Super Bowl Party Ideas Part I

It's that time of year that men and for that matter most women, love football and better yet the Super Bowl.  If you are having guests over or going to a Super Bowl party then here are some easy ideas to help set the mood.    Dress your table up by simply covering it with Astra Turf and creating the yard  lines with white tape.  Better yet  create the numbers with the tape as well. 

Help set the mood by using a real football as a table arrangement or even as a food dish.  Just deflate the football, create a bowl out of it and then arrange flowers or food in it.  You can also take empty food cans like canned veges, clean, spray paint the outside brown and then with white acrylic paint, paint the laces.

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Have a great Super Bowl party................Go Patriots...........just sayin

Super Bowl Party Ideas Part II

Here is another food idea.  Take a frozen cheese pizza and create a design of a football with pepperoni and then the laces with mozzarella cheese.  And if you are a sweet tooth,  make covered chocolate strawberries and make the white laces with edible white frosting.

Have a great Super Bowl party................Go Patriots...........just sayin

Spring Indoors

Add life and color to your indoors with houseplants bursting with flowers and crisp fresh foliage.  There are so many varieties of flowers out there that you can grow indoors.  Turn winter to spring with easy to grow plants.  Here are some of my favorite ones:  hyacinths, paper-whites, hydrangeas, bromeliads, orchids, Reiger Begonias, kalanchoes, and my favorite the German Primrose.  Place in an assortment of different containers and add a few garden accessories and you have one awesome indoor spring display.

The Do's and Don'ts when Growing Seeds

Winter is the best time of year to lay down on that comfy couch and and start dreaming about your spring garden.  If you like to watch things grow from seed, then there are several things to look for on a seed packet.

1.  Days to Germination.

2.  Days to Maturity.

3.  Packed for, or sell by, Date:

4.  How to Plant.

5.  How to Harvest.  Time frame and how to know when to pick.

6.  Diseases and Pests.

7.  A Picture.

8.  The Botanical Name.

Seed Starting Pitfalls

1.  Planting too Deep:  Read the directions and make sure to plant according to the right depth.

2.  Starting to Early:  We are all anxious to getting started in the garden, but if you start your seeds to early then it may be to early to plant outdoors.

3.  Skimping on Light:  To mimic spring sunlight, place grow lights 1 to 2 inches above your seedlings, taking care not to burn the leaves.  After germination, supply 14 hours of light daily.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree

Go ahead and place your cut Christmas tree outdoors either in it's stand or in a pot full of sand and rock. Then re-decorate the tree with lots of bird treats such as orange halves, pine cones covered in peanut butter and bird seed, or even small bird feeders. The tree adds for protection and a great food source for so many birds.

You can also cut up your Christmas tree and lay the branches over your roses, tender perennials, or any plant to help protect and insulate against a harsh winter. I find that these branches also help provide protection and shelter for critters.

Waste not..........

Propogation Made Easy

Step One: Propagation is so easy. Take cuttings of your tree or shrub in the dormant season. Cut a 6 to 8 inch-long section of the stem, preferably from the previous season's growth. Make sure to cup the top of the section at an angle just above a single bud or pair of buds. The bottom of the cutting should be a straight cut just below a single bud or pair of buds.

Step Two: Dip the base of each cutting into a rooting-hormone powder, which can be found at most garden centers.

Step Three: Make a special potting mixture to root your cuttings. The mixture needs to be four parts compost or good potting soil (peat-free), to one part perlite. Mix together the ingredients evenly.

Step Four: Fill Container with mixture, and plant each cutting. Remember to make the hole in the soil with a pencil and then place each cutting into each hole. This will prevent the rooting-hormone powder from rubbing off. Water well, let drain, and place in a protect place indoors with plenty of indirect light. A window sill works great.

Poinsettia Mania

So what's new in the poinsettia world? There are lots of new varieties and colors of this Christmas flower on the market today. What's in style? This year I went ahead and mixed three colors instead of staying true to just one. Love the look!!! I did a more old-fashion look by mixing pink, red and white poinsettias in clusters of three. I removed the plastic sleeves from each pot and simply dropped each plant into their very own clay pot. Remember to put a plastic saucer in the bottom of each clay pot and to also (for double protection) place the clay pots in a clay saucer as well.

The care of poinsettias is rather simple. Keep moist but not wet, provide plenty of light, and keep away from heat vents. Poinsettias thrive more on neglect then love....:)

Christmas Details

You have heard it said many times in life that it is all about the details. Christmas decorations are no exception. Collect and display over time little special Christmas items like a small Santa lamp. A Christmas lamp stacked on some Christmas books looks so inviting. Then fill a bowl with antique ornaments and don't forget to scatter some around the bowl on the table. May be fill a vase or two with an assortment of Christmas ornaments and tuck in the display a poinsettia in a nice white pot. If you Jhemajang all these items or alike items, you will have a small Christmas display that speaks volumes.

Happy Holidays!

Ornaments By Nature

The trend for the holidays is more natural and a little less bling. If you are looking for that perfect gift for someone special or simply for yourself, then craft an ornament influenced by nature. Just take a clear glass-ball ornament, remove the top and fill with sprigs of evergreens such as juniper, holly, bayberry, and even mistletoe. To prevent condensation, leave the tops off for about 24 hours. For that finishing detail, thread ribbon through the top, knot the ribbon, and hang.

Making Merry

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is feasting on all those delicious baked goods. If you love to bake and give these yummy treats away, then here are a few suggestions for their packaging. Just go to your local craft store and buy some inexpensive glass jars. Now fill the jars with your goodies and a few sprigs of evergreens. You can also find at your local craft store wood birch boxes. Secure the tops with colorful twine in holiday colors. You can even decorate the wood boxes or for that matter the glass jars with Christmas designs you paint yourself with acrylic paint. Even holiday decals will work for those of you who doubt your artistic ability!