FanningSparks – Page 33 – A DIY and lifestyle blog authored by Peg Frizzell.

A Transformation Worthy of HGTV

If you like home renovation shows, this post is for you! It has all the key ingredients… an outdated house, a complete gut job, extensive renovations, structural challenges and a total transformation!
It all started with this neglected bird feeder which I’d stuffed in amongst the old flower pots.

Upon closer inspection, I determined it wasn’t a complete teardown—this old bird feeder could be converted into a modern, triplex birdhouse. The overall structure was sound and it had good bones. Plus that weathered copper roof was an architectural feature worth saving.

It was, however, a real fixer-upper! The existing interior had to be demolished. It needed some major structural work including new exterior walls, new doors (well… round openings), new flooring, and a new ceiling. It also needed a new interior design to convert it from one large, open floor plan into 3 individual units. The exterior needed some attention to give it curb appeal. This was a major renovation! (Yes, I may be watching too much HGTV! I am, in fact, hooked on Home Town with Ben and Erin Napier.)
Let’s get started. I eliminated the interior seed tube and holder, the outside pillars and the exterior copper band. With all these elements out of the way, it was time to start rebuilding. Here’s a look at the beautiful, new wood floor. In true Home Town fashion, I used lumber left over from another project. The new floor is made out of cedar fence picket scraps from the Strawberry Tower Planter I made earlier this year.

This next photo, taken from underneath the house, shows the new walls. The outside has 6 sides—3 with round openings. The inside has new interior walls as well as a new ceiling. One of the exterior wall pillars was repurposed as a center column to anchor the interior walls.

The plan was to cover the exterior in trencadis mosaic. I’ve wanted to try this technique ever since visiting Park Güell in Barcelona. Regular readers may recall, this mosaicist’s dream of a Park and the trencadis technique from a previous post Gaudí’s Trencadis Mosaics. Trencadis, which is also called pique assiette (or picassiette), crazy paving, or simply “broken china mosaic”, is a style of mosaic made with broken china and tiles.
The biggest question was how to construct the exterior walls so they could be covered with a broken china mosaic and survive out-of-doors. It was tempting to simply make the walls from plywood but I knew the mosaic would be short-lived if I did. The extremes of water and temperature cause wood to expand and contract but mosaics, which are set in mortar and sealed with grout, have no give. The resulting tension would likely cause the structure to crack or the mosaic pieces to pop off.
After some online research, I decided to construct the exterior walls from wedi® building board. This product is actually designed for building bathrooms (see More Info below for the details). Working with wedi board isn’t difficult. It can easily be cut with a jigsaw or box cutters although it will quickly blunt the blades. Proper safety precautions, including wearing a respirator and safety glasses, are necessary due to the harmful particles in the wedi coating.
After cutting the wedi board to size, the cut edges need to be sealed. It’s a two-step process. Start by wrapping the cut edges with an alkaline resistant mesh tape such as Fibatape which is typically used for dry wall repair.

Next apply a thin layer of thinset mortar over the tape to seal the edges.

After the exterior wall sections dried, I donned my respirator again and gave them a light sanding. I used construction adhesive (exterior grade Liquid Nails) along the top edge to secure the wall sections to the outside frame. Then I taped the edges between the sections and covered the seams with thinset mortar. Finally all the new structural elements were in place. It was almost time to “bring in the pretty” as my hero Erin Napier would say. But first, a little more demolition was required.
There was china to break! After trying a few different methods, I settled on the technique described below. Here are my top tips for breaking china for mosaics:
Take Safety Precautions Wear gloves and safety glasses.
Use China Dinner Plates Collect inexpensive, colorful plates from thrift stores and flea markets. Dinner plates, as opposed to saucers, mugs or other vessels, provide the most flat pieces. It isn’t an exact science but, as a rule of thumb, a 10” dinner plate yields about 12” x 11” coverage. China plates were easier to break than stoneware. Select different colors and patterns to provide some design options.

Work in a Box Use a flat cardboard box about twice the size of a dinner plate. Tape up the box flaps on 3 sides to create a small, 3-sided booth. Place the plate inside the box working over the unbound box flap. The cardboard walls prevent shards from flying around and the bottom of the box collects the bits and pieces.
Use Tile Nippers The ideal tool for this task is a pair of two-wheeled tile nippers. To use them, place the nippers at the very edge of the plate where the break should start. Then squeeze the nippers—hard. The nippers will nick the plate’s surface and cause it to crack across the entire surface. With any luck, it will break as planned. But be prepared—cuts don’t always go as planned—there are many unpredictable factors that impact the break such as the thickness of the plate, the pottery material, and the structure of the plate’s foot ring.

