Make a Home Garden Journal

If you're someone who has trouble when you used fertilizer on your plants or when you watered them, it's time you got yourself a garden journal. This will help you keep track of your greenery... 

 

What you'll need:

• A large diary
• A ring-binder
• Colored tabs or divider

 

Design matters

Gardening is a stress-release activity. So, make sure the pages are light, colourful and fun. Each section can have a vibrant heading, information spaceholders and borders. You can add photos of your own plants to decorate the pages.

Info to include

The journal has to keep a track of all your plants — when you bought and planted them and how to take care of them. Write each plant's common name as well as its botanical name, its light and water requirements and a record of seedlings and cuttings. 

Your thoughts

These are self-notes: your problems, experiences as well as garden victories.

Where to Buy

Ideally you should be able to find the products from stationary shop. Or you can order one Gardening Journal from Amazon

 

Resource:  Easy Homestead

 

Spring Gardening Tips

It's spring and that means it's time to get your garden ready and we have the tools and tips to get you going!  Follow the 10 tips outlined below for a welcoming garden that's filled with color and fragrance -- and song.

Survey the YardMake note of tree limbs that should be removed or cabled, especially those that overhang structures. Hire an arborist to maintain large trees.Cut down last year's perennial foliage, and toss it into the compost pile. Rake mulch from beds planted with bulbs before foliage appears, and refresh mulch in other planting areas after soil warms. Check fences, steps, and pathways for disrepair caused by freezing and thawing.

Order Tools and PlantsTune up tools so everything is ready when things start growing. Make note of what is missing, and order tools for the new growing season. Choose new plants for the garden. Order perennials, trees, and shrubs for spring planting.


Get Ready to Mow
Send the mower and leaf blower for servicing, or if you have the right tools, sharpen the mower blades yourself. Refill your mower with oil, install fresh spark plugs, and lubricate moving parts if necessary. Clear the lawn of winter debris, and look for areas that need reseeding before mowing.

Prune Trees and ShrubsRemove dead, damaged, and diseased branches from woody plants. Thin and trim summer-blooming shrubs such as butterfly bush, hydrangea, and most roses, except for old-fashioned once bloomers. Prune cold-damaged wood after plants resume spring growth. Prune spring-blooming shrubs and trees after flowering.

Take a Soil TestCheck soil pH with a home soil- test kit, taking several samples from different planting areas for an accurate reading. Enrich soil as necessary: Add dolomitic lime to raise the pH or elemental sulfur to lower the pH.

Prepare New BedsClear the planting area as soon as soil can be worked, removing sod or weeds and debris. Spread a 4-inch layer of compost or well-rotted manure and any amendments over soil, and cultivate it to a depth of 10 to 12 inches with a spading fork.

PlantPlant bare-root trees, shrubs, and perennials such as hostas and daylilies by early spring. Choose a cool, cloudy day if possible. Transplant container-grown plants anytime during the growing season except midsummer; be sure to water them thoroughly. Sow seeds of cool-season flowers like sweet peas, poppies, and calendula, and vegetables such as lettuce, parsley, and spinach.

FertilizeApply balanced fertilizer (6-6-6 or 8-8-8), fish emulsion, or other soil amendments recommended by soil-test results around trees and shrubs when new growth appears. Spread high-acid fertilizer and pine-needle mulch around acid-loving shrubs like azaleas and camellias. Begin fertilizing perennials when active growth resumes.

Start a Compost PileStart a compost pile, or use a compost bin, if you don't have one already. Begin by collecting plant debris and leaves raked up from the garden. Chop these up first to speed decomposition. Add equal amounts "brown" (carbon-rich) materials like dried leaves and straw and "green" (nitrogen-rich) materials like grass clippings and weeds in even layers with water and a compost bioactivator. Turn regularly. Continue adding to the pile throughout the season for rich, homemade compost next spring.

