Old Bicycle Garden Decor

  

   

I’ve been getting ideas from different sites on decorating my yard this year for spring and summer.  And I wanted to share some photos in hopes that they will inspire you to primify your yards as well.

Last summer I did buy an old retro bike at a yard sale but now that I have it home I’d really like to get new tires on it and ride it around.  There really isn’t anything wrong with it and the seat is really comfy.  Oh decisions.  Perhaps I can find another very old and rusty bike this year as I treasure hunt at the local yard sales.  A bike that is way to far gone to want to ride.  That way I will actually get my yard decorated like these beautiful pictures show.

All Natural Room Sprays

I know a lot of people will be doing some spring cleaning and so I thought I’d share a quick recipe for making air fresheners.

To make your own air freshener you will need one cup of distilled water 8-10 drops of your favorite essential oil, and a spray bottle that has a fine mist spray on it.  And a cute little label.

Basically all you will do is pour the water and add drops of essential oil into the spray bottle.  Shake very well.  And let it sit for a few hours before you use it.  How simple is that??  Make sure you shake well before every use to make sure the oils are distributed evenly.  Now take your label and write on a snazzy name for your scent and place it on your bottle. 

I encourage you to mix and match your own fragrances and be as creative as you want.  But I will share just a few favorites.  And remember the different oils can vary in their fragrance strength so you can add or subtract the amount you use. 

For a pet deodorizing spray you can mix cedarwood and tea tree oils.

For apple spice use cinnamon and clove oils.

To make orange spice use orange and cinnamon.

And my personal favorite is Bedtime bliss using lavender and chamomile oils.  Spray a little in your bedroom about 30 minutes before going to sleep. 

Have fun spring cleaning.

Dryer Sachets

Dryer Sachets  

Hello, Michele here from www.briarpatchprim.com .  I’m so glad that it is officially spring.  I already have flowers popping through the ground and it’s so nice to see a touch of green.  So to celebrate I’ve decided to share directions to make a dryer sachet.  These dryer sachets are great to give a nice natural scent to your laundry.

What you need is some fabric.  This is a great time to use up your leftover fabric.  For one sachet you will need (2) 5” x 5” squares.  And sewing supplies, I use my machine but you can handstitch if you prefer.  And you’ll need some dried lavender buds.

Now just place the 2 squares right sides together and sew up three sides.  Let the fourth side open to turn and stuff.  Now turn the fabric and stuff with about 1 cup of lavender.  Sew the fourth side closed.

These are great to give as gifts you can make a set of three and bundle them together with a pretty coordinating ribbon.  I sell these on my site for $9.99 for a set of three.   http://www.briarpatchprim.com/catalog.php

The sachets are good for about 10 to 15 loads of laundry and they will scent your laundry with a light lavender scent and it’s a great way to go “green”.  You could also get creative and fill the bags with other natural, pleasingly scented botanicals like rose petals or even try lilacs.  Make sure to toss them in with your bed linens the lavender will help you to drift off into lalaland with plenty of sweet dreams.

Have fun blessing your laundry.

How to Make a Tipsy Pot

 Spring is just around the corner and I know many of you are getting ready to get your gardens ready.  I know here in PA its still a little early to do anything outside but, I still find this is a good time to do some planning. 

Last year I learned about this really neat garden décor craft that is called “tipsy pot”.  I was so impressed with these when I did a search last summer for directions on how to make them.  And that is the main thing I am going to do in my flower bed this year.  Be sure to check out my blog for updates as I get mine finished. 

Here are some directions on how to make these tipsy pots and also go to my blog at www.briarpatchprim.wordpress.com and I will post some pictures of them to give you a better feel of what exactly they are.  I know sometimes it’s hard to visualize over the radio. 

So first off you will need a piece of rebar and you can get this at home stores.  Get one that is about 5 feet long.  You will also need 5 flower pots of varied sizes make sure they have a hole in the bottom.  And you will need potting soil and plants or flowers of your choice. 

Find a nice place in your yard to create your tipsy pot.  And hammer the rebar into the ground about 12 inches to make sure its stable.  Now take your biggest pot and slide it down over the rebar through the drainage hole and then fill it with potting soil.  Take the next pot about a size or two smaller and slide over rebar same way then tilt it so it looks like its tipped over and ready to spill out and fill with soil and you’ll keep doing this until you have as many pots as you want.  I personally like odd numbers so I would go with either 3 or 5.  Make sure that the pots are tilted in different directions.  When they are stacked you can put in your plants.

You can also make the tipsy pots out of trash treasures you may have hanging around your home or that you find while out at yard sales.  You could make one using old wash tubs and old buckets, try using old watering cans for a unique look.  Be creative and let me know how your tipsy pot turned out for you. 

Until next time have fun decorating.