What are you doing this weekend?  My parents are coming to visit — cross your fingers that they are on one of the very flights to leave Denver today.  We will know in a couple hours.   Meanwhile….it remains unseasonably warm here….but I just can’t complain.   If you aren’t outside enjoying the weather, here a few interesting things…..

• The Plant Journal #2  – Exciting!! — See more here
• Quirky Garden shoes for the New England Prepster crowd?
• I can’t hardly believe that this is what it really is.
• Expecting guests? Thinking that this might be a nice way to make a first impression.
• Green and White …..L.O.V.E
• Wouldn’t it be great to install one of these right next to you garden spigot?
• Urban Growth Strategy 1, 2, and 4.  A totally cool set I think.

image from The Plant Journal.

As I sort out all my goals and hopes and resolutions for this new year ahead, this is one of those ‘why didn’t I think of that sooner‘ sort of ideas.   I always want to be more organized and clever.

My aprons and shed shelves and truck and literally everywhere I go during planting season is likely to have plant tags laying around.  As I grow older and my garden grows bigger my mind seems to have less room for remembering each and every plant and it’s place, so I save tags and then I loose them – doing me little good.   But this utterly simple (and to be honest, a little bit cute), idea is perfect for organizing on the fly.   Call this resolution #1.

image found via pinterest.

I have a question for you.  What do you think of these fire pit rings (there are more patterns on the site)?    Here is what I think — totally cool — and very clever.

But, I am still not sure it is enough camouflage to make me happy about fire-pits that are made of these concrete blocks.  Concrete blocks are an economical choice, but I just can’t stand the way they look in this application.  I’m curios, have you built a fire ring like this?  and if you did , how did you make it look natural and beautiful and green garden worthy?  I’d love to see pictures if you want to send them.

I am so glad I don’t need this yet (trully I am more than happy for the white stuff to stay away for another month – I actually was gardening – and enjoying myself – putting in new plants just 2 days ago!).

I think this snow gauge would be really a nice addition to a garden both in the winter and the summer.

Here’s hoping that the 3 footer isn’t necessary. Available at Ironworks home.

December is such a fun time with a myriad of online giveaways to celebrate the season.  Garden sites are in on the action and with a little clicking around there are some really great prizes that might score you a few free holiday gifts, or will at least get you through the long winter and prepare you for the next gardening season.

In order of who is ending first, here is the list of what you might be able to win.

• Ending tonight (Wed Nov 30th) at midnight Margaret Roach is giving away a copy of Cook This Now by Melissa Clark on Away To Garden.

• Also if you are in Virginia, you might be interested to win passes to the Lewis Ginter Garden Festival of Lights from Washington Gardener Magazine. (ends tonight so hurry)

There are a bunch of things ending on Friday:

• Dirt du Jour has a giveaway going for pretty (and super easy to grow) hanging Tillandsia mounted on a rock. It is a pretty window hanging, holiday ornament, or office plant. (perfect for a stocking stuffer — just be careful when shoving it into the sock!)

• Garden Rant is giving away a copy of Graham Rice’s Dry Shade Garden book (so handy for so many people!)

• Timber Press is giving away a highly coveted copy of the latest edition of Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees & Shrubs. If you are unfamiliar with Dirr’s, let me enlighten you — this is hands down the best book on trees and shrubs…you want it — you need it — it’s a reliable resource that you will return to again and again. It’s not cheap (retailing for about $75) but its worth it — and if you don’t believe me, see what Jenny Peterson, Kylee Hartwig Baumle and Rebecca Sweet (all highly respected designers and garden writers) have to say about it.

• Also make sure to check back with Rebecca as she is running a series of as yet un-announced (but she promises that they will be good) giveaways all month and Kylee has some cool moss rocks to giveaway as well.

• Leaf Magazine is holding a Huge 10-day long giveaway that starts on Dec 1st and ends on Dec 10th  (that’s the big image above) that has variety of exciting prizes that include beautiful books, garden-y baked goods and candy, gorgeous planters and handy planters, wooly pockets, a cedar beehive, Garden Conservancy passes, and the grand prize of a reclining Deck Chair. It’s all going down on Leaf’s facebook page so head there for daily details.

• On day 4 of the Leaf Giveaway (that’s this coming Sunday) you will have another chance to win that Dirr Tree book (in case you luck out on Friday with Timber Press).

• Aha Modern Living is giving away a cool Terrarium and some very nice muddles that will make great stocking fillers. (That ends next week).

• Birds and Blooms magazine also has a daily giveaway going for the month of December.

• Daniel at Small Kitchen Garden is giving away his book (Yes you Can! And Freeze Dry It Too) about canning next week and you can find more details of that at his website.

• Stevie at Garden Therapy is doing something with prints from the pretty garden pillow line — so make sure to check things out over there too.

• Gen at North Coast Gardening is giving away a copy of The Visitors Guide to America’s Gardens.

And finally…

• Ending Dec 17th, Ben Vogt is giving away a copy of his garden memoir, Sleep Creep, Leap the First three Years of a Nebraska Garden.

Good Luck!

Check out the gallery for some of the prizes!

Images: Away to Garden, Dirt du Jour, Timber Press, Leaf Magazine, Aha Modern Living, and Ben Vogt

Have you been to Brimfield?  It is a HUGE antiques fair in Massachusetts that happens three times per year.   I find the place utterly overwhelming and without a plan of attack, a day there exhausts and puts me into a state of utter mental overload.   I attended the most recent fair with a plan for Leaf Magazine.  We have a story in our upcoming first issue about trends that we saw there.   So with a mission in mind I was ok for most of the day to stay focussed andpurposeful.

But that meant that personal shopping was out of the question.   I think it is an extraordinary mind that can go to a place like Brimfield and actually be creative and imaginative in the face such excess and stimulation.  Personally, I need a list (a tool with which to focus) – which I am starting now for the spring visit.  It will include vintage linen tea towels — because I just plain love them, but also because I think that a cushion collection such as these:

are the perfect kind of pillows for my garden chairs, or the chairs of a porch… or really lots of places.

(these were  found via Steph Bond at Bondville and were created by Morgan Wills — there are still a couple left for sale at her site)