Natural Mosquito Repellants

FIRST…

• Don’t wear dark clothing as it will attract the buzzers.
• Don’t use fragrances especially floral fragrances.
• Don’t leave standing water around in birth baths etc.
• Don’t Garden during Dusk & Dawn : Mosquitoes are more active during dusk and dawn. Head inside for 30 minutes, just as the sun goes down, then back outside when it’s dark, for those starlit nights

Plants that repel mosquitos:

• Rosemary
• Ageratum
• Marigolds
• Catnip

Note plants will repel however it’s best when they are crushed and oils are used or even just taking a leaf and rubbing it on!!

Natural Mosquito Reciepe:

Use catnip oil to make a spray. Mix about a half-teaspoon of essential oil of catnip with 1 cup isopropyl alcohol and 1 cup water. Shake well and spray lightly on clothing, arms and legs. Do not use on children, pets or people sensitive to catnip.

· Brew a catnip and vinegar spritz. Crush 2 cups catnip leaves and add to 3 cups white or rice vinegar in a quart jar. Seal and store in dark cupboard. Shake every day for 2 weeks. Strain mixture into clean jar and refrigerate. Use as a light spritz on clothes, arms or legs. Some say the vinegar keeps the mosquitoes away, other say the catnip does the work.

Gather 2 cups catnip and 1 cup rosemary leaves. Crush the leaves by using a rolling pin or scrunching them with your hands. Put the leaves in a clean jar and cover with 2 cups unscented body care oil or vegetable glycerin. Store in a cool dark cupboard for 2 weeks. Shake the jar lightly every day. After 2 weeks, strain out the leaves and pour the oil into a clean jar. Refrigerate and use the catnip body oil as needed

Reipes from www.greenterrafirma.com

via BT Toronto Blogs » Frankie Flowers.

algae for electricity

This morning while bored on the internet i found this cool and innovative idea, which im surprised that it hasnt been developed before. The city of Venice has plans to use algae instead of fossil fuels, producing 50% of the city’s electricity

The water-filled city is turning what has become a nuisance into a renewable energy resource. The city will be producing electricity from two types of algae that are brought in clinging to ships and regularly grow over the seaport. The algae will be cultivated and treated in laboratories to turn it into fuel. The fuel will then be used to power turbines in a new 40 MW power plant in the center of the city.

In order to make the new power plant truly carbon neutral, any CO2 produced by the process will be fed back to the algae.

The innovative project will cost the city $264 million and should be operating in two years.

via EcoWorldly via Yahoo! Green

Easter Egg Tutorial

Just in case you are looking for a crafty activity for the holiday, or are not starting the celebration until tomorrow (like us) i literally just stumbled across this fabric egg sewing lesson. Retro Mama’s site is beatuiful in fact with many more activities to try.. if you have the time.

Fabric Eggs :: Retro Mama

we have bits + pieces of upholstery fabric all over the house from a fabric samples book we rescued a few years ago… but we really havent made anything productive yet. This would be a great first timers project that even the kids can get into.

I have also added it to our ever growing list of fabulous tutorials (found across the top)

What to Compost?

I am so glad that the ground, and my compost pile, has finally thawed. Time to get back on track…

A well cared for compost pile will reward you with a nutrient-rich, earth-smelling conditioner you can add to planters, window boxes, flower beds, shrub borders – or any other landscape site. You will also be rewarded by knowing that by reducing, reusing and recycling your waste, you are helping to conserve our precious environment. Landscape Ontario

Wondering what to compost? Here is a list from the region of waterloo’s *Green Bin Program.

Acceptable Items
***	Baked goods – e.g. bread, cakes, cookies, dough, pies Butcher paper Butter & margarine Candy Cat litter Cereal Charcoal Coffee cups (PAPER, no lids) Coffee filters, grounds Corn cobs, husks Cotton balls Dairy products – e.g. cheese, sour cream, yogurt Dryer lint Dryer sheets Eggs, eggshells Facial tissues Feathers Fish, fish parts Flour bags Fruit Fur Grains & rice Gravy & sauces Grease, lards, fats Hair Herbs & spices Houseplant waste Jams & jellies Mayonnaise Meat, meat products, bones Muffin/baking cups (paper) Nail clippings	Nuts & shells Paper bags Paper fast food packaging Paper napkins Paper plates Parchment paper Pasta Peanut butter Pencil shavings Pet bedding, droppings Pizza Pizza boxes Play dough (homemade) Popsicle sticks Popcorn Popcorn bags (microwave) Salad & dressings Sawdust Shellfish Shredded paper Snack foods Sugar & sweetener packets Sugar & syrups Sugar bags Tea bags (except Lipton pyramid tea bags) Tissues Toothpicks (wood) Vacuum bags (no plastic) Vegetables - including waxed vegetables such as rutabaga Wood ashes (cold) Wood chips

