Beyond A Garden

Love To Bake? Creatively Make A Beet Cake!

2011-07-18T11:28:00.000-06:00

After I watched this video I just had to post it. It was produced so artistically. Take a few minutes to watch it....What do you think of beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

How to Make Beach Shell Bath Fizzes

2011-07-13T08:14:00.026-06:00

Last week I got home from a 3 week road trip (2000 miles) with my 16 year old daughter. (She took the picture above in Santa Barbara.) We actually had a great time!! Followed our agenda and then stopped at as many beaches along the California coast as we could without getting off track....due to people and places that were expecting us. I had been wanting to blog this idea for a while. Visiting the beach inspired me to get it posted.

To make the bath fizzes use the following recipe:

2 cups baking soda

1 cup citric acid

1 tablespoon of ground kelp

50 drops of a essential oil blend

I used - douglas fir, spikenard, grapefruit and spearmint

witch hazel in a small spray bottle

Mix the baking soda, citric acid and kelp together.

Mix in the essential blend.

Sift all ingredients, if necessary.

Moisten half of the batch at a time with witch hazel

until the mixture holds together when squeezed.

(Don't let it get the mixture to wet or it will start to fizz.)

Work quickly and put in molds.

Pack in the mixture tight then release from mold to dry overnight.

**A different blend of essential oils in the appropriate amount

can be used for this recipe as long as they are safe for the skin.

Click here for more information on essential oils.

Spray the inside of the shell with a small amount of oil which will help the fizzes release.

Squeeze a handful of mixture in one hand and use your other hand to pack the mixture around your fingers.

Package them creatively as a gift for those you visit this summer or display them in your ocean theme bathroom. Use one next time you take a bath and dream about hanging out at the beach.

How To Make Buzzing Bees

2011-05-22T08:34:00.002-06:00

Bees are one of my favorite insects. Not only for the honey they produce but the buzzing sound they make when traveling from blossom to blossom to collect pollen.

To make the bees cut a yellow and a dark brown 12 inch pipe cleaner in half. Hold one of each of the 6 inch colors together and twist around a fat pen.

Take the other 6 inch piece of dark brown pipe cleaner and bend accordingly to create the wings. Glue the wings to the body by inserting between the pipe cleaners and glue on eyes.

As a pre-school teacher I made a bee for each child in my class. They put it on their finger and buzzed the room looking for pollen on fresh or artificial flowers which I had placed around the room. After landing on a flower and collecting pollen they would fly their bee back to the hive. This activity is also fun outside in the spring.

Planting Blue Fescue Seeds In This Eco-Friendly Seed Starting Mix

2011-04-14T12:48:00.022-06:00

These two space saving bricks from Burpee are $2.49 and comprised of coconut fiber.

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Eight quarts of soil grew from adding 4 1/2 quarts of water to the bricks.

Time to start planting.

I've had these Blue Fescue 'select' (festuca glauca) seeds for a few years. As a plant this perennial grass grows 10 to 12 inches tall with fine-textured blue-green leaves. Small flower spikes open blue-green in early summer. Plant as a edge, in a rock garden or ground cover. It also grows well in containers and is hardy in zones 4-7.

My son won a garden basket at work in a silent auction. This blue variegated striped container was one of the items in the basket. I think the Fescue's color would coordinate well in the container. We will find out as it grows.

Decorated A White Corner Of The Kitchen

2011-04-04T19:30:00.010-06:00

This kitchen corner has been white for too long.

While at the local thrift store I found these garden themed pictures for $3.99 each.

Hung a bunch of dried oregano I harvested while in bloom last year.

Placed some jars of loose leaf tea on the small cupboard.

Still not satisfied with the look.

Think I need to paint the cupboard and I do not like the hanging herbs. Any suggestions?

Traveling To Hot Springs And Back

2011-03-16T15:44:00.021-06:00

On the way home from soaking in some mountain hot springs a few weeks ago, I was looking for a restroom stop and came across this creatively painted building. The bright colors and the word WORMS (spring came to my mind) caught my attention, so I snapped a picture.