Clean Bird Feeders and BathsDisinfect the feeders by scrubbing with weak bleach solution (1/4 cup bleach: 2 gallons warm water). Rinse and dry the feeders thoroughly before refilling them.Scrub birdbaths with bleach solution, then rinse them thoroughly and refill, changing water weekly. Clean birdbaths and feeders regularly throughout the season.

Resource:  Martha Stewart Living

Picture Perfect Hanging Made Easy

Whether you're installing a mirror, shelf, picture, gallery hanging, coat rack or hooks, your projects can be easy with the right tools and tips.  Dust off those framed family photos and display them; hang up a shelf and bring sense to your collectibles; affix the mirror to the wall, and hang the new window treatments.  Adoring the walls with all of your favorites will pull your living space together.

Where on the wall do you have your pictures?

Most people make the mistake of hanging their artwork or photographs too high on the wall. Hang your pictures at eye level. What exactly is eye level? According to the standard that is used in art galleries, the center of the picture should be between 60" -65" from the floor.  You can even break this rule and go several inches lower in a room where people are generally seated, such as a dining room.

The size of the artwork should relate to its surroundings.

A small picture on a large empty wall will get lost, while a large picture will overwhelm a small wall. Pictures should be smaller than the furniture over which they hang. For example, a large painting hanging over a tiny table will look unbalanced and top heavy.

Hanging some artwork over your couch?

Similar to hanging artwork over a table or sideboard, you want the artwork to be smaller than the couch. If your couch is 72" in length, your artwork should be no longer that 62" in length.

You do not want to have a painting floating halfway between the top of the sofa and the ceiling. Your picture should hang between 4"-8" above the back of the sofa. This same rule of thumb applies to tables as well.

So, now you know where to hang your pictures. But how do you hang them?

Back in college I would hang everything using a nail and the heel of my shoe. This is not a good idea. Use picture hooks, not nails. Should I say that again? Do not use nails.

Picture hooks are designed specifically to redistribute the weight of your picture. The weight of the picture is pushed into the wall. 

When you use nails, the weight pulls down, often pulling the nail right out of the wall and damaging the Drywall/Sheetrock, not to mention sending your artwork crashing to the ground.

Tomboy Tools and most hardware stores sell picture-hanging kits. They include everything that you'll need. Just grab your hammer and get started.

Project Steps:

1. Visually identify the area of where you want to hang your fixture, the condition of the surface, and the weight of what you are hanging on your wall.  If it is light, you may only need a nail and hook. For heavier hangings, anchors will most likely need to be used.
2. Use your stud finder to locate where the studs are; these are areas that you do not want to screw into with anchors (it is good to nail or screw into studs when anchors are not being used).
3. Use your Picture Perfect Level to measure the appropriate hook or fastener on object being hung.
4. Move the adjustable pointer block to the necessary distance for the item you are hanging and tighten the thumbscrew.
5. Center the level block between the two pointer blocks and tighten.
6. Position the Picture Perfect Level in the desired location on the wall.  Make sure the bubble in the level block is in the middle of the two black lines.
7. Using firm pressure, press the pointer blocks into the wall with your thumbs. This will leave small dimple marks in the wall surface, showing you precisely where to drill and insert your wall anchor or nail.
8. By using the pivoting method with the pointer blocks, you can work your way across the wall with precise spacing between wall hangings.
9. Pre-drill your holes where the dimple marks are using your drill and drill bits then screw in your anchors and screws using your drill; hammer in your picture hooks for lighter hangings.

Resource: Tomboy Tools and Homesessive

Spring Home Improvement Projects

Tips to get your home in tip top shape for the season

It is March, and spring is about to be sprung.  With warmer weather and longer days, March is a great month to add a few projects to your home improvement to-do list:

Prevent Dryer Fires.  This March weekend, clean out your dryer's venting system. This important cleaning chore is going to help keep you and your family safe, and cleaning your dryer's venting system only needs to be done once a year. Every year, an average of 14,500 dryers catch fire and can be responsible for up to ten deaths. The main cause for dryer fires is not a wiring issue, but lint that collects in the dryer's exhaust ducts. Lint builds up very fast, is highly combustible and can spread a fire quickly.   

