Milkweed and Pinecone Bunnies

These simple little bunnies are a perfect  spring crafts for kids. Made from natural materials that can be gathered outside, and a few extras like craft pom-poms and googly eyes. 

We collect natural materials all year, and always have jars of dried milkweed pods, pinecones, acorn caps, seeds, flower pods etc.  Perfect for crafting on rainy days. 

For this project you'll need

 a pinecone

 two milkweed pods,

 4 acorn caps, 

pine needles. 

seeds or googly eyes for the eyes. 

craft pom poms or natural materials for the nose and tail. 

tacky glue 

Start with a medium size pinecone and 4 acorn caps.

Put a dot of glue on the tops of the acorn caps and set the pinecone in place.   Give it a few minutes to dry before attaching the ears. 

Decide where you want the ears, and then tuck the milkweed pods into the pinecone and add a bit of glue to hold them in place. 

Decide what type of face you want your bunny to have, and then attach them to the pinecone with a dot of glue.

We used googly eyes and a pom pom nose for this one.

Don't forget to add your tail. :)

This one was made using all natural materials. i used dried black beans for eyes, a small acorn cap for the nose and a flower seed head as the tail. My daughter prefers them with the googly eyes and pompoms, but i like them all natural too. 

These are very easy to make, and a great project for any age. 

Garden Season and Around the Homestead.

Spring fever has hit! The last few weeks i've been drooling over seed catalogs, planning out my gardens and ordering seeds.

Baker Creek is still one of my favorite places to order online seeds from!  i still have quite a few tomato seeds left from last year, and so i didn't go overboard ordering this year.  i did get the Blue Beauty which i'm excited about, and another variety called Tigerella.  The black pineapple tomatoes were my least favorite from the varieties i grew last year, mainly because i couldn't ever tell when they were ripe. i'm going to try again this year, keeping it in a pot so i don't confuse it with the other tomatoes. 

i've managed to get a large percentage of my seeds for free this year.  i  ordered seeds from Tropical Traditions, using my referral credit.  Besides coconut oil, and coconut products they also offer organic, open pollinated,  GMO-free seeds.   i  received the The Ultimate Emergency Survival Seed kit for $1, in exchange for a review.  i signed up for the Peaceful Valley newsletter/catalog and received a $5 gift code, which i used on seeds and only paid shipping.  

i also saved many seeds from last year, so i have a really nice collection of seeds just waiting to be planted! Locally i purchase seeds from Southern Exposure Seed exchange (Harvest moon health food store) and Seeds of Change (Tractor Supply). So i tend to pick up a few new packs of seeds any time i go out.  

i always start a few seeds way too early. This year is no different. i started most of my cold crops, but also a few tomatoes. This year i've started Violent Sicilian cauliflower,  Purple sprouting broccoli, Redbor (purple kale), lots of lettuce ,  black cherry and violet jasper tomatoes. 

This eggplant was planted last year, and never did anything. It was so small, i dug it up and brought it inside and overwinter it.  This spring is has really started to grow and has bloomed twice now! :)  i think this will give me a pretty good head start on eggplant this year. :)

i have several 'lettuce bowls' planted. i find that they grow well overcrowded like this. In the spring you can pull off individual leaves to use in your salad, and once the plants are a good size and the ground is ready to plant they can be separated and transplanted into the garden. i had really good luck doing it this way last year, and look forward to it again this year.   i have 3 different pots of lettuce started, so i'll be able to have a pretty constant supply of lettuce throughout the season. The potted lettuce can be moved to cooler locations, so even in the heat of the summer you can still grow it.

i still have a ton of sweet potatoes that were harvest last fall. Most of them are still edible, but i do have a few that have begun to sprout.  The longer starts i remove and place them in water to root.  These smaller starts i'll leave until they get a bit larger.  It will be really nice if we get enough sweet potato starts that i don't have to buy any this year. In the past, i haven't been able to get them to grow starts until after it's time to plant. 

