DIY Squirrel Deterrent - 3 Natural Ways to Keep Them Out of Your Flower and Veggie Gardens

I absolutely love squirrels, and YES I do feed them with their very own feeder (this keeps them out of my bird feeder, but this is another story!)

But what I don't like is when you first plant your flowers and veggies in lovely dug up soil.  Squirrels just LOVE being able to dig, bury or simply mess about in fresh garden soil, including hanging pots and planters!

I live in an area full of squirrels, and so I have discovered different ways to deter them from flowers and veggies.

3 Ways to Keep Squirrels Away From Your Fresh Dug Garden

1.  HUMAN HAIR - YES, this works.  Go in the house, and find your hairbrush or your kids or anyone in the household or even friends (although that might seem like a weird request!) and pick hair strands out and then place close to the plant.

2.  PET HAIR - YES, this works too.  Give your dog or cat a good brushing and empty the hair into the flower pots or in your veggie garden. 

Squirrels have a keen smell and either one of the above are predators in their world, and they don't like the smell.

Personally I have found the human hair to work the best, because in my yard the squirrels have no fear of the cats!

3.  PEPPERMINT OIL - Find some tissues and put a few drops of peppermint oil on it and place in a few spots around your garden.

Digging in Flower Pots?

I found one of my freshly planted petunias yesterday laying in the yard from my hanging basket.  I make them myself so the flowers were from the cell packs you get at the garden center.

The squirrels just love to jump up to and dig in the pots for whatever reason, so I replanted it and placed the strands of hair around the flowers and so far so good.

Once they are more established, they don't tend to mess in the flower pots anymore.  But in those first few weeks, they are right in there making a mess.

If you would prefer a commercial product, there are safe ones online such as ultrasonic sounds and other products to keep the squirrels out of the flowers and veggies and even your roof.


But give the first 3 ideas a try. I know it is frustrating especially when you have done all the work, and then have to replant. I found this works for skunks and raccoons too.

How to Upcycle a Jigsaw Puzzle into a New One

If doing jigsaw puzzles, is one of many in the list of activities you have on the go right now, then maybe you have got tired of the same old scenes?

Once you have finished a jigsaw puzzle, you have a few choices.  You can either.

1.  Glue it permanently and frame it as a decorative picture for wall art.

2.  You can pull it apart and do it over again.

3.  You can create a new one.

Check out this video:

How to Upcycle a Jigsaw Puzzle

What you will need:

• Spray paints in different colors
• 
  
• Painters Tape
• 
  
• Completed Puzzle on a Portable Surface
• 
  
• Place with ventilation for creating your works of art.

Method:

Step 1.  Using a very light coat of white or a light color for your base, spray over the puzzle.  Make sure it is a light coat as you don't want anything drizzling between the pieces.

Spray paints are good at stick-ability and durability with a soft durable sheen.

Step 2.  Spray over the entire puzzle to cover the picture.  Let it dry.

Step 3.  Add more colors.  You could either follow her idea on the video by (Karen Kavett DIY) or you can get creative with other abstract ideas or some graffiti art if that is your thing.

DON'T use a paint brush or roller, it simply glue the pieces together, this is definitely a spray paint project.

Step 4.  Let it Dry Completely

Step 5.  While everything is drying, paint the puzzle box too!

Step 6.  Take apart and put away in the box.  This would also make an inexpensive gift idea.

Step 7.  Now you have a GOOD AS NEW puzzle to work on!

Would You Prefer To Preserve The Puzzle You Just Did?

You can get supplies that will glue the puzzle together so that it can be hung as wall art if you would rather do that, or maybe with your new abstract puzzle you just completed.

There are a few different ways to make a puzzle permanent. The above are some suggestions from AMAZON.

DIY All Natural Homemade Shampoo

With us all staying at home during this trying time, our hair care routine might be out of whack.

I came across this recipe and video on just how to make homemade shampoo that has no chemicals and is good for your hair and scalp.

If you don't have the ingredients, you can order them online (I get mine at Amazon, links below).

Since haircuts are not happening nor the nice deep conditioning my hairdresser gave me, I found regular store bought shampoos after awhile dry out my hair.  Give this a shot.

You can get coconut milk at the grocery store these days, but you can also order that online if needed.

What you will Need for an All Natural Shampoo that Will Leave Your Hair Shining.

• 1/3 cup of unsweetened coconut milk (make sure it's the milk and not the oil)
• 1/3 cup of liquid castile soap
• 1/3 cup aloe vera organic juice
• 10 drops of lavender essential oil (to smell nice and help the scalp)

Method:

Mix together, and pour into a clean bottle, or save your last shampoo bottle.

If you keep the ingredients on hand, you could make many batches of this beautiful shampoo that has zero chemicals that strip the hair.


You can also try the grocery store health aisle if you can't get it online.  With the way things are, I am trying to order online as much as I can.

