Your Early-Owl Access to Garden Notes is here!
Get early access to order the Garden Notes collection!
Introducing the Owl and Ember Garden Notes Collection!
I have teamed up with Owl and Ember for a new collection just for gardeners. As small, woman-owned businesses we want to reward our loyal supporters, so we are giving you early-owl access to the new Garden Notes Collection! We are thrilled to introduce you to Garden Notes, our new gardening journal and planner! And to go with Garden Notes, we have three all new exclusive sticker sheets — perfect for Garden Notes or any planner!
Right now, this collection is available exclusively for MMM and Owl and Ember subscribers!
If you are already a subscriber, you should have recieved an Early-Owl access email. If you aren’t a subscriber yet, sign up below, and you will get the link to order right away:
I’m so excited to introduce you to Garden Notes — truly a labor of love!
As always, let me know if you have any questions. And thank you for your love and support! Happy gardening!
Cheers!
Angela
Garden Notes: a New Journal/Planner
a sneak peek into my latest journal/planner coming soon!
Happy March! I hope you are well. We had a wonderful week of warm weather last week, and now we are snowed in once more. But that’s spring here in Colorado — and I can’t complain. We are thankful for every drop of moisture here!
Big News! I have created another journal/planner, and I’m so excited to share it with you! It’s called Garden Notes — and it is the perfect little notebook for gardeners of all types. I have been using a garden journal for a few years, but none of them were quite right. They were either too detailed, not detailed enough, too fancy or too basic. I needed something practical. So I created one myself, and it seems to be JUST RIGHT!
Garden Notes next to some of my seedlings which are thriving in the Greenhouse.
Technically, this won’t be available until April in the Owl and Ember shop. However, I know many people, like me, are getting their gardens going now! So, for our subscribers, we are offering Early Bird Access. On March 15 (yes, the Ides of March — no reason to beware), subscribers to Mid Modern Mama and Owl and Ember will recieve a early-ordering link. Our early order supplies are limited, but we want our gardening friends to be able to use Garden Notes as soon as possible!
From the Garden Notes product description:
Garden Notes
Garden Notes is a simple notebook: a place to make notes about your garden. It looks both forward and backward: both journal and planner. It’s a place to mark the months and the sowing which lies ahead as well as to reflect on the blossoms and harvests as the weeks of your growing season slip past. As you garden, year upon year, it also becomes a record. What flourished? What perished? When did the tulips emerge? The carrots ripen? The dahlias sing?
Whether you are a beginning gardener, a small flower farmer, or a dabbler with pots on a balcony, Garden Notes gives you a place to noodle about your plot of earth. With blank space for sketching, spots for list-making, lines and dots, and lots of freedom, this notebook leaves room for making it your own while providing just enough suggestions to help you get started, too.
Garden Notes is the perfect gardening journal – created by Angela, a passionate gardener, and designed by Holly. In creating this journal, Angela looked at the scribbled notes she keeps about her own garden – pasted into a not-perfect journal. She considered the notes she and other gardeners want to keep:
What is planted where?
When was it planted?
When was it harvested?How well did it do?
What should we change next year?
Those big questions are particularly important when a garden is buried in snow, but the gardener like Angela is ordering seeds and plotting for spring. Frustrated by gardening journals that just didn’t quite work, she created her own. The result is Garden Notes – a beautiful, simple notebook with room for everything.
Garden Notes is designed for every plant-lover on your list! I’ll be creating a video sneak peek later this week, so be sure to watch for that to come, too!
So, if you aren’t subscribed, be sure to drop your email below. I will never spam you nor will I sell your information. Promise!
Looking for some gardening inspiration? Be sure to check out these links. And if you aren’t following me on Instagram, do it! I share all kinds of gardening goodness on my feed.
So what are you planting? Let me know in the comments!
Cheers!
Angela
Planning for Spring
Ordering seeds, learning about soil blocking, and DAHLIAS!
