How Does Your Indoor Garden Grow?

I will admit my garden is not all silver bells and cockle shells.  I can keep philodendrons alive, but I have killed every orchid that has entered my house...Jana 6, Orchids 0.

I am more interested in the pots and planters...the plants are secondary.

#1.  This planter is a combination of a pot I made at my first pottery class (over 30 years ago) and a wood stand I made last year.  The pot reminds me of a WWI helmet and it has held up like one.

#2  This is a "self-watering" planter made from a wine bottle.  I tried cutting bottles a couple years ago.  I thought it was going to be my next craft obsession.  Turns out that collecting the bottles became the obsession.  When it came to cutting them and using them...it didn't happen.  I do like this project, though.  I cut a bottle in half, flip the top upside down, inserted a screen and cotton twine down the neck, add soil and plant. On this one, I added copper tape for decoration...other I etched designs.  It is an easy project and is great for someone who forgets to water their plants.  (Another idea to help with this problem later).

#3  This is my minimalist plant arrangement.  The shapes are Himmeli design made from brass tubing.  So far the air plants are in good shape.  The only care they need is a weekly soak.

My daughters (Mallory and Michelle) and I are interested in the Himmeli shapes.  I shared a wreath in a past blog.  Mallory made some for Michelle's bridal shower.

 #4  Sometimes I can't resist adding my own mark.  I gold leafed this rosemary pot.  I love the little cactus.  I am afraid to get too attached, just in case it doesn't make it.

#5  I liked the first wood frame so much I made another.  Again, I thought this was to be a new craft/obsession.  Nope.  It looks simple, but the wood pieces need to be exact and I don't enjoy detail work.

#6  This fern pot is one of my favorite project.  I glazed a saucer and the rim of a terra cotta pot and fired it.  Then I added a mosaic of tiles and pottery shards to the base of the pot.  I loved everything about making these pots (glazing, firing, tiles, grout).  Here are some that I left in Ohio with my friend Jan.

I would have more plants in my house, if I could keep them alive.  I have plenty of light in my house.  The watering is the problem...either too much (I suspect in the case of the orchids) or too little.

Recently I saw on Pinterest where you can use unused disposable diapers to enhance potting soil.  You take out the super absorbing crystals and mix it with your soil to help retain moisture.

I had to give it a try.  I picked up an adult diaper at the local thrift store.  (Remember I live in FLORIDA in an area where I am more likely to find adult diapers rather than baby diapers).  I took out the crystals (mixed with cotton) from the middle of the diaper and added it to the potting soil.   I put some of the crystals (with cotton) in a glass and added water.  A 1/4 cup of crystals in cotton absorbed over a cup of water.  The cup stayed moist for over a week.

Turns out there are many uses for disposable diapers...cold pack, ultimate paper towel...think BIG sponge.  Check out these ideas from instructables.com.

Interesting how I went from house plants to disposable diapers!

FREE Digital Magazine from Your Library

Did I say FREE?  Yes, FREE!

I am a big fan of libraries.  And I love libraries even more now that I found out I can download MAGAZINES for FREE! to read on my iPad.  Wait, Wait, it gets better...there is no limit on how many magazines you can download, the magazines don't go away and (sigh) past copies are also available. OMG!

My local library is the Lake County Library System in Florida.  At my library the magazines are available through ZINIO.  Currently there are 64 magazines...everything from Taste of Home to National Geographic, with Popular Mechanics and Good Housekeeping in between.

The setup is not for the faint of heart, but still doable (and very much worth it). I will use lots of pictures to make it easy to follow.  Before you begin, have handy your Lake County Library card, an email address, think of a password (and write it down) and your tablet of choice (iPad, Android or Kindle HD).

I browse the Lake County website from my desktop computer and only use my tablet for reading.  So, these instructions are  based on using a desktop web browser for Phase One and an iPad for Phase Two.  Also, I do all my browsing and checking out magazines at home with a good Internet connection (not using a cell phone data connection).  Other options may work, but this is how I roll.

You start by creating an account in ZINIO and linking it to your library card (Phase One), then you download and set up the ZINIO app on your tablet (Phase Two).

