"If it's microbes you want, add fertilizer and compost. The resukts of a study indicated that compost contained more microbes than compost tea, and that fertilizer increased the microbe level more than compost tea. Here is a link that might be useful: Compost tea soil microbes" You used a blog as a peer reviewed reference? Where's the rigourous data collection in that? Gardenweb is rife with misinformation regarding compost tea, from brewing times, ingredients, to purpose and use. And now, apparently petrochemical fertilizers are promoting soil microbe diversity..... microbeorganics.com Tim does sell products through that website, but I don't think anyone buys them hehe and it's more of a resource than anything. I enjoyed reading the site, he participates on many organic forums and instead of throwing the onus on other people to prove him wrong, performs research from independent sources. I think he even owns a microscope, a great tool for rigourous data collection and methodology. Compost tea is best used to promote rapid soil recovery, to innoculate potting soil or raised beds, and to develope a healthy microbe-sphere, for want of an actual term, on plant surfaces when used as a foliar. It isn't a nutrient regime, it's one tool in a box.

I've enjoyed doing both, but had a problem with how thick my iris folding project ends up. I've used the tea bag folding to make alot of thank you cards and people always seem to really like them. Do you have pictures of any of your iris folding, Ginger?

they seem to be very popular once again.....I've seen purses and belts selling for huge bucks in online stores. kudzu check out these links http://www.makegizmos.com/things%20to%20make/how%20to%20make%20a%20paper%20chain.htm http://www.victoryseeds.com/candystore/nostalgiagum_chain.html http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tramp-art.com/folk%2520art%2520class/00-151.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.tramp-art.com/prison_art.htm&usg=__p-YX7CcEa6mWx88enEGbokuH840=&h=385&w=380&sz=37&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=925pUKOieA5EkM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgum%2Bwrapper%2Bchain%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

I attended the same stamp convention on Saturday!!! I fell in love with the Iris Folded cards too, but didn't want to spend $9.00 for the pattern. I took some pix of some of the cards and I been playing around with designs of my own. The pattern is pretty much the same as a "Log Cabin" pattern used to create a fabric square for a real quilt---just way smaller. If I can't get mine to look as nice as the ones that I saw on Saturday, I may have to order the templates. The link to the company is: http://www.designsbydreamer.com/gallery/gallery1/index.html. -shari