You can take several steps to make sure that your dryer is operating safely.   Always clean the dryer's lint screen after every use.  Vacuum behind the dryer as part of your regular housekeeping chores. When you are behind the dryer, make sure the connector hose is made from aluminum.  A plastic dryer vent hose can get very hot and catch fire. If the connector is plastic replace it immediately.  Once a year, clean the dryer vent fully from the outside of the house and back to the dryer.

You will be amazed at what comes out of the dryer vent, so keep a trash bag or two nearby.  Remember to turn off the dryer when you are not going to be at home.  Dryer fires spread quickly and destroy everything in its path so it is definitely better to be safe and not sorry.

Replace batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors:  Spring marks the beginning of day light savings. Spring ahead and gain an extra hour that can be used in any way you so desire. Day light savings time is also an excellent time to remember to change the batteries in all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. The batteries in smoke detectors need to be changed at least yearly and carbon monoxide detector batteries changed according to the manufacturers recommendations. Be sure to give the detectors a test while you are up changing the battery to ensure they are working properly. 

If you haven't replaced the detectors in the past 5 years it might be a good home improvement project to do right now. The technologies have changed and advanced so much recently, helping to ensure your family's safety. The cost spent on new smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is nothing compared to the possible dangers of a malfunctioning detector in your home.

New Life for Your Kitchen Cabinets.  This weekend, freshen up kitchen cabinets. Think flat panel cabinet doors have to be boring?  Not so!  Create the look of paneling for your kitchen cabinets by adding molding to the cabinet surface.  Molding can be applied to the cabinets to look as simple or as detailed as you like.  Pick out your style cabinet door at the home center and head over to the lumber section.  Experiment with different profiles and patterns to create the right look for your kitchen cabinets.  Add the molding to the cabinets using a pneumatic bard nailer or traditional nails and attach from the backside of the cabinet door. Be sure to nail in at an angle to properly affix the trim to the kitchen cabinet door. The trim work can be stained or painted to match the cabinet or painted in a different color or tone to add depth to the cabinet. 

While you are at the home center check out new hardware for your newly styled kitchen cabinets. Just adding new and stylish knobs and pulls to the cabinet doors and cabinet drawers can create a major change in the kitchen. 

Spring into a Blooming Garden.  Though it might still feel like winter in your part of the country, it is officially Spring, so get that yard and garden ready.  If you have placed mulch on your flower beds to help protect the garden beds from Old Man Winter, now is a great time to gradually start removing the old mulch to allow the warmth to reach the soil.  If you live in warmer parts of the country where the mulch continually provides moisture, start to refresh the upper layers to keep the beds thriving.  Be sure to trim back any winter shrubs or plant growth to prepare and make room for the burst that is about to happen.

All Systems Go for Summer.  Things are only just starting to warm up but it always best to prepared.  The cooling season is about to come into full gear an important home improvement is to make sure that your air conditioning units are ready to meet that demand.  If you have a central air conditioning system, be sure to schedule a service with the pros.  Let them test all systems and examine duct work, making any necessary adjustments and repairs.  Be sure to vacuum all of the registers and change any filters you are using to keep your indoor air quality at its best.  If you have window units be sure they are in good working order, and you should have them serviced as well.  

Resource: Moneypit.com

Hanging Pictures on Drywall - A How To Guide

Hanging pictures on drywall seems like a simple task: hammer a nail into a wall, hang the picture on the nail, and make sure everything is straight. Unfortunately, there is a little more to the whole procedure than that. When hanging pictures on drywall, you need to consider several factors like the weight of the object, the appropriate fastener to hold the object, where you want to hang the object, and whether or not the drywall will provide enough support by itself. If you want to avoid damaging both your pictures and your walls, read on to learn more about hanging pictures on drywall.

