It's almost the New Year here in America! 2013 we hope starts on a bright now for you and yours.

For our friends across the world, New Years or not. What are some of your resolutions you are going to work on? Any ideas?

One I read of recently I would like to share....

Take an empty mason jar and through the year everytime something good happens to you, write it down and put it in the jar. Then at the beginning of next year, empty the jar and read about all the wonderful things that the past year has brought you. <3

We all need a little more positive in our lives.

Much love to you all!

Oh my!

So sorry for lack of updates! I promise I'll post some journals with recipes and ideas very soon! As well as upload some photographs.

Well, over where I am we have 6 days until Christmas and 2 days until Yule. Hanukkah just ended a few days ago. There are many other festivls and holidays this month!

We would love to hear about your holidays! Recipes, stories, decor, traditions. Whtever you wish to share. For ourfriends in other parts of the world experincing other seasons and holidays, we would be delighted tohear your news as well! Its excitingto hear whats going on all over the world!

If you have any requests, questions, stories, or submissions, please, note us! Wewould love to hear from you!

Happy Holidays. Blessed be your lives, families, hearts, and homes.

I made my first cherry pie for thanksgiving. We celebrate it a lottle differently in my family since most of us are native american.


What do you cook?
What are your traditions?
What are you thankful for?

Rainy day favorites.

Tell us what your rainy day faves are. We would love recipes, pics, memories, stories.

I hope you are all cozy.

Love and comfort!

Hello again! We acctually have a question for you from our own  yelleena and we would love to try and get some answers for her. Help?

---

Gardening question: Carrots

Does anyone know how to grow carrots properly? Particularly in containers rather than direct in the soil. I've been using large syraphome boxes for my carrots because I have to have a raised garden bed.

The first batch I did had issues with splitting, which I am told was primarilly due to them getting too much water or fertilizer. We had a hell of a lot a rain in this period so I worked out that it was probablly water as I don't fertilize carrots.

The current batch are whole, hearty and taste great but mutated. I have one that looks like a 6 fingered monkey's paw, another that spiralled, and yet another that looks normal for the first inch then twists and started growing in the wrong direction.

Any ideas please would be helpful.

I'm using a relativly bland potting mix, not too much water and no fertilizer. I don't have a way to test PH as yet.

*Hugs*

---

Mmmm. Carrots. Yummy! Suggestions?

Hello, hello!

Firstly I would just like to ask, Whats the weather like? We want to know what the weather is like in your part of the world. so lets check in!


Also we have some comments and letters to share, our lovely  yelleena has sent in some photos of her vegetable garden that I would enjoy sharing with everyone. Thanks yelleena!

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8837402/

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8837643/

I would also like to thank you all for +Watching. As well as helping each other with your ideas, comments, recipes, and garden tips. The thoughtful and creative minds in the group blow me away. You are all amazing! Keep them coming! If you have a requested feature such as a holiday, season, project ETC. Send us a note and we will see what we an do.

Thanks, love, and comfort!
 pink.ink

WE have recently received some letters from our friends and I'd like to share them.

From :iconmjriv1 We have some photos of their garden and some tips provided in the photos information section. For all our gardeners it might be worth taking a look. :3

"A bit ago I posted about some gardening attempts I had started.
Here is the follow up for those interested in what I am growing and how.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8810660/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8810564/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8810527/";

Thanks for sharing!!!


Next we have  faydyn Who sent a recipe for homemade playdoh. Something fun to do with the kids, or even for yourself as a creative outlet! Here is the link. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8801994/

Thanks for the link. Lots of fun to be had!

And then we have some VERY yummy looking cupcakes from  eilowny

Their letter reads:
"Hey there, recently I made some yummy cupcakes for a friend's birthday bash, I thought maybe they could be uploaded to creature comforts?

