Book Review - The Scented Garden

This unusual workbook is a pleasure to browse, sure to get gardenphiles excited about planning pleasing aromas for their flower beds. Gorgeous photos by Jonathan Buckley entice the reader to plan out projects both alluring and diverse: projects include Herb Path, Scented Wall, Carpet of Thyme, Catmint Walk, Sweet Pea Obelisk and Chamomile Seat. Are you drooling, yet?

Good, clear information instructs the gardener to avoid clashes of scent to make each walk around the garden an “olfactory safari”. Bird also advises spreading out the seasonal flowerings so you’ll have scents to enjoy each month of the growing season. A plant directory in the back of the book tells you what plants smell the best and provides tips on how to grow them.

Using the fold-out instruction pages, I laid out my own Honeysuckle Porch. It was easier than I thought. By the end of the season I expect my sweet clingy vine to cover my entire patio with leaves, flowers and scent.

Some good tips from the book:

• Place an outdoor seat near your garden displays so you can actually SMELL the fruits of your labor.
• Keep mint well-pruned so it doesn’t run rampmant (unless you like that)
• fragrant flowers tend to have subdued hues, so mix in colorful annuals with your rosemary and lavender.
• It’s possible to make a night-scented border, using white flowers pollinated by moths. Plants in the Nicotania genus are a good start for a dusky garden.
• While “knot gardens” are among the earliest forms of decorative planting, they are also among the most long-lived features in any planned garden. Keep them well-trimmed while they mature.
• You don’t have room for a garden at all? Even containers and window boxes can host scent-sory delights. Stick with narcissus, pelargoniums, hyacinths and primulas, in their scented varieties. Culinary herbs work too.

  The Scented Garden: A Step-by-Step Project Workbook, by Richard Bird, 2000, Ryland Peters and Small, ISBN: 1841724335

Buying Used Sheets and Pillowcases - Shopping

I have the best linens. The best sheets, nicest pillowcases. Great weaves, wonderful hand, a luxury to touch and sleep on. And I got them all used. You can too.

When you buy used, you can afford to be a linen snob, buying only the best for your bed.

Thread count is all the rage these days, and you can buy new sheets for absurdly high thread counts, for absurdly high fees. And while a high thread count does ensure a good feel (if finer cottons are used), you won’t make a long-term bargain out of the expense. The higher thread counts rip very easily and don’t have the washable longevity of the mid-range thread counts.

A thread count over 180 is called percale, and used to be THE luxury bedding. It’s still a good thread count for all-cotton sheets, especially for combed cotton. Any used sheets in the 200s-300s for thread count is a steal. Most sheets will not bother listing thread counts, but they will tell you about the cotton type if it’s worth mentioning. And that’s the main secret to picking up luxury linens for pennies.

The key to the best bedding is locating the best cotton. I always pick up sheets that read Pima Cotton, Supima Cotton, and most especially the desirable Egyptian Cotton. A 100% Combed Cotton is also worth grabbing - combed cotton has such a soft hand and luxurious feel.

I seldom buy cotton/polyester blends. Polyester pills, and usually imparts a scratchy, plastic-like feel to the bedding.

I would consider picking up a blend for children’s beds, or for dressing day beds that see occassional use. I would still look for a quality blend, with a high cotton content - at least 60%. Any blend made by Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart Everyday or JC Penney will be a good buy, with great colors and classy patterns.

I also pick up muslin sheets when I find them - the older, more vintage ones will have a wonderful feel from decades of use and washings…and good muslin lasts and lasts. I don’t think you can even find new muslin sheets any more.

I frequent the Goodwills, mostly, although you can also grab fine linens for a song at garage sales. Everyone else is so busy hunting down collectibles that sheets and pillowcases are mostly passed over. I can tell a fine cotton just by feeling the sheets - eventually, you will develop a touch for this as well.

Keep in mind that you will have a hard time finding matching sheet and pillowcase sets. This never bothers me - with today’s unique styles you can mix and match.

My mixed style of choice is the Shabby Chic look of gently fading red and pink roses. The mixed prints on my pillows and sheets looks delicious!

