I’m always running in place just to keep up – so leaving my summertime deck planters and candle-holders outside ’til the first frost was nothing new for me. As temps dipped this past weekend, I dragged in the wrought iron accessories and suddenly realized I could doll them up and reuse them as holiday decorations.

Over the years I’ve accumulated a treasure trove of faux garland, strings of beads, candles, bows, decorative nutcrackers and enough ornaments to fill Rockefeller Center. In digging through the stash, I simply applied these holiday props to my deck accessories – and you can do the same.

With my canine kids, Hux and Sasha looking on, I took a few snaps to show Before & After… get going – it’s a cinch.

With a little ingenuity, you’ll save a lot of cash and derive a healthy dose of joy and satisfaction in the process. Next week I’ll be adding a touch of fresh outdoor finds – boughs of evergreen and berries from around the neighborhood and yard.

Many thanks to Guest Contributor, Kate Conlan who continues to show how to keep it simple, economical and fun as she prepares for the holidays.

• Art meets Play…heavy metal lovers will take delight in njoy’s stainless steel Pure Wand – for life’s most fun times; ($80) @ collectivewellbeing.com.
• Stocking stuffer – Good Glide Glycerine/certified organic Aloe Vera personal lubricant in natural Berry flavor ($9) @ collectivewellbeing.com.
• Or go for the special Holiday Nookies Gift Set ($79) a real scene stealer.

This post on eco gardening gifts was submitted by guest contributor, Tara Alley.

We all want that elusive green thumb, don’t we?  We either aspire to be “her” and/or know someone else who does.  “Her,” who magically makes anything even remotely alive turn into something luscious and wonderful by just looking at it.  Is she whispering sweet nothings?  Playing Beethoven?  I’ve never been the world’s best gardener and certainly won’t claim that title now (okay, actually not even anything close to it, for that matter), yet I like to think I could be her.  And just in case Santa needs some help magically turning your (or a friend’s) thumb green this December 25th, here are some of the top gifts to get the journey started.

Grow Boxes
Grow boxes are considered to be as foolproof as it gets, garden experts and novices alike all love them. The extra bonus is that they don’t allow you to look like you don’t know what you’re doing.

There are plenty of eco-friendly versions out there, from the “Earthbox“ to the Square Cedar Container Garden (pictured right).  Both use eco-friendly materials, come with everything you need and attractively display a variety of plants, from a yummy salad garden to a cheery display of peonies.

Kitchen Composter
We all know the benefits of compost are multi-fold, and in terms of gardening, improving soil quality is the number one thing you can do to increase the bounty and productivity of your plants.  Don’t turn to harsh chemicals, use compost to boost those critical soil deficits.  A handy composter you can keep in the kitchen makes composting easy and second-nature.  My favorite is the Norpro 88 Bamboo Composter.  It’s made with eco-friendly sustainable bamboo and features a convenient carrying handle.

Water Stick
A When to Water Stick would make a terrific stocking stuffer.  You’ll never have to worry about how much to water, ever again.  This handy stick changes color from Blue (Over-watered) to Green (Just right!) to Yellow (Water me soon) to Red (Water, Now).

Garret Juice
If that green thumb is tarrying and compost just isn’t cutting it, try Garret Juice, an awesome liquid organic fertilizer.  It comes ready made or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can obtain the recipe and mix it up yourself.  It includes: tea, molasses, fermented wine and seaweed.  You can spray everything from ornamentals to food crops for an extra boost of tender loving care.

Study Time
If you feel like you could learn to love your plants, then I suggest this book: The Secret Life of Plants, by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird.  This work offers unique wisdom and delves into those secrets like how plants respond to organic things like touch and music.  Maybe this really is the secret to a green thumb after all…

Tara Alley is freelance writer from Montana, now living in the heart of Orange County, CA, promoting coffee makers and working for Coffee Home Direct.  You can reach her at:  tara at coffeehomedirect (dot) com.