Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Community Gardening-

While I was out walking the dogs I met Carol digging out some old concrete in a section of her front yard. While we were talking she mentioned a community garden that I might be interested in seeing. On the corner of Allgood Road and Pine Street right behind Allgood Elementary School.




So Charlie, Kaylee and I started off down the road. Charlie and Kaylee are my son and daughters' dogs and they do have a Facebook page. (The Adventures of Kaylee and Charlie).


Here behind the playground was a well manicured and decorated community garden. Seems Jim Morris, retired chief judge of the Juvenile Court of Cobb County and his wife Jo-Evelyn got together with The Master Gardeners of Cobb County to establish this community garden.






The North Marietta Neighborhood Association, Harry’s Farmers Market,The city of Marietta, Keep Marietta Beautiful Inc. and Marietta Tree Service worked together along with about 50 volunteers to make it what it is today. This is also a great learning opportunity for the children who attend the school. They learn about gardening, plants and insects as well.




The area is considered a “food desert” by the USDA. This is an area composed of predominantly lower-income neighborhoods. Within the boundaries of this neighborhood, there is no nearby grocery store, no source of fresh and healthy food. The closest food is available at a gas station. The community garden helps with that by having 22 raised beds, 6 4X4 beds and 9 “pollinator and demonstration beds.” The pollinator beds will have plants that will attract bees and other insects to make the vegetable beds more productive, and the demonstration beds will be planted to show neighbors how to grow and care for vegetable plants in their own gardens.




People in the neighborhood can rent a bed for $35 (the cost of water) and do whatever they want with what they grow. They can keep it, share it or donate it to the local food bank. They can also take what they’ve learned by watching the demonstrations and plant their own garden at home.
This was all done with a plot of unused overgrown land behind the playground of a school in a poor neighborhood. Just goes to show you what a vision and good help can do for a community.
I learn so much from my walks with the girls and meet such nice people. This was a good day.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Hostess Gift for the Holidays- Taking a clear glass vase and making it special!

I once heard Kathie Lee Gifford complain about people bringing flowers to a dinner party and how she would have to stop everything to look for a vase, cut the stems and arrange the flowers. I have to admit that I never viewed a gift of flowers in this way but I can see how it could cause some folks stress.
This is a wonderful way to bring flowers to a dinner party and not cause pressure or tension to your host. Present your flowers in a custom vase that she can keep forever! This is a great idea for teacher gifts as well.


First you get a clear glass vase. I got mine from the Dollar Store. Everyone knows how much I appreciate the Dollar Store.
Next, wash it out with warm soapy water and dry it thoroughly. Now choose a basic design and get the colors you will need. The paint type needs to be acrylic enamel. For this project I used white, red, burnt umber, yellow, green and orange.


Choose and simple design and don’t be discouraged if your pattern isn’t perfect. I used simple white lines as branches and have a few cardinals placed here and there. They look fine so don’t try to make them too precise. A splash of green, yellow and orange finishes the painting part of this project.
Once you are happy with your design just put the vase into a cold oven. Set the temperature to 325 degrees. When the oven is ready, set the timer to one hour then turn off the oven. Leave the vase until cool. Overnight is best. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN UNTIL IT IS COOL-You don’t want to shock the glass with a burst of cold outside air.
Once the oven is cool your paint is baked onto the vase. You can wash it gently with warm soapy water when needed and the paint won’t come off.



Fill with your favorite flowers and it’s ready to become a special hostess gift. This vase is a great conversation starter and your flowers will be welcomed at any gathering.
It’s always fun to be creative and this hand painted vase may even result in another dinner invitation!