Kenan set up the cold frame for me again this year. This is a really good way to help protect seedling when it's still getting cold at night.  They can be made easily, using materials around the house. You can get old windows off of freecycle or at the Habitat Restore. Ask around, lots of folks have these taking up space in the shed or garage.  We used concrete blocks, but you can build a raised bed out of wood, or straw bales and it will work well too.  

Every year Biglots has these super cheapy greenhouses for sale. They have several different sizes, and at the end of the season they mark them way down.  Last fall i snagged this walk in greenhouse for 75% off. i paid less than $20 bucks for it. i know it will probably only last one season, but i'm still excited to have it.  It was very easy to put together and i've already got a bunch of plants stating in it.  i also bought the 4 tier greenhouse  at 75% off to use inside over the winter.  It worked really well to keep a few things, like my eggplant, going all winter long.  i also used to to get a head start on seeds while it was still below freezing outside.  Both of these greenhouses are made with pvc and are not real strong, but when you can snag them at a discount i think they are totally worth it. 

Spring is definitely in the air (even though it is snowing as i type this).  My chickens are laying like crazy, we are getting over a dozen eggs a day.  i have one broody hen setting on eggs. She is setting on 6 olive eggs, so i am hoping that they are fertile and she hatches out some olive egger babies. My OE hen has been hanging out with my Black Copper Maran rooster, so the babies (2G) should produce really dark olive eggs, i believe.  i've read conflicting info on whether the male BCM affect egg color...so i guess we'll see as long as we hatch out a few females.

This last week we've finally had some spring weather.  The daffodils are starting to bloom and Kenan tilled up 3 of the gardens.   i'm still planning out where to plant this year, but i'm excited to get started. We are putting in lots of fruit trees this year, and more blueberry bushes.  

 Kenan's glass work is doing fantastic and i am back to beading, which i haven't done seriously since before i had kids. Lots of work to do, but making lots of progress, and finally beginning to feel like we are back on the right path again. 

“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.” - Abraham Lincoln

i'm back on Etsy!

i finally took the plunge and re-opened my etsy shop. i don't think i've had anything listed there in 5+ years or something. i'm hoping to keep it updated with new work, so stop by and check it out.

Help the Monarchs and become a Butterfly Hero!

Pledge to help the Monarch butterflies and become a butterfly hero!  The National Wildlife Federation is offering a FREE Butterfly Garden Starter Kit for anyone who snaps a photo of themselves (or their kids) making the American Sign Language sign for butterfly.

PLEDGE TODAY!  The sign for butterfly is made by linking your thumbs and crossing your two hands in front of you at the wrists with your palms facing you. After taking the pledge, you will receive a Butterfly Garden Starter Kit, while supplies last. Once you have your kit, learn how to garden and watch your wildlife garden bloom!

Your butterfly garden starter kit will include:

• Seed packet with native milkweed or a flowering nectar plant
  • Monarchs drink nectar from flowers and their caterpillars eat only milkweed
• A list of milkweed and nectar plants native to your region
  • Ask your garden center for the best plants on our list to add to your garden
• Ranger Rick Nature Notebook
  • Observe your garden and the butterflies, caterpillars, and other wildlife that make it their new home!
• Butterfly Heroes Sticker and Poster
• Show your Butterfly Hero Pride!

For many years we have been helping the monarch by planting milkweed, and rescuing the caterpillars off the milkweed growing on the side of the road where the county cuts it down.   We often bring the eggs and caterpillars inside where we can watch the transform and also protect them from predators. The monarch population is threatened, and teaching our children to protect them is so very important.  

Everyone who pledges before May 15th will also be registered to win a trip to Disney World! See official rules.

So will you take the pledge to help protect the monarchs?

Mandalas and Marble wraps.

Lots of new work this week, all posted over on my FB page.   If you are not on fb feel free to inquire here or send me an email. enchantedtree (at) hotmail dot com. 

