Soup Can Lanterns

     My newest addiction is Pinterest. I have found so many great ideas on that network that I can't stop searching for DIY projects that I can use from simple objects in my home. I love adding things to our backyard the most. We seem to be there a lot, so I want it comfortable. About a year ago, a friend of my mother's gave me a fantastic idea for an old patio umbrella frame. It was to plant a vine and make a natural canopy from it. Still having trouble getting the vine growing good, so I decided to move on to the lighting for it in the meantime.
     Since we are a family of five, we go through lots of food. I recycle pretty much everything unless I can find another use for it. Again, I was searching and found another great idea, soup can lanterns. I read through many of the pics and gathered my info on how to make them and how I was going to use them on the umbrella.

 

     It was a simple project to make. The soups cans were first cleaned.  I then filled them about 3/4 of the way with water and froze them standing up. This is so that when you are hammering in your design the can doesn't crush with the pressure. After frozen you may notice the bottom swells. You can hammer that easily back into place. I then hammered my design into the can, remembering to place holes at the top of the can to hang them. Next step was to paint them. The vine on the umbrella is a purple Passion Fruit, so I went with a light green and yellow spray paint to compliment the purple. I have eight cans in two sizes, so I split the colors evenly. I used a piece of wire clothes hanger to make the handle for the lantern. I also painted a design on the outside so they are more attractive during the day too. Now it is ready for the tea-light candles. The best thing about the whole project was that I only had to buy the candles. Love that! Now my umbrella lighting is complete. The rest of the umbrella depends on Mother Nature. Hopefully as the new season arrives it will explode with growth. Have a healthy day!

Beer Bottle Torches

     A few weeks ago, I saw another great idea on Pinterest. Of course, I had to tweak it a little to our liking. What I saw was a bunch of old wine bottles used as outdoor candles/torches, but we prefer beer so....we decided to change it up a bit. The original idea was for wine bottles hanging off of a fence. Instead we decided to take old candle stakes and place beer bottles in them. We already had a collection of beer bottles as decor in the kitchen, but I had a better idea for them now. As far as the wick is concerned, I decided to make my own. I used strands off an old mop head. I was going crazy in the house looking for something I could use. Sure enough, as I walk into the garage to ask hubby for string, there was my mop with an old head on it. We took rings of wire to make an end and we braided it the entire length (8 in.). Hubby punched a whole from the inside out of the bottle cap to make a tight fit and prevent slipping. We then filled the bottles about half full with oil and replaced the caps. Ready to light. Viola! Torches.
     I love the light it creates. It brings a soft lighting that is relaxing which is how we like to spend our evenings. I love to have all the natural elements in my yard. I have some more ideas for lighting, which will come later. Still works in progress. For now, I hope you enjoy my tweaked version of the outdoor lighting, on the beer side of things!

Camping

      Here is the crew for the weekend, I'm behind the camera. We all headed down Peace River in Gardner, Fl. This was a celebration for my nephew (middle front). Ok, so it was 7 months late, but better late than never. The weather was great and the company was fabulous! I love being with my family. It's a time where you can be yourself and no one is afraid to have fun. We stayed for three days and two nights.

      The first night we had to hurry and find camp because we were loosing light quickly when we had arrived. The water was shallow so the kids could play and swim. It was perfect. We spent the evening setting up while the kids played. When it got dark we started a fire and had some burgers and dogs for dinner. Afterwards, the kids played in the tent until they fell asleep. The next morning arrived quickly and my brother Jason decided to keep the camp where it was rather than moving further up the river. Everyone agreed quickly to that suggestion. We packed a lunch for the day and headed up river. Peace River is well known for finding fossil shark teeth, so that was part of our plan for the day, along with swimming of course. Personally the water was too cold, but no one else seemed to mind. Time flies by when you are having fun and the kids were getting tired so we headed back for the night. We had a great dinner and went for a long walk through the night filled woods. That was lots of fun. Funny how the kids don't rush to go first at night. LOL Our last day had arrived. Since we weren't far from the dock, we had all day to hang out and play. The day seemed to go by faster than we could blink, but everyone had fun until the last minute. My nephew said it perfectly when our trip ended. He said, "Do you know what I don't like about camping?" We asked, "What?" He replied, "That it has to end." I think he hit the nail on the head.