Other styles that lend themselves to mixing:

1. solids and stripes that match your rooms main colors and accents
2. all-white…mixing eggshell, navajo and taupe looks nice
3. blue-on-white, pink-on-white or toile-type patterns
4. anything with a country design, or ginghams

While I like roses exclusively for my bed, I also see many pillowcases with other floral themes for you to collect - tulips, daisies, mums and mixed bouquets.

Make sure you give your “new” linens a good, hot washing before you use them to sanitize.

JCEarrings.com Supports Spay and Neuter for Adopted Stray Cats

Through the kind donation of Charleen Larson at JCEarrings.com, Faramir (the mom), and her little boys William (grey) and John (orange) are on their way to healthy, long lives at their forever home with the HippyGeek!

Thank You, Charleen!

TV Shows Loved: Past and Future

DH and I watch TV shows in serial order together as our main shared activity. We usually download an entire series and work our way through them. When we finish a series, we grieve briefly and move on to the next on our list. It’s fun to plan out which series comes next.

The hardest part is waiting for a new series to get its groove on - usually shows don’t start out great.  Buffy, Angel, Xena, X-Files, Torchwood, DS9, B5 and Farscape all had rather rough starts. Every iteration of Star Trek took a few seasons to find its way. I expect most shows take a while to get good.

Only Firefly and BSG were great right out of the gate. And maybe Heroes, even though it is now unwatchable.

I am merely documenting what we’ve seen here and what we are looking forward to next:

Currently Viewing

• Torchwood
• House
• Burn Notice

What We’ve Seen Together (in no especial order)

• Xena
• Firefly
• Buffy
• Angel
• Veronica Mars
• Deep Space 9
• Farscape
• Battlestar Galactica
• X-Files
• The Lone Gunmen
• Northern Exposure
• Enterprise
• Dollhouse
• Sara Conner Chronicles
• Bionic Woman (but gave up on it before it was cancelled due to boringness - current iteration)
• Reaper
• 30 Rock
• New Amsterdam
• Robotech (Macross)
• Heroes until it began to utterly suck
• V Miniseries (1980s)
• Cleopatra 2525
• Jack of all Trades
• Dune Miniseries

What is on the List to See Next (also in no especial order)

• Babylon 5 (we started it and stopped after a few eps since it was so boring. But we hear it gets excellent so we intend to try again)
• Alias
• Castle
• Stargate
• Fringe
• Caprica
• V (current iteration)
• How I Met your Mother
• Voyager
• Sanctuary
• Special Unit 2
• Dresden Files
• True Blood (I am a little nervous about the violence though)
• Pushing Daisies
• Eureka
• Bones
• Profiler
• CSI
• Dark Angel
• Big Bang Theory (maybe)
• Jericho
• Dexter
• Doctor Who (current iteration and maybe past)
• Knight Rider (current iteration)
• The Lost World
• The Vampire Diaries (maybe)
• Chuck
• Andromeda (maybe)
• Hercules (maybe)
• Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

What might we be missing? You can gather we enjoy Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Supernatural, Medical and Forensic, and also shows with a slightly Gothic or Steampunk bent. Should youth-based shows like Roswell, Supernatural and Smallville be on our list?

We prefer a show to have clever dialogue and long tern story arcs that don’t become too ridiculous (which is why we gave up on Heroes and why we are afraid to watch Lost). We are also on the fence about Flashforward, The Office, Mad Men, Boston Legal, Parks and Recreation, Ugly Betty, Arrested Development, Monk and Mentalist. Shows about mafia gangsters are NOT on any list I am interested in. I’ve heard good things about Glee.

So - what are we missing? And Is there anything on our “to watch’ list that is unbearably lame?

House Buying - the signing papers phase

When you buy a home all by your lonesome, there are many papers to sign. And you have to run all over town to do everything - the realtor needs another signature. The title company needs you. The insurance company. The water company wants to see you in person, for some reason, unlike the electric company or my cable internet provider. My phone is ringing and ringing with different things I need to do RIGHT AWAY, every day, before escrow is fulfilled and I hand over a large check to get house keys in return.

Now it’s the last weekend before the close of escrow on Thursday. I hope that by Monday I will know exactly how large a cashier’s check will be needed.

