Penguin Winter Crochet Pattern

Hey everyone! I wrote a new pattern that I think you'll enjoy.. It's a penguin pattern! Aren't they so cute? I just love them. You can find the pattern on Etsy, Craftsy and Ravelry.

Or, if you're not as crafty, you can buy the finished product in my Etsy shop. Enjoy!

Hoping to have more goodies for you soon!

Hanging Herb Planters

My house was built in the 1960s and is a little rectangular ranch with high windows and no window sills. Not good if you have cats (mine are confined to two large windows in the whole house) and not good if you like houseplants. I've seen a lot of really cute hanging planters recently, and came across this idea for attaching them to the cupboard. It's perfect if you want an herb garden in the kitchen but don't have wall space or a sill. Here's how I did it.

Supplies
Small plastic pots - Mine are from Ikea
Herbs
Command hooks - I bought the ones that hold up to 3 pounds, just in case
Drill
Drill bit - I used a 3/8" wood drill bit

Crochet Bow Necklace - Free Pattern

Hi all! Hope you're having an enjoyable weekend. As I work on changing my Etsy shop over to primarily a crochet pattern store, I thought I'd share a cute free pattern that's super simple and quick. Below you'll find a written pattern followed by a photo tutorial to help if you're new to crochet. Enjoy! And be sure to leave a comment if you have a question.

Supplies

For this pattern, you will need a small amount of lace weight yarn, a size "G" crochet hook (4 mm), a yarn needle, scissors, jewelry chain and findings (clasps and rings), and wire cutters and benders. On the bottom right you'll see some necklace backs, which are optional and will only use if you want your bow to be able to slide on the chain.

Crochet Bow Necklace Pattern
Ch 45
Row 1: Single crochet in 2nd chain from hook and each stitch across. (44 stitches)
Fasten off and weave in ends. Fold into a bow shape and wrap center with yarn. Knot end and weave in ends. Attach to necklace.

Mini Succulent and Cactus Garden

I have many, many cacti and succulents in my home (and not just the fake ones I make for my Etsy shop). I loooove them ... There's so much variety, they hardly grow so they basically look the same all the time, and I can forget to water them for a month and they somehow still survive. So when I saw this post from A Beautiful Mess, I was inspired. I found the perfect planter for a dining table centerpiece at Salvation Army, then went to Lowe's and bought some cactus soil, a four-pack of succulents, and a couple cacti.

Since the pot doesn't have a drainage hole, I put some rocks in the bottom. The rocks are some I already had from using them as vase filler. Then I put a little soil in the bottom over the rocks ...

... Arranged the plants, then filled soil in around the plants and added some decorative stones to the top. This is what I ended up with:

I think it's pretty cute and makes a good centerpiece for our square table. This project was quick but a little more than I usually spend on my projects (around $30 for everything). I think it was totally worth it.

The Garden Build

Ready for a lengthy post? Planning and building a 450 square foot vegetable garden is part of what's been keeping me occupied this spring and summer. You may remember my garden of broken dreams from the past...

The worst part of this garden was that it was difficult to access, and the deer would still jump through the circus tented netting and eat the plants. It's also a difficult shape for a vegetable garden. Now this garden is back to a perennial garden (thanks to my great neighbor and all of the transplants I got from her!) and I've moved on to bigger and better gardens. Meet my new space:

My new vegetable garden has 308 square feet of planting space in one continuous bed. Here's the plan and lumber cut list:

When I was planning this garden, here's what I considered:
1. I wanted to use soaker hoses to water the plants and also didn't want to waste space between beds so the garden is one giant bed rather than eight separate 8'x4' beds.
2. Another reason why I made one continuous bed was for ease of installing deer fencing. If the beds had been separate, I would've had to build the fence around the beds, which means more fence posts, more mulch, and more fencing. The way the garden is now allows for one-100' roll of fencing to go around the entire perimeter with some extra left over for the door.
3. Maximizing lumber was essential. The dimensions of the garden allow for that. Even though I have to step into some of the beds to reach plants, it was worth it to me to keep the project economical. I used 1"x6"x12' boards and ended up needing 17 with little scrap left over. Each color on the plan above is a separate 12' board.
4. I wanted to be able to enjoy my garden. That's where the cut into the bed comes in at the top, straight back from the door. I left enough space for two chairs and a table.

After my plan was set and Bobby said he thought it was a good plan too, we started building! This is the site:

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies + Instagram

If you can't tell from the filter and frame of this photo, I've hopped on the Instagram bandwagon. I'll be publishing everyday life photos, works in progress for the shop, and other projects that I'm working on (my next big project is making a couple sofa tables). If you'd like to follow me, my screen name is harvestinghart.

Now, moving on to the cookies. These cookies are melt in your mouth delicious and so unbelievably easy to make. I made them for a potluck Tuesday, and I think people thought they were just circles cut from a roll of cookie dough. Should've made a sign .. Oh well. Now I have about eight of them left just for me! You can find the recipe on Paisley Jade's blog here. I follow this recipe by the book. It's so great.

Ann Arbor Artisan Market

If you live in the Ann Arbor area, the artisan market is a great place to see local artists and crafters every week. I've been setting up the last two Sundays and it's been a really great experience. Not only have all of the artists and customers I've encountered been friendly, but I'm also selling some things and getting to spend time with my sister. The Sunday Artisan Market is every Sunday from April through Christmas from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in Kerrytown in Ann Arbor (where the farmers market sets up on Saturdays). I won't be there every Sunday, but if you like Harvesting Hart on Facebook, I'll be sure to post when I'll be at the market. I try to have new items there each week I'm there, and there are many items (earrings, bracelets, pins, hair bows, etc) that I don't have listed on Etsy yet. You can also like the artistan market here.