Creative Container Gardening

Many of my unusual items have found a second life as gardening containers. For example, this simple galvanized water pail filled with daisies.

The hanger on this rusty and crusty old sap-gathering bucket came in handy for attaching it to my garden fence, before a miniature rose was added.

Because Impatiens love growing in wire baskets, I removed the disintegrated table top on this side table, made a chicken wire bowl to fit within the opening, lined it with moss and added potting soil and the plants. Voila! A portable garden!

This was my dad’s lunch box. Sorry dad…not a fan of sandwiches so I planted maidenhair ferns in it.

And lastly, my garden-in-a-globe hanging planter. Here’s how you can make your own. With a knife, carefully cut the globe in half. Drill or poke three equidistant holes around the top edge for hanging and one hole in the bottom for drainage. Coat the inside and outside of the globe with a clear weather-resistant finish – Mod Podge Outdoor Glue is fantastic. Reinforce the hanging holes with rivets. Use S-hooks to fasten equal lengths of chain to the holes. Attach the other ends of the chains to another S-hook to serve as a hanger. Place a few light pebbles in the bottom for drainage then add potting soil and plant of your choosing.

So crank up your imagination and start planting your own unique mini-gardens!

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A Few Of My Favorite Things

Since I like to collect stuff, each month I’m going to do a blog titled, you guessed it, ‘A Few Of My Favorite Things.’ And, within these posts, I’ll share a little project or two (or three) you can do to repurpose your ‘Favorite Things’.

Starting with my globe — yes I LOVE globes and anything map related. My friend Kate is convinced I need to seek help with this particular obsession. This one caught my eye because of its unique zodiac base. I have a collection and some are in good shape and some…not so much.  To see a project for those not in good shape, check out my video, A World Of Thanks.

Now let’s move on to the green metal flower frog. What can I say, it’s just perfect. It’s green, my favorite color, and I could use if for its original intent or it can hold photos. As you can see, mine is holding a picture of my mom and dad on their wedding day, June 29th, 1940. Even though she has her eyes closed, it’s one of my favorite photos.

And last but not least, a green vintage metal toy car and an arts and crafts era ceramic planter. My friend Shaina gave me this lovely Norfolk Pine which I repotted into one of my favorite old ceramic pots. I added some moss, small rocks and my little green car.  Doesn’t it look like like it’s driving through a redwood forest? Alright, maybe not but I think it looks cool.

Happy Sunday and happy crafting!

Merry Christmas!

Milk Glass Treat Pedestals

Yes, we’re all in Holiday countdown mode right now and looking for quick solutions to our entertaining needs.  Here’s a simple project using items you may (or may not) have lying around the house.

I have loads of milk glass vases.  You see there’s something about the knobby textures and shapes that call my name and cry out, ‘Buy me, buy me!’.  And the fact that there are two humongous antique malls close to work contributes to my crafting insanity.

However thanks to my obsession, I’ve created these easy to make treat pedestals.  Here are the ingredients for this project:

• Milk glass vases
• Mismatched plates
• A permanent bonding adhesive (I used the E-6000 product)
• Treats

For two of the pedestals (the one on the left and right of the photo below) I turned the milk glass vase upside down and using the adhesive, glued the bottom of the vase to the plate.  Let dry overnight and you have a unique and easy-to-make pedestal.  Load with goodies and PARTY!

I also separated an old globe and placed it on top of a milk glass vase.  If you ask me, this is my favorite.

Happy Holidays and happy crafting!