DIY Life

Sure, herbs smell great and taste even better --- but have you ever considered decorating with them? Kelly Edwards has the scoop:



Why should you decorate with herbs? It's easy --- not only are they super functional when cooking, but they happen to be gorgeous and smell fantastic. Plus, they last longer than flowers, which is great for someone who always forgets to throw away their dead plants (hanging my head in shame over here...).

Want some fresh (pun intended!) ideas on storing and displaying your own little interior herb garden? Try placing a few small herbs in a teacup or mug for an unexpected look. Or, double up on functional storage by placing a potted herb in an ice bucket when not in use. Even better? A cake stand doubles as a decorative element to create a circled montage of your favorite herbs. The possibilities are endless!

Thanks, Kelly!

Fall is all about the delicious smells and colors of crispy autumn leaves. So bring more of the fall indoors this year! Coming up is a slideshow of clever ways to craft with leaves. They range from super-simple to slightly more involved, but none of these crafts are terribly time-consuming and most of them are budget-friendly. The leaves, obviously, are totally free!

If you snag a little precious you-time this weekend, why not celebrate the season by trying one or two of these crafts? Happy leaf hunting!

Want a fun, creative DIY from Mother Nature herself? Look no further than the falling leaves on your front porch, because this is a project straight from heaven! Why not surprise your special someone with a maple leave bouquet? Of course, you'd have to make the leaf into a rose, but with this great photo tutorial, you should have no problem at all!

I'd assume the DIY would work best with moist leaves to prevent cracking and breaking, but other than that --- use your creativity! I'd love to see a multi-colored bouquet with red, orange and vibrant yellow maple leaves. Or, better yet, make a bouquet into a brilliant gift decoration for those fall birthdays you're gearing up to celebrate. Of course, the look would also brighten up a bare wooden wreath to create a cozy, homemade entryway decor that will make your guests smile with delight. See? The possibilities are indeed endless! Happy crafting!

Your front yard doesn't have to be perfectly manicured or professionally landscaped to look good. It is, however, your public face -- of sorts. Plus, your neighbors are forced to look at whatever you put out there!

Be a good neighbor: banish the following items from your front yard.

1. Plastic foliage. I'm talking anything you got from a craft store. Like this, for example. Plastic ivy. Faux dried sunflowers. Silk chrysanthemums. Plastic wreaths. Fake autumn leaves strung into streamers. Shudder.

Plastic flowers are tacky in the garden. They're unnecessary. After all, you have Mother Nature at your disposal! Why choose fake flowers? Finally, they evoke the cemetery. Enough said.

Join me each week as I explore the naturally aromatic side of DIY. Helpful recipes for your "scentual" pleasure: from essential oils, herbs, and other botanicals to soap-making, body care products, and other useful blends.

There's nothing like a cool drink to refresh on a hot summer day. Last week, we explored drinks made with fresh mint and essential oils. Now it's time to think beyond the mint.

Did you know that most citrus and herbal essential oils are sold to large food companies as flavoring? Hydrosols, which are the water left behind when plants are steam-distilled into essential oils, are also safe to ingest in small quantities when they're organic and top quality, according to Suzanne Catty, author of Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy.

Make sure your oils and hydrosols are organically grown and of good quality, then read on after the break for drink recipes -- citrus, herbal, and even some floral -- made with essential oils, herbs, and hydrosols.

Spring is here and so are the April showers. The leaves are budding on the trees and the grass is starting to green. It is finally time to get the kids out of the house and take them on a nature walk.

Children are natural-born explorers, and it is such a joy to see their little faces light up when they find a unique rock or leaf. When you take them on their hunt for treasures this spring, take along a nature can for them to put their treasures in.

Megan informs us how to take an empty oatmeal container and glue fabric to it, decorate the container, and then add a strap so our little nature buddies can easily tote it around.

We are almost done with our oatmeal container and will definitely recycle it into a nature can for my daughter. She loves to walk around our yard and collect cool rocks, leaves and sticks. It will be a fun way to teach her about all the wonderful things the great outdoors has to offer, right under her little feet.

[via: Craft]

When it comes to protecting our families from poisonous plants, we go about things wrong, all wrong. Backwards, in fact.

Yes, you are probably already aware that a great many common garden and container plants are poisonous to humans and/or family pets. But if I asked you to identify the ones posing the greatest risk to you and your family, chances are you'd be stumped, or perhaps hard pressed to name more than one or two.

Why? Because we learn about poisonous plants from our teachers at school, from books, and from television. We see pages and pages of photographs of toxic leaves and berries. We scan ultra-long lists of poisonous plant names. The nerdier among us (Ooh! Me! Me!) have tried and failed to memorize some of this mass of information.

Silly thing is, your own yard is the best starting point for learning. Once you feel confident in your own landscape, it will be much easier to branch out and learn about less well-known species, which I'll discuss after the jump. And check out my gallery below if you'd like to see some of the common poisonous plants growing in my yard.

Fruits, leaves, and cinnamon have wonderful scents. They make your home smell sweet and comfortable. You could go with scented candles or aromatherapy oils, but I think that these things are too creative to not show off. Don't grind down your dried fruit and leaves for potpourri. Instead, put them on display with this crafty dehydrated fruit garland.

First, you'll want to choose what items to dry out. Try red and green apples, some orange slices, and cinnamon. These aromas will go well together, and the color contrast will make for an attractive garland. The full instructables post teaches us how to prepare each fruit, leaf, and spice. There are a couple of ways that you can do this, but avoid my dried apple disaster and follow the instructions carefully the first time!

