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!

Photo Friday

Hope all of you had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday week! We managed to snap this week's photo outside of our office the day after Christmas, when it was pretty chilly outside!

Did you catch a great shot this week? Be sure to share it in the comments!

Holiday Season Upcycling DIYs

It's officially the start of the holiday season, and so it's only fitting that we have an upcycling blog post! There are so many fun crafts out there for any skill level. We've gathered X DIYs for you to try out this holiday season! Good luck!

Ornament Garland

DIY tutorial

This garland is pretty cute, and it's a fun and easy way to upcycle old ornaments that you aren't using this year, or extra ones that don't fit on your tree. The tutorial seems pretty easy and full of holiday cheer! 

Recycled Jar Snow Globe

DIY tutorial

Fun and cheerful looking, there's nothing not to like about this little snow globe! You can use an old mason or spaghetti jar and have a cute gift or decoration for the holiday season. 

Recycled Paper Tree

DIY tutorial

Either as a mantlepiece or a centerpiece, we think this lovely, wintery paper tree would brighten up any area and give it a little bit of seasonal flair. Maybe, if you were daring, you could test ou adding color to the sheets of paper first, although it looks great in white as well. 

Holiday Card Ornaments

DIY Tutorial

Every holiday season is brightened by the mail. Holidays are probably the one time of year where you consistently get mail other than bills and it's kind of nice! When the season ends it's easy to feel guilty trashing or recycling old cards, but this craft gives you a way to enjoy them for years to come! These ornaments work well on a tree, but we also think it could work well in a glass centerpiece. 

Stick Star Ornament

DIY tutorial

While yard waste is compostable, if you don't have a composting service or your own compost pile, dealing with those sticks and leaves from late fall and early winter can be a hassle. This craft deals with those sticks, although it could be fun to superglue some leaves on the front to make it very natural looking. 

Magazine Paper Ornament

DIY tutorial

Folded and coiled magazine paper can make for very interesting crafts. They're colorful and somehow feel chic, even though they're homemade. These ornaments are sure to impress and brighten up any tree. 

Cone Trees

DIY tutorial

This craft takes old dixie cups, toilet paper rolls, and scrap wrapping paper and makes a fun and decorative gift.  This fun craft is an easy way to give a smaller gift and looks very nice to boot! 

Cereal Box Snowman

DIY tutorial

Using old cereal boxes for crafts is always fun, but this cute snowman is sure to make everyone happy with the end result! 

Punched Tin Ornaments

DIY tutorial

These vintage looking tin ornamens have a high class feel, but are easy for even children to make! Plus you get to reuse tins from all your holiday cooking. These are fun and even more lovely shining against holiday lights.

Fabric Trees

DIY tutorial

If you're normally crafty, this craft may be perfect. Leftover fabric scraps will become chic and fun fabric trees for your holiday decorating. 

These are definitely some great Upcycling crafts that should lead to some fun snow days spent inside and some festive decor! 

Featured Article: 5 Steps to Prep Your Compost Pile for the Winter

Winter coats are definitely out of closets with the weather we've been experiencing in Iowa lately. It's important to remember your plants when winterizing, but it's also important to remember your home composting pile. One definite benefit of dropping off your compostable to a commercial composter is that you don't have to winterize your heap, the commercial facility will handle that for you. However, if you do have a low level of organic waste and compost at home, this article will really help you out. It's got all the easy steps you need to take to make sure your organics recycling is effective year round.

Do you take any other steps to winterize your heap? Let us know in the comments!

Read the original article here.

Featured Article: Fall Pest Patrol

We've already had a couple winter prep blogs for you garden, but today's featured article gets a little more in-depth with the cleanup part of your fall gardening duties. The blog post we're featuring, from A Way to Garden, is a great quick overview of how to deal with a host of pests that prey on your garden.

A lot of the pest cleanup work you do in the fall can greatly benefit your garden in the spring. The blog goes over some of the greatest problem pests, cabbage worms, viburnum leaf beetle, squash bugs, deer,  mice, and voles. All of these creatures can ruin a perfect garden, so taking out their paths and hiding places in the fall will make it hard for them to move back in come spring.


Read the full article here.

Our 5 Favorite Indoor Plants for Winter

As the fall arrives we are often so lost in the swirl of colorful leaves we don't truly notice that our favorite spring and summer blooms are going dormant for the winter. When the cold weather hits and the beautiful red, oranges, and yellows have turned into crackly brown leaves on the ground, these plants will brighten up your house and remind you through the winter that spring is on it's way. Here are our top 5 indoor winter plants.

Amaryllis

Amaryllis bulbs have become a popular gift, you can buy them in beautiful pots from most stores these days around the holidays. These cheerful flowers are a type of Lily, and are sure to give your home a pop of color through the winter months. In the spring you can choose to transplant the flower to the ground so that it can liven up your garden as well. Make sure this flower gets plenty of sunlight and water.

Crocus

Crocus is another colorful bloom that can also flourish indoors. Make sure that your Crocus plant's pot has a good drainage system. This plant also works best with compost mixed into it's soil, so make sure you give it those added nutrients. After you plant the bulbs plant them in a dark place with an average temperature between 35-45 degrees. Once they sprout move the plant back into the (indirect) sunlight and water regularly.

Orchids

Orchids are beautiful, with a large variety of colors to fit any home decor. Make sure your orchid gets strong, indirect light. If possible, place your orchid somewhere that will give it a little humidity. This plant is another one that you can buy from a lot of different stores when the holiday's approach, since they are a popular gift flower.

Jasmine

Jasmine won't just look pretty, it is also a very fragrant plant. This plant is a bit of a crawler, so give it a trellis to crawl on if you like the look. Jasmine flourishes at 65 degrees, so if you keep your house a little cooler in the winter to save on that heating bill your Jasmine will love you. A little humidity will do Jasmine some good, and indirect sunlight is also what the plant prefers. However, if you have a dog for a family friend we urge caution with indoor Jasmine, as the plant isn't very puppy friendly.

Camellias

This last plant is a little bit trickier to keep, but is know to survive for a very long time if given the chance. It prefers cooler temperatures and large pots. While they require slower watering during the winter you should try to keep the soil moist at all times.

Do you have any other plants you love to use to brighten your home during the winter? Share them and your care plan in the comments!