VIVA LA THROW PILLOW!

WHY DO MEN HATE THROW PILLOWS?
   In my experience most men hate throw pillows (most men, not all). It seems there is a need for comfort on the part of women that men don't require. My husband can sleep on a bus station bench all night if need be, and has on occasion. I have no scientific evidence for this dichotomy of the sexes, but, based strictly on the anecdotal evidence, men don't need to "nest" the way women do.

Well here is a project that might make men come round to the throw pillow.........
.......maybe..........DIY French patriot  pile........Hipster bean bag.......or whatever you want to call it. 

I'm a bit of a Francophile, so this was an attractive idea to me. You could also use a British Union Jack which is very popular right now or an Americal flag seems obvious, or run with your own nationality or symbol. Design-wise, these flags have a strong graphic, almost pop art quality. Any time you bring a strong graphic symbol into interior design it can have an edgy, urban or industrial feel, like advertising as art, and even convey a sense of irony, which permeates so much of design and art today. 

I started with 18 French flags about a foot long, printed on a smooth cotton.

I stitches up this pile of French flags that were already closed on three sides so I just filled them with foam, pinned them closed,  and hand stitched them up.

 I used the filler foam from this bean bag chair and then topped it with the pillows.

   I haven't seen my man lounging on this yet but it looks like a good place to drink a beer, watch the game or at least have a pillow fight!!!

VIVA LA DIFERENCE !!!! 

1 PALLET:15 THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH IT! Insallment 1

Here are some uses for a free pallet......
1) VERTICAL GARDEN

Client and friend, Patrick Cahn, used his free pallet he got from Harvard University dining commons to grow kale, swiss chard and salad greens this summer in his Summerville, MA yard.

He said his two daughters Lila and Sofie helped him plant and harvest their greens, the girls like the kale the best.

He used strips of landscape fabric to cover the sides, he simply stapled them down.

Then he covered the openings on both front and back with a piece of plywood and poured in a planting mix, composed of compost and planting soil (Coast of Maine products and my first choice and what he used here).

Then he wet it down well to make sure the soil would adhere to itself and the pallet.

Then he could remove the plywood. The whole pallet needs to lean back about  5% from vertical and face full sun so the soil wouldn't fall out and your vertical garden is ready for planting.

Patrick said the hardest part was keeping the planter watered!!!

If you are  an organic gardener like I am you might want to make sure that the pallet that you use has not been exposed to industrial usage, sometimes materials get spilled so knowing your source of  is important.

SEEDS OF CHANGE

Allium seeds vegetables from the dried flower head.

   Every year I harvest the fruit vegetables and flowers that we grow here in Lincoln, but I also harvest the plants for next years in the form of seeds. Generations of gardeners, farmers, and  horticulturists have started the next year by picking seeds from the plants that grew and produced well. Unfortunately many seed companies today have genetically engineered their plants so the seeds will not grow beyond the first generation, which in turn causes farmers to buy new seed every year. So I start by  making sure the seeds I buy are not genetically modified and then my harvest is secure.

Allium head and Okra seed pods

The biggest concern when saving seeds for the next years planting is to dry them and keep them dry. I make sure they are spread out so air can get around them, I use a plate or cookie sheet or even a screen from an old window and keep the seeds from touching each other. I also find a dry spot in the house with no strong drafts. The top of my refrigerator works well; the generator in the fridge creates a little heat and dries them quickly. Attic space was traditionally used: it's nice and dry and warm, you just need to make sure there are no mice. They love seeds!

Okra seeds and pod

   After your seeds are fully dry you need a dry place to store them until it is time to plant. I like envelopes or tins.  I found these tins at TX Maxx for $8.99 and I reuse them every year, I also like to give them as gifts to my gardener friends, I make flower or salad mixes of seeds and a how-to planting note with the little tin wraped up.

WINTER LEEKS

   Early January and the leek crop is still providing for us. I left the pitchfork in the patch before the snow and all I had to do is pry. The soil wasn't frozen more than an inch and the leeks came right out, the snow acts to insulate the crop. These are self-sowing leeks that we grow as yearlings and use them when they are the size of your pinky. Every year we allow 5 or 6 to get large and flower so they can sow seeds that we dig up and move around the garden to where we want them. The allium family includes leeks, onions, and garlic all have the wonderful ability to deter animals and insects from eating them and ofter other plants around them so we use them as natural defense for our garden.
   I wanted leek dip for a get-together and the little scallion like leeks chop up great and have a mild sweet taste from the freezing they endured.






















A littel leverage and leek dip comming up.

LEEK DIP post to come....