Tape Designs China plates may have designs or motifs that would look nice reassembled on the finished piece. To keep these pieces intact, cover the section with clear packing tape before breaking that section.

Cut Down To date, most of my mosaics have been made with 3/4” or 5/16” square glass tiles or custom-cut stained glass (See Pair of Mosaic Mirrors Completed, DIY Turkish Mosaic Candle Holder Tutorial, My Mandala-Inspired Oval Design, and Serving Up My OOAK Mosaic Tray). But it’s simply not possible to break china plates into nice, neat ¾” squares. The china pieces will vary in size and shape. Continue to break down the china plate with the two-wheeled tile nippers until they’re about 1½ – 2” in size. I found it best to do my final cutting when I laid out the design.
Spread Out Tesserae It’s most efficient to spread out all the tesserae (ie the small pieces used in mosaic work) on a flat surface. This is the same idea as laying out all the pieces for a jigsaw puzzle—it’s easier to fit everything together when all the pieces are visible. The flat lids from plastic storage tubs worked well for this setup.

Create Design Draw a paper template of the surfaces to be covered and place on the working surface. Then just like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, select tesserae to fill the spaces. Unlike a jigsaw puzzle, though, the pieces can be adjusted to fit with the two-wheeled tile nippers.

Embrace Irregularity This is probably a good time to point out that the tesserae won’t, and shouldn’t, fit together perfectly. The irregularity ensures a good grout gap and makes the overall piece visually interesting. The imperfect perfection of broken china mosaic is what makes it beautiful. I readily admit that it’s a challenge for me to deliberately make something imperfect!
The next steps are the same as for most mosaic projects. Thinset mortar is used to attach the mosaic pieces to the surface. Then grout is used to fill in the gaps.

There was one more architectural detail to address before the new birdhouse was finished. This curtain rod finial, painted white, was the perfect topper for the copper roof.

And now for the big reveal! Here’s the new, modern triplex birdhouse in all its glory!

Three colorful doors and windows, in red, green and blue broken china, enhance the exterior.

Here’s a closer look at a few of the details.

This new birdhouse will be installed in our front yard. I had the mounting post ready but then, at the last minute, decided to enhance the post with a few bands of broken china. So the new homeowners will have to wait a little longer!

More Info

Please share this image or pin for future reference.

Making mosaics is one of my favorite crafts. Check out these FanningSparks’ posts for other mosaic projects Pair of Mosaic Mirrors Completed, DIY Turkish Mosaic Candle Holder Tutorial, My Mandala-Inspired Oval Design, and Serving Up My OOAK Mosaic Tray. You may also like the post Learning from the Ancient Masters and Gaudí’s Trencadis Mosaics.
Check out my Pinterest board, Mosaic Artwork – FanningSparks Favs, for over 235 inspiring pins.
If you’re not yet a Ben and Erin fan, check out HGTV Home Town on their website.
The wedi® building board I used in this project is made by a German company of the same name. You can learn more on the wedi® website. As mentioned above this product is designed for bathrooms. It was a bit of a challenge to actually find wedi® building board—it’s sold in large sheets so it’s not a simple, online purchase. I found it at The Tile Shop in Buford, Georgia.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Find beauty in existing structures and objects.
2. Consider re-purposing or re-using materials for your next project.
3. Add personality and fun with broken china mosaics.

Agritourism Nature Plants Southeast Travel USA

A Peach of a Day

Peach season is just coming to a close here in the Peach State. Peaches, along with pecans, peanuts, paper and poultry are sometimes referred to as the 5 “P”s of Georgia agriculture. Peaches are a big deal in Georgia!
Peach orchards are a common sight along the country roads of southern Georgia. I recently had the opportunity to visit one of these orchards. Southern Belle Farm is a family-owned, working farm. At its peak, the Farm included 375 acres of land and 350 Holstein dairy cows. Then the owners decided to switch from dairy to beef and focus on agritourism.

Southern Belle Farm has evolved into a multi-faceted attraction. The U-pick/fresh produce operation offers strawberries in the spring; peaches, blueberries, blackberries and flowers in the summer; pumpkins and corn in the fall; and Christmas trees in the winter. There are special event facilities and fun activities including an animal barn with chickens, rabbits, donkeys and goats.

The goats were highly entertaining but the peach orchards were the main draw. The rich green peach trees were loaded with beautiful ripe fruit. The peaches were in various stages of ripeness and the colors ranged from soft yellow to deep orange-red. They were literally “ripe for the picking”.

Quite a few peaches had fallen to the ground resulting in a noticeably sweet aroma in the air.