Here's the links:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8819697 (Beer & Choc cupcakes with a salted caramel drizzle)

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8819744 (Vanilla & Apple cupcakes with Apple Vodka frosting)

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8819786 (Bacon cupcakes with Whisky/Maple Syrup frosting)

Thanks! Eilowny =^.^= "

And thank you for sharing dear! We will upload those to the page soon. <3

Lastly, a reply from  yelleena when I posted this journal: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3808556/ Many times we forget that just because it's a certain season, event, or holiday here, doesn't mean the same is happening in other parts of the world. I love the insight and learning from her comments. :3

"Ah what is the start of Autum or Fall for you all in the nothern hemisphere is the a time of new begining for me in Australia in the southern hemisphere.

For us the almond trees have blossomed several weeks ago and set their almonds, the peacharine, and apricot is covered in blossom. The plum trees are giving us showers of pink petals as the wind blows the blooms about. nigts are coldish and days are beginning to be blessed with blue skys and sunshine. The day time temp is slowly increasing. Won't be long and the magpies will be swooping. There is still rain about here and there and we save what we can for the garden as summer creeps ever closer. Its a time of planting tomatoes, zucchini, herbs, cucumbers and lots of baasil. New leaves have begun to push through on bare branches and the bottle brush tree is paused on the brink of bursting into great red bracts of flowers. Won't be long before the parrots will gather and enjoy the nectar of the blooms. Noisy but a delight to watch from my front window.

What's going on for Australia varies from state to state and culture to culture.

We have just celebrated the Almond Blossom festival in Mclaren Vale, SA Australia.

Right now on Sunday 2nd its our Father's Day Celebrations and family are getting together celebrating all things dad related. On sunday I will at some point light a candle for my dad and put a piece of rosemary near his picture. My mate will buy his dad some McDonalds pancakes for his breakfast and drop off a card and gift. For me it is a time of rememberance and time of precious memories as I was born on the 4th of septemeber in a year that was also fathers day at the time. My mother told me they made in to the hospital in the early hours of father's day and at 2AM my father didn't even have the heart to smack me on the bum to start me breathing. I loved him very very much and a day doesn't go by without me missing him.

We sometimes get the odd trick or treater come to our door on halloween but it isn't widely celebrated. I generally buy a coule of packs of lollies, put out a sign that trick and treaters are welcome and if any show up share what I have. I've had several years when no one came and others that I've had a couple of kids come arround.

What's going on personally, I celebrate my 46th birthday shortly, I'm putting in the last of my assignments and school will be winding up for a two week break then four weeks of school and I'm on holidays till next year end of January. Got a few seminars here and there on diabetes to attend if I want to. October November sees the medical appointments wind up until January which is a much needed break.

We don't have many holidays before christmas only the odd local one or two. It varies from state to state in Australia as to when and what the local holiday is.

Hope your halloween is fun, safe and enjoyable *hugs*"

Thanks so much for all your support. We love recipes, fun, hearing about your home.



What makes a home? I your own opinion, when is a home at it's most cozy?

Much love and thanks to you all!

Autumn is getting closer! Tomorrow is the start of September. leaves will be changing, nights getting cooler, smells are different, days are shorter. i can hardly wait. As well as kids going back to school. Yay!

What will you do with your free time? If you have any. :p Any advice on keeping things organized? How about healthy lunches? Tell us about back to school for your family.

And since Autumn is gettign closer this also means decor is changing, and will change more as halloween arrives. So, tonight I am posting just some of the halloween ideas, recipes, and fun I have so far. I ask for more contributions. We would love to hear how you bring the seasons and celebrations into your life and home!

Also, before I begin my autumn segment, whats going on in other parts of the world? What festivals, holidays, or events are happening for you? We would love to hear and maybe try to offer up some ideas for our global members. :)

Here we go.... I realize it's not a big list yet, I promise to try and add more as we get closer. There will also be other journals and photos will be uploaded in the next few days of some of the recipes, craft ideas, and instructions. Just hang tight till then. :D


RECIPES!