Get Outside And Into Nature

2011-03-02T11:37:00.004-07:00

A couple weeks ago being stir crazy from to much inside time, my daughter and I ventured out to a local Nature Center to walk the trails.

The air was very cold and not many people out, but a peaceful quiet filled with beauty.

The wildlife were busy looking for food.

My daughter took this picture through the glass where you can look at local fish. Just happened to get me coming down the stairs in the reflection.

Valentine Cherry Tart

2011-02-08T08:13:00.006-07:00

In my freezer I have many bags of cherries from last season. I didn't have time to take the pits out of them, so I froze them on a cookies sheet and put in bags. Craving fruit, I decided to start baking with them before the new crop comes in June. After taking them out of the freezer I thawed and pitted them.

Wanting to make a tart but couldn't find the recipe I had saved to use, I found this similar one on Martha Stewart's website http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/rustic-cherry-tart.

It ended up being more involved than I had planned but turned out tasty. If I made it again I would leave out the almond extract.

Peppermint Scented Candy Cane Cherry Branches

2010-12-01T09:14:00.002-07:00

Peppermint Scented Gift Decorations

Branches that I pruned from the garden cherry tree last year, which I intended to make curtain rods with and never did, needed to be dealt with before the tree needed pruning again.

Having a huge bottle of peppermint essential oil which I purchased from a nearby distillery, I decided to cut the branches and infuse half of them in peppermint oil. After they infused for a couple hours I dried each one with a towel and left them out over night to dry further.

The next day I painted the branch pieces white with a water base acrylic paint. When dried I wrapped each one in a spiral direction with floral tape and painted the white part showing with red paint. After the red paint was dry I removed the floral tape. Some of the paint came off the branches that had deep crevices so touch up was necessary.(A little missing paint gives them an old look.)

The other half of the cut branches I left unscented and painted. When they were dry I screwed a eye hook in one end of each branch and attached chains that were rescued from interior design samples. Use them to decorate a tree or in another creative way.

unscented scented

Handmade Paper Magnet Displaying Dried Plant Materials and a Quote

2010-11-04T10:20:00.001-06:00

Pressed and dried flowers from my garden.

Cut cardboard from a sketch pad.

Paper made out of a used paper bag, white paper and feathers.

One of the first magnets I made with a quote.

This paper was made with lint and dried Calendula flowers,

The Sunburst Sunflower from my garden was added.

This magnet was created with paper made from a brown bag, white paper, lint and feathers.

The dried Zinnia flower was attached with glue and mod podge which gave it the granite look.

Fall In The Garden

2010-10-13T20:37:00.000-06:00

Time is flying by........................

I have pictures, crafts and ideas saved.......then a new season begins before I blog about them. There are still a few veggies left to harvest, herbs to dry and seeds to save before it freezes.

Pink Passion Flower

2010-09-26T20:30:00.004-06:00

This lovely detailed flower can be pinned on a hat, purse or used as part of the decoration on a wrapped present.

An Unusual Alien (Squash) Is In My Garden

2010-09-25T19:06:00.000-06:00

Organic Bennings Green Tint Squash

A new vegetable plant I grew this year.

When cooked it had a light, fresh squash taste.

Moulin Rouge Sunflower

2010-08-23T12:43:00.000-06:00

Moulin Rouge Sunflower

This flower was cut from my garden on Friday. It is still as beautiful as the first day I cut it.

When the rays begin to open cut for flower arrangements. For seed heads cut with stalks attached and hang to dry. Remove seeds when thoroughly dry. Excellent for birds.

Displayed with one of my favorite magazines, MaryJaneFarms.

Sunrise In The Nevada Desert

2010-08-02T23:01:00.001-06:00

On the way to California last week my husband and I stopped at a campground and slept in the back of our vehicle. When I awoke in the early morning and looked out the window for a brief moment I thought there was a fire. It was just the sunrise, which indicated it was time to hit the road again.

Tattoo Of Flowers

2010-07-20T21:46:00.001-06:00

A girl came into my shop today and had this floral artwork on her arm.