Since I have my water and electric already on, it feels real. I spent a few hours watering the trees, bushes, yuccas and bamboo in the yard. I can’t have my plants dying before I even more in.

One dead pine will have to come down - but a small one. And it’s removal will improve my already wonderful view. The dead pine will give me firewood. It’s all good.

I am already looking into chickens. I can get three laying hens at any time. All I will need is some kind of dog house for a roost and some chicken wire fencing.

I’ve been looking into organic heirloom seeds for my garden. I know it’s starting late, but I can still get some tomatoes and radishes going.

Too many dreams going already for my eco-home, but I can’t officially get started until enough papers change hands.

Living Simply quoted on CNN.com

Living Simply quoted on CNN.com

Guest Author - Jill Florio

Living Simply got a bit of a boost over the Thanksgiving Holiday, traditionally the start of the Christmas shopping season - we got interviewed by CNN.com! Reporter Christy Oglesby called to ask about ways to shop sanely (ie, stay out of the mall). We discussed the value of buying high-quality used gifts, and the article is here - Gift buying? Think outside the mall - as a CNN.com special report on Christmas shopping.

Here is the Living Simply article she found interesting enough to contact me about: A Recycled Christmas - Reused Gifts Are Better

And the description: There are plenty of reasons to buy used for Christmas presents, and only one reason not to: you probably think it looks bad. Here´s why you should buy used gifts and encourage the same from others.

Needless to say, it’s very exciting that even CNN is getting into the act of the green, or recycled Christmas. Whether people shop used to save money, stay out of the mall, or just have fun in the hunt, it’s all better for the environment, eh?

---

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A Recycled Christmas - Reused Gifts Are Better

There are plenty of reasons to buy used for Christmas presents, and only one reason not to: you probably think it looks bad. Here’s why you should buy used gifts and encourage the same from others.

Some Excellent Reasons for Buying Used Gifts

• Buying used keeps nice things in the cycle and out of the landfill.
• You are helping the environment buy not contributing to our unhealthy consumer crazy craze for “more stuff” - ie, new items.
• It’s really both thrifty for you and better for the giftee. You can usually get the recipient a nicer item at the same price level you were willing to spend.
• Many times an older item is of higher quality than the newer stuff pumped out by the mega-stores. For example, I never have to try plugging in a vintage kitchen appliance, like a toaster, to see if it works. Those babies are heavy, solid, and made to LAST! I also found a gorgeous native american woven basket for 30 dollars. If I had bought something like that new, I cringe to think of the sticker shock. What a fabulous gift.
• Often a vintage item is simply more stylish. Using my toaster example again, I love its fashionable Deco-and-Chrome look.
• Hunting for the right treasure is fun! I had all my gifts ready to go BEFORE halloween this year. I even wrapped everything as I got them, in recyled paper wrap (I bought a used tube of Christmas Wrapping paper for one dollar at Goodwill). No last minute shopping or wrapping! There was absolutely no stress in the shopping aspect, and everyone will get a high-quality gift that is perfect for the reciever. You know it when you’ve found something that is just right - you feel a tingle inside.
• This gives you a legit reason to haunt the thrift shops. My husband can’t complain about my “habit” when he sees the money we save.
• You will avoid the malls. This is reason alone to buy used!

How to get away with it
Let your family know ahead of time you are getting everyone nice, gently used gifts this year. If they know ahead of time, you won’t come across as cheap. Give your reasons as you see fit, whether you are explaining that you have environmental convictions about the recycling aspect, or that you need to be thrifty this season. Or just say you enjoy the hunt too much, and this is the way to get everyone a truly perfect - not last minute - gift.
How to Buy Used
If you enjoy thrift shopping, by all means start your holiday search as early in the year as you like. Browse often. Be open to all kinds of categories: leather purses; framed prints; designer shirts, skirts or shoes; pet supplies; glassware and art glass; antiques; old dolls; gorgeous, well-made plush animals; vintage bibles; or collection contributions like Pyrex mixing bowls, Beanie Babies or asian tea sets. All of this and more is out there for the gifting.

