Assorted and Sundry for 08/02/28

Leave a comment

Michael Pollan – Ted Talk

Unfortunately when it comes to Mr. Michael Pollan I can not seem to get past an unfortunate and debilitating case of “teenage fan girl ridiculousness” (squeal!) to write about his work with a modicum of professionalism. If you haven’t heard of his writings and work already I would highly suggest running out and getting a copy of what I think is one of the very best books about gardening ever written, “Second Nature.” The Ted talk (above) leads off from ideas conveyed in his book “The Botany of Desire.”

I highly recommend exploring the Ted talks in general since it is a fantastic resource of intelligent and thoughtful ideas and people.

Leave a comment

Assorted and Sundry

Cat5 Macrame Plant Hanger (via Make Blog) — It’s made from recycled ethernet cable!

Dewey Donation 2008 Book Drive – Anyone who loves books can relate to the sense of wonder and hope they can create in children’s lives…. and adult lives too of course. Every year the Dewey Donation System chooses a library in need and provides lists and purchase options for books and other supplies desperately needed. You can even choose specific books that you loved growing up. The drive is supporting two libraries this year!

Shutter Sisters Get Dirty Contest – The new female-centric photography blog is having a photo contest with the topic “getting dirty.” Given how much experience gardeners have with the subject of dirt and being in or around it I’d bet that any one of you could walk away with the “outdoor activities” category without breaking a sweat!

Love Carrots (via Garden Monkey) – Because I am not too mature or above having a good laugh over phallic vegetables… or cacti.

Comments Off

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Gardeners

gifts_valentine_08.jpg

1. Brown “Jasmin” Ring$9.00 While these botanically-inspired rings from The Carrotbox have no use in the garden, they are both durable and affordable enough to leave on while gardening.

2. Pot Brush$29.00 Nothing says romance like a fancy natural bristle brush that makes washing grimy pots easy work. No really! This is one of those tools I would never buy myself but would REALLY appreciate come spring and fall when faced with an ungodly stack of dirty containers to scrub.

3. Strange Doll Head Planters$29.00 I added the “strange” to the title of this trio of three ceramic planters. I’m not sure if they are re-purposed doll heads or made to look like vintage doll heads. Whatever the case may be they’re certainly unique, although fairly creepy (but in a good way) and would look great with a small ‘Pork n’ Beans’ succulent trailing over the top. I do not suggest this gift for loved ones who has nightmares about doll heads. Save it for Halloween instead.

4. Self-watering Planter$27.50 Spend less time watering or worrying about watering and more time with your loved ones with this container that does most of the work for you.

5. Spring Fed Melamine Plate Set$56.00 This set of four floral plates sure are pretty, and the best part is that they are made of super-durable melamine which means you can actually use them outdoors in the garden without risking a small heart attack when small children and/or friends are less-than-delicate with them.

6. Red Hot Egg Planter$95.00 Wowzers these hanging planters are expensive but since we’re talking gifts here I am guessing that there may be someone out there willing and able to spend this kind of dough on their valentine… I’m guessing that “someone” does not share a joint bank account with me. Regardless, these gorgeous planters are worth every penny. They are handcrafted and include a stainless steel hanger. The feature that most makes me love them are the drainage holes in the bottom! THANK YOU. Hallelujah! Nothing renders a hanging container nearly useless as an actual container for growing like a lack of drainage.

7. Anne Black “Seam” Porcelain Vase$100 A simple and elegant hand thrown vase to hold flowers and stems cut from your garden. The one with the little dots circling the circumference reminds me of a dress pattern.

Leave a comment

Back from Vancouver

I just returned from a solo sojourn to Vancouver where it was rainy and green, unlike Toronto the city I left just after a snowstorm and returned to in a snowstorm. In fact it has been so snowy here in Toronto I almost didn’t make it back. Previous flights that day had been canceled and when I did get in (at 1am) it was chaos in the airport.

I arrived in Vancouver on a rare sunny afternoon. The mountains were spectacular in clear view. Wendy, the show’s host picked me up from the airport. I regaled her with tales of a previous trip to Vancouver in which I was put up in a lavish suite-with-a-view at the Granville Island Hotel. I had two televisions to myself! The place was so big I felt like I should have a small family living there with me. And what do you know, when I opened my hotel room door this time around it too was a suite but even BIGGER, complete with two televisions, a kitchenette, a dining table, a huge balcony and a small walk-in closet. COME ON! I instantly felt kind of ridiculous about how much I had gone on and on about the insanity of that last suite — Wendy had kept quiet and didn’t say a word the entire time.

Here are a few photos of the set that I took on the day of the shoot.

shescrafty6.jpg
The set.

shescrafty1.jpg
Host Wendy Russell and myself after a full day of shooting. I am looking rather shiny and make-uped here. I just can’t get used to seeing myself with television face paint.

shescrafty2.jpg
My very favourite prop on the set, a bottle of “Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific” shampoo.

shescrafty3.jpg
We made the “Homegrown Stones” leafy stepping stones project from the You Grow Girl book (page 20-21).

shescrafty4.jpg
Wendy and the director, Rebbecca discuss.

shescrafty5.jpg
They used a dolly to shoot the wide shots. I can’t tell you how much this pleased me.

shescrafty7.jpg
This was made by one of the production gals as a gift to celebrate the show’s second season, but when I saw it I thought it made a genius birthday present. Think about it: one gift that covers you off for a whole decade of gift giving!

Leave a comment