Craft time!

At Sugar Hill, and yes, that's still the name since no one has come with anything we like better, we have a little orchard started. There are 19 trees so far. Five were already there. I'm *pretty sure* three are apples and one is a plum. The other is a mystery tree and probably isn't a fruit tree at all. We have added a fig, several apples, plum, peaches and pears. I want to add pecan & cherry too. The nursery tags naming the type of tree flap in the wind, looking ugly and generic. Surely there's something we can do that will label each tree and look cute in the process. Onto craft time!

After racking my brain for a few days in search of a creative, fun and inexpensive project, I came up with the idea of painting little terra cotta pots and hanging them upside down at each tree. Easy and fun! But how to hang them? I wandered around Lowe's with Annaliese for way longer than she wanted, looking for something strong enough to hold the pot and flexible enough to bend into a hook. Finally found the metal stakes that hold yard signs. They were cheap (.99 cents!) and flexible... but would they be strong enough? At less than a dollar, I figured it was worth a try.

Today was our craft day! I spray painted each pot, set out paints and brushes, and wrote the name of each tree on a pot. Then it was time to use our imagination! My first pot turned out pretty well, especially considering I'm not an artist!

Well... it's cuter in real life. You can't see my two apple trees or the flowers on the back! The kids were very serious about their little creations.

In the end, the metal stakes were almost strong enough to hold the pots. They went through some serious manipulation with the pliers, but ended up with the result I wanted. Until I find something stronger, they will do! A little sealer, a little prayer.... and they're up!

They look so cute swaying in the wind! We all signed our little pots, put the date, and they will remain a reminder of a lovely spring day, sitting in the sun, spending time with each other, and marking the beginning of our little orchard. Special, personalized, and less than $2 each. Not a bad day.