Skull marshmellows:
Supplies: Marshmellows. knife. Pastry bag or condiment pencil. Chocolate frosting.
1. Arrange marshmellows ona cutting board.
2. Using a knife, gently cut each marshmellow almost in half and then score each one where you will draw the mouth and teeth.
3. With frosting, draw lines for mouths. Add hatch marks for teeth and dots for eyes and nose.
Float in cocoa for a spooky surprise. or add too a sundae or dessert with colorful sprinkles for a treat!

Ghost Toasties!
Supplies: White bread. Mini cookie cutters or pearing knife. Straws normal and small sized. Butter.
1. Cut ghosts and other shapes out of the bread with cookie cutters or knife.
2. Pinch one end of the wider straw to make an oval and then use it to punch out ghost mouths. Use the smaller straw to punch out eyes.
3. Over medium-low heat, warm butter in a pan and add bread ghosts, panfry until golden brown. done! (or add garlic powder and bake)


Mauled apple cider:
Serves 12
20 whole cloves. 5 lady apples. 1 gallon apple cider. 2 cinnamon sticks. Zest of 1 orange. 6 star anise.
Press 4 cloves into each lady apple. Pleace cider, cinnamon, orange zest, and studded lady apples in a large pot and warm over medium low heat. let steep 1 1/2 hours without boiling, until aromatic and falvorful. garnish with star anise.

This is an alcholic beverage!!! Please drink responsibly and be safe!
Bloody brain shots:
Supplies: 1 ounce peach schnapps. 1 teaspoon baileys irish cream. Grenadine. Shot glass.
1. Pour peach schnapps into a shot glass. 2. float the baileys cream on top of the schnapps. 3. Dribble a few drops of grenadine on top of the baileys. there is no hurry. take it slow. 4. Serve


Spicey cranberry tea:
4 cups water
4 cups cranberry juice
4 orange pekoe tea bags
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
16 cloves
1 macintosh apple, cut into 8 slices with seeds removed
16 fresh cranberries for grnish (optional)
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and juice and bring to a boil. Place teabags in boiling water/juice mix, remove from heat, and let steap for 10 min. Remove the tea bags and add the cinnamon and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place 2 cloves in each apple slice and add to the tea. Cover and let steap for 5 more minutes. Pour into warmed tea cups or mugs and garnish with the apple slices and cranberries. Makes 8 cups.


DECOR:
I realize many of these make little sense without photos and will post them with photos soon. :)

For gently bobbing apple candle holders, first toss whole apples into a tob of water. Each will float a differently. Mark their topsides with one dot a peice, and remove from water. Centering the bottom of a tealight over the dot, trace the candles circumferance onto the apples skin, then cut out the circle with a utility knife inserted as deep as the candle is tall will be flsuh with fruits surface, squeeze lemon juice onto the cut fruit to prevent browning; insert candle, and light. Keep flotilla by the door.
You will need: Apples. Washtub or other large tub. Tea lights. Utility knife. Lemons.

Votive bags:
You will need: Paper bags. Stencils. Utility knife. Cardbaord. Glue stick. Candles in glasses. Lighter. Sand. (to help weigh down bottom of the bag)
Plain brown bags spell danger for arriving trick or treaters. The softly lit scare tactics are simple to employ. you need two same sized bags for each lantern.
1. Using stencils outline letters, phrases, or designs on one bag; cut out with utility knife. insert a peice of cardboard to avoid cutting between both sides of the bag. Do not discard center cut outs fro letters such as A, O, and B.
2. Fold top edge of second bag over twice. Trip top if stencil bag so that is is slightly shorter than bag with folded edge. Run a glue stick around the edges on the letters on the inside of the bag. Place folded bag inside cutout bag, tucking the stenciled bag under the folded edge of its companion. Press the bags together, reposition any saved centers or cutouts and glue to the insude bag. To illuminate, hold candle in its glass, halfway down into bag. light with lighter and lower carefully.