Think of things your friends and family like and actually use. Keep your eyes open for appropriate gifts, or even “theme” gifts. This year I bought all the women and girls in my family designer tote bags. Really nice, very stylish, barely used tote bags…these would have cost $25-30 new, and I got them all for $3-4 bucks apiece! And they look brand new. Remember, it’s NOT how much you spend that is the measure of your love. Get that out of your head right now. The holidays are for sharing love, not guilt.

Where to Buy Used

• Goodwill and Other Thrift Shops
• Garage and Yard Sales
• Flea Markets
• Estate Sales
• Ebay and other online auctions
• Classified Section of your Newspaper
• Scavenging from your own house or attic

Related Aticles
A Recycled Christmas - making enviromentally friendly gift wrap
Every year I have this same dilemma - what to wrap my Christmas presents in that is both environmentally-friendly AND attractive? Here are some simple ideas for your holidays this year!

Become an Event Planner

This latest e-book from Fabjob is particularly impressive, and not merely for career-changers. If you’ve ever been assigned the duty of pulling together an event at work, or you’re about to host your family reunion, then this must-have book is for you.

How to Become an Event Planner leads you by the hand from conception to execution of your shindig. Oft-forgotten, but critical planning aspects include: how to set up seating arrangements for each kind of gathering (numbers of participants vs. level of interaction desired), set up and implement a crisis-control plan (you can’t predict what may happen, but you should have thought about how not to lose your head in chaos), work with VIPs, dignitaries and celebrities, handle the media, secure a site permit - even how to hire Austin Powers impersonators for your guests’ entertainment!

The list of venue possiblities is also fun to browse, and suggestive of unusual party concepts. Among the options: planetarium, zoo, Houseboat or cruise ship, sports complex - imagine an event at a Zoo! Endless possibilies present themselves for fun themes…ie, Jungle Party, Robinson Crusoe, Survivor, Castaways, Monkey Madness, Ringling Brothers’ Circus, Crocodile Rock…

The usual competantly executed Fabjob checklists and business templates are in place, along with spicy insider tips (ie - ask your vendors for corporate discounts) and info on how to get this kind of business off the ground.

If event planning sounds like the career of your dreams, here are ten steps to follow based on the FabJob Guide to Become an Event Planner:

1. Learn about the profession: “Event planner” is a broad term that encompasses everything from corporate meeting planners to wedding specialists to catering and hospitality coordinators. Spend some time initially reading books, searching online and talking to working event planners to see what areas interest you the most, and to become familiar with what is expected of you on the job.

2. Take stock of your talents: Successful event planners combine excellent interpersonal skills with organizational ability to find out exactly what their clients want, and get the job done. Other key talents include resourcefulness (accomplishing what you set out to do in the face of challenges) and a creative flair or an artistic nature that sets your skills apart from the competition.

3. Educate yourself: While no degree is necessary to become an event planner, areas of study (which you may already have) that impress potential employers and clients in this field are public relations, marketing, advertising, human resources, business, and retailing, as well as hotel and restaurant management, hospitality and tourism. If you want to strengthen your skills and supplement your natural abilities, degree programs are available specifically in event management, as well as industry educational seminars and at-home study courses.

4. Develop your materials: Before you begin job-hunting, you will want to organize your self-marketing materials so that they present you at your best. If your resume is lacking in actual experience, try volunteering to work with an event planner or organize a smaller, local event on your own. Make sure you ask those involved to write letters of recommendation for you to show your future employers or clients. Take pictures of all your work, and use them in your portfolio to demonstrate what you have done, and can do, for your clients’ or potential employers’ events.

5. Find out who’s hiring: In addition to job advertisements (found on related job boards and classified ads), you should also directly contact organizations you wish to work for. Larger businesses, associations and not-for-profits, universities and municipalities all have a need for event planners, as do hotels, tourism bureaus, casinos, cruise lines, theme parks, and event planning firms themselves. Be creative in your job search – the simple question, “Who plans your meetings and events?” can open doors in the unlikeliest of places.

6. Interview success: Prepare for the interview by thoroughly researching the company. This will help you be prepared for their questions and to also know what questions to ask yourself. Have your portfolio and other materials with you and be prepared to discuss them at length. Remember that your choice of dress can give you an opportunity to show that you are both professional and creative, so put some thought into your appearance. During the interview, use confidence and enthusiasm to sell yourself and your talent. Above all, relax and be yourself!

