An eco-friendly home can actually save you money in the long run and there are so many things you can do to make your property more sustainable – from DIY tasks to impressive installations. Here are a few ideas to get you started…
We’ve had a bumper harvest at the allotment this year – especially with our fruit trees, squashes and tomatoes. So, I’ve been preserving as much as I can and I’m sharing some ideas for your using and storing your allotment produce today…
After many months of wrangling with pests, birds, bugs (and even bunnies!) at my allotment, I’ve decided to try out some tunnels to see if they can help us to grow bigger and better veggies…
I’ve noticed something that almost all the allotments near me have in common. They’re all packed with upcycling projects. In fact, you’d probably find it hard to find anything new! Here are some of the interesting and amazing upcycles I’ve spotted at the allotment…
Something that I’m really pleased with on my plot is the insect-proof mesh tunnel that we’ve built using old water pipes. It has been really helpful in keeping my brassicas safe from ‘brassica massacre’ – here are the latest pics from my plot…
If you’re growing cabbage, broccoli or spouts in your veggie patch, you’ll know how difficult it is to keep the cabbage white butterflies (and the very hungry caterpillars they produce) off your plants. Here’s how to DIY an insect-proof mesh tunnel to prevent brassica massacre…
I’m back with another allotment update and today it’s all about my new (old) greenhouse. It took quite some doing but we’ve been able to move the ivy-covered, cracked-glass frame to my veggie plot and have made some improvements…
Playing in the garden and getting really messy is one of the joys of childhood. So why not help your children to enjoy playing with sand, mud and water outside by constructing this DIY ‘mud kitchen’ from old pallet wood…
My little allotment is coming along nicely so I thought now would be a good time to share a quick update. We’ve been tidying the plot, making some repairs to the fence and shed, and have even planted some veggies – here are some pics of progress…
Exciting news! I’ve just got my first ever allotment! I’m super-keen to get started on preparing and planting the plot and I’m going to take you along for the journey…
If you want to grow your own veg but without the hard labour of digging over a veggie patch, here’s a quick and easy DIY video that’ll show you how to build no-dig beds for your garden or allotment…
It’s the perfect time of year to revamp your old bird boxes and pop them up in the garden. Why? Well, now that it’s February, your feathered friends will soon be looking for a nice nesting box to make their home for the spring…
Although there haven’t been many things to harvest this month, I have still been out in the garden preparing the veggie plot and planting our over-winter crops…
This month, I’ve been preserving my apple harvest so I’ve shared a recipe for cinnamon apple jam below if you want to give it a go. Plus, there have been a few vegetable latecomers this year…
I want to make the most of the warm autumn days by getting outside and relaxing in my garden, so I’ve created a copy spot for a cuppa on my decking with a DIY living coffee table planter…
Did you know that shopping seasonally doesn’t only apply to food? When you buy any product there will be a cheaper season to buy it and you can make some impressive savings by purchasing at the right time of year. Here are some items that you’ll definitely get a deal on in September…
Late summer/early autumn is a lovely time of year – the weather is still warm (but not too hot) and there’s plenty of plants still blooming in the garden. This combination makes it an ideal time for outdoor entertaining so here are some tips to make sure your gathering is cosy and fun…
During August we’ve been enjoying the fruits of our labour with plenty of veg to harvest but we’ve also dealt with blight, non-ripening peppers & fruit trees desperate in need of pruning. Here’s how we got on & more info on the DIY greenhouse we built…
With the soaring price of wood and a need to create more growing space in my veggie patch, I’ve come up with a way to make a low-cost planter out of pieces of furniture that were headed for the skip. Here’s how…
We’ve all been spending more time in the garden lately so, if your garden furniture that could do with sprucing up, here are some tips to restore your outdoor furniture so you don’t have to replace it, but rather extend the life of your garden items…
I can finally report that we have been enjoying some veg from our kitchen garden! The plot is doing well, so much so that we’ve had to start freezing the excess produce! Here’s an update on this month’s bumper harvest…
FINALLY. Things have started to happen in our garden. Vegetables are growing – and I’ve actually eaten some of the produce from our plot woo! And there’s even been a harvest of our autumn crop. Here’s my monthly garden update for June…
Here’s a quick DIY video that shows you how to upcycle scaffold boards and offcuts of pressure-treated timber to create your own outdoor bench seat for your garden. Using scaffolding is a low-cost source of timber and you can upcycle old planks too…
I’m sure it’s the same for everyone but I feel like our garden is SO behind compared to last year! I’ve finally been able to plant out some of the hardier veggies but we’ve also built a DIY cold frame from pallet wood to keep growing our seedlings…
If you want to put up some nesting boxes and attract birds into your garden, why not upcycle them with fun colours and patterns before you install them? Here’s how I created my colourful cluster of bird ‘apartments’..!