     The greatest thing about camping is that you can always learn from your experience. We always check out what other paddlers do with their gear and such while going on their trip. This time I had my own idea for this camping trip. Since it was a special trip for a birthday, I wanted to make it awesome! I had planned some really great meals and treats for the whole group. Only I had to make everything fit into coolers. We had only 3 canoes for 8 people so the space was tight. I decided that in order to do this I had to make things compact. I prepared all the meals ready to serve on the grill. This way I didn't have to bring extra condiments and spices to prepare them on the river. This is where the great idea comes into to play. I took the now ready meals and put them in a vacuum sealer to shrink them. Viola! Space issue resolved. I was able to pack great steaks, veggies, tuna salad and even a special pineapple honey treat. It worked awesome. Part two of the idea came from my hubby. Keeping things cold on the river is a chore because you can't just run out for ice. So hubby suggested that we freeze the vacuum sealed meals. Are you kidding, I thought. Wrong I was! It worked so good and everything thawed out perfectly for when I needed it to be. I think it even helped to extend the life of the ice we did have. This is now going to be added to every camping trip. We figured that by doing this not only do we save on space and have more room, but we also bring more ice...sort of.

One mans trash....

      Everyone has heard the old adage, "One mans trash is another mans treasure". Well I tell you, I couldn't agree more. In the past week I have done nothing but find treasures here and there that others were wanting to give away. Sometimes I wonder why people throw out so many good items, but I guess they just don't have a need for them anymore. Whatever the reason, I would be happy to pick up someone's trash and reuse it for my own purpose.
     It all starts last Monday. We arrive to a customers house that is cleaning out her garage. In the pile of what seemed to be mostly garbage, we found a few good things.  The best find that day was, ready for this, a 98 year old Trombone. Be-au-ti-ful!!! Luckily, one of the boys is interested in playing it. Who knew! On Wednesday, I was on the way home from work with mom when I found a perfect book shelf. I have needed one for a long time, just never got around to getting one. Boy was I lucky again! Not only did it match my furniture, but it was also big enough for all the household books. It was in perfect condition (as far as I was concerned). I wonder why anyone would throw it away. No matter, it's mine now and it's a perfect addition to the house. This past weekend was also a benefit. I went away with the family to visit my father and low and behold he was getting rid of stuff too. Maybe it's the time of year for that, being a new year and all. So I was able to get a bunch of border bricks for my house. Dad no longer wished to have them and didn't want to throw them out. Lucky me again! We almost have enough now to finish our plant beds in the backyard. Yipee! Guess I may have to make another trip to his house. LOL Today was extra special with my find...or should I say someones trash. One of my moms customers was getting rid of some of her stuff to put into a garage sale. My aunt likes to have them, so we collect things for her on occasion to put in her sale. By going through the "stuff" today I was able to fill my collection of planters and pots for my garden. I also picked up some fencing and stakes. I think the best find was the rod iron stakes that she was getting rid of.  It seems to me that they were probably used for small tea light candle holders, but I had other ideas in mind. You never  know what you will find or what you can create with it.
     I have plans for those stakes. We have been wanting some lighting in the backyard without having to run electricity everywhere. Instead we have decided there are other ways. Not sure when I will finish this, but when I complete my project I will definitely share with you. For now, it's a secret. I will give you a hint though...I saw it on Pinterest. I have just modified the idea a little, or I just haven't seen it this way yet. ;) Pictures will be posted when it's complete. Until then I will continue to collect and add to my garden and yard. I love picking through trash, as funny as that seems. My whole life I have loved re-purposing things. I find lots of joy in creating simple treasures out of someone else's trash. If you put a little thought into it, you can create many treasures of your own. Have a healthy day!

Composting

     When I first started my garden we purchased all the dirt necessary to get everything planted. As time went on and the rain slowly washed away the dirt, I had to make a decision. I am a very simple person and try not to spend needlessly, so I knew there had to be a different way to have the dirt I needed. I started talking to my mom (whom always was an avid gardener) to find out how to do such a "dirty" deed. She told me it was simple. Now that is what I was talking about. All I had to do was take all my food scraps and throw them into a pit or container. Awesome! I can do that no problem. So the hubby and I looked around for a pre-made container to compost in just to see what they cost and how they worked, etc... After some research we purchased our 40 gal. heavy duty garbage can. I mean, it's all scraps right. We had found many that were quite expensive for what its purpose actually was. It just had to hold trash. From there we also purchased a hand tool which helps to turn the compost. You do have to turn it so that everything inside will continue to break down and it is aerated. I have also added worms to add to the decomposition to the scraps. The worms help to speed up the time that the dirt can be used. I try to do planting as much as possible so I need a constant supply.

