Here in Minnesota, we’ve been pretty crabby about spring — let me clarify, the lack of spring. April was a big sloppy mess of snow (yes, snow) and rain. But this first week of May has been glorious — dry and sunny — so I thought I’d post this cheery centerpiece that I pulled together for my sister’s second-baby sendoff party (more on that later). I layered red place mats for the base, and then cut bright orange and pink tulips at different heights and placed them in small glass vases. It’s been my standard centerpiece for ages — I’m not an elaborate bouquet kind of girl. Care to usher in some May sunshine with some of your favorite centerpiece creations? –Megan K.

Top photo via The Stranger.

Okay, so maybe you won’t be able to take advantage of the exact find that I stumbled upon, but I did score some free bricks this weekend that are loaded with Seattle history. The cold storage portion of Seattle’s old Rainier Brewery was recently judged structurally unsound and, sadly, was torn down. So when I heard that piles of bricks were being set aside for residents to take home for free, I couldn’t resist. So we’ll soon have a bit of Seattle brewing history in our own yard in the form of a patio — no mining required. If you live in Seattle, the bricks are available just off the parking lot across from Smartypants on Airport Way. Not in Seattle? The best place to look for bricks with history is your local building salvage. –Mary T.

P.S. Our server at Smartypants told us that this building was also the setting for Nirvana’s famous Smells Like Teen Spirit video. I was all excited to also be getting some pieces of music history, but my research shows that this was, alas, wishful thinking.

I spent the other afternoon digging a couple of raised beds to get some starter plants and seeds into the ground. Tilling away, I dug a winter’s worth of pent up slushy city street aggression up and out of my life. My arms still ache. Gardening is an incredibly zen pursuit for me. I start out rushed and then let time and trouble roll off my back. I’m very grateful for the chance to plant my veggies and some pretty flowers. It’s been hard going on my fire escape—and in the past I’ve been an interloper in other people’s gardens where they weren’t that interested in sharing the space. Alas, Mother Nature has found me a new space — I have access to this incredible overtaken garden upstate no one is interested in cultivating except moi. It’s perfect. So far I‘ve planted zinnias, broccoli, beets, mesclun, wildflowers and arugula. That was last weekend. It’s not easy to be a week-end gardener as I read in a recent NY Times article . But I am going to give it a go. I’m set to get a new batch planted this coming week. I’ll keep you posted on my failures and victories, respectfully.

What activity do you like to do around the house & garden that relieves your stress? Allison R

We have four thousand new buddies at our River Cottage today. That’s right, the bees have finally arrived, after being delayed a couple of weeks due to weather. These are Italian bees that were shipped from Georgia to Betterbee, where Chad picked them on Saturday morning. The box they came in was about the size of a toaster oven. Because it was cold outside, and they had been traveling for days, the honeybees were really mellow, all huddled together and softly buzzing. Needless to say, I’ve never seen so many bees in one place. And, I never thought I’d say this, but honey bees are damn cute! Nothing like those pesky yellow jackets or chunky bumblebees. Approximately four thousand bees were in that box, along with the queen in her own special container. To get the bees in the hive, you pull out the queen’s box, place it in the hive, and shake all the other bees in. They are dying to be near the queen — whose box has a door made out of candy that bees eat to free her — and follow her immediately. Amazing, huh? Chad got stung only once. Sadly, some bees did die in the transfer. We think the cold temp may have been too much for them. But the next day, the sun came out and we could see the busy workers coming and going from the hive’s entrance. We’ll check on them in a few days to make sure the queen has made her way successfully out of the box. Wanna see more? Click here to watch Chad’s the installation of the bees on YouTube — Angela M.

Our bees are late. They were supposed to arrive last Saturday, but at the last minute we got a call saying they wouldn’t be available until this Saturday… something about the weather still being a touch too cold for them. We used our extra weekend to get our garden ready for our a buzzing friends. When we bought the place, the front garden was a bit of an overgrown mess. A wild vine was consuming the fireplace, and the little patch of dirt was an uneven cluster of flowers and weeds. Chad’s been clearing out the clutter, and this Saturday it was finally ready for some planting. We heard that bees really respond to purple flowers, so we put in some May Night Salvia, Emerald Blue Moss Phlox and my favorite, Provence Lavender. This will keep things pretty and tasty for a month or so. But what we need to do next is plant some autumn blooming flowers, so the bees will be kept busy for months and months. Something yellow, perhaps. Any suggestions? — Angela M.