What do you do when you’ve got a shed full of tangled tools and a spare pallet in the garden? Why, pull it apart and build a tool silhouette storage board, of course! Here’s how to DIY your own shed hanging system to organise your essential tools…
I finally feel like things are happening in our garden now. Looking back over the month of April, I’m actually surprised by how much we’ve got done, even though there’s not much in the way of veggies yet! Here’s the veg we planted & projects we built…
How have you found working from home? Have you actually enjoyed it? Have you got more work done? Would you like to continue living the laptop lifestyle? If you’ve become a fan of WFH maybe now’s the time to commit & create a home office for yourself…
Hooray, the clocks have gone forward, the days are brighter, & the weather is getting warmer. I’m super excited about planting up the veggie patch so this month I’ve been sowing seeds & making plans to attract more wildlife to our garden too…
What are your ‘lockdown lessons’? Do you have some fab food hacks or top kitchen tips? I was so chuffed when my own grow-your-own veggie patch project was highlighted by FoodSavvy earlier this week so here’s my lockdown allotment story…
After growing our own fruit & veg in our garden for the 1st time in 2020, this year I’m making plans for a kitchen garden that’ll (hopefully) provide all the fresh produce we’ll need. Here’s my monthly veggie plot update for February (with lots of snow!)
This time last year, we built our first veggie patch in the garden with the intention of growing our own fruit and veg. Now, in the frosty mornings of January I’m outside digging & indoors sowing. Here’s how we got on last year & our 2021 progress so far:
If you’ve got a glut of tomatoes all ripening at once (yes, this is me!) here’s a delicious recipe to turn them into an autumnal spiced chutney. I’m already excited to open up a pot this winter to enjoy with my Christmas cheeseboard!
If you haven’t got much space but want to create a summery display in your garden, why not plant up a wheelbarrow? You could also encourage children to get involved in planting up their own mini ‘fairy allotment’ garden. Here’s how…
Blimey it’s been hot, hasn’t it? With more scorching days predicted throughout the summer, I thought it would be a good idea to share some tips on how to survive the soaring temperatures, day and night…
After having the pleasure of writing about surface pattern designer & illustrator Rachael Taylor’s home, I just knew that her vibrant interior & gorgeous garden would inspire you to inject some colour into your own home. Check out this exciting house tour:
Ever since I began growing my own fruit and vegetables in my garden, I’ve been so much more aware of the seasonality of produce. Here’s why you should eat seasonal veg and a brunch quiche recipe to use up those fresh new potatoes…
If you fancy saving money on decking but still want to get a good result in your garden, I’ve shared a step-by-step guide to make this deck for yourself – using pallet wood…
If you’ve got a rusty old bicycle that has seen better days, don’t chuck it out just yet – you can renovate it to give it a new lease of life, or upcycle it to use as a pretty planter in your cottage garden. Here’s how to revamp your old bike…
We have a brick outbuilding that has seen better days so I wanted to spruce up the exterior a little to make it look a little nicer in our garden. Here are some photos of my quick DIY makeover…
The original pallet bar project been repurposed – and for good reason. I’ve decided growing veg is more important than having an alfresco G&T, so I’ve given over my much-loved pallet bar to create a nursery space for my seedlings. Here’s how…
If you’re spending more time in the garden at the moment, here’s how to combine relaxation & plant growing to get the most out of your garden (of any size!) this summer…
We’ve been relying on online orders more over the past month so I thought it would be a good idea to build a parcel box and share the step-by-step project. But how do you build a delivery box without going shopping for DIY materials..?
If you’re spending more time in the garden and need a project to work on, here’s an easy DIY that you can complete in a day. And, if you’re anything like me, you probably already have all of the materials you need lying around on your wood pile, or perhaps you’ve got a pallet stowed behind the shed? Here’s how to turn that old timber into something useful…
If you’re lucky enough to have a garden – whatever the size and shape – there are many things that you can do to turn your garden into a haven for wildlife. Here are some tips to get you started…
If you’ve spotted my pallet bar around the internet (and on the TV now, thanks to Kirstie Allsopp!) you may be interested to see today’s pallet project – a Spanish-style wine tavern pallet bar with summery stenciled pattern…
When my pallet bar popped up on the TV last week, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It appeared on Kirstie and Phil’s Love It or List It show and I am chuffed to bits! Here’s a video of that exciting moment..!
