I have taken a major hiatus lately from the blog, mostly working on another venture that I share with two other women, Firefly Handmade. Firefly is a series of seasonal artisan markets that happens three times a year here in Boulder, Colorado (and it keeps me incredibly busy).

We wrapped up our holiday market in December, which took place in the local modern art museum. The market was once again filled with amazing holiday cheer and wonderful gift buying.

Each time we organize a new market, the talent pool gets more and more professional. It is so fulfilling to watch new brands of handmade emerging from the Front Range area. I love being able to support local and handmade by offering this indie artisan opportunity for people to join in on. Colorado is crafty and talented indeed. Visit our Firefly site here.

Once again our Firefly Handmade Gypsy Farm Market was a very successful endeavor! This year we added ‘Little Gypsy’ a younger aged marketplace of talented young vendors. Shoppers, parents and younger crafters alike were pleased with the addition and all the fun!

We also added a lovely creative lounge full of sponsor given books and magazines for shoppers to peruse while resting on our fabulous straw bale sofa! Thanks to all the Boulderites for your support and attendance. If you are interested in learning more, check out the site: Firefly Handmade.

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.

]]> http://hautenature.com/making-cement-planters-diy-project-2/feed/ 1 http://hautenature.com/the-mile-high-swappers-homemade-food-sharing/ http://hautenature.com/the-mile-high-swappers-homemade-food-sharing/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:02:30 +0000 admin http://hautenature.com/?p=7109 continue]]>

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

]]> http://hautenature.com/the-mile-high-swappers-homemade-food-sharing/feed/ 3 http://hautenature.com/made-by-hand-artisanal-design/ http://hautenature.com/made-by-hand-artisanal-design/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:07:00 +0000 admin http://hautenature.com/?p=2670 continue]]>

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.

I love this series about handmakers from the Victoria & Albert Museum UK. See the intro video here or to to the V&A website for more information on this exhibition.

The Power of Making is currently showing at the V&A until 2nd January 2012. The exhibition, curated by Daniel Charney ”aims to show how the act of making in its various forms, from human expression to practical problem solving, is shared by all. We hope the exhibition will inspire people and cause them to thoughtfully consider the role of making in their life, in society in commerce and in education.”

Emphasis is put on explaining the various making processes ranging from carving to clicking to checkering to locksmithing or wickerworking, to the public.

Laura Plouzek of Xoelle, hand sews the most adorable bow ties for little guys and bow ties for big guys too.

Rebecca Tegtmeyer, a graphic designer started her shop Sown Designs after creating a feedsack remnant pillow for herself and loving the results. We love them too!

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

Boulder artist Kristin Fitzgerrell is gracious enough to open her home up every year during Boulder Open Studios to a barrage of eager art hunters ready to snap up her bold wall sculpture pieces and wooden assemblage. Her bright cheerful works are born from her previous life as a graphic designer in her amazingly inspiring studio and wood workshop. In wood, her work is still illustrative, textured  & bold. Her wonderfully decorated modern home (which she designed) shows like gallery with her creations of signage, lighting designs and personal flair. Kristin’s artwork is influenced by vintage country kitsch and modern chic.

Her art and interior projects support the comfort of her family life and even benefit the family dog who has artfully designed places for snoozing. Her interior environment is an ever changing project with endless hobbies spilling out into the kitchen in the form of super sweet ripe tomatoes and other fabulous treats.

What is most impressive about this local Boulder artist and friend is that she lives what she does on a daily basis, letting it enrich her life, her family’s life and that of her friends and even strangers when she warmly opens up her life to expose her creative process and environs.

Don’t miss her at the next Boulder Open Studios, when she exhibits this year at the Cherry Creek Art Festival or at another one of her joint ventures Firefly Handmade.