FUN:
I realize many of these make little sense without photos and will post them with photos soon. :)

Sleepy ghosts brooch:
Supplies: Chalk penicl. Small peice of black or white felt. Clasp pin or safety pin. White or black thread and a needle. Stuffing.
1. Trace patern and cut ghost shapes from the felt. Place pin in middle of the back. using thread and needle. sew it on with a few quick stitches until it feels nice and snug. knot thread and set aside.
2. For your ghosts face: Use roughly 10 to 14 stitches for the eys and 3-4 stitches for the mouth. It's up to you! Knot thread cut away extra.
3. Align the two pieces, right sides facing out, and sew together starting at the tail. Try a stitch the size of about 3 millimeters with a little space between each stitch. leave a 3/4 of an inch gap.
4. Keeping your needle and thread in place, fill your ghost with stuffing.
5. Stitch up the gap and knot thread on the backside of your ghost.

Yes, I am aware it's August. But I'd like to start posting autumn ideas, decor, fun, and recipes soon. It takes some people, (myself included) a month or more for preparation.

So we are asking for you spookiest halloween decor, music, games, jokes, crafts, recipes, ETC.
I have plenty to share and many more in my sights. But I'd like to hear from you. Help us with what you know, ask around, maybe do some research of your own.

We appologize to our global members. We are aware for some of you Halloween has passed or you just don't celebrate it. But maybe you have some Autumn recipes or spooky ideas to share. We'd love to hear them.

Many thanks.

Hello everyone! Pink here!

I just wanted to check in. How is everyone doing?


Whats the weather like where you live?
Whats growing in your gardens?
Any new recipes or home projects?
Whats your creature comfort? We'd love to hear from you!

We wish you all the love and comfort. And hope that wherever you are and whatever season you're full off good cheer, loving family, and delicious food.

Sorry guys!

Long time no see. Pinterest has eaten my attention span.

We hope you had a happy and safe 4th of July! And good Firework or BBQ photos?

How are those summer sandpail list coming? You got about a month and a half left of summer. Time to get on it!

Also, the major heatwaves have been crazy. Any advice on helping keep the plants growing in the garden? Keeping the house cool? Some yummy summer dining?

As always we welcome notes, ideas, photos, pics, and suggestions!

Fruity drinks and summer snacks!

Who's got some recipe's to share! Let's hear them!

Also, ways to bring some summer fun to your house! Ideas? Thoughts? Tradition?


Lastly.... Summer Sand Pail list.
I got this from an article in BHG.

It's like a bucket list for your summer. What do you want to accomplish? New foods to try? Places to go? Sights to see? Lessons to learn? Memories to make?

Why don't you all make a summer sand pail list and link it back here. We can all share some good ideas and maybe help each other with our lists! Can't wait to see the results.

Best wishes and lots of love,
Creature.Comforts.

Hey guys! Pink here!

I already asked for some help from the FACCC. Bu maybe you all can help an well. I have a personal favor/request.
My mother and I have to go on a gluten free diet and we are freaking out cause it seems like there is nothing we can eat!!!
We have a small budget. But we kind of HAVE to do this and have no idea how to start. What tthe shopping list would look like. Easy, daily, and decent recipes. We need ALOT of help. So anyone who is in the same boat living tthis lifestyle or has some recipes. That would be amazing!
Thank you so much!

Hello everyone!

We have been getting some letters regarding, gardening! And more specifically, little trouble makers.

This time we got a note from a few people linking us to user  mjriv1's journal.
Here is the problem at hand:


____________________________________________________

I am having a problem with some plants in my garden. Rabbits.
Peas, beans, onions, garlic and even a recently sprouted peach tree, about 3" high, are all being eaten to the ground.

What I note is that they do not touch the tomatoes, potatoes, basil, mint, watercress, chives, strawberries or parsley.

Now, I an thinking of planting something they don't like around the patches they do eat. I hope this will keep them out. The problem with most of the above is they are 'weeds'. I planted extra curled parsley 2 years ago and the flat Italian type last year, Basil about 3 years ago. Now I have it sprouting all over the yard any place that gets a bit of water.

