Making a miniature terrarium from Apple mouse packaging.

You know how some companies, like Apple, tend to over package even the tiniest gizmos? And then you're left with this package that could withstand a zombie apocalypse? And there's NO recycle logo anywhere on any of the plastics so...

Dashboard chocolate chip cookies! The ultimate eco cookie.

When the summer heatwave rolls through Chicago, all most of us can think about is staying indoors with the AC cranked up. This year has been no exception. The heat index on Wednesday of this week was expected to reach...

How to restore an old and grody cast iron skillet.

[PHOTO NOTES: I've saved images very large so you can click on them to see the details close up. It's important that you understand the textures of the cast iron during the shopping and restoration process. If you want to...

Halloween Projects: Gothic Gardening with Spooky Wire Topiary Forms

I love love love Halloween and cackled with delight when I saw Glamos' skeleton topiary form at the Independent Garden Center Show in Chicago this year. But you'll need to start earlier than I did if you want some creepy...

Halloween Project: Creating a TERROR-arium from an H. Potter Wardian Case.

Have you ever walked across a marsh, up a seemingly innocuous grassy knoll under a big gnarly tree, then noticed you're standing in the middle of an ancient cemetery? Then the sky darkened and clouds started tumbling and suddenly, the...

Halloween Project: Dusty Bones Container Planting

This little project started out as a challenge to salvage the reputation of Dusty Miller, the plant that garners disdain from many professional garden designers. After pondering the shape and texture of Dusty Miller for over a month, I realized...

Functional Art for the Garden.

Last week, I attended the Independent Garden Center show in Chicago hoping to find 3 – 5 cool new products to review for 2011. I thought I had everything I needed when I left Thursday to stand in line for...

Hoop Hoopy Doop: Groovin’ in the Garden with Hipster Pete

OMG the cold winds of May have totally taken Chicago by surprise this month. Just after I'd planted all my pepper plants and all my tomatoes, we get a frost advisory with temps expected to dip to 34-36 F! What...

Totally ugly yet cheap cloches to keep frost off your lovelies.

Everyone's been throwing around the term cloches lately in the gardenbloggertwitospere. And yes, it is a real word folks and nope, not one I'd heard of as a kid on grandma's farm. After all, it is French in origin and my...

Accidental Oat Milk or ‘How to screw up a perfectly good flour sack towel.’

I was starving and desperately craving pancakes yesterday and had no soy milk handy. Rather than lug out the soy milk machine, I decided to try using the blender to whip up some oat milk. Of course, I didn't have...

VeganMoFo: No more excuses! Make reusable grocery bags, easy!

It's been said before but it bears repeatin': you can make reusable grocery bags very easily by recycling old t-shirts. No need to keep letting the grocer pack your goods in plastic bags just because you 'intend' to get some...