
I once showed you how to make a
self-watering planter from a recycled soda bottle, and while the DIY was pretty easy and inventive, I will admit it wasn't the most handsome pot I've ever seen. I'm not someone who thinks we should need to make sacrifices when it comes to good design, so I kept my eyes peeled and was silently hoping for a sexier alternative. Then came the
Vitamin I.V.

I talk often about various forms of
recycling and
upcycling, and I've seen plenty of ingenious ideas for reusing what might seem useless. But sometimes you needn't change a thing about a household item to give it a new purpose. Sometimes all it takes is a little dirt.

Yet again, Martha Stewart wins me over with an ingenious and simple craft project! By gluing wooden plant markers to a wooden planter box, and painting it white, you can create your very own indoor white picket fenced garden. Here, herbs are grown, but you can certainly choose any plant you like.

While flowers gardens may be pretty, and
herb gardens yummy, one of the realities of gardening is that bugs are inevitable (and gross). I've shown you before
how to make homemade aphid spray, but that's not a solution to all insect problems. One garden annoyance I tend to encounter is slugs.

Whether you use it to stash keys or as a clever cozy for a four-inch planter, this
Turquoise and Grey Felted Wool Bowl ($34) will add a splash of craft and color to your home. Hand crocheted with wool in charcoal grey with a bright turquoise base and band, this bowl is wet felted, dried around a mold to create its shape, and then steam blocked. Seller Papaververt recommends wrapping the plant's base in a plastic bag before setting it in the felted bowl, to assure that the planter won't leak onto the wool.