Tag: DIY

DIY Planters

I love crafting and it had been a while since I have made anything.

I saw on Pinterest how to make tile planter boxes and I knew this was the project for me.

A quick trip to Lowes only to find out there were no 6-inch tiles and they did not have many pattern tiles that were 12-inch. I bought what they had to make 4 planters. Each planter takes 5 pieces and if you do it the exact size there are no cuts to make.

I have issues using the caulking gun so I got Jack to do that part for me.

I did find later on the internet they make squeeze tubes of construction adhesive and I can do that when I run out of what I have.

You do need to wipe off the construction adhesive on the edges then after 24 hours of drying time you can paint the edges to match your planter. Some of mine turned out neater than others but now I know next time to wipe off early.

I have about $5.00 in each planter so this is a very cost-effective project. One day this week I will get to Floor and Decor for a bigger variety and cheaper options so I can make more. I want some bright-colored tiles with the Morrocan flare.

When it comes to the bottom tile you will find there will be a few gaps you can seal some of it off in the inside of the box with the adhesive but leave some for drainage then you do not have to drill holes. My planters were for outdoors and I planted some of my overabundance of Aloe Vera.

I loved this project and can not wait to make more. I want some tiny succulent planters and some large rectangle planters. You could even make some tall skinny planters with the rectangle tiles.

Be creative its good for the mind and the soul.

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Recycle Patio Chairs

We have had these patio chairs for years I wanted to recycle them so I came up with a plan.

These chairs had the cushions that are attached for the back and the bottom

We bought some new spray paint for the black metal. We bought cedar fence boards and cut them in pieces for the slats and I ordered carriage bolts to attach it all.

Everything was stained with cedar stain and it worked like a charm.

We did the table which was glass underneath but did not account for the fact there were no holes in the glass so it warped from the rain so we are currently working on a new plan for the table. Jack says the glass will shatter if he drills it so we may just take it out and add slats from there.

We have been replacing deck boards x 9 on our side deck and this time we will be painting it. We had to replace the step down between the two decks.

We have power washed the deck in the past and put clear on it, stained it several times different colors so now its time for something new so we will paint it brown it is just a matter of finding the right brown so far 4 samples were all wrong.

This deck has an upper section and a lower section the upper is 10 x 10 sections x 3 so that part is 30′ x 10′  the lower is 12 x 10 sections x 2 so that part is 24 x 10.

We honestly use our screened-in back porch and deck more than this deck because we play with the dogs in the back yard. Our back yard is 80% shaded in the evening so it’s really nice back there with mature trees making our shade.

You have to replace rotten boards and repaint or stain decks every few years to maintain them. Even treated wood will eventually rot and that is what happened here but it has lasted really good.

The first part of this deck a 10′ x 10′ section was built 21 years ago and we just added on to it as time went on.

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Succulents and Sedum plus more

Lately, I have been planting lots of succulents, sedum, and English ivy as well as airplane plants.

I had planned on doing a trade days sale but with this virus scare and my heart issues, I decided against it.

Now I will try and advertise to sell these locally but this is one of my latest DIY things. They are all so cute but the pedestals ones I love.

 

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Concrete Mushrooms

Working with concrete and hypertufa is by far my two of my favorite medias.

I wanted to make a few concrete mushrooms but I wanted them to be different. I knew I wanted to use the Hypertufa so they would have the rough appearance with holes, dips and scraggly looking edges. I even chipped off more edges to add to the appearance.

The tops were made with plastic bowls and the bottoms were made with large cardboard oatmeal containers. My favorite one is the yellow one because the top is tapered and to me it looks more like a real mushroom.

Painting them was fun the blending of colors, adding some metallics, adding stones and finally working on the stems and adding large fleck glitter to marine spar to get the look I wanted.

I ended up painting marine spar on the entire mushroom to weatherproof it and lessen the chance of the colors fading.

At first they would not sit up straight so I found some rocks I could glue to the base underneath and that helped.

These mushrooms took quite a few stones to get the look I wanted. I found the stones at my local Hobby Lobby and the At Home Store & I used E6000 to glue the stones on. I would say roughly I spent about $12.00 on all the stones and $5.00 on the glue.

Do I like everything I create that is a big NO but every project I create makes someone happy because I give away a lot of the stuff I create.

Creativity allows me to express myself, think of new challenges, find inspiration in everyday life and it allows me to use my imagintation for something artistic.

Creativity engages the mind and allows us to make a connection with ourself. Creative expression gives us a voice without words. It gives us confidence to know we can do anything we want to do.

It keeps our mind active which is very important as we get older noone wants a mushy mind.

Creative people are very happy people because they can breathe deeply and take in life one project at a time.

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Golf ball Critters

At the auction last weekend I won two lots of golf balls. That is 600 golf balls.

I found oodles of golf ball critters on Pinterest.

So far I have made two caterpillars one for my sister and one for me.

Next I will probably try some ladybugs.

