Earth Day, Gardening, Victorian Crafts and more

We've been busy doing some spring cleaning over at Old Fashioned Living. Here are a few new articles and some favorites from our archives as well. Enjoy!

How to make your own rain barrel for watering your plants, use what Mother Nature provides for free!

All about growing and harvesting basil in your own yard or kitchen garden.

Grow your own birdhouses by planting gourds this spring!

Sunflowers are easy to grow, and kids will love how they grow even taller than them!

Oh the scent of lilacs. See if planting a beautiful lilac bush will work for you.

If you've never tasted freshly grown peas, you are in for a treat. Grow peas in your garden this year.

Mother's Day is coming, what better way to celebrate than a Mommy and Me tea party!

May Day is almost upon us. Make these beautiful Victorian May baskets this year.

What's a summer barbecue without delicious pasta salad? Try one or all of these recipes!

Read this lovely tribute by one mom who remembers when her kids were young.

Be sure to stop by The Parlor, our friendly message board community, and don't forget to become a fan of Old Fashioned Living on Facebook!

Enter our Giveaway!

This month, enter to win a copy of Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece courtesy of our sponsor, Crafts by Amanda!

Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece: Custom-Color Your Favorite Fibers with Dip-Dyeing, Hand-Painting, Tie-Dyeing, and Other Creative Techniques:

No crafter should feel limited by the yarn colors available in a favorite fiber shop - not when it's so fun and satisfying to hand-dye yarn and fleece right in the kitchen. Ultimate color control is now within the reach of anyone who loves yarn and fleece.

In Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece, self-taught dyer Gail Callahan uses fiber, color, and heat to create exciting new yarns and yarn colors. Her recipe-style instructions lead readers through a variety of simple techniques that turn plain or outdated yarns into colorful fibers, customized by color and quantity for the project at hand. And there are even eight projects for knitters eager to use their new yarns.

Standard kitchen equipment is all that's needed to set up a kitchen dye shop. Dyeing can be done in a microwave oven, a sturdy stovetop kettle, a crockpot, a traditional oven, or even an electric frying pan - Callahan covers every method.

Rules: Must be a legal U.S. resident, 18 years or older. You may enter once per day. Entries will be accepted through midnight, CST on April 30, 2010. Winner will be drawn at random and notified via email.  They will have 7 days to respond or an alternate winner will be drawn.

To enter, click here and fill out the form!