PHASE ONE

Let's create an account in ZINIO.  I recommend you get to ZINIO from the Lake County Library website.  At the bottom of the home page, click in the ZINIO area.

This will send you to a library ZINIO webpage.  Click on the Zinio Website link in #1.

On the next webpage, click the "Create a New Account" on the top right.   In the pop-up box, enter your Lake County library card number.  

Next, you will create a ZINIO account to link to your library card.  Type in first name, last name and email address.  Type in the password you created and wrote down for your ZINIO account (that I recommended before we started).  You will need this email address and password later.  Click "Create Account".   You now have a ZINIO account and it is connected to your library card.   If you have any problems, check out this YouTube video. 

While you are on the ZINIO webpage, let's checkout a few magazines.  That way you will have some magazines to download on your tablet after you set up the app.  Browse through the magazines, scrolling through the pages (#1).  Once you find a magazine you want, click on the cover (#2).  

This will take you to the webpage to checkout your magazine.  Click on the Checkout button (#1).  You can get back issues from here also (#2).

If you see the SUCCESS! you have completed your checkout.  Click the "Keep Browsing" button or the "X" at the top of the box.  You might be tempted to "Start Reading", but not this time.  We are on a mission.  Be strong and wait until you have your tablet set up.    You can stop here or browse and check out more magazines.  When you are done go on to Phase Two to download and setup the ZINIO app.

PHASE TWO

The hard part is over!  Now you need to download the ZINIO app (ZINIO for library) to your tablet.  After it is downloaded, you will need to setup the app to connect to your ZINIO account and library card.   Follow the yellow dot.

1. Click "Log In"
2. Select Country (United States)
3. Select State (Florida)
4. Select Library (Lake Count Public Library)
5. Enter the SAME email address and password you used for creating your Zinio account in Phase One. 
6. Click "Sync Library"

Viola...you should see your magazines.  Click on the magazine cover to start reading.

BROWSING AND CHECKING OUT

You have successfully created your account and set up your tablet.  Here are some helpful tips to checkout more magazines.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I recommend using a good Internet connection to download the magazines (not a cell phone data connection).  If you see a cloud with a blue down arrow (below Mental Floss in the picture above), that means that you have checked out the magazine, but is is not downloaded to your device.  I try to remember to download the magazines I have checked out as soon as possible.  That way if I am out and want to read a magazine, I am not disappointed because I don't have an Internet connection.  This may not make sense right now...but it will eventually.

I use my desktop Internet browser to go to the Lake County Library website.  To get more magazines, clock in the ZINIO area at the bottom of the home page (same as in the Phase One instructions).   Click on the ZINIO Website in #1 (again, just like you did originally).  This time, click on the "Browse Magazines" and "Checkout" magazines like you did the first time.  You can read the magazines directly from the browser or your tablet.  

There may be a delay between when you checkout the magazine and when it shows up on your tablet.  Be patient.  Sometimes I close the Zinio app and reopen it.  

HOW TO DELETE

I found out the hard way that the magazines eat up a lot of storage on my tablet.  I recommend deleting the magazine when you have finished reading it.  To delete, click on the "Edit" button on the top right (see the last picture).  If you don't see the "Edit' button, click on the Date/Time till it shows up.  An "X" in a red circle will appear the the top left of the magazine cover.  Click that "X" and the magazine is deleted.  The amount of storage on my device is displayed at the top (center).  Click "Done' to get back.

THE REST OF THE STORY

ZINIO is a digital distributor of over 5,000 magazines.  If you got directly to the main Zinio webpage (www.zinio.com), you can PAY for digital magazines and subscriptions.  But if you go through the library, you get to the ZINIO for LIBRARIES webpages.  Also, if you let your computer auto login, it is quick and easy every time.

Some libraries in Ohio use the NOOK app to distribute their digital magazines.  Each library offers different magazines.  And some libraries don't have this service available.  

I have some good magazines to read.  Good Housekeeping has some smoothie recipes (I bought a Ninja blender this week), Do It Yourself has some clever ideas for flea market finds and Prevention says I can get slim and strong in 10 minutes a day.

Enjoy!