Sky Diver Reveals The United States Flag

2010-07-03T20:03:00.001-06:00

While visiting a local air show last month with my husband and daughter I snapped this photo.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

We picked a lot of cherries from our tree today. I will attempted to make a cherry pie for a barbecue tomorrow.

Let-Us Make a Bouquet For A Green Wedding And A Edible Floral Table Arrangement

2010-06-28T18:01:00.002-06:00

This lettuce head started to grow from a seed in the earth from last season, so I Ieft the small sprout and planted flower seeds around it. (This year I turned the large raised vegetable garden into a flower bed.)

While out watering the garden yesterday morning the lettuce looked ready to be pick and the flowers are needing room to grow, so I proceeded to pull the beautiful organic head of lettuce right out of the ground, roots and all. While holding it I thought, "what a nice bouquet this would make." Picked a few flower heads from plants that were in containers on the patio and placed them amongst the leaves. Then asked my husband to take a picture of me holding the bouquet. I know my husband wonders about me at times.

After the "brief" photo session I brought the head of lettuce inside the house and placed it in a shallow bowl. Took the flowers out and cut some new flowers from my garden to make this edible floral table arrangement.

The next head of lettuce I pull up from the greens raised bed will be used to create a edible salad bouquet.

Heirloom Rose With Soft Sweet Smell

2010-06-20T21:28:00.002-06:00

Tropical island is coming to my mind when I look at this flower. With all the cool weather and rain this spring the Westerland Heirloom Rosebush in my backyard is full of beautiful blooms. It is a winter hardy shrub that grows to 8 feet.

I wanted to harvest some petals for beads, paper or jelly, but the first blooms are almost gone. After I trim off the dead blooms the bush should flower a second time. Maybe then I can get some saved.

Antique Owl Chime From Japan

2010-06-07T21:33:00.003-06:00

I found this chime in the antique room of a huge used bookstore.

Sweet Dog With Two Color Eyes

2010-05-31T18:53:00.001-06:00

While at the Farmers Market taking pictures for my next articles in a local magazine this sweet dogs' eyes were so unusual I just had to ask her to pose.

Farmers Market

2010-05-13T20:59:00.001-06:00

I have always wanted to participate in a farmers market. This year I am.....I sure do appreciate growers who bring their goods in every week. It is a lot of work. My friend helped me set up on this day.

Tulip season is over, so I will be selling some herb plants, veggies and products. It has been cold here in Idaho, so I have a lot of flower and vegetable planting to do this weekend to get caught up.

My next writing assignments for a local magazine is about our Downtown Farmers Market and "green" vendors. Do any of you attend or participate in your local Farmers Market? I would love to hear about it.

Floral Garden Apron

2010-04-27T13:17:00.003-06:00

A health fair was coming up last month and I was going to do a project with children. The project was for them to rubber stamp a vegetable of their choice on a coin envelope then put the correct seeds in the envelope to take home.

I had met a lady downtown that makes aprons very meticulously, so I asked her to make me a fun garden apron to wear. She came up with this festive, versatile apron. It has four pockets for seeds, markers, pencil and cell phone. Check out her esty site at genevadesigns.etsy.com.

Daffodil Bouquet

2010-04-21T10:47:00.006-06:00

This spring bouquet was made with 10 daffodils bound together with a rubberband and placed in a container with smooth rocks added to hold the stems in place.

Wheeler Organic Garden In Santa Cruz California

2010-04-13T12:35:00.002-06:00

Posting Again!!!

Trying to make things simpler I messed up my photoshop files. Think I fixed them.

On my way to a wedding last June we past by this organic garden. I took some pictures through the fence.

Castroville is a town near Santa Cruz which was the artichoke capitol of the world when I lived in the area.

When growing or purchasing them to eat make sure the flower is opened.

There were many different kinds of onions sun bathing in the garden.

Being a pre-k teacher for many years, of course, I love this caterpillar made out of painted rocks.

Have an old dish with a chip? It could be your next stepping stone decoration.