Photo Friday

Happy Friday everyone! The high here is forecast at 65 degrees! What a turn around from last week! Next week our Wood Waste site is opening in Ames, IA, so we thought we would show you a picture of our wood grinder!

Be sure to share your favorite photos from the week in the comments!

Featured Article: 5 Easy Garden DIYs with Pallets

Usually we try to keep our features to once a week, but this was too great to skip! This article has 2 very important things, Gardens and Pallets.

This Apartment Therapy article has 5 DIY pallet recreations for any garden lover! Weather you use your garden to entertain guest or just your children, there is something here for you! While we love all of these DIYs, we especially love the sweet playhouse for under $10! Considering the price of a playhouse, that's quite the bargain! Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

Read the article here

Featured Article: Secret to ordering healthier food is seeing how far you have to walk to burn it off

Many restaraunts have already started to show health information next to your ordering options, but do you think your impression of the information would change if you realized how much you had to walk to burn it off? That's the theory explored in this article.

We're all for people eating healthier, but we're also wondering what impact this could have on food waste. Would it leave more people wasting their food, or saving it for another time? That's our hope, but we can't decide if it'd actually happen. Either way, these statistics are very interesting, and 3 miles for a 20 oz. soda definitely puts it into a very relatable unit. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

Read the article here.

Photo Friday

Well, we made it through another chilly week in Iowa, which means it's friday once again! The first day of Spring was this week. What do you think, does it look like Spring outside?

We don't think it does! Here's to hoping the second week of Spring is a little more like a lamb and a little less like a lion! 

Backyard inspiration

We're really ready for this winter weather to cut it out, especially since today is the first official day of spring! However, since the weather doesn't take our advice, we decided to share some inspiring backyard ideas to help you plan your backyard transformation for once the weather finally returns to spring temperatures.

A fun and unique garden bench

How whimsical and fun is this bench? The article features many unusual bench ideas to add an original twist to any garden.

Stacked Planters

 Stacked planters like these are pretty, easy to make, and easy to personalize. We love how open this tutorial is because it leave open the opportunity to decorate in any way you want!

DIY Garden Stones

We love how chic and current these garden stones look, and yet they're completely easy to DIY! They definitely tie in with any garden theme!

Outdoor Bowling Alley

 This easy to make outdoor bowling alley is a great entertainment piece for garden parties and bbqs. Your backyard will be the most popular place on the block!

Wood Cut Garden Path

This beautiful garden path is also easy to DIY, and the instructions come from a couple who tried it, retried it, and know how to improve it, so that your wood cuts don't start to look the same color and the ground around them!

These are our favorites for this spring planning season, but what are yours? Share the links in the comments!

Featured Article: Beware! How 10 Dangerous Materials Are Recycled

While we're happy to help you with your organic waste streams, there are some dangerous materials that are much harder to recycle, but also very dangerous in a landfill. When we found this article we knew we had to share it with you!

This article has 10 dangerous materials and how to recycle them. The article links to many different resources for recycling these materials, ranging from unused explosives to asbestos. We think it's a pretty comprehensive list!

Do you have another dangerous material that you recycle? Let us know what and how in the comments!

Read the article here.

Photo Friday

Happy friday everyone! Our forecast includes some warmer weather this weekend so far- so we're excited for that! Today's photo includes our dredging work!

Our Favorite Mason Jar DIYs

It seems like you can't avoid Mason Jar DIYs these days, but we're not upset about it! It's a great chance to reuse old mason jars and give them a new life and a new place in your home! So, today we've rounded up a few of our favorites to share with you!

"Redneck" Wine Glass

 These fun wine glasses will have your guest laughing and impressed! Plus- it's great for drinking in a carpeted area, as it has a lid!

Bathroom organizer

 When looking at this chic bathroom organizer, it's hard to believe how easy it is to make yourself! A fun and easy way to keep your bathroom necessities in order!

Candle Holder

These candleholders look like you could have picked them up at the pottery barn, but cleaning out your old mason jars is much cheaper! These could definitely make a nice centerpiece or mantel piece!

Terrarium

 A great rainy day project for your inner gardner, or perhaps for the little gardner you know, these terrariums are sure to give you a necessary dose of green, especially during the winter months.

Stylish Decorated Jars

 While the tutorial calls them votive jars, we can't see why you couldn't do this for any size mason jar and use them for a variety of things, from candle holders to pencil holders!

Solar Panel Light

 These solar jars are especially popular, and you can buy them from many different stores. However, these DIY ones cost $6, and the pre-made ones cost much more! Great addition for your deck or patio parties!

Simple Chandelier

 This fun chandelier can add original flair to any room. Wouldn't this look great over a bar/island in the kitchen?

Indoor Wall Planter

 This planter is great. We would love to use it as an herb garden and put it in the kitchen, so fresh herbs are literally a few steps away.

Succulent Planter

Succulents are rather easy to care for, and now it's easy to find your new succulent's new home! Just take an old mason jar you aren't using, layer rocks or polished stones, and then put your succulent on top!

Oil Lamp

These are great for outdoor parties. If you added a few of the right oils, these could also be an insect repellant! You could dress up the jars with food colors or some heavy thread patterns tied around the jar. The possibilities are endless!

These are just a few of our favorites- what are yours? Share them in the comments!

Featured Article: Jumpstart Spring: 10 DIY Planter Projects

This surprise snow storm is hitting us hard up here! We're loving this planter garden for the green it provides, despite the sea of white outside.

If you need a little bit of green therapy as well, or just a new DIY project this article is chalk full of ideas and suggestions. It has a variety of styles, so you're sure to find one that matches your decor.

Read the article here

'via Blog this'

Photo Friday

Happy Friday again! We're certainly looking forward to the warm (if rainy) weather we have in store for the weekend! Today's photo is nice and bright looking, we're hoping the weekend is just as warm and bright as this photo looks!

Our favorite recycled seedling containers

If you're ready to start your garden seedlings indoors, there is no better time than the present. We love the idea of recycling things you already have for seedling containers, so here is a short list of our favorites.

Image and tutorial found here

Yogurt Cups

Let's face it, these cups are plentiful in most households, and they make good starter cups for seedlings. The only word of caution we give is that these cups are a little small for a mature root system, so you may have to transplant them a little sooner than other containers.

Image and tutorial found here

Paper Towel/Toilet Paper Rolls & Plastic Containers

Staying with things that are probably common in your home, there isn't anything more common than toilet paper rolls. This tutorial works with any cardboard roll, and a plastic container, like one for a grocery store rotisserie chicken or salad.

Image and guide found here

Egg Cartons

Egg cartons are great for seedlings, especially cardboard ones. With these cartons you can plant them directly into the ground, as the cardboard will biodegrade directly into your soil.

Image found here, tutorial found here

Newspaper

Newspaper pots have the same advantages of egg cartons, in that you can plant them directly into the ground. They also can look very interesting depending on what section of the paper you use!

These are our favorites- what are yours? Share them in the comments!

Featured Article: Design a Classic Produce Garden

This blustery winter weather means only one thing- we're delving even deeper into our garden planning! So, we loved today's featured article. We like growing our own food, so any edible garden guides are great. We found on from HGTV that is all about designing a classic produce garden. It's full of ideas for plants, necessities for this garden type, and generally some good ideas.

If you deal with the snow and wind by thinking of all the green things you will be planting in a few short months, today's featured article is definitely a must-read!

Read the original post here.

Photo Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Today held more snow for us after all. We have to admit, it does make a pretty picture. However, we're more than ready for Spring to arrive!