In response to possible fuel tank leakage, Billy Goat Industries Inc. has voluntarily recalled Billy Goat MultiVac outdoor vacumms. The manufacturer indicates that the fuel tanks on the machines can crack, leading to possible fuel leakage near hot engine parts creating the hazard of fire or explosion. No incidents have been reported to date. The recall affects approximately 1,600 units.

If you have a Billy Goat which is black and green with the product name printed on the collection bag, you can locate the product model number on a label located directly below the height adjustment crank on the left side of the vacuum. To find out if your Billy Goat is affected by this recall you can reference a list of the appropriate model numbers on the original Consumer Product Safety Commission press release.

Please discontinue using your Billy Goat and contact the manufacturer for a fuel tank replacement. You may contact Honda at (800) 426-7701, or you can visit the company website at www.hondapowerequipment.com.

What table would be complete without handmade Thanksgiving place mats to wow your guests? Since place mats can be very expensive, you can get the kids involved in making place mats that the guests can take home, if they so choose.

The Holiday Spot has five excellent ideas for making handmade Thanksgiving place mats with your kids. The five ideas are:

In our continuing attempts to keep things out of the landfill, my husband and I have decided to up our efforts to compost. At the moment, we have a wonderful dog who eats many food items that we would otherwise throw in the garbage. For all the items that Jake doesn't eat, there are many more that we can compost.

To see all the items that you can and should be composting , check out this article on hgtv.com. Marion Owen is a master gardener who has put together a list of 163 materials to add to your compost bin. Here are the first 10 items that Ms. Owen says can be added to your compost bin:

• paper napkins
• freezer burned veggies
• pet hair
• potash rock
• post-it notes
• freezer burned fruit
• wood chips
• lint from behind the fridge
• hay
• popcorn

Every garden my family ever grew was given the benefit of pig and cow manure. The soil loves it, and so do the plants. Honestly, my dog Jake would be digging and scratching up a storm if I had the audacity to throw food in a compost bin without even consulting him first. Now all I have to do is remember that almost anything I touch can be put in the compost bin. Anything to keep my plants happy.

If you don't happen to have a compost bin yet, Francesca tells you how to build one using shipping pallets.

[via: curbly.com]

These autumn themed napkin rings will make the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table. They look so delicate in their design, but will hold up for many years. You can get the whole family involved in crafting the napkin rings.

Materials

1. Salt
2. Flour
3. Water
4. Rolling pin
5. Cutting board
6. Cookie sheet
   
7. Aluminum foil
8. Golden yellow paint or some other autumn color
9. Fine tipped paintbrush
10. Ribbon in a dark autumn color
11. Leaf button or small leaf stamp
12. Sharp kitchen knife
13. Fake autumn leaves (found in most craft stores)
    
14. Hot glue gun

In the full instructions for making Thanksgiving napkin rings you'll find each step and tips along the way. You can choose ribbon and paint colors that match the rest of your Thanksgiving centerpiece. You could even play around with different silk leaves or flowers. If you're not hosting Thanksgiving this year, make a set of rings for your hostess. She'll appreciate the gift, you'll have fun making them, and the cost is next to nothing.

First, try and share the planning (and expense) with others. If not a neighborhood association, then hopefully a few neighbors will agree to work with you on this.

Second, a fun Fall theme definitely helps put people in a party mood and also makes a party more memorable. Here are some suggestions for an Autumnal celebration: put up a welcome banner decorated with real or faux (paper) Fall leaves. Arrange pumpkins and hay bales at each end of the section of street that's been designated the party area. Balloons are always fun to have around: look for some in Fall hues, like orange and brown. Decorate the table/s with Fall-themed table runners or be creative, arranging small pumpkins, pine cones, apples or leaves amongst the plates and dishes.

Cornucopias have been around since the 5th Century BCE. They are often called a "horn of plenty" and represent giving and sharing. The modern cone-shaped basket is filled to overflowing with fruits and vegetables, leaves and straw, and can sit on the table as a centerpiece.

eHow.com has a great article on making a Thanksgiving cornucopia. To make your own cornucopia basket, you can buy a cone shaped basket at a craft store and steam the end to make it bend into the shape of a goat's horn. Gather some colorful Autumn leaves from your yard and place them on a tray. Stuff the basket with straw or other craft filler, place the basket on the tray, and fill the basket with fruits and vegetables such as miniature pumpkins and gourds, small apples and oranges, and Indian corn, allowing these fruits and vegetables to spill out in abundance. In all the cracks and crevices, sprinkle some nuts and hearty berries. Finish your Thanksgiving cornucopia by placing more leaves around your finished item.

I will make a cornucopia this year, following eHow's directions. I have never made one before, so I think it's time to try something new. My table needs a little dressing up, and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, I love to decorate for it, and give thanks for all the blessings in my life.

As we gather to give thanks and enjoy time with family and friends, Thanksgiving tables will take center stage. If you haven't decided what to put in the center of your table, this quick, beautiful and all-natural centerpiece idea may give you some inspiration.

Think about fall's unusual fruits and foliage, and let them inspire you. Search your local farmer's market or grocery store for gourds, small pumpkins and colorful fruits, like figs, clementines, and star fruit, and gather oak leaves and branches. When arranged on tiered cake stands, or in bowls, or carved out pumpkins these harvest-time items make a centerpiece that takes only minutes to create, leaving you with plenty of time to concentrate on the meal.