The peach orchards at Southern Belle Farm are a feast for the senses. Beautiful country views and sunset-colored fruit; delicious, juicy sweetness; pervasive sugary aroma; soft fuzzy surfaces; and…

… insistent bird song. Well… it may have been more of an alarm than a song! A pair of Brown Thrashers (Toxostoma rufum) were making lots of noise in their efforts to protect a nearby nest. Interestingly, the Brown Thrasher is known for its ability to mimic the sounds of other birds and is reported to have the largest song repertoire (ie over 1,000) of any North American bird.

It was a pleasure to wander amongst the trees selecting one perfect peach after another.

In no time, my basket was full and I’d picked a half-peck.

I didn’t take much notice of the peach varieties as I picked. But I’ve since learned there are 3 types of peaches: clingstone, freestone and semifreestone. Clingstone peaches have pits that cling to the flesh of the peach. They are typically smaller, sweeter and earlier in the season. Freestone peaches have pits that separate easily from the flesh. They are typically larger, juicier and later in the season. Semifreestone peaches are somewhere in between with pits that start out clinging but separate easily once ripe. The sweet, delicious peaches I picked were freestone.

Within those categories, there are a number of different cultivars such as Gala, Majestic, Red Globe and Loring. Peach varieties were identified throughout the orchard as were the pre-picked baskets in the Farm’s Country Market.

Despite Georgia’s obsession with peaches, this stone fruit isn’t native to the region or even to North America. The peach tree (Prunus persica) originated in Northwest China and was introduced to Georgia’s coast by Franciscan monks in 1571. Surprisingly, the peach rose from this humble beginning to sponsor an economic boom. A number of enterprising individuals played important roles in this fascinating transformation but Samuel Henry Rumph may just be the most famous. According to the Georgia Peach Council, “Rumph, a middle Georgia peach grower during the late 1800’s, is credited with being the “Father of the Georgia Peach industry” as he revolutionized the industry with a new variety which he named after his wife Elberta. This yellow-fleshed peach was of superior quality and shipped better than previous varieties. Not only did he breed this superior variety but he also invented a way to ice train cars loaded with peaches, thus getting this “Queen of Fruits” into the populous Northeast. Rumph never patented his Elberta peach or the refrigerated train car. Instead he opted to share this windfall with his neighbors and the “Georgia Peach Boom” began.”
The heyday of the Georgia Peach Boom was between 1870–1930. I recently came across a vintage label at a local antique shop which coincides with that timeline. It is a vibrantly-colored crate label for Dixiana Georgia Peaches circa 1930.

These days, California and South Carolina produce far more peaches than Georgia but peaches remain a big part of the state’s identity. The Georgia Peach Council proudly boasts “After all, you can’t feed your children VOLUME of peaches. You feed your children sweet, flavorful Georgia peaches. Quality and sweet flavor is all that matters. Sweet Georgia peaches give you both… every day, every peach.” The Council attributes this unique flavor to “our searing hot nights and intense high humidity [which] allow our peaches to produce sweet Georgia sugar all day AND night. Most other growing regions cool down at night and the peaches take a break from producing sugar.”
The Farm’s Country Market is packed with fresh picked produce, baked goods and local food items.

There are a number of peach products including a few surprises like the Mayhaw Peach Jelly pictured below. Mayhaw berries, as a nearby sign explained, “look very much like cranberries or small crabapples [in the wild]. They vary in taste, but the berries are usually fruity and tart. Most would say they’re far too tart to eat straight from the tree—and that’s where the jelly comes in.”

There was also fresh peach ice cream! Yum! Unfortunately, I wasn’t nearly fast enough to style and shoot my ice cream before the Georgia sun turned it into a sticky, albeit delicious, hot mess!

More Info

Southern Belle Farm is located in McDonough, Georgia. You can learn more about this fun destination on their website or Facebook page.
Georgia Grown provides a convenient list of peach orchards, farms and farmers markets on their website.
The Georgia Peach Council says “They don’t call us the “Peach” state for nothing!”. Check out what else they have to say on their website.
You may also enjoy the post, Blueberry Zaniness, about a visit to a local blueberry U-pick operation.

Today’s Takeaways

1. U-Pick orchards and farms are a fun, summertime destination.
2. The history behind a crop or product, unique to your region, can be fascinating.
3. Consider learning about and supporting your local agritourism businesses.

Fiber Make Nature Wildlife

Inspired by Mother Nature’s Lace

It’s astonishing how something as unremarkable as a spider’s web can be transformed by morning dew. Suddenly, the ordinary becomes extraordinary!

