#also plastic canvas takes so much longer to work with bc I have to use 3 strands of floss at once

[onrainynights]

making a tissue box cover with plastic canvas and I designed the pattern myself :) hoping that I cut it to the right size but if it's too small I'll just turn it into a box I think

[broodsys]

garden updateee (long post lmao)

peach tree first:

have harvested upwards of 50 peaches from it. have invited the neighbors to freely take peaches (don't think they have tho). have given peaches to my brother. so many are getting partly eaten by critters (i don't mind this)

probably have an additional 30-40 in the worm bin (partly eaten ones, gloopy ones, ones that were seriously damaged early on, etc)

ended up with two gallon bags full - and i mean full - of frozen peach slices and a good bit of peach sauce (well, i call it that, but it's really just cooked down/pureed peaches and a bit of sugar. it's good!)

could i have been more productive with it? yeah! however! wasn't expecting this at all! i cannot stress enough how much of a surprise this has been

after all the peaches have been harvested im gonna trim this poor tree down so hard. bc at present it isn't just bowing a bit under the weight, the main trunk goes up and up... and then starts coming sharply back down. roughly like so:

except with a lot more branches and all but yeah not actually drawing this lmao.

gonna try to espalier it a bit. there are lower branches that i'm going to be keeping and hopefully i can get some wire or something to give it some support, bc clearly during growing and harvest seasons it's gonna need that support. but i'm taking the height off... again, lmao. i've already done this!!!! it is growing so much

however, i think i know why. about midway through last year, we moved the worm bin over near it. and the worm bin has holes drilled in the bottom. so all those nutrients have been sinking into the soil and i think the peach tree was just like oh? nutrience? for me??? and went apeshit lmao

other garden news:

although i've mostly been talking about the peach tree, many things are going above and beyond. the rose bush out front is covered with rose hips that are probably about as wide as a half dollar? and it's grown to about halfway up the second floor. ridiculous. some of the canes are easily as wide as a quarter

we also have a grape. idk what type bc like the smartest person imaginable, i lost the tag. also i don't think it's ever gonna fruit but that is okay bc it is a sprawling beast and beautiful and it is sending vines up that are on the first floor roof

a lot of plants i have mostly to control temperatures indoors. so the rose bush covers the front of the house and some of the dark roof shingles, while the mystery tree and grape cover another part of the house. i was letting the peach tree get a bit taller to become a shade tree since it wasn't seeming to bear (but still not ridiculously tall!) but uh. A Mistake 😂

currently in the process of getting one of the many many manyyyy marionberry canes to root so that i can plant some in the backyard. it's very well established along the side yard and we get a ton of fruit from it, so why not just keep it going?

and we have a nectarine tree out back that's in its.... hmm. second or third year, but i think second. it's older than that, but in terms of being in our garden. so it's not bearing yet, no real surprise, and it's having some of the same issues the peach tree originally had, but the peach tree is no longer afflicted so i suspect the nectarine will end up okay as well

gonna be repositioning the metal gazebo frame (canvas top long since destroyed) into the center of the yard so that we can safely hang a new tarp from it and provide some central shade. looking forward to that, altho it'll be a lot of work. been using the water i saved up all during the rainy season and so far i still have a lot, which is nice - been doing a lot of water-wise planting and letting things get their own water and all. i've managed to keep the bucket pond going even tho the plastic is starting to crack and i'm dreading the eventual day the whole thing goes... sm life in there

but it's cracking bc the winters are getting so cold that the water freezes several inches down and expands, so it's like... rly tricky to deal with? debating about getting a solar powered water bubbler for it. just smth to keep the water moving a little bit and hopefully prevent it from freezing sm

i have mulched a tremendous amount this year, as i usually do. countless cardboard boxes - only plain ones, or ones with dyed parts removed, and always removing all the tape. forever trying to reuse stuff. there are still problem areas in the back and front yards, but some can't really be dealt with - like we have a lot of stray cats in the area and they sure do like to use yards as litter boxes 🙃like they're just gonna be here, it's a thing, but it does mean taking that into consideration wrt what/how we grow things

i keep getting frustrated and sad with how many things are dying out there but like. yeah. it's gonna happen. a) transplant shock is a thing, no matter how careful i try to be, b) it's hard to tell how heavily i should water things tbph, c) our soil is different all over the place, and the soil out front is very poor - which some things prefer! but definitely not all, and d) climate change. even hardy natives aren't necessarily hardy anymore, and over time native ranges seem to be shifting, so it's difficult

but i'm trying to not focus sm on what's dying and more on what's thriving, bc a bunch of stuff is :')

[pennyfynotes]

8.10.17 // 11:00am // guide to school supply shopping

this one was requested by @catharticstudying (thanks for the request!)

so it is upon us. every studyblr's favorite time of year. no, not going back to school (though i guess some of you enjoy this?), but getting new stationery/school supplies! here i've compiled 2 lists (one for hs, one for college) of some essentials you might consider getting for the coming school year (and some reasons and some links). read til the end if you want some tips for getting the best prices/saving money! xoxo, m

*also not sponsored or anything by any of the companies i link, they're just products i enjoy+have used for years*

high school:

1. spiral notebooks. i personally prefer notebooks to binders. they have smaller rings, which comes in handy as a lefty, and provide a layer of "padding" that you don't get if you just write on a single sheet. i think it makes for smoother writing. you can still tear out pages (unlike composition books) which i also like. accel (the staples brand) makes good, plastic cover notebooks with a nice plastic pocket for less than mead/five star, so i go for those.

