Garden Crafts & More -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own. 

I can't believe it is already midJuly. Where is this summer going? I know my gardens are started though they need some work and I need to replant some of the vegetables that the rabbits didn't let grow past a few leaves before the devoured them. I also have to figure out how they are getting through the fences. Today I am going to share some books to help you bring plants to your life--indoors or out as well as a wonderful way to dispose of your food waste that will help your plants. We will start with indoor garden ideas. These are for people like my parents who love plants, but no longer have a yard or much space. The first book is Miniature Terrariums by Fourwords. 

Terrariums seem to cycle through popularity and are coming back again. This book shares about terrariums, how to make them and the different types of plants one can use. They give practical tips in each chapter as well and some neat ideas. 

There are three chapters on types of plants: wetland, air and arid zone plants. The chapters then give different project ideas. 

The projects in this book are fun and creative. They range in different styles as well as the different plants.

Seeing them all makes me want to go out and look at cute glass containers and plants to give them a try. Be sure to check out our air plant terrarium that we reviewed a few years ago. 

Our next book is Miniature Moss Gardens by Megumi Oshima and Hideshi Kimura. Do you know much about moss? I will admit I didn't prior to this book. 

It does start with information about moss and then goes into ways to discover and gather moss and then how to care for them. 

Then come the fun projects!! As the projects are introduced the book talks about finding the correct moss for you and your lifestyle and the care they need. The book ends with a moss identification guide as well. 

Now for those of you with space outside, our next book is for you. It is Design Your Garden Toolkit by Michelle Gervais. 

This fun book is exactly what it says it is. It is a toolkit to plan your (flower) gardens. It starts by talking about things to know about your gardening space and what to focus on to keep it looking nice all season long. Gervais divides plants into two types--all season plants and flowering accent plants. All season plants are plants that have color and texture in their foilage so they look nice all season. Gervais shares 128 plants and has them divided into these two groups. She gives information about size and the amount of sun needed. Then there are stickers and a planning board so you can make your own garden plans and see what it might look like prior to purchasing the plants.

I only used 1/3 of the design board here

There are 150 reusable stickers to move around on the design board. The stickers are color-coded for all season plants (green) and flowering accent plants (purple). The color-code is on the bottom where the name of the plant is as well as picture of what type of sun the plant likes. There are also stickers of focal point objects like a boulder or a vase. 

This kit introduced me to some new plants to check out for our partly to mostly shady parts of our yard. I think I am going to use this kit to really plan out some of our spaces next year. It is a great resource!!

Our final book is Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof and Joanne Olszewski. This is the 35th anniversary edition. I will admit I have looked at an older edition of the book. My mother gave us her worms a few years ago. The idea was for Hazel to learn about them and then we would put them in my garden. Instead Steve and Hazel like caring for them so we have kept them. 

Our worms mostly get coffee grinds, but they seem to love them. Their compost goes into my garden which the plants love (especially the weeds). This book goes through everything you need to know to keep worms. It talks about the worms, the bins, bedding and how to set them up. There is even a chapter on what to feed them. 

This book has illustrations that show each step very clearly and the instructions are wonderful. 

Although worms are not a craft, they do make wonderful fertilizer for gardens and plants and those can definitely be a craft and art. I hope you will check out these amazing books!

It is time to see what you have been creating! Thank you to everyone who shared with us last party. Below are a few of the features from our party. Please remember for your child-oriented crafts, activities, lessons, etc. Sharing Saturday is going on!! We have started having a monthly Sharing Saturday party for the summer, so keep coming back and sharing!  I can't wait to see what your latest creations!!

Features

1) From White House Crafts: Metallic Washi Tape Bumble Bees

2) From Artsy Fartsy Mama: Dolly & Me Tie-Dye Party

3) From Anika's DIY Life: DIY Little Girls Accessory Organizer

4) From The Handyman's Daughter: No Sew Fabric Bin Cover

5) From Duct Tape and Denim: Painted Turquoise and Red Frames

6) From The Scrap Shoppe: Tailgating Mason Jar Cozy

7) From Celebrating Everyday Life: Lavender Summer Table

8) From Sparkle Living: Blue Pineapple Painted Serving Tray


Thank you to everyone who shared the last week!! I hope you will share again!! If you are featured here, please feel free to grab a featured button to display proudly on your blog. I would love the help spreading the word about Crafty Weekends!!

An InLinkz Link-up