I’m not the only one intrigued by spider webs. Spiders and their webs have been the subject of considerable scientific research. “One of the biology’s best ‘manufacturing engineers’ with an incredibly effective material-fabrication capability is the spider. It fabricates its web to make a very strong, insoluble, continuous lightweight fiber, and the produced web is resistant to rain, wind and sunlight. It is made of very fine fibers that are barely visible, allowing it to serve its function as an insect trap. The web can carry a significant amount of water droplets from fog, dew or rain. Just in time the spider generates its fiber while hanging on to it as it emerges cured and flawless from its body… The spider has sufficient supply of raw materials for its silk to span the web over great distances relative to its body.” states the Institute of Physics (IOP) Science article Biomimetics – Using Nature to Inspire Human Innovation. The article goes on to describe specific breakthroughs in nanotechnology inspired by the spider.
Pictured below is a Golden Silk Spider (Trichonephila clavipes) which I spotted in our garden. These spiders are known for the golden color of their silk. They construct large, asymmetrical circular webs and are considered excellent web-builders. According to Wikipedia “T. clavipes is a well-studied species with a high recognized value to humans because of their usefulness in spider silk research. … the silk of T. clavipes has the potential to aid in surgeries involving the nervous system.”

Of course, spiders build webs to trap and catch insects to eat. It looks like this dragonfly is about to be someone’s dinner!

The IOPScience article also notes: “The fishing net can be viewed as another imitation of nature that most likely resulted from humans observing the spider using its web to catch flies… Both the spider web and the fishing net have structural similarities and the same function of trapping passing-by creatures.”
The similarity to a spider’s web is most apparent when examining what-appears-to-be a handmade fishing net.

This fishing net was spotted at the Casas de Mar de Angeiras (Angeiras Sea Houses) in Matosinhos, Portugal. This historic site showcases the structures and equipment used in agricultural-maritime activities in this region until the beginning of the 20^th century.

It stands to reason that the making of nets, or netting fabric, would be a valued skill passed down through the generations. According to the 1884 Encyclopedia of Needlework by Thérèse de Dillmont, “Netting is a handicraft, so ancient that it would be difficult to trace it to its origin… There is evidence to show that the making of nets for fishing and game catching was as familiar to the earlier races of mankind as it is to us.” Fiber strands were hand-knotted at each point of intersection to create secure, independent loops in a diamond pattern. The resulting mesh didn’t slip, spread or distort making it ideal for fishing nets.
Eventually, and this is the part that intrigues me, craftspeople started to enhance and embellish the netting. The author tells us: “Practised in the first instance for the wants of life, it by degrees developed into an art”. I assume craftspeople improved their techniques and refined their tools. These diagrams illustrate the positioning of the hands and tools for netting.

Sources of the above diagrams: #1 Fig 303 Netting from Beeton’s Book of Needlework; #2 Fig 614 First Position of the Hands Encyclopedia of Needlework
Craftspeople also developed variations on the basic diamond stitch by introducing round and square shaped stitches; skipping, increasing and decreasing the number of stitches to develop patterns; varying the size of the stitches, and so on. These sketches illustrate the progression from a section of simple round netting to a complex pattern of diagonal netting with crossed loops.

Sources of the above diagrams: #1 Fig 305 Round Netting Beeton’s Book of Needlework; #2 Fig 620 Netting Composed of Plain, Double and Oblong Loops Encyclopedia of Needlework; #3 Fig 308 English Netting Beeton’s Book of Needlework; #4 Fig 617 Patterns Produced in Netting by Increasing and Decreasing Encyclopedia of Needlework; #5 Fig 621 Circular Netting Composed of Long and Short Loops Encyclopedia of Needlework; #6 Fig 633 Netted Fringe Encyclopedia of Needlework; #7 Fig 632 Working Detail of Diagonal Netting with Crossed Loops Encyclopedia of Needlework; #8 Fig 631 Diagonal Netting with Crossed Loops Encyclopedia of Needlework.
It’s a fascinating transformation—from humble fishing net to fine art netting needlework! There’s no way of knowing for sure, but it’s not hard to imagine, that netting also evolved into other fine needlework skills. For instance, there’s a noticeable similarity to macramé, crochet and bobbin lace. The below photo shows a piece of bobbin lace being made; multiple strands of thread are being knotted into an intricate pattern. You can learn more about the splendid art of bobbin lace in my blog post Tied In Knots in Portugal.

In summary, the spider and its web, have inspired many innovations in both science and art.

