Iceberg Empire! Etsy Shop

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter (or see the little sneak peak of each of the feed here on the side bar), then you will have seen some of the amazing things that my best friend and I have started to sell on Etsy.

Hand-carved Birch and Lilac Shawl Pin *SOLD*

We opened our shop, after YEARS of talking about opening an etsy shop. We finally took the plunge and listed some items. And we have so many more in the works.

Hand-carved river rock pendant

The shop is a little rough around the edges right now, but if we waited until we had everything just so, then we would never have taken the leap.

Choke-Cherry Buttons

I will be updating here when we add a handful of new things… The holidays are right around the corner, and handmade one of a kind gifts are always the best.

Poplar Branch Coasters (set of 4)

So please, head over there and check out our small, but growing, collection of things we have made. And if you are looking for something in particular, send us a message and we can work out some custom orders. If you wouldn’t mind checking the little heart next to some of the items, that would very much help us out.

(And I promise I will get some garden related content up again soon… I’ve just been creatively distracted with this new venture that I haven’t gotten around to posting here as often as I would like)

I have also created a page up in the top menu bar on this blog, for little updates on what is happening in our Etsy Shop…. So check there for any little updates or sneak peaks on the shop.

Side Grain Poplar Wood Cutting Board. I am in love with this one, and I think you will be too!

Community Garden Plot- Update 5

I haven’t been having a great summer. Family members are having health problems; I’m fighting some health problems; I’ve begun to really hate my job; my very best friend and catcher of all of my tears and listener to all my problems died in my arms; and a thousand other little less significant things that just add up to bad times. It’s been rough.

And obviously, my community garden plot kind of fell out of care. I even got an email asking me to take care of the weeds on the path surrounding my plot. Extra disheartening but fair enough.

So I finally went and cleaned the thing up. And it honestly wasn’t that bad. The pathway was the only place there was really any weeds. None the less, I harvested all my remaining potatoes and carrots. I gave up on the beets and beans ever doing anything more than they were doing. Frosts are looming and I don’t have the energy to keep up with the backyard garden AND this plot on the other side of town.

I dug over all the soil, cleaned up the weeds in the paths and gave the empty ground a good drink so it doesn’t turn to dust and just blow away.

I will be going back once or twice before the garden closes for the winter to keep any weeds in check, but for now it is put to bed, awaiting next spring.

So now any possible updates on the plot will be about plans for the spring.

My crop of carrots was absolutely fantastic, and I think I will put at least 2 rows in next year.

The beets could have been better given more time and no decimating hail. Same with the beans and onions. The ‘Purple Caribe’ potatoes were fantastic as always. They have a tiny bit of scab, but nothing troubling.

So I have more plans for next year, and as always, plans to thwart the hail if at all possible. Do you have any ideas on what I should try and grow here next year? As this year, I want to keep it minimal care. Anything a little sensitive, I keep at home where I stand a chance at keeping it alive through some of the weather that Ma’ Nature throws at us here. Depending on how ambitious I get this winter, I may build some kind of brassica cage to keep the damn butterflies away and then I may stick some cabbage out there. So many Ideas… so many months ahead to ponder them.

Here are the this years updates on this garden: 1, 2, 3 & 4

Also, while I’m linking things… Don’t forget to check out my new Etsy shop Iceberg Empire. There is also a little sneaky page about the whole thing at the top menu bar. I’ll update that as exciting things happen over there.

Mason Bee House… 2016

I don’t have a big write up about this, but here is a little update. This is the Mason Bee house I made last year. It is just a cedar 6×8 with a piece of scrap cedar deck board for the roof.
I had my doubts that it was actually going to be used, but sure enough, last year a few holes were filled. This year, it is starting to become a full house.

I don’t bring this into a warmer area over winter, it is just screwed to the fence with a few deck screws. I figure that since these are native bees, they should be able to handle our weather here. I am just providing a pre-built home where there was probably one removed to build human homes.

If you have room, and the ability, and the tools… “Build” yourself a Mason bee house. There are all kinds of plans online, but the basics are 5/16″ holes. I don’t remember the optimum depth of the holes, so you’ll have to google. Mine are probably about 4 inches, give or take. I put a few different size holes in mine, to see if they only used the 5/16. The 3/8 holes seem to also be used, but only lower down. The ones under the roof overhang are very vacant…so just use your best judgement.
One last thing before I leave this post… My best friend and I have started an Etsy Shop. So if you have some time, please go and check it out, give us a few likes, and if you see anything you like, order away. Any little bit would be immensely helpful and very much appreciated. We are just getting started, so check back. We will also do custom work, so shoot us a message and we can try and work out something. I will also be updating here if we list anything really exciting… Our Shop name is IcebergEmpire… Here are a couple shop type shots:

Community Garden Plot- Update 4

I had some time today to drop by my plot at the community garden and survey the damage. A couple days ago a nasty hail storm blew through and totalled most of the gardens plots. Luckily it missed my garden at home where all my sensitive things are. 

I went with the intention of just cleaning up the leaf debris and pulling a few weeds, but I ended up harvesting the onions (which were not doing well anyway) and a row of the Purple Caribe potatoes. I actually would have harvested all the potatoes, but I didn’t have more than a small shopping bag.

The potatoes did pretty good, and it is about time to harvest them anyway despite the hail, so not a total loss. I got about 15 lbs from one row, which was 6 plants… So not bad at all. 

Out of the 50 or so sad onion sets I planted out, I only got 10 onions. Not great, but Mother Nature wasn’t helping much early in the year. I didn’t think I would get any onions at the rate they were going, so these 10 are a nice bonus. In the picture above you can see the purple caribe potatoes. I just throw them over to an I worked area until I can gather them all up.

The carrots held up fantastic! And are still growing strong. I didn’t get a picture of them, I was too busy snacking on them.

The beets and beans I sowed last time… They could go either way. I left most of the beans that we’re putting on new leaf growth, and the beets are small, but it looks like the potatoes took most of the hail hits and helped protect the little beets. I left them in hopeful optimism.

Now the plot looks super empty, I’m thinking of trying to move my one butternut squash that is in a container over there… I just need to round up help to do that.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I got there and got right to work cleaning up the mess. 

Hope everyone’s gardens are surviving mother natures mood swings!

Blue Podded Peas (Wordless Wednesday)