Alright...before I can begin todays tutorial I have a confession to make. I have frog and toad phobia, (I don't differentiate...to me if it hops, is greenish, covered with spots, I don't like it)! At one point it was so bad that I spent the night sleeping in my car because there was a toad on the front step, (that I couldn't move, no matter how large a stick I wielded)! I've been working on this ridiculous fear of mine because I live out here in the country, and toads are my closest neighbours...they LOVE our walkway and I do appreciate the hard work they do in the garden, (eating all the not so good insects)...also, I don't want to pass on this fear to my daughters...I mean, how remarkable are these creatures to our children?! On that note, and because I am ready to conquer my fear a little bit more, welcome to Toad Village!!!
To make your own Toad Village you will need:
A few terra cotta pots, medium sized are best (as many as you want, depending on how large you want your village to be)!
paint, paintbrush
waterproof varnish
stones to line the pathway, leaves, straw, whatever you want to fancy up your village and make the toads abode a little more comfy
Start by painting your pot...you will only need to paint one half of it, as the other half will be buried in the soil, (as per the pictures below). After they dry, put on a coat or two of waterproof varnish.
Find a spot in your garden or yard where you want to put Toad Village...bury your pots halfway in the soil, and line the bottoms with straw, old leaves, whatever you have on hand. Put up the clothesline and VOILA!! You could also fashion some walkways, make a little pond...the possibilities are endless! This is a super simple garden craft...you could take this a step further and learn about the toads in your neck of the woods, read 'Frog and Toad' aloud, etc...
Here is our finished village...in the heart of our vegetable patch, a little slice of paradise for the toads in our lives! Hope you are all having fun outside in your own gardens!!! Thanks for coming by this week!!
Sunshine and smiles, seeds and mud!
Maureen