Earthy Marble Wrap Mandala.

Teal and Lavender Marble Wrap Mandala

Earthy Mandala with stone chips

Earthy Mandala with Tigereye rounds

Teal and lavender mandala with Amethyst rounds.

i'm still trying to get a new website set up, but am not quite there yet.  i started the new site over on wordpress https://theenchantedtree.wordpress.com/  i intend to eventually move this blog over, but i'm alittle bit intimiated by the whole process. i really have no idea what i'm doing and i'm really afraid i'll lose this blog. Anyhow, feel free to check it out and let me know what you think.

February Round Up.

February seemed to fly by, although i admit at times it also seemed to drag.  Bit of a recap, not a whole lot went on the first two weeks of February, but at the end of the second week my daughter came down with the flu. A couple days later my husband was sick as well.  Then we were hit with our first big snow of 2015, and school was canceled the entire week.  My girl was fevered for 5 days, and when the fever broke she developed a pretty nasty cough that lasted another 3-4 days. My husband was only fevered for 3 days, but is still dealing with the fatigue and cough over a week later. 

School was canceled all week because of the snow, so my girl actually only missed one day of school from the flu (the friday before valentine's day).  The roads didn't improve, and the kids had monday and tue of the next week off as well. The were back to school for a full day on Wed and then that evening it began to snow again. We got another 5-6" and were out of school for the rest of the week.  

My girl missed out on the first snow because she was sick, but by the second week she was finally able to get outside and enjoy in it. They made a giant snow ball,  started a snow dragon, had a snowball fight, made snow cones and enjoyed lots of sledding.

The kids love the snow, me not so much. i came outside to take a few pictures, but i didn't even go sledding this year. i'm just totally over the winter and ready for spring. 

The dogs really enjoy the snow, but they also love curling up on the their doggie bed in the basement and spending the cold nights inside.

Casper doesn't seem to mind the snow, but Delilah prefers to hide out in the goat house. Poking her head out just enough to see if i brought treats. We have a fleece blanket covering the door, to protect them from the wind. Our temperatures got down to below zero, which is pretty darn cold. The animals all seemed to tolerate it pretty well, although a couple of my rooster got frost bite on their combs.

My poor chickens have spent the last few weeks stuck in the coop. They want nothing to do with the snow, and pretty much hang out on the roosts all day. i believe this is where the term feeling 'copped up' comes from. lol. Between Sage being sick and then the snow, i went almost three weeks without leaving the house.  i was definitely feeling some pretty serious cabin fever!

My boy who officially became a teenage in Jan. has started working with his dad in the glass shop. He started off just getting comfortable with the glass, and then began making a few pendants.  He is progressing well and seems to really enjoy it.  

My girl started expressing an interest in sewing, so i pulled out some felt and helped her to design a pokemon plushie. She figured out which ones she wanted to make, and i cut the pieces out. She then glued them together and did all the sewing herself.   

She is very proud of her pokemon and keeps asking to make more. i think a sewing machine may end up on her birthday list this year. :) 

With the kids home from school i really don't get much crafting done. i just don't deal well with distraction. When i'm beading or sewing i like to go into the 'zone' and when someone is yelling mom every ten minutes it just doesn't work for me.  So instead we've been playing board games, baking cookies, doing ice crafts and i helped my boy bake a chocolate lava cake.

i've been sitting by the woodstove drooling over seed catalogs, starting seeds and ordering seeds. i'm excited about this years garden and working on doing things a bit differently and already starting to plan it out.  The snow crushed my hoop house which was filled with winter lettuce and kale. So i've started a pot of mixed lettuce inside, and then decided to start a few broccoli, cauliflower and kale as well. Since i was starting seeds, i planted a couple of tomatoes too. :)  i know it's way too early, but if i can keep them alive for the next month, they should do well outside in a cold frame.  

So that pretty much sums up our February.  Looking forward to a busy productive month and all the beautiful signs of spring.