Not Acceptable
Band-Aids Batteries, paint & other hazardous waste Biodegradable plastic bags Candles Chewing gum Cigarette butts & ashes Cleaning sponges Corks	Cutlery (metal, plastic) Dental floss/tape, toothbrushes Diapers Lipton Pyramid Tea (plastic mesh tea bag) Metal - anything in part or as a whole is made of metal of any kind)	Plastic - plastic bags, biodegradable plastic bags, plastic containers, plastic wrap, etc. Sanitary products – (personal) Textiles Water softener salt	Wax Waxed paper Wood, treated wood Recyclables – place in blue box Yard Waste – compost in back yard, set out during seasonal pickup, bring to transfer station

* The Green Bin Program was introduced to select areas of the Waterloo region as a way to save compostable materials from the landfills, and then transport the scraps to Thorold, as kitchener doesnt have the facilities to process the materials.

What? what facilities? Why not teach people how to compost in their OWN yard. Why use money to truck somewhere else, and then bring back? I would rather use this special airated bin to collect MY own kitchen scraps, and then use in MY own yard.

Even if you dont have a beautiful green bin you should continue to compost the traditional way… with a box bin or pile in a shady corner of the yard. Here are some solutions to some problems you may run into.

SYMPTOMS	PROBLEM	SOLUTION
The compost has a bad odour	Not enough air, or too wet	Turn it
The centre of the pile is dry	Not enough water	Moisten materials while turning the pile
The compost is damp and warm in the middle but nowhere else	Too small	Collect more material and mix the old ingredients into a new pile
The heap is damp and sweet-smelling but still will not heat up	Lack of nitrogen	Mix in a nitrogen source (fresh grass clippings, fresh manure, bloodmeal, or commercial fertilizer high in nitrogen

Outdoor Composters are available at no charge at the following locations:

• Waterloo Landfill, Administration Building, 925 Erb St. W., Gate 1, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Cambridge Landfill, 201 Savage Dr., Monday – Saturday, 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Elmira Transfer Station, end of Howard Ave., Tuesday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

* One composting unit per household *

Fleamarket ideas for outdoors

The sun is shining… the weather is warmer… and i am feeling myself drawn to the yard. It needs a lot of cleanup, but it also could use a few special touches.

Light Fixture Vase :: diyideas.com

Old Heating Vent Rack :: diyideas.com

Tin Can Lanterns :: diyideas.com

i know i have posted about lanterns like this before, but these ones with colour strike my fancy this year. ooh if only more cans were painted this way still.

Fencing turned into a Trellis :: diyideas.com

Outdoor Chandellier :: diyideas.com

Flagman Table :: Instructables

Pizza Sauce Planters :: Happy Sleepy

This creative gardener even offers instructions on how to create your own wall garden. I’m on a personal mission to collect large cans, although i think mine will be the jumbo coffee cans, and i am going to leave them in their original colours. I like to mix it up

Refrigerator Storage :: RococoPop

i love this simple idea too. and take my word for it.. if the fridge still has a seal on it, things inside will stay relatively cool. Boy do i miss by old old fridge.

Custom Tea Set Anyone??

Paint Your Own Tea Cup ::Apartment Therapy Re-Nest

Among many diy recycled crafts i fell in love with this one. first her illustrations are stunning. and fun. who whould have thought octopi would look so awesome on a tea set? and second i really didnt realize it was this simple.

tools: pebeo porcelain pen + paints

how: paint your designs. dry for 24 hours. then bake in oven at 300F

(more detailed instructions at Re-Nest from Apartment Therapy)

anyone know if glass reacts the same as porcelain? think i can paint on glass jars like this???

love, found… valentines gifts

photo credit Paula Hible for BHG.com

this heart trivet from better homes + gardens is a cinch to assemble. Twist three lengths of red jersey into one long braid, shape into a heart, then sew through the underside with a needle and thread. Braid enough white jersey to create a layer of white, and sew again. Create another red braid; continue wrapping it around the heart shape until the trivet has reached the desired size, then sew again.

to keep this along the recycled theme… use old tshirts or sheets… okay pillowcases (smaller) to craft this project

and pre-made printable stickers…

Printable stickers :: BHG.com

Print these on a full-sheet sticker page (dollarama) and then cut out to decorate cards, candy, and presents. Download the stickers here