Homemade Compost Tips

We finally crossed making a compost bin off the list. After some reading we decided it might be best to start with an extra garbage can. It just seemed less intimidating. Here is the thing. Our pics are at least temporarily erased from the disk. Rats! So if you are a visual learner, you can Google homemade compost for helpful photos. Anyway, this is a small list of what we learned:
 1) Drill holes (or use a hammer and good sized nail) into the sides of the garbage can. Drill from the outside in. Holes should be approximately every six to eight inches or so for the oxygen to help break down your materials.
  2) Place the compost on top of large bricks laid on their side.
  3) Fill bin with alternating layers of green and brown material. Brown includes things like newspaper, junk mail, wood shavings, and cardboard.
Green materials include grass, kitchen scraps (with the exception of meat and limes), coffee grinds and tea bags. It is best to break up things like egg shells so they break down more quickly.
4) Materials in the bin should remain moist, like a wrung out sponge. If they get dry, go ahead and spray some water on it.
5) About once a week,  turn the bin on its side with the lid on, and give it a few turns. This is one advantage to having a compost container with a lid. Rather than manually turning all the ingredients with a tool, just turn and roll. We are also hoping to minimize pests and moisture by keeping the lid securely on the compost.
 6) Wait patiently. In four to eight weeks we should have some beautiful compost for the garden. I'll keep you posted on the results.

As excited as I am sharing all this "garbage" with you, I thought you might want to see something a little more, shall we say, pretty. Here are some of my favorites I made for my sister's baby shower next week.

A cozy play blanket

Cuter with a sweet baby to demonstrate

One of the bibs. Since this baby is named after Papa, who loves camping, hiking, kayaking, etc...

No, not for the baby. This is one of the party favors.

All together now: A tea/ flour sack towel set, coaster set, cloth napkins, coffee cozy with my favorite teas, and another cozy with a small bag to keep items organized in your purse