Terrarium

Aug

19

Final Days of Summer

do it yourself / garden / home decor / Terrarium / Uncategorized  Posted by / 0 comments
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Well, this is it, final summer 2013 blog entry. Me and all my teacher friends are headed back to school for the year.  And I am going to try real hard to save a little time to keep doing the things that keep me happy and whole. So with that in mind, here’s a little recap of this week’s happiness.

Monday

I started off the morning helping my friend Bonnie install some trellises in her Mary Garden. Hanging baskets and votives to come, but a pretty good start I’d say.

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Then it was time to finish preparing for my terrarium class at Castaway Yarn Shop! First one ever I’ve taught and it went very well. I do believe there will be more to follow. And a big thank you to Stephanie for being my teaching assistant-it was really fun working with you again! Here’s some photos of my students’ work and the class.

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Thursday

I met up with my friend Teresa who has been teaching herself how to cut wine bottles. Today’s project was wine bottle chandelier’s. We got a good start, some electrical work to go, but nothing that my dad can’t figure out for me, I’m sure.

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Saturday

After picking TWO colanders full of cherry tomatoes, Stephanie and I put together two terrariums for her and then, with much prodding from Stephanie (I was more inclined to take a nap), we attached my staghorn fern to  a board. It hadn’t been doing very well in its mossy basket, so fingers crossed its a little happier now.

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Then it was time to make deviled eggs for tailgating at Sunday’s A’s vs. The Indians game. Baseball isn’t really my thing, but it happens to be the thing of several of my favorite people, so I made my new favorite deviled egg recipe in honor of the occasion.

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Jul

09

Days of Summer #6

canning / do it yourself / garden / jam / strawberries / summer / Terrarium / tomtaotes / Uncategorized / vegetables  Posted by / 0 comments
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Its been a busy few days and there hasn’t been much time for blogging, so here’s a synopsis of what I’ve been up to…

Friday  I started off my day by visiting two of my (many) favorite places, Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery in Sebastopol and the strawberry stand on the way out to Sebastopol on Highway 12. Irrigation supplies for neighbor-friend-co-worker-Lindsay (tis a complex relationship), sent us out to Harmony. Here we bought all manner of small tiny plastic thing-a-ma-bobs to irrigate her vegetables boxes, newly constructed by my dad out of recycled lumber from Lindsay’s old deck. Then it was back to the neighborhood for irrigation 101, and Lindsay’s baby veggies were set to go in no time. We Aspinall’s don’t mess around. But this isn’t really news to anyone, now is it….

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Saturday  was the day to deal with the six pints of strawberries I had  procured the day before. It was jam making time- strawberry rhubarb to be precise. The first canning project of the season!  I used my friend Karen’s recipe from her blog, My Pantry Shelf  (seriously, check her blog out, don’t know what to make for dinner? Karen does and it’ll be tasty). I tried out this same recipe last year, and I particularly like it is low in sugar and that the slow roasting of the fruit intensifies the flavors. So, using my lovely berries, and rhubarb grown in my parents’ garden, I made eight pints of this gorgeous stuff.

P1070365Sunday  was devoted to garden foraging and putting the finishing touches on my TOP SECRET project. For my mom and sister in law’s birthdays I’ve been nurturing teeny tiny  gardens, or terrariums. I have now made four of these miniature biospheres, and am dreaming of a few more…

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And they went over quite well, I must say! And finally, here are a few picture of the latest things happening in the garden. A list of firsts: first of my Maine Dahlias, a birthday gift from dear Lisa Jean last year, first cherry tomatoes of the season, and first peaches on our tree ever!

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Jun

29

Days of Summer #2

Chickens / garden / summer / Terrarium / Uncategorized  Posted by / 0 comments
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Today I woke up with the chickens on my mind. And good thing, as there were three eggs and a whole lot of squawking waiting for me. Not sure what those ladies have been to, but their digs were filthy. I suspect they had a rave, or at least a kegger. while I was away last weekend. Spent a good portion of the morning doing deep cleaning, much to my chickens’ dismay. I felt a whole lot better though.

Then, it was on to terrarium cleanup. Small, teeny, tiny gardens encased in glass,P1070129 or terrariums, are one of my new loves. Until today, my terrarium was occupied by a wee blue armadillo. At approximately 11:00 a.m. PST, the armadillo was served its walking papers to make way for a chihuahua duo who share a striking resemblance with two real life little dogs. These were hand-made by a student as a thank-you gift. By far one of the best gifts I have ever received, and certainly deserving of a place of honor.

The day came to an end at Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol, listening  to my friends Dave and Karen play music, while I sat back and sipped some ice cold wine. Only made better by the fact that summer still has a loooong way to go.

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