So does anyone know of something I can plant as a boarder that will do the job but not try to take over?

Oh, Iris plants seem good too. I had some squash sprout in my compost heap and it did not last the day, but the ones I have in the front yard in the clear plastic containers are up near some Iris plants and so far have not been touched.
_____________________________________________________


Any more idea's? Also. Pests in general. Cat's, deer, birds, squirrels, slugs and snails? We all have different trouble critters with our gardens. Let's help one another.

Any advice would be appreciated. We here at, creature.comforts, will also try to look into this and see if we can be any help.

Link to original journal posting:http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3460681/

It's getting hotter outside. Flowers are in bloom, the shorts and skirts have been broken out, and it's time to freshen up home, garden, and kitchen.

Let's start with kitchen.

What helps you relax and stay refreshed on a hot day?
Jello, smoothie, ice-cream, a cool drink, a salad? Share your food recipes for staying cool.

Also, just tell us how you enjoy your sunshine. In the shade, at the lake, with a BBQ and friends, stargazing.

However you stay cool and any recipes or ideas we would lvoe to hear them.


What are you looking forward to this summer?

Tomorrow is Earthday! So, Happy Earthday from us at Creature.Comforts.

Pink, again, here with an update and a question for you all.

First, I just returned from our towns Earthday celebration. All the boohs are wonderful. We have wildlife protectionof all kind, preservation, environmental, a million recycling and transport booths, ways to go green, a plant and bood sale, free plants and chances to win prizes while gaining knowledge.

It's good to go and see children learning about what impact they have on the world nd how to make it better.

Today I got many pamphlets and gained knowledge. But, I also got some freebies and prizes.
- A three in one cutlery set. Spoon on one end, fork on the other with a sharper edge to the sideon the fork making a knife. Very handy for my hiking lunch or pinics.
- A pack of seed balls, sunflowers, and another one with wildflowers.
-Coupons for free organic juice. (Genesis juice. Delicious. I highly recomened it)
- A water bottle
- Japanese maple seedling

It was a wonderful, fun, and educational time.

So, here are some questions for all of you.
How do you celebrate Earthday? How does your town celebrate? What major recycling or green businesses do you have in your town?

Share with us!
Happy Earthday!

Hello everyone, Pink here!
 pink.ink
Today I took my old red wagon, which I have fond memories of since childhood, and made a flower bed. I truly love that wagon and the idea of it now being a flower bed for some native plants was fantastic to me. I am only planting flowers or herbs with short roots inside. So, I planted my fawn lilly and some cat nip thus far. Waiting till next pay day to buy some more plants for my little project. I also planted cucumbers, zuchini, and pumpkin. For those I put down some cardboard, old tires, lots of soil, and planted the veggies in the circle of the tires! It a fun way for these viney plants to tumble over the edge and continue to grow while giving them their own space.
Of course the chickens were right on that. Thank goodness for chiken wire!

Today I also recieved a note from one of our watchers that I would like to share with you!
This was a note I recieved from  yelleena
It has some wonderful ideas and is pretty interesting. We like to hear stories and ideas like this here! Thank you for sharing and keep them coming!
___________________________________________________
LifeStyle: - Tub Garden
We live in a suburban house and have several small court yards but very little tillable earth suitable for vegetables. This court yard gets the largest amount of sun so rather than rip up the bricks we decided on a raised tub style using childrens toy bins, large plastic tubs and the old wheel barrow. Some of the tubs were new others were recycled from trash. We have greater control over what is used in the containers, weeds are easier to deal with and we don't have to dig so much or bend down so far once they are set up. A definate bonus for me as I have back problems. We have chickens so we started by putting in a layer of used straw from the hen house, a layer of potting mix, a layer of soil from the hen yard and more potting mix, then we mixed the layers and let them stand for a couple of weeks topping up with potting mix just before planting. We also use a seaweed fertilizer occasionally. Rather than seeds most plants were purchased as seedlings and we had wire covers over the containers for a while to keep the birds out. As the plants got bigger we took the wire away and mulched with clean straw. Most of the water used on this garden has been recycled from our showers using buckets that sit around the edge of the shower cubicals and fill up. MrDuhast is amazing becasue he carries 8-10 buckets of water through to the garden every day, only on the hottests days in summer have we had to resort to using mains water for this garden. On wet days we harvest as much rain water as we can in open flat kiddy pools and then bucket this to a storage bin near the garden. We use 2Lt soft drink bottles that we fill and put into the soil upside down to make sure that in the hottest part of summer the plants had water and the pots less likely to totally dry out.

