I want to paint the tires up like those in the first picture, but another pattern. It was the first one I found, but none other. I'll start my first winter garden bed with potatoes this afternoon. I'm sure to accumulate enough for a garden within a month or two. Thanks! I wish I could find more sites, but some are selling their services. I'm not advertising, but the pictures are good. I'll try to open a blog here and take photos of mine in each stage. Hopefully it will work out!

But just for the record, what you want for such a job is a masonry drill bit, and I think you are supposed to use them with water. I have drilled holes into a couple of pretty thick outdoor pots (before I thought of the water) and they survived just fine - but it is a slow process. I am about to try with a pottery plate (to make a clock out of it) but I won't mind if it doesn't survive the process (my neighbour made it and I can always get another from her). I wouldn't recommend it if you are not keen to lose the piece. You could always use these pots for something other than plants, and put your plants into a proper pot with holes.... Karin L

I installed shelves into my hall closet and have bins for everything. Labeled them with whatever is in it, toothbruses, paste, mouthwash. Make up was put in one, and I was saving the old large makeup kit for yard sale. Happened to think one day, that old makeup kit would be a good place for my jewelry pliers, pieces and parts for making and repairing jewelery. Now, if I could just remember where I put it. Found a small footstool with lid, changed it into a sewing kit. Found three long skinny storage bins, fit perfect inside to hold spools of thread. Scissors in one, others with needle threaders, thread cutters, small razor knife, etc. Works great, and so much more storage than small kit I had before. Also was able to store old hanks of embroidery thread. They work great for buttons and making closures for bags without one, add a loop of embroidery thread,( all 6 strands) and button to other side. All done, no muss no fuss. I pick up old notebooks and folders at yard sales, use them for project folders or storing important papers, use magazine holders for all the notebooks, and it is all in handy reach on shelf. even have special one with page protectors showing all my cut outs of excercises from a magazine,just flip to one I plan to do, and can page mark them for different days of week, what body part they focus on, etc. clothes pins, paint with different colors, add name with sharpie marker, and everyone has their own "important paper" pin. can also add magnets to stick on fridge. I use two magnets on my sliding screen door to keep from walking into it, just back to back. Also have some on my kitchen window, fruit and vegetables, my kitchen theme, keeps birds from flying into window and scaring the life out of me! Hung an old door knob with plate outside in my carport, holds wipe off board and marker for friends to leave me a note if I'm not home. have a small rolling plastic cart with drawers, topped it with topper of round table, and cloth with glass on top. Those little round cloth tables were so cute, but I needed extra storage space, can't see the cart. A two drawer file cabinet is the right height for the same thing. And serves as a table next to my favorite rocker. Love all your great ideas, hope I've given you some new ones.

OK... here are some pictures of stumps/logs used in our garden. We had a dead pine and a dying pussy willow taken down last fall. Here is the 'Wolf Eyes' dogwood we planted this spring by the pine stump. I would have liked to plant it closer to the stump but the dogwood tree - assuming this one lives longer that the first one we planted! - would block the paths in that area if we planted it closer to the stump. Hopefully it is close enough for the roots to get the benefit of moisture and nutrients held in the stump. And here is 'Empress Wu' hosta by the willow stump. With the willow gone, this area has now become quite sunny. It is in the 'wet corner' area so is quite moist in spring but dries out in summer. Hopefully the stump will keep the hosta supplied with moisture longer and help it cope with the sunnier conditions. The white trilliums here really seem to thrive with the trunk of a dead apple tree providing shelter. In May: Yesterday: The red trilliums in a nearby bed were not doing as well as the white ones so I added a small cedar log in May this year: Yesterday: I also use pine logs as edging in some areas - useful to make a somewhat raised bed. They last about 10 years before they need replacing. A few examples: (Beside the shed.) (In the north alley - the snails have been partying on the astilboides!) (This log helps direct surface run-off past the shed and towards the 'wet corner') Stumps and deadwood are very useful things!