More Info

The article, Biomimetics-Using Nature to Inspire Human Innovation, by Yoseph Bar-Cohen and published 27 April 2006 by IOP (Institute of Physics) Publishing, is accessible via this IOPScience link.
I wasn’t able to find much information online regarding the Angeiras Sea Houses but there is a brief mention on the Turismo do Porto and Norte de Portugal website.
The Encyclopedia of Needlework by Thérèse de Dillmont (1846-1890), published in 1884, is a classic reference book one can turn to for time-tested information. The Encyclopedia of Needlework is available online in its entirety. The book has 16 chapters including Sewing, Mending, Single and Cut Open Work, Net and Damask Stitches, White Embroidery, Flat and Gold Stitch Embroidery, Tapestry and Line Embroidery, Knitting, Crochet, Tatting, Netting, Irish Lace, Laces of Different Kinds, Miscellaneous Fancy Work, and Practical Directions.
Beeton’s Book of Needlework, by Mrs. Isabella Mary Beeton (1836 – 1865), published in 1870, is a classic reference book for all crafters, beginners and experienced alike. Beeton’s Book of Needlework is available online in its entirety. The book includes instructions in Tatting, Embroider, Crochet, Knitting and Netting, Berlin Wool Work, Point Lace and Guipure d’Art.
I learned about bobbin lace while visiting Vila do Conde in northern Portugal. Learn about my visit to the Museu das Rendas de Bilros (Museum of Bobbin Lace) in my blog post Tied In Knots in Portugal.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Consider how Mother Nature turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.
2. Biology stimulates research in non-biological science and technology in the same way nature often inspires the world of art,
3. Netting is an ancient handicraft which originates from the making of fishing nets.

About General Make Nature Travel

Summer Activities Roundup

Ah… the lazy-hazy-crazy days of summer! The sights and sounds of summer always bring back fond memories of sunny days spent on the family farm. But, to be honest, summer on a working dairy farm is anything but lazy! Nowadays, I have more time to relax and I’m grateful for lazy-hazy-crazy days. While thinking about the possibilities for this summer, I took a look back at some of the summertime stories and projects I’ve shared previously. Today’s blog post features a roundup of 12 outdoor activities for the season—a dozen ideas for summertime fun!
1. Float a Boat One of the joys of summer is spending time on or near the water. Floating a toy boat on water—whether it’s an ocean, lake, pond, river, stream or swimming pool—is the perfect way to bring back some childhood fun. I’ve shared a couple of posts, Simple Folded Boat – DIY Tutorial and A Landlubber’s Toy Sailboat – DIY Tutorial, which provide detailed instructions to make simple toy boats. This simple folded boat is suited to shallow waters…

…while this toy sailboat is better suited to water that is at least 1½ feet deep.
2. Have a Picnic What makes a good picnic great? A pleasant natural setting, agreeable weather, tasty food, cool drinks, a leisurely pace, a few key items for comfort, enjoyable company and amusing ways to relax. I’ve shared a few ideas for picnics in the posts: Picnic Under the Wisteria, A Colorful Backyard Picnic and Sunrise Breakfast Picnic.

There’s also a tutorial to make, what I’ve dubbed, “the ultimate picnic blanket”. This picnic blanket provides a protected place to sit while keeping moisture, bugs and pokey things at bay. Plus it’s durable, easy care and machine washable. The design of red-and-white gingham check with white daisies is bright and cheery. Check out The Ultimate Picnic Blanket – DIY Tutorial.

3. Watch Birds According to All About Birds, birdwatching is more challenging in the summertime. Many baby birds have fledged by July and the adult birds are keeping a low profile while they molt. Ironically, although the birds are more difficult to find, there are actually more of them because of the influx of young birds. I’ve shared a few blog posts about birds including From Feeders to Quilts, 15 Bird Photography Tips Starring the Osprey, Catfish for Dinner?, Stately Swans and their Surprising Stories.

4. Enjoy the Forest Whether it’s called Shinrin-yoku, Forest Therapy or Deliberate Dawdling, a slow stroll along a quiet forest trail is a great way to get immersed in the healing powers of the forest.

5. Stack Stones   Try building a stone tower by balancing rocks one on top of another. Experiment with size and form. Try piling stones into the shape of human figures (called an inuksuk). See the post Heaps and Stacks of Stone for some ideas.
6. Hunt for Sea Glass   Stroll a shoreline and look for sea glass gems. Check out the tips for a successful search in the post In Pursuit of Sea Glass.

7. Indulge in Shutter Therapy Seek out an interesting destination and focus on taking photos. Find the diversity and beauty of the surroundings. The blog post Shutter Therapy in North Rustico shares examples from a day of shooting photos in a fishing village. Strive for the perfect shot while experimenting with subjects, angles, focus, composition and light.
Seek out the beautiful natural light of early morning or late evening.   See the blog post, First Light at Peggy’s Cove, for more information about magic and golden hours.
8. Learn about Sea Turtles In the post Turtles Racing to the Sea, I shared my experiences attending a Sea Turtle Conservancy Tour de Turtles event and a sea turtle nest excavation. Consider learning about sea turtles, or other wild creature of interest, to help preserve and protect wildlife.
9. Chase Butterflies Seek out habitats and gardens dedicated to butterflies for the best chance of seeing these winged beauties. The habitat at Butterflies and Blooms in the Briar Patch in Eatonton, Georgia is a great destination. Check out my post Chasing Butterflies for lots of pretty photos from my visit.