We have to date enjoyed a large range of herbs including sage, itallian flat leaf parsley, curly leaf parsley, basil, corriander, oregano, chives, a little dill (this died off unforturatly), nastersiums, thyme and we have had vegetables such as tomatoes (several varieties), cucumber (one was 55cm long), lebanese cucumbers, purple carrots, orange carrots, sweet potato, capsicum, a little lettuce and strawberries. Mrdhast and I are still experimenting with this and even in autumn (Australia) we are still harvesting from most of these plants.

Our Court Yard Vegetable and Herb Tub Garden created by  yelleena and  mrduhast
Photographs:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6830155/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6830174/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6830193/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6830134/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6830126/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6830114/
produce: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7007190/

As a part of our life style we have chickens and turkeys recieving up to four eggs a day or more sometimes and a lot of fun. We have 3 turkeys and 11 chickens. Only four of the hens lay regularly and only one turkey is laying at the moment.
turkeys: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7366648/
mrduhasts photo of our chickens
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7237459/

_______________________________________________________________


Now, I can say from my own experiance having chickens as part of your home and garden is a wonderful thing. But here are some tips and things you need to know:

- Chickens need a good solid roost that will protect them from the weather. But will also be ventilated so they don't get too hot. Common sense. But what some people neglect is room. Chickens need spage. You cant keep then in a small fenced area and expect them to not get aggitated. You want happy and relaxed chickens to have good eggs. If they become too upset the eggs can have spots of blook in the yolks or taste bad. You need to make sure they are all comfy and happy with room to explore, scratch, roll, and stretch.
- Also, make sure their pen is secure. Chickens tend to wander. they scavenge for bugs and are curious. Make sure they're locked in at night so possums, dogs, raccoons, and such don't eat them.
- Make sure they have the proper food, water, and scratch.
- Do research
- Remember that those cute little chicks you buy as Easter props grow up to be big chickens with needs and are still cute! Just in a different way!
- All eggs taste a little different. Duck eggs, chicken, quail, ETC.
- Duck eggs are really hard to bake with. But, ducks are best to have for your garden cause they love eathing slugs, snails, and other veggie eating bugs. Chickens are good for this too. But most chickens I've met aren't fans of the slimey bugs.
Over all just do reasearch! Raised beds, soils, plants, edible, non-edible, animals. All of it. Take time and really research before making decisions. It will yeild very satisfying results! :)

Thanks!
- pink.ink

Hello again my cozy friends!
We're still looking for any art, recipes, tips, photos, links, or stories pertaining to baking, food, drink, gardening, knitting, sewing, home improvement, decor. ETC. If you want to contribute just note us here and we will review and see about posting to the page ASAP!

We would also enjoy some feed back, thoughts, or ideas. We want to hear from our wonderful members!

We hope you are enjoying your Spring. Be it with gardening, baking, fixing the house up, or the time honored spring cleaning. We just hope that all you little creatures are dwelling in comfort.

Best regards and love!

Well, it may not be Apple Pie season. But that's what I made today. Pretty good if not a little tart... Which has me wondering,

What do you all make on cold winter days? Share your favorite pie, pastry, soup, or whatver recipe for cold days. What makes you cozy and happy?

Or is there a favorite activity? Share some stories. We hope you have a wonderful rest of winter.

