Attempting Seeds and Getting Crafty

After my last post and how I talked about not being set-up for starting plants from seed, I decided that maybe I should just go for it. Sure, I don't have any lights or a seedling warmer (I didn't even know those existed up until a few weeks ago), nor do I even have a seed tray. Nothin'. You get an idea of how new I am to growing my own food. What I did have, was two egg cartons that I had planned to give the kids to use for crafts or as a tray of somesort, and several broken egg shells which were drying and waiting for me to crush up and put in my compost bin. I've read articles and heard stories about how it was possible to grow things in eggshells, and that it can actually be helpful because instead of having to transplant the plant from a tray into the soil, you just plunk (gently) the whole thing (plant, eggshell and all) into it's new home in the garden. So since I already had these things on hand, plus a bunch of seeds just calling out to me to be planted (gardening is a sickness, really) I decided to give it a go and hope for the best.

I poked tiny holes into the bottoms of my eggshells, scooped up some of my new soil (1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss alternative, and 1/3 vermiculte) and filled up the shells. I labelled each shell with the name of what seed was going in, and placed them into the tray.

Then, because I'm me and I do things like this, I made my egg-carton-turned-hopeful-garden into something pretty and fingers crossed, functional. I cut out the centre of the lid of the carton and taped plastic wrap on, thinking that maybe I'll be able to keep some warmth in and at the same time let some light in.

I'm really hoping for the best, and will update as things happen....or don't happen. Whatever the case may be. I have had my eye on a pretty little set-up of a flourescent light with a stand for seed starting, but it costs $100 and I can't justify spending that much. The other morning I came up with an idea for my own version of said light stand that will cost me significantly less. I know I don't need a set-up because I've seen many people just hang a light from their ceiling and put their seeds on a table underneath, but I want something just a tad more functional, moveable, and, well.....cool. I'll share that project with you as well when I get started.  

After making the egg-carton garden I got bit by the craft bug and decided to make something that I had been putting off making for awhile: a knitting needle/crochet hook roll. My hooks and needles are usually stuffed inside skeins of yarn or floating around the bottom of my yarn bin which endlessly frustrates me, and since I'm trying my best to not buy things that I can make myself then this was an obvious project. Because of all the rain we've been getting (again) I figured now was as good a time as any to spend some much-needed time with my neglected sewing machine. I'd spent a bit of time looking up tutorials online for making these rolls (there are plenty) but none of them looked like something I wanted to follow. I don't really know why. I figured I would just wing it and do one up myself. Please don't mind the not-so-great lighting in the following pictures, but the overcast skies just won't cooperate. At least you'll get an idea of what I did.

I really like how it turned out, and the colors just make me so happy that I know I will love unrolling this everytime I have a knitting or crocheting project to do, which should be very soon.

Happy homesteading! xoxo

This post is participating in Homestead Revival's Barn Hop #7