10. Admire a Lighthouse In the post, Beacons of Light, I share stories and photos of lighthouses I’ve had the opportunity to visit. Most of the lighthouses were located in Prince Edward Island, Canada but the neighboring provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick also make an appearance. Lighthouses, which are associated with strength, guidance, hope and safe harbor, always have a story to tell.

11. Visit a Local Attraction Thanks to the miracle of COVID-19 vaccines, local travel is possible once again. I’ve shared several of my visits to nearby attractions including:
. A Bridge of Oconee County shares a visit to the Elder Mill Covered Bridge in Oconee County, Georgia.
. Crowing and Clucking in the Barnyard documents a visit to the free-range chicken yard at Hundred Acre Farm in Madison, Georgia.

. Counting Buttons Instead of Sheep shares the quirky story of the Button King from Bishopville, South Carolina.
12. Learn a New Skill Summer is a good time to learn a new skill. How about learning to juggle? Check out the blog post Felt Juggling Balls with Pouch – DIY Tutorial for instructions to make a set of juggling balls.

Or how about making a lucet and learning to make cord? Check out the post Lucet Cordmaking – DIY Tutorial for detailed instructions.

Or check out the post Weaving Lavender to learn how to weave lavender wands.
That makes 12! I hope today’s post provided some new ideas for summertime fun.

More Info

The Cornell Lab’s All About Birds website is a great resource for birding.
You can learn more about Sea Turtle Conservancy events on the Tour de Turtles website. The Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch website provides information on sea turtle nest excavations.
You can learn more about Butterflies and Blooms in the Briar Patch in Eatonton, Georgia on their Facebook page.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Make the most of the summer season with outdoor activities.
2. Consider trying a summertime activity from today’s post.
3. Happy Summer!

Asia Gardening Japan Nature Plants Travel

Growing Carpets and Coats of Moss

Moss, those small, puffy cushions of rich greenery at your feet, are easy to overlook. Moss can be as short as 1/16 of an inch and is often hidden away in shaded areas. Moss doesn’t have true roots, it doesn’t have stems, it doesn’t have leaves and it doesn’t have flowers. Yet, in the right circumstances, moss can be quite impressive.
Japanese gardeners have known this for centuries. Moss is included in the Japanese garden as a symbol of harmony, age and tradition. Here are a few examples from some of the fabulous Japanese gardens I’ve had the privilege to visit.
In this beautiful scene, at an ancient garden in Kyoto Japan, moss serves as a ground cover. Its velvety surface is the perfect complement to the aged, grey stone.

This pretty stone path is surrounded by a rich, green moss carpet in the gorgeous Kyoto Gyoen National Garden.

Moss isn’t limited to the ground. Over time, moss can attach to stones, walls and structures. It is able to attach with its anchoring systems (called rhizoids) and is able to survive by absorbing water and nutrients directly into its plant body. In contrast, other plants move these elements through a vascular system of roots, stems and leaves.
This breathtaking scene at the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden features an ancient stone bridge. Notice how the sides of the bridge are cloaked in a coat of moss.

In the below photo, moss caps the beautiful stone lanterns at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Shrines and Temples in Nikkō, Japan. It was early March when I visited and there was snow on the ground but the moss was still green. Moss photosynthesizes year-round and is evergreen.

Here’s another example from the Nikkō site. This is a tsukubai which is a traditional washbasin located at the entrance to a holy place for ritual cleansing. Notice how the bronzy-green moss coat enhances the harmony of the setting.

Japanese gardeners are not the only ones to enjoy moss gardening. The use of moss in public and private gardens has been gaining popularity. Recently, while enjoying a local tour of private gardens in Georgia, I noticed the gardeners had incorporated carpets and coats of green moss in their gardens. In one garden, this beautiful stone path was nestled in a bed of moss.

In another garden, several carefully-selected planters were topped with cushion mounds of rich green moss.

