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I recently published an article, For Every Bird An Empty Nest: A Knitted Nest To Make with the knitting pattern for the nest above, and a peek into my feelings about my own empty nest.
While in the process of creating that post, I came across so many vibrant images of nests, both real and imagined. Here are a few:
Leftover Yarn Nest via Flickr
Felted Nesting Bowls (pattern)
Lucinne Day Vintage Fabric Nest
What's happening in your nest?
It’s one of those eerily beautiful, rainy days here in the Hudson Valley. We’ve hardly had any rain to balance the assault of crazy hot, humid stickiness that’s enveloped the area. The summery mood and dimly-filtered lighting is just delightful for creating projects that may have been put on the back burner because it was just too damn hot. I love creating stuff from found stuff. It is especially sweet when the stuff is free, the directions are self-explanatory and the materials are mostly natural
I’ve seen this project done before, but this morning I followed the links around the globe to find the source of the images of this simple project. My pointing and clicking started in the Netherlands at the Stylefiles (a fabulously creative site for interior design inspiration), which took me to Poppytalk from Vancouver. It’s a design blog that collects inspiration from emerging design talent. One such talent hails over at the totally awe-inspiring, aqui pelo campo blog from Portugal, which is the source of these photos.
No DIY directions needed for this one. Just create this rustic and functional coat rack from a few sturdy branches, a piece of nicely weathered leftover wood and some nails. Then relish in the satisfaction of making stuff from stuff.
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Author Germaine Greer once said, “A garden is the best alternative therapy.” The National Gardening Association claims that an average 600 square-foot garden will yield 300 pounds of veggies. I guess that's why they call it produce! We organic gardeners are passionate about our little patches of earth, and many of us haul around some basic tools for gardening. Shovels, pruning sheers, trowels, spades, gloves, twine, plant labels and markers are just some of the implements that tag along with us into the garden. Keep gardening tools organized and carry those precious veges with this handy, easy-to-make, repurposed gardener’s bucket.
DIY Gardener’s Bucket
What you need:
Heavy duty cotton canvas tool apron with divided pockets
Cloth to line the bucket
Clean bucket
What to do:
Tie belt around a bucket.
Line the bucket with cloth (I used 2 old cloth placemats).
Fill with tools.
Head out to the garden.
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Is it brutally hot where you are? In New York, the temps are hovering around 100 degrees. The New York Times recorded these record-breaking temperatures in the Northeast: “The high of 103 in New York broke a record for the date. Baltimore hit 105, the highest temperature recorded since 1983, and in Boston, the temperature reached 100 degrees for the first time since 2002.” They also report little reprieve in sight. Some folks around here have taken to sleeping in their screened-in porches instead of cranking up energy-sucking air conditioners in the evenings. We have a hammock on our porch that doubles as an overnight accommodation. It’s not for everyone, but hammocks have been a staple in our family for years. Here’s a picture of my sister-in-law when she was a kid sleeping peacefully in womb-like comfort:
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Whatever your DIY skills, just follow these instructions, grab a book and a popsicle or a cold beer, and let the relaxing begin! CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Do you have an outdoor sleeping space?
Have you vowed to step off the fast-track and slow down this summer? With the emergence of hot days and long evenings, see it’s the perfect time to kick back, for sale unplug, viagra 100mg get creative and indulge in some summertime DIY. From whipping up a batch of natural sunscreen to creating a solar backpack, these 10 eco-friendly summery DIY projects are sure to get the creative juices stirring. CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Artwork: Ben Scott
