Hypertufa is a lightweight concrete that is very easy to mix up. Making concrete planters of your own shapes and sizes for outdoor and indoor plantings is economical

Ingredients

Cement (it’s the glue that binds the other ingredients)
Pearlite or Vermiculite (helps to make lightweight)
Peat moss (more lightweight additive)

Materials and Tools:

gloves/dust mask/apron

food containers (plastic or carton from milk or soup)

plastic bucket

succulents

trowel

metal file

drill
file

Hypertufa is a method of replicating heavier stone troughs as a lightweight substitute for the garden.

Choose your mold by nesting two vessels, one smaller than the other by about 3/4 to 1 1/2 inch so that you can pour the mixture in the space between them. Both should have sides that are straight or taper out slightly.

Mix materials: wearing gloves and a dust mask, mix equal parts white or grey Portland cement, perlite and peat moss in plastic bucket; stir in masonry stain if desired. Add water gradually to reach the desired consistency of thick oatmeal.

Pour mixture into the outer mold to a 1 inch depth for smaller vessels or a 2 inch depth for larger ones. Set interior mold inside, centering it. Continue adding mixture between vessels. Tap on flat surface to minimize bubbles. Cover with plastic; let set for 2-3 days.

Finish by removing mold (cartons are easy to tear away), drill holes into the bottom of pot using a masonry bit, for drainage; smooth the top edge of pot with a metal file. Wrap with plastic, and allow to cure for a week or two.

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Colorado is becoming quite a hotbed of local talent for people who handmake, from do it yourselfers  to the from scratch foodies, the home grown/home made culture is in full effect here. Happier than ever to call this mountain state home.

We have our own plethora of fabulous events and local haunts in Boulder:

Quench your taste with artisanal foods at:  Eat Private Chef & Catering, Black Cat, Mile High Swappers & Cured a cheese and charcuterie haven.

Buy raw materials and supplies at: Shuttles Spindles & Skeins, Two Hands Paperie, Fabricate, Elfreide’s, McGuckins, Guiry’s or ReSource Yard.

Take classes for handmade at: Common Threads, Factory Made or the Boulder Pottery Guild.

Buy handmade goods at: Firefly Handmade Markets and Boulder Arts & Crafts.

In Denver:

Experience artisanal, homemade foods at: Bittersweet, Il Mondo Vecchio, Denver Urban Homesteading Market &Denver Handmade Homemade Market.

Buy raw materials and supplies at: Fancy Tiger, Meiningers, Denver Fabrics

Take classes for handmade at: The Lamb Shop, Fabric Bliss, Wild Yarns, The Tiger

Buy handmade goods at: MegaFauna, Thread, Art By Craft, Fancy Tiger Holiday Handmade

Stripe Design Group has some very inspiring reupholstered mid century modern furniture. Love the lines of the pieces paired with the bold graphics of the fabrics.

Swapping food, either casually among neighbors or in an organized group, is reviving a barter-and-trade system for food that went away with the introduction of the modern grocery store, when Americans stopped worrying about growing, trading or stocking up on enough food to make it through the year.

As everyone grew accustomed to shopping for prepackaged foods made in factories, we lost the art of acquiring things to eat from people we know. But recently more people are growing, making and preserving foods, drinks, and goods that they once bought from a store and are rediscovering the benefits of trading goods locally, building community. Swaps are a wonderful opportunity to meet others who are interested in gardening, food preservation, beekeeping, and other sustainable, DIY activities. It’s like trick-or-treating for adults.

There are some of these swap groups right here in Colorado. The Mile High Swappers meet in Denver/Boulder and Fort Collins once a month. No money is exchanged, just think of it as a DIY potluck party! Participants bring at least 3-5 items to swap, but they don’t all have to be the same thing. Other groups in the state are in Colorado Springs with two versions the Pikes Peak Community Cupboard and Bear Roots Urban Homesteading. The Pueblo version is Homestyle Swap Meet. These free community events support local agriculture and encourage turning your backyard into a working mini farm of sorts to create  “swapable” items.  Every  community should have one of these locavore haunts! I now know where to take my pickles, jams, fruits and herbs!!

If you’d like to find a food swap in your area, check out the fabulous Food Swap Network!!!

Example of items to bring for bartering:

•Fresh produce, fruit, sprouts, and herbs from your garden.
•Backyard/Farm fresh eggs, cheese, baked goods, savory snacks, honey
•Preserved, pickled, fermented items, vegetarian soups, stocks
•Homemade condiments, dips, spreads, and toppings
•Handmade soaps, lip balms, lotions, and other beauty products
•Crochet/knitted items, handmade jewelry, handmade cards, etc
•Useful garden tools, household and camping/backpacking items
•Homemade flavored salts, spice blends, seasonings
•Seeds, seedlings, compost, soil
•Homemade soda pop, fruit juices, drink mixes

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Made by Hand / Teaser

Made by Hand are a series of short films celebrating the people who makes things by hand — sustainably, locally, and with a love for their craft. From The Bureau of Common Goods.

Fun for all ages: Kusudama flower folding tutorial at Folding Tree.

Follow these very simple instructions at The Bulb Project for a modern art take on spring blooms!

Instructions:

1. Go outside to your garden or on a walk and gather a bouquet of spring blooms and leafy foliage.

2. Lay them on your scanner face down, layering and arranging as if it was a flower arrangement.

3. Cover the whole arrangment with a dark background of some type (a large black piece of fabric).

4. Scan the image onto your computer. Voila!

Photos via Beau-Allen, Gardening Gone Wild & Ellis Hollow

For more inspiration see Ellen Hoverkamp, her vignettes are amazing!

Collecting shaped rocks is quite addictive–while taking your next quiet stroll, assuming it is not snowing in your area-meander along looking for heart rocks or even a rock shaped like a skull. It is a guarantee that someone on your list would love to receive either. It spreads a little love and a little punk if you are lucky enough to find a skull one. Plus, if you don’t end up finding anything you have still taken a bit of time for yourself to relax and quietly meditate.

Purchase one of these Bird Seed Heart from Nature Favors or make one of your own from a bird seed peanut butter mixture pressed into a heart shaped cookie cutter for backyard feathered friends on Valentines Day.