Make a Bunny Planter

Hi again Pixies! We couldn't resist sharing this project with you as we think it's perfect for the Easter Holidays. It's also easy, cheap and fun - oh, and it would make a cute gift too! If doing this activity with children, adult supervision may be needed.

All you need is:
A 1 pint plastic milk carton
A plant pot or plastic cup
Compost
Small plant or seeds
Scissors
Permanent marker pen or left over craft material

First carefully cut the handle off your milk carton.

Fill the plant pot or plastic cup with compost and add the seeds or small plant. (If you are using a plastic cup, remember to make a few small holes in the bottom for drainage).

Turn the milk carton on one side so that the cut away area is facing down and carefully cut out your bunnies ears. Fold them upwards.

Decorate your bunny. We gave ours eyes cut from a cereal packet which we stuck on with double sided tape, but you could add whiskers too.

Add your plant.

Cute eh?
Happy Easter Pixies.

Getting Growing!

It's a beautiful day here and a great day for getting out in the garden but before we do, we just wanted to share a couple of simple ideas for getting your garden growing.

We'd been thinking about the mini tetrapaks and wondering how many of those little juice cartons get thrown away every day. We're guessing enough to fill our garden many times over! Yeuk. And then we hit on an idea - seed pots! Simply cut the carton in half and you have two little pots. Fill them with compost and you're ready for planting. You may want to sit them in a plastic tray to keep them all together - it makes caring for them much easier.

Once the seeds are planted, mist the soil and cover the tray with polythene to keep them warm and moist. You could also make labels for your plants from the sides of a plastic milk carton.

Think about what you might like to grow - some seeds cost nothing such as the seeds from your apple or peppers. Or you may want to grow plants which provide pollen for bees and butterflies. If you are doing this activity with children you may wish to choose plants which are quick to grow, such as Calendula. Here are some of our seedlings after just one week. 

Happy Gardening Pixies! :)

Flower Power

Hi there pixies! We hope the sun is shining where you are. Have you spotted any snowdrops or daffodils yet this year? We love to see colour returning to our gardens and like to help out where we can, and we know you do too. So we have a little project for you today, which we like to call a 'Secret Sprinkler'. We're sure this is going to be this seasons 'must have' eco-pixie accessory.

How to make a Secret Sprinkler.

You are going to need;
A 2 litre plastic milk carton with lid
Another lid of about the same size
A piece of polythene (the type which fruit and vegetables are often packed in is great).
Scissors
A packet of seeds .. or seeds collected from your garden.

Carefully cut the top off the plastic milk bottle a few centimetres below the lid. Put the rest of the bottle into the plastic recycling.

Turn the top part over and cut into it 8 times.

Trim the outer edge of each piece so that they begin to resemble petals.

Cut the polythene to about the size of a small plate and place the second lid in the centre.

Pull the polythene up over the sides of this lid and pass it through the centre of your flower from front to back.

Fold the polythene down round the edges of the bottle neck and put the lid back on. Trim off the excess polythene. If you like you can decorate your sprinkler by carefully sewing around the edge with a pretty thread.

Fill your Secret Sprinkler with seeds and get ready to sprinkle! When you spot a corner or your street or garden that needs some flowers, open your pot and sprinkle a few seeds there. Let nature do the rest.

Secret Sprinklers look great tied to your bag or worn as pendants. Why not make another for a friend and start a craze!