We are sorry for the lack of updates. We only have 2 people operating the group at this time and it's been a bit chaotic. We hope to get some recipes and decorating idea's together for next week so we have a post before the holidays.
Until then BHG.com has some fun stuff to look through or ask your parents and grandparents. Any elder. They usually have good advice, ideas, or are, at the least, amusing.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

We need your suggestions/ submissions!
REcipes, decor, ideas, links, fun. For HAlloween and the month of October.
Please get them in ASAP so we can organize and get journals together.

Thank you kindly!
C.C.

Hey guys! Halloween and Autumn are right around the corner. We'd like to hear your best recipes, decorations, costumes, gardening, all your tips!

Send them via note to  creature.comforts or  pink.ink
And aroun the first week of October we will begin posting journals of our helpful tidbits to have a fun and spooky Halloween and a glorious and refreshing Autmun.

Send in your information ASAP.

Thanks to all.
Stay happy and safe.

Let's hear it! Favourite thing about coming home/being home.

Is it the food? The family? Photographs? Smells? Or other comforts? Share what you love best about home. :3

Just a reminder!
If you want to be added to the Memeber list please let me know! Via shout or note. The link to the list is on the main page or... Right here:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2569141/

We're also still open for art, recipes, ideas, info, etc.

Thank you all for support and we'll get to work asap.

We are honored to have some good tips for home and garden prevention of unwanted pests. This comes from  inkpot Please go check their page
for some other info and wonderful photos. :3


Good Evening to creature.comforts,

Since I have been receiving quite a few questions about dealing with pests, I thought that it would be a good idea to pass along a few helpful tips.

1. slugs and snails and earwigs outdoors (pet and people safe)

This is a fairly easy one to remedy, all you need is a glass or plastic jar and either a can of beer and a spade.

Go into the garden or affected area and dig a hole large enough to hold the jar so that the lip is just below the surface, now pour the beer into the jar. A few inches should be fine. Now you can leave it alone.

The beer will attract the insects such as snails and slugs, ear wigs etc. They will climb or fall into the jar where they will drown. Remember to change the jar regularly to keep down infestations.

2. Interior / exterior insect control (pet and people safe)

Quite a few people have been complaining about common household pests which have been hiding generally in their basements. This deals with the ones that creep on the ground.

For this one, I would suggest buying diatomaceous earth, basically it is a single-celled alga that has a cell wall of silica.

What you want to do next is line the border of your house's foundation all the way around. I have heard of people using it inside of their houses, but I am guessing that it can get messy. Like have chalk dust piled up around your floors...

While it is harmless to humans and other animals, it is deadly to insects. Why? Well if you look at the particles under a microscope they look pretty sharp.

To insects this is like crawling across broken glass. The reason why it is so effective is because unlike the other animal kingdoms which have skins, feathers etc. the insect kingdom has exoskeletons which hold their moisture in. This leads to the insects literally dehydrating to death.

Finally

3. Dealing with wasps outdoors (prevention)

Never rile a hornet / wasp / bees nest, you are going to regret it.

Now, if there appears to be no nests in the area, but they are looking for a new home, go out and buy an artificial wasp nest. These insects are highly territorial and if they see a nest they will look else where.

Another way to deal with them is to either purchase a wasp catcher or make one. this item has a little dome with legs to keep it high enough for insects to fly into and it has an inverted funnel which they can access. Once inside there is no way out. For the glass ones there is a cork in the top to allow for filling and disposal.

This can also be made into a fun art project for your kids, etc. All you need is a 1 two litre plastic bottle, a pair of scissors, a good strong glue or tape and a wire or string, fishing line can also work.

Cut the top off of the bottle so that the neck of the bottle is the same width as the rest of the bottle. Turn the now cut top of the bottle spout downwards so that it rests inside the bottom of the bottle, tape or glue into place. Finally if it is going to be hung from a tree or other hanger, make two small holes in the bottle near the top and tie the string. Now all you have to do is fill it with a sweet beverage or beer and you're all set.

I hope that these tips are helpful

Ink