2. binders. personally i use these for compiling study guides i've made + other resources. you can also take notes/keep your notes in these if you prefer being able to rearrange (which isn't an option in notebooks). i personally prefer having a few 1/2 inch or 1 inch binders because they are more portable and i don't put much stuff in binders, but some people like to keep everything in a 3 inch one, it's all up to preference!

3. folders. these are great for organizing handouts and you can get one for each class to stay organized. i was always a little too lazy to punch holes in things, so this was my binder substitute. if you get the ones with prongs, you can also make little "booklets" like you can in binders, so i also used these for study guides. some other types of folders include:

>>> multipocket folders: great if you don't want an individual folder for each class

>>> expanding file folders: these are a little bulkier, but you can still bring them to class if you choose. another great binder alternative (especially if you like all your things in one place). i also use mine to file old school work and keep it at home.

4. a planning system. i'm sure you've seen these all over studyblr, but they are really useful. keeping track of important dates+assignments will make your life a lot easier. you can use a planner or a bullet journal or whatever you like. here are some options:

>>>planners: lilly pulitzer (super pretty for someone who wants something decorative but is too lazy to do it themselves. also super expensive so you can guilt yourself into using it), erin condren (these seem pretty popular? also pricey though they look lil cheaper through staples?), happy planner (still quite cute+customizable, but a little cheaper at $20ish. you can get it at michaels so use that 40% off coupon)

>>>>>>>>for even more affordable options, try target or staples :) it doesn't have to be expensive to keep you organized! (i've linked cheaper options from each store)

>>> bullet journals: moleskine (cream paper, thread bound, hard/soft cover, dotted/gridded/lined/blank paper), leuchtturm 1917 (same as moleskine but with only hard cover and an index in front -- i've linked my current bujo), muji dot grid notebook (more affordable, spiral, white paper)

>>>>>>>>or just use whatever notebook you have laying around/want to use

5. calculator. depending on the level of math/science you're taking, you'll either want a graphing (the model i used and loved, though idt they sell them new anymore) or scientific calculator.

6. pencil case. pretty self explanatory. i prefer canvas bc of the stretch (unfortunately idt they sell the one i have anymore so i found a standard one) here's some stuff to put in it (links are to personal favs):

>>> pencils (mechanical | regular)

>>> an eraser (these are annoyingly hard to find)

>>> dark blue/black pens (i personally only use black). favs include: pentel energel, zebra f-301, bic round stic

>>> more colorful pens (tbh not totally necessary). more favs: bic atlantis, staedler triplus, pilot g-tec

>>>>>> colored pencils are a great, cheaper alternative to colored pens if you're on a tight budget. or crayola supertips!

>>> highlighters (so i don't actually use these i just color code with pen or underline, but you might want them) i linked some pastel ones from amazon (since they seem so trendy) that are a fair bit cheaper than the more popular brands

>>> white out (i prefer tape bc no dry time. also don't really use this much...)

>>> ruler (i love my little folding ruler from taiwan)

>>> post its (notes + flags/tabs)

7. a backpack. get one that will last over a super cheap, "cute" one from f21. definitely a better investment. i used my jansport for 8 years before getting a new backpack this year (but that wasn't because the bag was worn out). you'll be carrying a bunch of books, so get something with good back + shoulder padding!

8. water bottle. ok not really school supplies, but still very necessary. stay hydrated! (unlike me, the shriveled prune)

college/university:

you'll probably need all (or at least most) of the above. here are a few extras:

1. laptop. pretty self explanatory, but you can do sooo much on these. look up answers, watch lectures, take notes, do hw, write essays, you know the drill. (link to the one i have -- not cheap -- which is no means necessary)

>>> and obviously bring/have a charger

2. external battery. you'll probably be out and about much longer than you were in high school and having a portable way to charge your phone is a lifesaver.

3. flash drive/hard drive. if you have a really important presentation, i wouldn't just rely on emailing it to yourself. also, if you do a lot of your work on your computer, backing files up is probably a good idea (hey m, you should implement your own advice...)

4. dry erase board+marker. the board is good for studying for exams/doing practice problems without using too much paper and the marker is good for (use with the board, obv) when the library study rooms have no markers aka always.

5. smallish stapler. i print so much stuff around campus and there isn't always a stapler. having one i can carry around is amazing. (i also don't like the super baby ones so *i think* this is the one i have)

saving money:

1. keep an eye out for sales: this is obviously a good way to save money. knowing what you want and looking for sales is the best way to go.

2. use coupons: i know a lot of major school supply stores (target, walmart, staples etc) don't do this, but if your local store does, go on the hunt for those coupons.

3. michaels. kinda tied to the above point, but michaels always has coupons. you won't be able to get a lot of stuff there but sometimes you can find planners/notebooks/sticky notes and colored pens/pencils. they have weird stuff in weird places, so be thorough.

4. marshalls/tj maxx + the like. these places are great for water bottles, backpacks, organizational items as well as cue notebooks+planners. the last 2 will always (at least usually) be more expensive than your generic notebooks, but sometimes cheaper that the regular, super cute stuff.

5. amazon. they can sometimes have cheaper prices than in store retailers and also have a huge selection of stuff.

as usual, this was a lot, but i hoped this helped! lmk if you have questions or have other things you'd like to see for the bts (not beyond the scene) season :)