

Classy Clutter has worked all of the bugs out for us and gives this great tutorial on what and what not to do when creating your own swing with hoops.

And swings just aren't for us big kids either..

Check out this pattern at Relexlil.com (Hungarian site) I found lots of pictures of this type of item on Etsy but none were still available. 

If you have little ones at home how about a play space or a bed canopy?

This is a great updated tutorial from 2 little hooligans. All you need is some sheets and a bit of time

Check out Apples for Olives take on this easy to make Canopy for your Princess or even for you.

How many times have you heard "Take it outside"? We can do just that here are a couple of ideas for using Hula Hoops in your garden or for your new flock.

Did someone go to tractor supply or your local feed store for bird seed and come back with birds? Need a quick chicken tractor? Check out this ideas from Chicken Coop Tips

This would have been a great idea for us but we ended up using our old trampoline, this takes up way less space and is much more mobile!

Have a vegetable or other plant that vines and needs support, You could use some supports and two hoops like Beth Ramos posted about in her trip to a local community garden. I think this one is using bike tires but you could do this with a hula hoop too. I think it would make the harvesting much easier and take up less room than traditional horizontal trellis ideas.

And the ideas go on and on for hula hoop upcycling, they would be a great solution for your cold crop  covers, add some lighting to your patio or create a mandala for your wall. If you get the hankering for something old to be new again, run out, pick up a couple and let me know what creation you come up with. 

That's it for Monday but it's just the start of week 2, stop by tomorrow to see what we can do with the Letter I!

F is for Fish Tank Upcycle

Yep you read that right, I'l talking about fish tanks today.

How many of us have one in the garage, it seemed like a good idea at the time, or the kids said that they would take feed those fish or it just sprang a leak. For whatever reason it's just taking up space.

Why not pull it out, clean it up and put it to good use. Here are a couple of simple ideas for you to try with your simple glass box.

Make it a terrarium, or herb garden, your choice, depending on the size of the tank and space available for it.

TriftyFun has information on creating and maintaining a Terrarium as well as other pictures of established gardens on their site. This would be great for houses like mine who have cats who think that the plants are there for their amusement!

Got a small space and want to try your hand at Hydroponics? An old aquarium is just the thing to get you started. Check out Balcony Container Gardening to have all of your questions answered.This even works if you still have fish in your tank! Let it work double duty for you!

Well we've gone from ideas for kids to furry kids and now to fish! And to think we're just getting started!  

Thanks for following along and have a great weekend but be sure to stop by tomorrow for G it's a cute and fun idea for your kitchen.