I used pallets to make a compost bin; more pallets to make a "white picket fence" for around my vegetable garden (found chicken wire for the inside to keep the rabbits out); old bricks to make borders along the flower beds; plastic coated wire (10' lengths) to make trellis' for my vines; old metal drum with lid to store "dry" materials for the compost pile; construction wire to make tomatoe cages; discarded hangers to make plant supports; discarded plants from a local greenhouse (which I planted and they are doing fine) for the 4 1/2" pots; discarded countertop, with sink to use as a potting bench in my garage - placed on two discarded base kitchen cabinets; two bicycle rims and a galvanized pole made into a vine "tower", and six discarded windows made into a cold frame.

You are talking to a gal that starts dreaming of spring storms this time of year. As much as I love the beauty of winters too being cooped up to long makes me cranky. Plenty of projects to keep me busy inside too but I think I go through acute withdrawal of having my hands to clean and soft. :-) My bedroom faces East and one wall is all sliding glass door. Outside there is a small patio, bird feeding station, septic mound and pipes, corner of propane tank and a long sweeping hill with trees, shrubs and path. I have been sick a lot the last two years so I spend a lot of time resting and looking out at that view. It is actually lovely except for the few things I have to screen out. I have gotten a lot of great ideas here on GW and elsewhere. One thing about winter is that it gives you a real appreciation for forms and spacial relationships. When all the leaves and plants are lush with growth I don't notice mother natures architecture nearly as much.

If you have a greenhouse or potting shed or even a potting area, you could hang it up above where you do your potting to hang supplies on...like garden gloves attached with a big clothes pin or garden tools hung with S hooks or tin cans to hold things like twist ties also attached with S hooks. If the crib side is attached firmly enough, and lays flat, you could use the top of it as a shelf with "stuff" (above) hanging down from under it. Or, you could attach one to each side of a potting bench with the bars going horizontally and hang the same kind of things as above within reach while you're working at the bench.

Congrats! We have a new one baby coming in 2010 also! It is still very early for our DD...but they couldn't keep it a secret! LOL We are Nana & Papa! When the girls got bunnies years ago, they said we were grandpa and grandma....nope, don't like that so we went with Nana & Papa! Only prob, the other grandmother is called Nana also...and long before the kids met. :/ Oh well, they will figure it out quick! DH has a VHS to DVD gadget that he bought last winter. He has all of our old tapes now on DVD and we sent many to the neighborhood kids...that now have their own kids...from years ago when there were 15 kids in our neighborhood! Great fun, then and now! We haven't had our family Christmas yet, until the 9th then we will have all the kids together....to me, that is the best gift of all!!