     There are so many benefits to composting. One that has made a big difference is the money. We have saved so much by creating the dirt that I knew we would be needing for future. We have also saved a lot of the trash that we actually throw away. I feel that I am recycling my food into well.....more food.  Another benefit is to my plants. The new soil is nutrient rich. I live in an area that is maybe a few inches thick of dirt and then nothing but coral rock. So I will use all the nutrients I can get. Composting also has taught my kids that if it came from nature, it will return to nature to be reused.  Our planet even recycles :D I will continue to compost everything I use. The benefits are well worth the time and effort it takes to make my own dirt. I hope that my garden continues to grow healthy and provide for my family.

My garden

     As I have said before I love my garden, just don't have enough time in it. It brings me peace and tranquility. I love to watch everything grow from seeds to later harvest and eat. I have wanted a garden for years, since I bought my first house almost 15 years ago. Unfortunately, the house flooded every summer so there was no possible way to have a garden. So finally, years later, I am able to have a wonderful garden (built by my wonderful man). I have planted so many things over the past few years, I wouldn't know where to start. I will say that my most favorite thing to plant is tomatoes! I LOVE TOMATOES!!! My hubby loves peppers, any kind. So between the two of us, there are a lot of both. We also have some radish, carrots,  various greens, broccoli, spices, grasses, and oh so many other things. One of the best things about having my garden is the health benefits that come with having fresh veggies in the house. There is nothing better than biting into a tomato fresh off the plant. Oh my! In fact, funny story, my hubby didn't even like cucumbers until we grew our own and he tasted it fresh off the vine. Now, he not only eats them, but loves them too. I wish I could grow more but I seem to be having a worm problem. Oh well, I am a novice at this, but I enjoy it so much that I will take whatever learning comes my way. Little by little, I will be a pro. Hehe. In the meantime I am enjoying whatever I can grow and eat fresh. Another benefit, that just so happened along the way, is that my kids even love to watch everything grow. I am bringing the nature out of them little by little. My youngest loves everything to do with nature so I know he loves it the most. The other two well....they like it, but not crazy like me! Nature is so awesome, you just never know what you are going to get when you harvest. I love that nothing is perfect as you see in stores.  Nothing in my garden is altered to look pretty. It comes the way it grows and I love that. Makes you step back and realize that nothing in life is perfect. :D Have a healthy day!

Backyard Benches

     I saw an idea on Pinterest a while ago and decided that I was going to redo what I had seen. The original idea used CBS blocks and made a wall out of them. Some of the blocks were turned side ways and protruded outward making little planters. Inside the planters they had cacti type plants. I loved the idea so much but didn't know how I could incorporate it in my little backyard. So after playing with my sons Lego's, I came up with an idea. I was going to use the same CBS blocks, but instead of a wall...I am going to make benches. I have very limited seating in my backyard. That makes entertaining a task. I needed extra space for seating without being in the middle of the yard. We had some blocks that we needed to use or remove. I thought that it would be great to reuse them into something useful. So we stuccoed them together, added some glass beads that I had laying around and then stained the concrete. Viola! I decided to put cacti like the original idea showed. I am in love. We made two of them and soon we will be making a fire pit for those cold evenings.
   

Welcome :D

     Hello to everyone! Welcome to my blog. I hope to keep you updated on interesting facts about what Mother Nature provides for us to keep us healthy. I am a gardener, which I love. My cousin gave me a plaque that says "Work is for people who don't know how to garden." I could never have enough time in my garden. I compost my scraps from the kitchen and make my own dirt. I love to up-cycle and recycle. I am also a DIY'er!! I will post some cool ideas about things that I like. I am a big  firm believer that nature provides for us what we need. Yes, I do sometimes go off track... but that's because I am human. LOL I work part time with my mom in her business and I also have a home business. I educate others about the chemical dangers in their homes and offer safer alternatives. If you ever have any questions about anything, feel free to send me an email. I love to help as much as I can to the best of my abilities. Some things  I am a novice at, while others a self proclaimed expert. ;) I have 3 kids and a wonderful husband. I also take care of my niece and nephew a few days a week. I dedicate my days to my family and all their schedules. I am a Mom first and am very proud of my children. I live to make sure that they have a great future ahead of them. I also love to help other people besides family.  I feel that if people work together, many things can be accomplished. The more you know the better off you are. I hope to hear from my followers, I am always open to new ideas. :D Enjoy!!