We had the most beautiful hoarfrost last week — thick and icy, coating every tree and plant. Absolutely magical! Of course, it obscured the fact that a few hundred yards from where I took these photographs, the Marshall Fire had destroyed entire neighborhoods a few weeks ago. Today I dropped off some items for friends who lost their home, and if you still feel called to help, there are more than one thousand families who are struggling from this trauma. The Boulder Community Foundation is taking donations to help people who lost their homes in the Marshall Fire. You can donate here.
Though we aren’t even to the end of January, I’m beginning to plan for spring. I start my day in The Greenhouse each morning — checking on the plants, watering, taking cuttings, potting up, and soaking in the warmth and a little Vitamin D.
If, like me, you are starting to think about spring, I have some ideas and resources for you!
Starting Seeds
Now that I have The Greenhouse, I’m getting serious about starting plants from seed. In the end this should save a lot of money (I hope), and allow me to have a greater diversity of plants — particularly water-wise and native plants — in our garden.
This year I am trying the seed blocking method for starting seeds. You don’t have to have a greenhouse to do this — a sunny windowsill would work just as well. You also don’t need a lot of equipment. Just three things: trays, a seed blocker, and a trug or bin for making the soil mix.
Colorado flower farmer @blossomandbranchfarm has a great tutorial on how to start seeds using the seed blocking method. She recommended these particular trays which are perfectly-sized for the seed blocker — and happen to be perfect for the shelves in The Greenhouse, too.
Her tutorial is in two parts. The first includes all of the why and a glimpse into how it works.
The second video includes her peat-free soil recipe. Another big reason I’m planting seeds this year: I can grow peat-free. Using peat in gardening is an enormous environmental issue. More on that later, but suffice it to say: going peat-free is much better for the Earth, and it’s important for us all to do our part.
So, what am I starting? I have ordered seeds from several sources including Prairie Moon, Botanical Interests, and Baker Creek. I plan to start a variety of perennials including varieties of Agastache, Yarrow, Goldenrod and Baptisia as well as annuals including a wide range of Zinnias, Dill, Penstemon, Nasturtiums, Queen Anne’s Lace, and Salvia. I’m planting for the bees and other insects — lots of umbellifers and blooms with big, open centers which are easy for pollinators to find. I am trying a LOT of new things this year and several I’ve never heard of including Rattlesnake Master! We will see how it goes!
The Grand Garden beds after being planted last summer. The pink blooms in the foreground are Red Birds in a Tree (Scrophularia). They are planted out with Geum, Yarrow, Scabiosa, Bee Balm, and Verbena.
In planning my gardens for this year, not only am I thinking of the pollinators and hummingbirds, but I am also aiming for more cut flowers to bring into our house. That was one of the most pleasant and wonderful surprises of my garden last year. I was able to cut bouquets weekly — almost daily — to fill our house with flowers. I’ve always wanted such a garden! And last year was the first time I’ve achieved that on a regular basis.
Roses, Dahlias, Cosmos, Scabiosa, Zinnia, Gladiolus Murialae, Salvia, and so much more from last September’s garden offerings.
So, as I think about planting, I’m also plotting a bit for myself. Fortunately, the pollinators and I have similar tastes!
Dahlias
Creme de Cassis which was absolutely gorgeous in my garden last summer.
Dahlia Cornel Bronze — a stunning and consistent bloomer last year.
I have also ordered dahlias — not native or water-wise, but oh, so glorious! I’m planting 20 different varieties — most just one tuber each. They won’t all come up, of course. That’s the way it goes with plants! Last spring I planted three varieties two of which came up and bloomed. They were beautiful and did well, so I’ve gone all in for Dahlias this year.
I ordered tubers and cuttings from a range of farms and sources this year including:
Some of these growers still have tubers left, and some will have a second sale period this spring. Floret Flowers also has an amazing guide to dahlia sources if you are still looking for some of your favorites — or are starting your own dahlia obsession like me.
I’m working on several tutorials for gardening ideas and lots more for the spring including a gardening journal/planner which will be in Owl and Ember’s next product release just in time for spring! That is a true labor of love, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
More soon! Until then, happy planning!