If you’re a big fan of house plants like me, here’s a quick and easy DIY plant nursery unit that you can make to keep all your cuttings, off-shoots and baby plants safe and cosy while they grow. You can choose a cabinet to suit the style of your home, and it looks pretty darn cool too! Here’s how to do it…
I don’t know why hostess trolleys ever went out of fashion. They’re so handy for gathering everything you need together, and wheeling it right where you need it to be. So, when I spotted this old wooden trolley in a skip, I was keen to rescue it. Here’s how to upcycle a retro trolley into a vintage style bar cart for bank holiday parties…
When I found a few brick pallets in a building site skip (and asked if it would be okay to re-use them!) my mind starting whirring at the possible projects they could be used for. The result is this kids’ mud kitchen and I thought I’d share the step-by-step project with you today…
You may have spotted a sneaky peek of my scaffold board table in my blog post about building rustic benches for my garden but today I’m sharing the step-by-step tutorial with you so that you can have a go at making a DIY scaffolding table for yourself…
The bugs in my garden have already stopped me from enjoying the space on a couple of occasions so in today’s blog post I’m sharing what attracts mosquitoes to your garden and some inexpensive steps can you take to eradicate this pest problem…
If you want to create an outdoor kitchen in your garden, it’s easy to DIY it with just a few pallets, a scaffold board & a ceramic sink. Here’s how I made a handy kitchen cabinet & worktop for my deck from scrap wood…
I’ve been DIYing in the garden again and this time I’ve made an outdoor coffee table using an old wooden cable reel that I found in a skip. Plus, I’ve created a cosy corner for drinks and chatting outside on my deck (featuring my ‘new’ coffee table, so here’s how I did it…
If you’ve always wanted to grow your own veggies and pick fresh herbs from your back garden, I’m here to show you that it can be done in just a small space. Here’s how to grow your own herbs (and stop the weeds from making a comeback!) in a raised bed…
We’ve had a busy week of garden-based DIYing here, which all began when we got hold of some low-cost scaffold boards from the local timber yard. My mind went into overdrive about all the things I could build with the 13ft-long boards but we decided to start small with some rustic garden benches. Here’s how to make them…
Finally, some sunshine! This week we’ve been able to begin enjoying our garden at long last and sit outside with a meal or two. There’s still a lot more work to do in the garden in terms of landscaping but, for now, at least we can relax in the space we’ve created so I wanted to share some photos of the garden with you…
I’ve been working on landscaping my garden this year and the steep slope needed to be terraced, which left me with a design that created ‘rooms’ within the garden. And since finishing the deck over the weekend, it’s got me thinking about the ways that I want to use the terrace that’s closest to the house…
Is your garden looking a little tired or uninviting? With summer almost upon us (at last) now is the time to ready your outdoor space for the months of summer fun ahead! If you look at the state of your garden and your heart starts to sink, then don’t worry; there are plenty of ways you get your outdoor space ready for all the activities, drinks with friends, family BBQs and outdoor fun that’s to come. Here I’ve gathered 5 super simple hacks that will help get you started. Enjoy!
Do you feel like suddenly everything is in bloom? Finally, my garden is looking better than it ever has before and I can actually go outside and enjoy the space a little. Here’s what I’ve been up to over the past month…
When the weather starts to improve, thoughts turn to your outdoors space. But how can you bring extra fun to your garden this summer? Here are five things you can add to your garden to help you and your family enjoy being outside even more…
What on earth is a banana parasol? I had no idea until I began researching ways to bring shade into my garden. Here’s how I got on when I decided to create a shaded picnic spot on my new lawn…
The great thing about gardening is the peaceful feeling of being surrounded by nature. Which is why I’m sharing some low-cost gardening hacks and upcycling projects today to help you get started this sunny Sunday…
If you’ve been DIYing and gardening over the Easter holidays, you’re not alone; we too have made a lot of progress on our garden landscaping project over the past couple of weeks. Today’s blog post is all about how I upcycled a low-cost shed to make it look super-swish…
With power tools, gardening items, DIY materials and cleaning supplies, my shed workbench was over-flowing so I decided it was about time to sort out some proper storage. If you’ve been struggling to stow everything safely in your shed, this could be the solution for you too…
How to landscape a sloped garden into terraces with retaining wall planters in pressure-treated timber to create a patio, lawn and flower borders.
I’m currently working on landscaping my garden so if you too are working on a garden revamp this year here are some of the exterior finishes and accessories that are on trend for 2019…
We’re only three weeks into the new year and already there have been massive changes afoot at Cassiefairy HQ. We’ve been DIYing in earnest and I’m exhausted just thinking about it! You see, we’ve decided that 2019 will the be the ‘year of the garden’ and we’re tackling a landscaping project for the first time. Here’s what we’ve got planned and how we’re getting on…
If you’re planning a festive get-together over the coming months, this light-up bar would make a great focal point to serve up cocktails. And even better, it’s made from pallets! So get out the drill, pop open that pot of paint and have a go at DIYing it for yourself…
Garden water features are known for their visual appeal and can be a relaxing addition to the landscaping around your home. But it’s not all about luxury and aesthetics; when it comes to being innovative and money-saving, water features can help you save and conserve water too, with the help of rainwater tanks…
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