Finding the Right Frame For Hanging Pictures On Drywall

Driving a nail through a sentimental photograph is probably not the best way to hang a picture on a wall. Picture frames not only offer a way to properly hang a picture on a wall, they also protect the picture. A framed picture is a popular piece of interior décor, suitable for any style of interior design. Depending on the color and size, a picture frame can be used to accentuate a particular area of a room, or draw attention to a certain spot on a wall. Here are a few tips for finding a frame for your picture:

Match the room: Look for a picture frame that matches the colors and design styles of the room you plan on hanging it in. Picture frames are a great way to enhance the room, and should help tie the room together just like a piece of furniture. The color and material the picture frame is made out of will determine if it matches the room or not.

Picture Mats: A picture mat acts as a border for a picture in a frame, and also protects the picture. Try using a picture mat that enhances both the picture and frame. A neutral colored mat won't draw attention away from the picture, while certain colors can be used to enhance the picture by either matching or contrasting with the colors in the picture.

Find the right size: Find a picture frame that is appropriate for both the size of your picture and the available wall space. If you plan on using a picture mat, select a frame that allows for extra space around the picture so the mat can be seen.

Find the right weight: Lightweight picture frames can be hung almost anywhere on drywall, while heavier frames require an area on your drywall where a wooden framing stud can be found. Heavier frames also require stronger wall fasteners, while light frames can be hung with standard picture hangers.

Where To Place Frames When Hanging Pictures On Drywall

Now that you've found the perfect frame for your picture, it's time to figure out where to hang it. Determine whether you want the picture to accentuate a room, or if you want it to be a focal point. A lone picture centered on a contrasting wall will most certainly catch people's attention. In most cases, a picture should be hung somewhere at eye level, typically 60 inches from the floor with the center of the picture used as your reference point. If you plan on hanging multiple pictures grouped together on a wall, choose your favorite picture to act as a centerpiece. Lightly mark areas on your drywall with a pencil or chalk to help you determine the best spot for your picture. 

Great Tip:  Use your Tomboy Tools Picture Perfect Level to help hang your pictures.  It allows you hang objects horizontally, vertically, or in a group with precise measuring!

Lightweight Wall Fasteners

The most common fastener used to hang a picture on drywall is a picture hanger. These small hangers are placed flat against your drywall, and require a nail to be driven through their upper portion to fasten them to your drywall. The lower portion of the picture hanger consists of a small hook, suitable for light objects to be hung like pictures in lightweight frames. Push pins and plastic hooks with adhesives do not require any hammering or drilling, and are also suitable for lightweight objects.

Heavyweight Wall Fasteners

Larger pictures with heavier frames require a little more attention and care when being hung on drywall. If placed in an inappropriate location, the weight of the picture can pull the anchors out of the drywall damaging both the wall and the picture. The best location to hang heavier objects on drywall is in front of a wooden framing stud. Use a stud finder to locate the wooden framing studs behind your drywall. These devices typically use a magnet to detect the nails or screws used to hold framing studs during wall construction. A wall stud provides adequate support for heavier objects that require fasteners that are nailed or drilled into your drywall.

Hollow Wall Fasteners

Some wall fasteners are available that are made specifically for hollow walls like drywall. Molly and toggle bolts are designed with wings that expand behind drywall after they have been inserted through the wall. Toggle anchors also have collapsible wings that expand behind your drywall as you tighten the screw holding it in place. Expandable, metal anchors are great hollow wall fasteners for heavier picture frames. When purchasing these types of fasteners, be sure to read the packaging labels to find fasteners designed to handle the appropriate weight needed to hang your picture. Some fasteners are capable of holding heavier objects depending on the grade selected.

Hanging pictures on drywall requires a little more thought than simply hammering a nail into your wall. Just be aware of the weight of the picture, and make sure you have the right fasteners to keep it secured, and prevent the picture from damaging your wall. 

Resource:  IdealHomeGarden.com, By Matthew CenzonΙ Published March 22, 2012