It’s not difficult to make a holiday wreath. Here’s how to make your own Christmas holiday wreath that honors a centuries-old tradition. Some people might see a pile of evergreen branches. But other creative folks see boundless possibilities! Don’t discard the branches you have trimmed from your fresh-cut Christmas tree. Instead, use these trimmed branches to create your very own DIY holiday wreath! A quick history of making wreaths Many historians believe the history of wreath making goes back to ancient Greece and Rome. Wreaths were made of fresh tree leaves and small twigs and branches. The branches and leaves were fashioned into a circle, which was then decorated with flowers and small fruits. Other historians trace the origin of the modern holiday wreath to about 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus. These evergreen wreaths were adopted by early Christians, who made “Advent wreaths” to celebrate the season of Christmas. Over the years, the Christmas wreath has become a … [Read more...] about How To Make A Holiday Wreath
DIY
How to Make Your Own Terrarium
When you make your own terrarium, you create a miniature garden for your home or office. It’s easy, and you will enjoy it for years. You can make your own DIY (do-it-yourself) terrarium using basic gardening supplies and materials from around the house. If you are not familiar with terrariums, think of it as a miniature contained garden. A terrarium is sort of like an aquarium, but for plants! A terrarium is a great addition to any indoor space. It makes a wonderful gift, too. Plus, making your own DIY miniature garden is a fun indoor gardening project when the weather turns cold. What is a Terrarium? A terrarium is a simple garden enclosed in glass or plastic. One benefit of growing plants inside a terrarium is the ability to control the growing environment and adapt it to specific plant materials. A closed terrarium allows you to maintain a humid atmosphere for plants like ferns, polka dot plant, and Venus flytrap. You can also use your DIY terrarium to start … [Read more...] about How to Make Your Own Terrarium
How to Build a Cedar Hot Tub
I always wanted to build a cedar hot tub. The vision of a long soak in a hot tub under the starry skies on a clear, crisp night in Santa Fe is quite compelling. Doing it in a natural tub constructed from cedar made the thought seem even better. As an experienced DIYer, I was taken by the idea that I could design and build a classic, red cedar hot tub myself. And I could save several thousand dollars over the cost of a kit from an established hot tub supplier. After all, how hard could it be? I built my own home in 2014. A cedar hot tub is a far simpler and much smaller project. This is the basic hot tub I envisioned: Research I spent several weeks scouring websites of commercial suppliers and DIY builders for ideas about wooden hot tubs. In my search, I discovered three things: How to Build a Cedar Hot Tub: The Design After my research was finished, I began the design phase. The tub would be circular, five feet in diameter and about 40 inches deep. I would use … [Read more...] about How to Build a Cedar Hot Tub
Build an Instant Rusted Corrugated Metal Fence
Our master bedroom garden was an unsightly mess. What it needed was an instant rusted corrugated metal fence, although it took me a while to figure that out. The space was initially designed as coyote-safe place for our small dogs and a sunny location for our raised bed gardens in galvanized stock tanks. But the native grasses had taken over, and the heavy-gauge open mesh fence offered no privacy. It was time for a serious landscaping remodel. Bee Zollo, my life partner, and I decided we wanted a space with a cleaner, more modern aesthetic than the over-grown “natural” look that we currently had. The most important element in the new garden was making it more private. This necessitated replacing the open mesh fencing with a new design. We considered a range of wood options, but finally decided we liked the contemporary appearance of a rusted corrugated metal fence using the existing redwood framing which was in very good shape. Inventing the Instant Rusted Corrugated Metal … [Read more...] about Build an Instant Rusted Corrugated Metal Fence
