Posted in Country Crafts and Projects
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Last Friday, I took a scrapbooking class at the store where my oldest daughter works. What a delightfully fun time I had!! I haven't done anything like this for many years (!) and it was so nice to have some free time for myself and get a wonderful little journal made as well. I would have never been able to get this done in one night if I had tried to do something like this at home. Right now it only has 7 pages, but I am already beginning to add to it. It's not entirely finished yet because I need to add the journaling to each page. But, here are photos of the what I got accomplished at the class. ~~Anne  This is the cover of the journal  Page One. The blank space is for journaling.  Page Two  Page Three  Page Four  Page Five  Page Six  Page Seven This last page can be used for recording garden tips, journaling, a poem, etc. I haven't decided what I what do do yet. |
Posted in Country Crafts and Projects
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This is a picture of one of my three rhubarb plants.  I'm going to pick some today and make a special Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp for tonight's dessert. Below are directions for making stepping stones with rhubarb leaves. Some of the leaves on my plants are so big that I'm thinking of making a couple of these for the garden. Anyone ever do this before? ~~Anne Directions for these are all over the web so I don't know who gets the original credit for the idea, but I found mine at familycrafts.about.com MATERIALS:
METHOD
2. Cut a peice of plastic sheeting at least 15 centimetres larger all around than the leaf (or another desired shape), and place it on the ground. Put the leaf in the centre of the plastic, vein-side up (Photo 1).
Photo 1 3. Mix the concrete to a stiff consistency, following package instructions. With gloved hands or a shovel, move concrete onto the leaf, spreading it almost to the edge of the leaf to a thickness of approximately 2.5 to 4 centimetres; press firmly to eliminate air bubbles (Photo 2). If you're using a small leaf or several leaves to create an imprint only, spread the concrete to form the shape you want.  Photo 2 4. To ensure strength and durability, place chicken wire on the concrete to within five centimetres of the edge, overlapping pieces if necessary. Shovel concrete on top of the chicken wire (Photo 3), again spreading to a thickness of about 2.5 to 4 centimetres and pressing firmly to eliminate air bubbles.
Photo 3 5. Gently lift the plastic up around the design (Photo 4), smooth edges with gloved hands or a trowel to ensure an even look, and place earth or gravel up around the form to support it while it cures.
Photo 4
6. Cover with a second piece of plastic to keep the concrete from drying out. Allow to cure for at least 48 hours, then lift the stepping stone from the plastic (the plastic peels away easily) and turn it over to see the walking surface.
7. Remove small pieces of vein or leaf with a hose turned to jet spray. If you've made the stepping stone in hot weather, much of the leaf will have already decomposed. You can place the stones in the garden immediately, but avoid stepping on them until the concrete has completely cured - curing time depends on the type of concrete mix used, but it usually takes five to seven days. Spray with water frequently during the curing period. Make sure the stones are set firmly in the ground and they won't move when walked on.
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Posted in Country Crafts and Projects
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Here is a photo of one of the two bluebird houses that Raquel and I made and put up on Friday. I'm not sure if we will get any bluebirds nesting in them this year since the houses really should have been set up back in March, but we had fun doing this and we'll be all set for next spring. We got the plans for the houses from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.  |