I thought about gluing some around a flower pot and stacking them like bricks.

Does anyone have any brilliant ideas for golf balls?

I am using some to make some flowers but I am making them different than before. This time I glue golf tee head down to the ball with hot glue. Then I will paint them.

Pics will be coming soon!

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DIY Concrete flower pot

This was my first large concrete flower pot.

I have already made the second one for my mother in law.

I used the same exercise ball from the orb but this time I left a larger hole and trimmed it out some to make it irregularly shaped on the top edge.

On the second coat, I added in some peat moss to give it texture. This was 3 coats total and then I let it dry and painted it.

Metallic green and copper paint accent the beauty of this flower pot. Then I clear coated it inside on the upper part and the entire outside.

I  planted a full pot of Petunias from one of my favorite places Joseph’s Nursery in Manvel, Texas. I have been shopping there since 1983 when they opened this place and they are super friendly and are always willing to tell you most anything about a plant.

This large pot of petunias was $19.00 what a deal.

These beautiful flowers will be accented with new decor on the lattice fence in the backyard.

More pics coming soon of the redecorated fence.

FlowerPot

 

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Concrete Orb DIY

Giant concrete orbs amaze me so I wanted to make one for our fern flower bed that has two large oak trees at each end.

I wanted this orb to appear to be natural in this fern bed & I am pleased with how it turned out.

Metallic paints are my all time favorite I used copper, gold, silver, platinum, green and blue for this project. By using a chip paint brush I would add some then blend add some more until I got it the way I wanted it.

Supply List:

Exercise Ball

No stick cooking spray

Plastic bucket or box to set the ball on to keep it still.

Cement no rocks added.

 Metallic Paints

Clear spray paint for protection.

I would say this project cost about $20 – $25.00 to make.

Air the ball up tight and place on a bucket with the plug side down. Spray non-stick spray on the ball.

The concrete needs something to bond to and the mesh tape did not work for me I tried two different kinds.

I ended up using cheesecloth cut into squares which I dipped in concrete and applied to the ball. Gauze fabric should work the same way.

Once it was mostly dry I started adding more layers of concrete. Then I added another layer of cheesecloth then more concrete. You want it thick enough to withstand the elements of the outdoors.

Once it’s dry deflate the ball and pull it out & you will have the ball for the next project.

I waited a day or so for it to cure and started painting it using my metallic paints. The final step was spraying it with clear for protection.

Now the plug area is what will become the bottom of your orb you can trim the area with utility scissors to make it bigger.

This was my first one and there was a lot of trial and error.

I was going for a natural look so I was not worried about the orb being smoothe.

Wait until you see what I did next.

Concrete Orb1.png

Concrete Orb 2

 

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DIY Yard Decor

I love crafting and lately I have been making these really cute flowers.

I have several different colors spread around the yard and they honestly look real.

All you need are rubber balls the old fashion kind, golf tees, zinc or steel rod and spray paint. I found the rubber balls at Walmart, I ordered the golf tees from Amazon and the spray paint and rod came from Lowes.

I painted the rubber balls first because mine looked like baseballs. Add the golf tees in a color of choice or spray paint the whole thing.

I tried leaving the ball a different color but they did not look as good. After many tries, I discovered painting them all the same color worked best. I painted the rods green to make them look real.

These are in our bog for the pond. Scatter them out and use different heights to make them look natural.

I love being creative and trying new things I find crafts are good for me & they keep me busy.

FlowerDecorFlowerDecor2

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Resin Planter Makeover

I had bought this resin planter at Big Lots about 4 years ago. I think it was about $25.00

Right off the back I painted it and added the letter L to it that was painted in an Aqua color to match the front door at the time.

I had grown tired of it and decided it needed a facelift.

We decided to redo this planter using cedar pickets. Jack did this part and I fell in love with the planter all over again.

We are adding pops of cedar everywhere since we added new cedar shutters to the house.

I stained it using Valspar Cedartone and it looks like a whole new planter. The pickets are $2.59 at Lowes and this project took about 4 of them.

This was a very cheap DIY makeover or repurpose of a planter we already had.

I love the way this turned out and I can not wait to add some wandering jew to this planter in the spring.

Use your imagination and see what you can repurpose into something new.

tall planter

 

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DIY Dog Toy Box

Between Daisy and Zoee we had too many toys for the toy basket. I needed to figure out something that would help.

I happen to have a cabinet drawer in the shed I painted it with chalk paint.

My husband added the legs which were cut off some we had bought that were too long for another project.

I designed the writing in Paint Shop Pro and printed it out the size I needed. I transferred it using graphite paper and tracing it. I found a free dog print online and did the same thing to it. I painted the writing and outlined it in a sharpie. I painted the dog prints but sprinkled a Prisma glitter into the wet paint.

This would also work for children to have something in a den to put toys in.

They seem to like it but they have not grasped the fact they should put back the toys they drag out.

Doggie Toy Box

 

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