XOXO
Angela
Pin it!
Make Your Holidays Merrier!
The all-new version of The Nice List is here!
The All-New Nice List is here!
Introducing The Nice List All Year and The Nice List Christmas Workbook!
THE NICE LIST: PAPER EDITIONS
The Nice List includes two separate notebooks:
The Nice List All Year: a gift-giving tracker to last for years to come
The Nice List Christmas Workbook: a planner for the entire Christmas season to keep you organized and help bring a little sanity to your holiday season
Both are available individually or together as a bundle and are designed to be used in a traveler’s notebook or independently.
FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE:
The Nice List books are designed so that they can be used in a traveler’s notebook -- a simple way to keep them together. For a limited time we will include a FREE handmade, upcycled traveler’s notebook with each purchase of The Nice List Bundle (while supplies last).
THE NICE LIST CHRISTMAS WORKBOOK INCLUDES:
How to Use The Nice List
How to Use The Christmas Workbook
November Calendars: weekly and monthly (undated)
December Calendars: weekly and monthly (undated)
Weekly To Do Lists for November and December (undated)
What Sparks Joy for You? Setting priorities for the holiday season
Budgeting worksheets: to establish a budget for your Christmas season — and for each gift, too
Coupons & Codes: tracker for holiday sales and discount codes
Giving Lists: to help you prioritize where you spend your money and on whom
Thoughts on Thoughtful Giving: ideas for gift giving and reducing the stress of the holidays
Thank You Note Tracker
Holiday Card Tracker
Menu Planners
Baking Planners
Shopping Lists
Blank pages for notes and planning
With a little planning and some careful thought before a gift is ever purchased, The Nice List can help you keep Christmas from spinning out of control and help you find the perspective you need. The Nice List helps you set deadlines to avoid high shipping charges and has a tool for tracking all of those promo codes and sale codes that start to flood your email inbox, too.
The Nice List All Year gives you a place to track all of the gifts you give the loved ones in your life -- not just at Christmas time. It is designed to be used for multiple years and can be purchased separately if you have more than 15 people in your life to track.
THE NICE LIST ALL YEAR INCLUDES:
How to use The Nice List
How to use The Nice List All Year
Giving Records for 15 people covering multiple years
The Nice List All Year is also designed to be used by anyone -- not just people who celebrate Christmas. From Hanukkah to Lunar New Year, Kwanzaa to Eid, and birthdays, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and more -- record every gift you give and make notes for coming occasions, too.
Plus, when you use The Nice List All Year year after year, you develop a record of your gift-giving, so you never give the same gift twice!
A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS PLANNER
Not only is The Nice List a beautiful planner, but it also comes with online tools including an extensive giving guide with gift suggestions in every budget for every person on your list — parents, inlaws, kids, friends, teachers. We have suggestions for them all and exclusive discount codes as well.
I love the Christmas season so much I have written what my husband described as my “love letter to Christmas” — The Nice List!
Order your copy of The Nice List today, and give yourself the gift of a very organized and holiday season!
We are Building A Greenhouse! Fall 2021 One Room Challenge
We are building a greenhouse! Join in the fun!
The One Room Challenge is here again, and this time we are building a greenhouse! You can check out all of the details and follow along on the One Room Challenge page. Be sure to sign up for the weekly ORC updates, too!
Thanks to my sponsors for this round!
The One Room Challenge Begins!
Exciting news! The Fall 2020 One Room Challenge has begun! Check out all of the details!
You can get all the details on the One Room Challenge and my projects here:
I hope you will stop by!
XOXO
A
Hello, Fall!
Fall is my favorite season! Check out the projects and ideas I have for this coziest of seasons!
Friends,
It’s been a minute — or a month! I hope you are well and are staying safe wherever you are. If you are new here, and there are a bunch of you, WELCOME! I don’t email often, and I always try to make it worth your time to read. So, thanks for following along, and always feel free to ask questions!
