Friday, June 20, 2008

Saving Money on Water: Homemade Rain Water Barrel


I finally decided to make my own rain water barrel for the garden. The ones I priced online were almost $100.00! Our local Ace Hardware has a huge one that is ready to install but it was $118.00, so we settled on a large garbage can from Wallyworld for $7.99. It was a bit more expensive than the ones at Dollar General, but this can was light weight and easy to cut. The can is eco-friendly, made with 75% recycled materials.

We bought a flexible drain extender from Home Depot, disconnected the top gutter, and then screwed the flexible extender into place. We cut a hole in the top of the lid and fit the plastic extender right through it. The lid was thin enough that I was able to cut into it with a knife, and then heavy duty scissors.

Last night it rained for about 30 minutes, and the can overflowed. We'll be adding a hole near the top as an overflow, and probably hook it up to another can. I'm thinking this could be done with some caulk and a large funnel or PVC pipe. Speaking of caulk, here are is a free sample.
We get a lot of water coming off our roof in this particular location. If we add another extender, I could probably reach it to the kiddie pool and fill it when it rains.
It was so nice to use free water today on my garden! I just dunked the watering can in and was able to water all my new plantings, vegetables, and indoor plants. I have plenty left. This was so easy!

See more at the Make It From ScratchCarnival

Friday, June 13, 2008

Petites Indulgences Under $15.00

After dealing with the unpleasantness of the flu here at the house, I was inspired to post a few beautiful fragrances and small indulgences. These are some of my favorites. There is nothing like fragrance and other fun girly stuff when you need a little lift.

Papier Poudré Removes dust and shine from your face, leaving a light powder finish.



Rose Flavored Hard Candy 50g by L'Anis de Flavigny


Garden of Ireland Heather & Moss Solid Creme Cologne

L'Aromarine Fragrances Flowers Eau de Toilette

Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm

BAL A VERSAILLES For Women By JEAN DESPREZ cologne






On-The-Go Passport Soap Sheets

Rose by Taylor of London Ice Cologne Stick

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Getting Rid of Slugs in the Vegetable Garden


My new vegetables are being decimated by slugs! I went out this evening and hand picked off a few small ones. I found some potential natural solutions for slug control at eartheasy.com

Eartheasy mentions two solutions which are very doable for me: seawood and coffee. We are near the ocean so I plan to take a trip to the beach to gather some seaweed. It will be really stinky, but the salt in the seawood is supposedly enough to repel them. Another natural solution is coffee. I just went off coffee due to stomach problems, so this is a great way to use up my remaining coffee stash.

I read here at gardenweb that spraying ammonia onto the area helps, and iron phosphate slug bait, AKA Sluggo which is non-toxic.

The ones we have are the long giant brown spotted ones. They are really creepy looking, and are best seen at night with a flashlight along our foundation. I'll try to get a picture of them - ours are so huge they look like alien slugs. Shivers!