Intrigued… I decided to do a little research on moss gardening.
How to Create a Moss Carpet
Turns out, it’s not difficult to add a patch of moss to a garden. The biggest challenges seem to be growing conditions and patience. Here are the primary steps I gleaned from my research:
Prepare Planting Area
. Select an area away from direct sunlight such as under a shade tree.
. Prepare the area for the new moss patch. Clear the area removing all weeds. Create a shallow layer of soil and pack it down. Use a rake to gently scratch the surface.
. Ensure the soil’s acidity is appropriate for the selected moss. The easiest way to do this is to use soil from the area where the moss is currently growing. If that’s not an option, test the soil for acidity and amend as needed. Most moss prefers acidic soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.0.
. Soak the new area with water for about a ½ hour—the soil should be visibly moist without any puddles.
Collect Moss
. Most experts recommend transplanting moss from an existing patch. However, beware, it is illegal to remove moss from protected areas such as state and national parks and public lands.

. It is possible to collect and plant moss at any time of the year but fall and spring are recommended. The ideal time is during the early spring immediately after a rain.
. To avoid overharvesting, take only small amounts of moss from the source patch—ideally no more than 3” squares from each square foot of moss.
. Lightly loosen the moss squares and keep them flat. A wide putty knife or an old kitchen spatula can be used.
. Keep the collected moss damp.
Plant Moss
. Transfer the collected moss to the new planting area. Place the moss on the soil and press firmly to remove any air pockets. The objective is to establish close contact with the surface of the soil. Some experts recommend pinning the moss in place with landscaping pins or small rocks.
. Mist the moss to keep it moist. One expert recommends using a spray bottle to mist the moss twice a day for the first 3 weeks. Other experts are a little less rigorous and simply recommend keeping the moss moist for the first few weeks.
Maintain Moss
. Water consistently to keep the moss slightly damp. Moss should not remain soggy.
. Remove fallen leaves and other debris preferably with a leaf blower.
. Pull out weeds and unwanted plants.
. One expert recommends always walking on the moss after watering it to help set the rhizoids. Another one recommends limiting foot traffic to stepping stones or paths. I assume the right answer is somewhere in the middle—walk on the moss sparingly.
. Wait. Experts predict growth should be visible within a few months and the patch should double in size within a year or so. An expansive carpet can be achieved within a couple of years.

This same technique could be used to transplant moss from an existing patch into a large container such as this lovely blue vessel which I spotted at the Chelsea Flower Show a few years ago.

How to Create a Moss Coat
A different technique is used to grow a coat of moss on a rock or brick structure. Here’s a great example of moss-covered garden stools spotted at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Prepare Surface
. Select a rock, brick or concrete surface away from direct sunlight.
Make Moss Slurry
. Collect moss in the same way described above.
. Make a moss slurry with moss and buttermilk. Experts differ on the specifics of making this mixture. One recommends making the slurry in a blender with approximately 1 handful of moss and 1 cup of buttermilk. Another recommends combining about 2 cups of buttermilk or yogurt with 1½ cups chopped moss in a bucket. The mixture should be spreadable; add more moss to thicken or water to thin.
Apply Moss Slurry
. Paint the moss slurry onto the targeted surface. A paintbrush can be used.
. Mist twice daily until new growth appears.
Maintain Moss
. Water consistently to keep the moss slightly damp. Moss should not remain soggy.
. Wait. The moss should begin to grow vigorously within 6 weeks.
I don’t know how long it took to establish the moss and ferns on the below garden jar but I think the wait would be worth it. This beautiful scene was spotted at Fern Paradise in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Although, moss is typically grown on stone, brick or concrete, I have seen it planted on some unusual surfaces. The below upholstered easy chair, which I spotted at a private home in Madison Georgia, is a case in point. I don’t know how the gardener accomplished this but I think this chair is amazing!

More Info

Moss is classified as Bryophyta. Some moss grows vertically and resembles strands of hair while others grow horizontally in a close-cropped manner. In total, there are approximately 12,000 species worldwide. The iNaturalist website and their Seek app are very helpful tools for identifying moss.
The following two reference books about moss gardening were mentioned frequently in my research:
. Moss Gardening by George Schenk
. The Magical World of Moss Gardening by Annie Martin. See her Mountain Moss website for lots of great information.
To learn more about the gardens mentioned in this post, check out the following links:
. Kyoto Gyoen National Garden in Kyoto, Japan
. UNESCO World Heritage Site Shrines and Temples of Nikkō in Nikkō, Japan
. The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Chelsea Flower Show in London, England
. Singapore Botanic Gardens in Singapore
. Fern Paradise in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Garden tours are a great way to view private gardens. Check out these FanningSparks’ blog posts for more garden photos and ideas.
. Spring Into a Garden Tour
. Madison in May – 15 Favorite Fotos
. A Virtual Stroll in Ticehurst
. Sculpture for the Home Garden.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Moss is included in the Japanese garden as a symbol of harmony, age and tradition.
2. Consider adding moss to your garden by growing a moss carpet in a shady area…
3. …or creating a moss coat on a stone or brick structure.