We spotted this in the new MetHome and had to blog it. At Target, Cynthia Rowley has turned a tired old garden staple into something fierce. Behold the hot pink garden hose, sure to give your shed a firey accent. Sadly, it’s not available online, so you better mosey on over to your local store and pick one up before they’re gone. Priced at just ten bucks, they’re sure to sell fast!

You know that I’ve been a little quiet on the blog recently because I’ve been falling madly love with our daughter, a little ten-pound three-month-old named Isadora. But what you don’t know is that Chad and I are about to start a new adventure at our Catskill cottage — beekeeping! Well, it’s really more Chad’s thing than mine, but I fully support this new hobby of his. For the past few months, he’s been reading up on beekeeping, learning most of what he needs through a company called Betterbee. The other day, he assembled the hive with the help of a brad gun (many, many nails were required). The bees arrive this Saturday. Chad has been trying to talk me into going with him to pick them at the farm, but my better judgement tells me NOT to be in a tiny Honda Fit with 5,000 bees. I don’t care how they’re crated: Isadora and I will hang at home, thank you very much. It’s exciting, though. I’m sure you’re aware of the serious perils currently facing honeybees. If our little efforts can help — not to mention produce some delicious honey — it will be well worth a few stings. — Angela M.

Did you know that you could buy live plants on eBay? Yep, in addition to just about every other item on the planet, you can also procure plants for your garden from the auction super site. (It’s a particularly handy service if you don’t have a great nursery nearby or if the ground hasn’t quite thawed in your area and your local garden center isn’t yet stocked up for gardening season.)

I love succulents — because not only are they almost impossible to kill, they make great modern houseplants (group several in a wide, low planter for a stunning centerpiece or just one in a small container for a pretty, natural accent) as well as interesting and textural additions to your outdoor landscape. Can’t decide? Enjoy succulents both ways — keep them inside until you’re ready to get your hands dirty, then incorporate them into your garden.

This succulent selection up for auction on eBay includes a mix of twenty cuttings, including hens and chicks, volcano plants, echeveria, sedum, agave, euphorbia, and several other hardy varieties. The cuttings are easy to grow — simply stick them in well-drained soil (either potting soil mixed with sand or gravel, or perlite), protect them from hot afternoon sun, and water them every once in a blue moon. I promise, they’re practically black-thumb proof. Current bid: $30

See more of Leah’s great finds on her blog, More Ways to Waste Time.

Seattle got two sunny days in a row, and we jumped at the opportunity to stain the the railings around our deck and stairs. (Our insurance company was sort of insistent that we build railings when we bought the house.) As I don’t want to use any product that has a risk of spontaneously combusting — for both environmental and personal reasons! — we decided to give water-based Penofin Aquafin a try. We were not disappointed! The stuff is kind of amazing: It barely smells at all, gives off almost no VOCs, covers great, washed out of the brushes in seconds, and dries in three hours (though you’re not supposed to walk on it for 24). You can even use it on wood that’s damp! Best of all, today it rained, and the water is beading up quite nicely. The only slight difficulty was finding it; we ended up calling around and getting it from a local lumber yard. So do your research before heading out to get some of your own. –Mary T.

There have been several comments lately about how you don’t want to go broke just to go “green” with your purchases. That’s something we do understand here at Shelterrific, especially with recent home purchases and new babies in the picture! So I have a feeling that few of you will be investing in these Greenrrroof Animal Homes from Sustainable Pet Design anytime soon. They’re custom-designed and planted with vegetation chosen to thrive in your particular area, and that costs — the “dog barn,” for instance, starts at $850 in x-small. The photos sure are fun to look at, however. Maybe it will be an inspiration to reclaim some building materials from your garage. (Please note that the Greenrrroof versions are patent-pending.) –Mary T.