So, if you are presently at home, and would like to pamper yourself with a nice hair treatment, try this homemade shampoo, you won't even need conditioner.

It is amazing just how nice your hair can look (yes I know your style has probably grown out) with this homemade or DIY shampoo.

After the initial investment, this will work out super cheap!  You will never go back to commercial shampoo again.

Stay well and stay safe everyone!

DIY Bag Gardening Without Containers or Pots on the Cheap

This growing season will be unlike any other growing season as we all try to navigate these trying times.

As people begin to realize the issues of heading to a grocery store or supply of fresh food, many have turned to growing their own veggies this year.  We have come full circle.  Not that many years ago everyone had vegetable gardens but with busy lives this became difficult.

Now that the garden centers are open, many have run short on containers, as many try container veggies for the first time in small spaces.  I came across an awesome idea for the small garden without containers and on the cheap.

Check out this video to see just how easy it is.

He simply opens the top off of a plastic bag of soil mix.  He has it on some hay, but you could sit it on a small pallet or some plastic crates, or something to help with drainage.

Get Creative with Containers Veggies Are Not Picky!

If you are trying to grow food in a small space or on a balcony for the first time, and don't have any containers, or they are too big an investment, then consider using the reusable grocery shopping bags.

Fabric Reusable Shopping Bags as Gardens

These will work too.  Just roll them down and fill with potting soil.  The fabric style ones will naturally drain, but the plastic ones will need some holes in the bottom.

Look Through Your Home for Container Substitutes!

Get creative, look through your home.  You can even use low tote boxes, as long as you drill some holes in the bottom for drainage.

I am loving the grocery bag idea, as I have a closet full of them.    I didn't realize I had the potential for many growing pots stuffed in my closet!

So no containers?  get out the shopping bags, or simply cut open the bag as he did in the video.

Or you can also invest in vertical gardens if you plan on continuing this venture online as you can see below:


Grow your own food!

How to Upcycle Old Pans - Creative Kitchen Decor on the Cheap

I don't know about the rest of you, but I decided as this pandemic lock down continued, it was time to clean out my kitchen cabinets, especially the pots and pans.

As it turns out I had lots of those "non stick" frying pans that had seen better days, but for some reason were still here!

I didn't like the idea of just throwing them out.  I came across this awesome video by Kitty Ideas on upcycling them into works of art for the kitchen.

Check it out:

Get Your Creativity Mojo Moving!

You are not restricted to napkins for this project and you can decorate either side of the pan with craft supplies.  If you don't have enough craft supplies, they are readily available online as many stores including Amazon deliver quickly right now.

Don't have any Napkins with Pictures?  Print off some old photos!

You are not restricted to paper napkins!  I was thinking you could print out random photos in black and white and cut and paste them to the pan as a collage?

Ideas:

Pet photos
Grandparent gift filled with pictures of the grandkids
Mother's Day last minute gift idea
Get pictures online at Pixabay.com  of anything you want.
Ideas are endless.

Materials:

• Rubbing alcohol or some kind of degreaser so the paint will stick
• Acrylic craft paints or left over house paint.
• Decopage Glue (such as Mod Podge) or white craft glue mixed 50/50 with water.
• Pictures or Designs or even just stamp designs on if you have stamps.
• Varnish to protect your work and to make it shiny.

Look Around Your House for Supplies

You might be amazed at just what you find.  But if you don't have many, order some online.
Most house paints are water based, so they could be used too.  But if you want the kids to be involved, having lots of colors to use would be best with acrylic paint sets.

This is an Awesome Way to Decorate the Kitchen and Keep Old Pans out of the Landfill

Perfect craft for one of those "what can I do now" moments if you are at home with your kids.  I have done a lot of organizing of rooms, especially the closets, but until the donation boxes open up again, I can't donate them!

Why Not Make a Memento Of This Time Together?

It is not an ideal situation right now, but if we try to find the positives, maybe it is spending more time together.  Having the time to get creative instead of stressed and recycling and upcycling household goods!

Stay safe everyone.

How to Stop Eye Glasses From Fogging While Wearing a Mask

Wearing a mask gives us all that extra layer of protection from illness, but if you are a glasses wearer like me, they get fogged up and I end up taking the mask off.

I found a few ideas for stopping this but the one that worked the best for me and was the quickest was this:

Place a folded into 4s (fold in half then again) tissue on the bridge of your noise and then put on your mask.

There are many other suggestions on the internet, but so far of the ones I have tried, this is the best and simplest way to get rid of the fogging, so that you don't end up taking off your mask.

The tissue blocks the air from rising under your glasses.  This is super important because if you wear glasses and they fog, you could end up in trouble for not seeing properly.

(I almost fell off a curb at the grocery store!)

What Happens if you don't have access to a tissue??

Take your mask and fold the top part down then place on your face.  This will create a barrier.  I found it sort of works, but really the tissue is the best option.

So make sure you have tissues in your pocket and you will be fine.