Artists Make Repurpose Southeast Travel USA

Counting Buttons Instead of Sheep

“Quirky” was the first word that came to mind when I started to write today’s post. It’s the story of the self-proclaimed “Button King”—a man who spent over 25 years of his life sewing and gluing buttons to everyday things. Paying homage to his unusual accomplishments is a small, unassuming place called the Button King Museum in Bishopville, South Carolina. In fact, it’s so low-key I had to turn the lights on myself when I visited. Some people may find it hokey—but I found it rather charming, fun and… well… quirky!
It all started when the Button King, the late Dalton Stevens, wasn’t able to sleep. He’d been plagued by insomnia from the time he was a child. It was so bad his employer gave him early retirement due to the safety factors of chronic insomnia. This was in 1983—back in the early days of sleep medicine in the United States.
Newspapers report Stevens tried all the usual remedies like counting sheep and drinking warm milk as well as some unusual ones like doing housework. Then he decided to pass his sleepless nights by sewing buttons onto a pair of his blue jeans. Some nights he would sew on only 10 buttons, other nights he’d sew on an astonishing 200-300 buttons. Over the course of the next 2+ years, he also sewed buttons onto a matching denim jacket and cap. When he was finished, he’d added 16,333 buttons and 16 pounds to the suit. This unusual suit is on display at the Button King Museum.

Next the Button King moved on to his guitar. Apparently, he switched from sewing buttons to gluing buttons at this time. He glued over 3,000 buttons on his guitar.

Then he glued 517 buttons on his shoes.

According to the biography of Dalton Stevens, “When I completed the clothes, the guitar and my shoes, I went to the newspaper in Sumter, SC and then to our local paper, the Lee County Observer in Bishopville. They gave me quite a write-up. Soon after, I went to a television station in Florence, and they aired my story too. From there I was featured on CNN and my story went worldwide.”
Numerous newspaper clippings are displayed at the Button King Museum including one that appears to be that early Lee County Observer article with the headline: ‘Button Man’ Turns Hobby Into Area Notoriety.

I got a kick out of all the button related puns in the various news articles. For instance, the article shown above closes with: “The Guinness Book of World Records is next on Steven’s list, he said. Just a matter of pushing the right buttons.”
The exact sequence of events is a little unclear but Stevens went on to cover a number of different items with buttons including his car! Nearly every surface of the 1981 Chevrolet Chevette is covered with buttons!

Strangely, the Button King also covered a hearse…

…and a coffin in buttons.

He even covered a toilet and an outhouse structure in buttons.

Meanwhile, his notoriety grew. The author of a 1993 article titled “Cute as a Button” shared this insight. “Some folks may think Stevens is kind of strange, but others realize there’s a method to his madness. They’ve seen him cruise down Main Street… in his button-covered ’81 Chevette. They’ve seen him in parades, too—75 at last count. And they’ve seen him singing and picking his button-covered guitar at state fairs and shopping malls.
The Button King ain’t no fool.
“It runs into a good bit of money for a poor person like me,“ says Stevens … “I’ve made $250 in a day, and in a lot of places, I’ve made $750.”
That’ll buy a lot of buttons. But The Button King is so popular; he doesn’t have to buy buttons. Individuals and companies keep him well-stocked in buttons and glue. …he’s been on the Johnny Carson and David Letterman shows, and with Regis and Kathie Lee, too. People magazine has featured him twice, and his photo has been splashed in nearly every supermarket tabloid.”
It seems the reporter was right: “The Button King ain’t no fool.”

As I looked around the Button King Museum, I was reminded of something a seasoned collector once told me. She said “The most insignificant object assumes importance if you have a lot of it.” (See the post Decorating with Collections). That’s exactly how the Button King achieved his goal to set a world record. He was included in the 1990 Guinness World Book of Records for the largest button collection. It’s quite the inspiring story!
Now where’s my button stash? I have a pair of jeans that could use a little boost!

More Info

You can learn more about the Button King Museum in the article Five Wacky and Delightful South Carolina Museums on the South Carolina Tourism website.
Unusual and obscure travel destinations such as the Button King Museum are catalogued by Atlas Obscura. Check out the Atlas Obscura website for more curious and wondrous attractions at your next destination.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Sometimes the story behind a situation is more uplifting and entertaining than the situation itself.
2. The most insignificant object assumes importance if you have a lot of it.
3. Consider seeking out and visiting an unusual or quirky destination.

A Transformation Worthy of HGTV

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A Peach of a Day

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Inspired by Mother Nature’s Lace

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Summer Activities Roundup

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Growing Carpets and Coats of Moss

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Counting Buttons Instead of Sheep

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