7. Setting up your own business: When you think you’re ready, self-employment could be the next exciting step in an event-planning career. In fact, many people break into the event-planning field with this goal in mind. You will want to look into the financial and legal aspects of the venture, and study the market and your competition so you are ready for the challenges that await you. Decide on an image you want to project to your clients and market yourself accordingly, using a variety of media.

8. Finding clients: Your main source of business will likely fall into one of two categories: corporate or social. Your local chamber of commerce can be a great resource to find the contacts in the corporate world and word-of-mouth is generally your best bet for social clients. Promoting yourself for free (through seminars, newspaper columns, etc.) is a cheap and effective way to let people know who you are and what you do, and their referrals may lead to even more work for you.

9. Networking: You can have the best ideas and be the most creative, perfect person for the job, but without the right contacts, you might as well stick to throwing birthday parties for your family! Plan to attend trade shows, join clubs and organizations and socialize as much as possible to meet potential clients and business contacts. Get comfortable talking about what you do to everyone you meet, and always hand out your business cards.

10. Boosting Your Creativity: The more events you do for one client or company, the more challenging it gets to generate fresh ideas. When you need a boost, turn to TV and movies, retail stores (for materials), consumer magazines, the Internet, or even a walk in nature to reawaken your senses and inspire you to new creative heights. Your suppliers can also be a source of innovative ideas (that use their products, of course!) Maintaining your creative edge is essential to staying on top of your game in this business, so seek inspiration constantly.

You can order the e-book here, for $29.95

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Jill Florio, December 2003

Also check out:

Become a Wedding Planner

Jennifer Lopez’ 2003 movie The Wedding Planner introduced audiences to the concept of planning other people’s weddings for a living. Having just planned and executed my own marital hoopla, I believe such a service would’ve saved me countless hours of stress. I’d even say a wedding planner, to any harried young bride, would be worth her weight in gold.

My own event was gorgeous - at the expense of many newly-grayed hairs. Now that it’s over and done with, I’d even do it again. Just not my own. Too many important decisions get blown out of proportion when you’re planning what conventional wisdom calls the ‘most important day of your life.’ But now that I know the ropes of handling vendors and scheduling and running a ceremony, I wouldn’t mind doing it all for someone else.

That’s where Fabjob’s new e-guide to Become a Wedding Planner comes in. If I was going to switch careers, I’d follow this user-friendly, 226-page book’s advice on to do it.

Specific instructions on how to study weddings, plan events, get hired on by a company or start your own make this text an invaluable source of insider information.

According to authors Catherine Goulet and Jan Riddell, weddings are a booming American industry. They say the average traditional wedding costs $19,100 for 186 invitees. It’s a $45 billion a year industry, and planners can earn between $50-100,000 a year for their efforts.

Wedding Planners can either perform full or partial wedding planning serices. A full-service wedding could include everything from planning the engagement party, shower, rehearsal, and of course, the big day from start to finish. Partial contracts might include only an initial consultation, finding the right vendors (ie - caterer, photographer, band, florist, etc), or coordinating the wedding ceremony itself.

Specific lists of questions to ask vendors are provided: key queries to ask about venues, changing rooms, parking, interfaith restrictions, food choices, beverage service, wedding insurance(!), extra fees for each supplier, and so on.

While lots of the planning process sounds like fun, for example, finding musicians, tasting cakes, planning decorations and helping couples explore meaningful marriage vows, it’s not all just about throwing a really good party. Sections of the Fabjob guide remind you you’re involved in a business, as well. The sections on getting hired, and of becoming self-employed, point out the realities and lend a bit of solid advice for getting your fledgling career off the ground. They even help you decide how to set up fee structures, which is rare to find in any career reference.

Here are ten steps to become a wedding planner, recommended by the Fabjob advice website:

1. Develop your skills

Successful wedding planners have a number of traits in common. They are usually creative people with excellent interpersonal skills who love to plan events. While most of these traits come naturally to many wedding planners, an important skill that some need to develop is organizational ability. To help you stay organized, you can create timeline schedules and checklists, and use organizational tools such as a day planner or binder to keep track of all the wedding details and paperwork.