My favorite season is here! We are still staying home and staying safe — that’s not going to change for a long time. We have spent the last six months or so living outside. It has been truly wonderful, actually. A few weeks ago on Instagram, I did a look back on all the projects we have taken on this summer. It was eye-opening!
Here are some of our summer highlights:
We did four major backyard construction projects this summer: putting in a Stock Tank Pool, building a stage with a screen, putting a tree house in our Maple tree, and building a deck off of the workshop.
This was also the first summer that I have truly gardened in this house. We put in a vegetable garden — my first successful veggie garden ever! And I have had cut flowers all summer long which makes me incredibly happy. We even saved the garden from our freakish cold snap and SNOW at the beginning of September. Oh, Colorado! You always keep us guessing!
During this pandemic period, I have also taken up embroidery — it keeps me from doomscrolling at night! I’ve done several patterns and ventured out into creating my own free-form patterns, too.
Now it is time to celebrate Fall and bring the beauty of the season into our home! I have lots of easy, DIY fall projects that don’t require leaving the house — or even spending much money at all.
I didn’t spend any money to decorate this year. I used some old books, feathers, and paper grocery bags. Seriously. Click the link to see what came together!
DIY Fall Decorating Ideas
If you or someone you know is struggling with school at home, don’t forget I put together some tips and ideas to help make that a little easier. It isn’t perfect, but our school at home experience is SO MUCH BETTER than last spring! I hope you feel the same!
Successful School at Home
And finally, I am getting ready for the Fall 2020 One Room Challenge! It starts on October 7 which is somehow NEXT WEEK! Yikes!
The One Room Challenge is a super-fun event where hundreds of people around the world commit to truly finishing one room in their home over six weeks. Some people are very ambitious and gut and redo kitchens or bathrooms. Others tackle those rooms that just never seem to take shape or style without a real deadline. There are designers and professionals as well as DIY’ers — and everything in between — who participate. It is a ton of fun!
Next week I’ll be able to tell you what I am taking on. I have some really fun projects planned for this round, and I know there will be lots of people doing amazing work.
Until then, check out my rooms from the 2019 ORCs. I love doing this — and actually finishing a room in my house!
Stay safe! Stay home and wear a mask!
Cheers!
Angela
DIY Workroom Makeover
Fall 2019 One Room Challenge
DIY Guest
Room Refresh
Spring 2019 One Room Challenge
Non-Alcoholic Cocktails and More!
A new addition to the Giving Guide: a great list of ingredients for non-alcoholic cocktails. Stock your bar or give as gifts!
The stockings are hung. The tree is up. And this weekend we will celebrate Sankta Lucia day — the best combination of our Scandinavian and Italian heritage! The Christmas season is in full swing at our house! And I am nearly done with my Christmas shopping, too. Phew! I have lots to ship off across the country this year, so last minute shopping simply won’t work!
I have a few lists that may be helpful as we wind into these most festive weeks. No matter what you are celebrating this year, it’s always nice to have some guidance in the beverage department, and my dear friend, Aaron Sherman, is on hand to help! Aaron is a sommelier, and he has pulled together three fantastic guides with drink suggestions that will fit any dinner, party, or giving needs you may have this season. His wine list is delicious, and I toast the New Year with him annually, so I can tell you those champagne and sparkling wine choices are superb. New this year: a list of non-alcoholic options including fancy drink syrups and bitters which will impress even the fussiest of guests.
A lovely bottle of wine or bubbles makes a great host or hostess gift, and if you are entertaining make sure you have options on hand for friends who aren’t imbibing, too. Aaron has great suggestions for every scenario!
Another consideration: giving consumables like food and beverages — especially if they are in glass bottles that can be recycled — is a green gift option. There are several other greener options on the Thoughtful Giving Guide as well. If you are still shopping, be sure to check it out!
Budget-friendly gift suggestions for everyone on your list! Lists include:
My Favorite Gifts | Gifts Under $15 | Gifts for Mid Modern Lovers | Gifts for Children | Books to Give Gifts to Make | Wines to Give | Bubbles for the New Year
Wishing you all a great week ahead!
Cheers!
Angela