2. Learn about weddings

There are numerous details involved in planning a wedding — from selecting the wedding date to choosing the menu for the reception. You can learn how to plan weddings by taking continuing education classes or through self-study. To teach yourself, attend and help out with as many weddings as possible, visit bridal shows, read wedding magazines, and conduct informational interviews with clergy of various faiths, recently married brides and anyone else connected to the wedding business such as florists and caterers.

3. Create a portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of photographs that show people your skill at planning weddings. To develop a portfolio, offer your services to friends and family who are getting married in exchange for pictures for your portfolio. (You can ask them to write reference letters for you as well.) You can also include photographs of table settings or room decorations you have created in your home, or pictures from your own wedding to show your creative side.

4. Find a job in the wedding industry

Even if you plan to start your own business, consider getting a job in the industry first. Besides employment benefits, these positions can be used as a stepping-stone to gain valuable experience and contacts. Wedding coordinators are hired by hotels, country clubs, and churches across the country. Some of the more exciting options include working as a wedding coordinator at an attraction such as Disney World or at a resort in a location such as Hawaii, Las Vegas, Europe or the Caribbean. Many other job opportunities for “bridal consultants” are available with companies that supply products and services for weddings including bridal shops, department stores with gift registries, florists, and caterers.

5. Set up your own business

Setting up a wedding planning business is not much different than starting any other business, with a few exceptions. You should be able to work from home as long as you set aside an office space free from interruptions from children or pets. This is especially important if you plan on holding meetings with clients there. Set up costs will be minimal but you will need a computer, fax, business phone line, cell phone, business cards, and marketing materials such as a website. Before setting up your business, take advantage of the free advice offered by agencies such as the U.S. Small Business Administration.

6. Choose a specialty

Wedding planners offer a variety of services and packages based on their specific skills and interests. For example, you might offer complete wedding planning services, wedding day co-ordination only, or consult with brides and grooms who want to plan their own weddings. Some wedding planners specialize in arranging “destination weddings” at resorts or on cruise ships. Decide which services you would like to offer.

7. Develop relationships with vendors

Vendors are suppliers of any product or service related to weddings, such as limousine companies, musicians, photographers, party supply companies, invitation printers, etc. Vendors can be a valued partner in planning a successful wedding and a great networking ally. Conduct informational meetings to learn about their services, and what discounts they can offer you as a wedding planner. Before recommending a site for a wedding ceremony or reception, visit and inspect the premises. Take notes on the condition, size, cleanliness and capacity of each venue so you can guide your clients in making suitable choices. Always follow up with vendors after the wedding with a thank you note or to discuss any changes you want for future.

8. Get clients

One of the best ways to get clients is through your relationships with vendors. Supply business cards and brochures to the bridal shops, caterers, florists, photographers and other vendors you work with, and ask them to recommend your services to their customers who are getting married. Other ways to market your services include advertising, networking, participating in bridal shows, or even organizing your own bridal show.

9. Consult with clients

Once you start getting calls from brides and grooms, arrange a client consultation meeting. The purpose of this initial consultation is to learn as much as possible about the couple and what they want, so you can show them how hiring you will help them achieve the wedding of their dreams. Be prepared to ask questions to find out what type of wedding they want, their budget, number of guests, etc. At this meeting you will discuss your fees, which might be an hourly rate such as $50 per hour or a flat fee. Explain how you can help them have the worry-free wedding of their dreams.

10. Be recognized as a professional

Successful wedding planners are always interested in learning new ideas they can use with their clients. Consider joining a professional association for wedding planners to keep up with new developments in the industry. Clients will be impressed with your affiliation to a professional organization, especially if it certifies you as a professional wedding planner.

A nice bonus to this guide are the ready-made checksheets crucial for wedding planner consultations, sample invoices, and contract templates. I wish I’d had this information when planning my own event - or knew how to hire someone to do it for me.

I’m tempted to change my job. Want me to plan YOUR wedding?

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FabJob.com publishes e-books (and a number of books in print) that can help you break into a “fab” job. Visit Fabjob.com for information or to purchase a copy of the aforementioned book.