Plastic spoon flower

I LOVE flowers! Sadly, I am not very good at growing them.  And those pretty little bouquets from the florist are quickly eaten by my cats.  The little stinkers!  

No worries, I will just make my own cat-proof flowers.  A few plastic spoons, hot glue and spray paint can do wonders.  This was a fun little project that required very little time to complete.  I simply snapped the spoons at the spot where the handle meets the bowl.  Next, I used my handy-dandy hot glue gun and affixed the spoon bowls to an unused plastic lid, making sure I left enough room for the bottle cap lid.  I then spray painted the spoon leaves and lid and left them to dry.  The final step was to glue the lid in the center on the front, and a soda can pop-top on the back.  The pop-top is used as a hanger.  Easy peasy!  

This little flower makes me smile every time I walk by.  So much so, I think I will make more.  Who knows?! I may just cover the walls with flowers.

T-shirts to rag rug

Not long ago, I was given a car load of fabric.  Okay, maybe not a "car load", but more so a "back seat" load of fabric.  Either way, there were many big black trash bags filled with goodies.  Among those gems were about 30 t-shirts in varying sizes but identical in color; forest green with white print. The white print was on both the front and back of the shirts making it difficult to decide how to re-purpose them.  However, I am always up for a challenge!

I began the creative process by removing the neckbands and sleeves from each shirt.

I then cut each shirt in strips, from top to bottom and sewed each strip together.  The end result of this process was one extremely long chain of knit "yarn", so to speak.

It was time to bring out my monster sized crochet hook and get busy.  Thankfully, my son loves the color green!  Both his bathroom and bedroom are decorated with various shades of green, so I knew I could put a new rug or two to good use.  

There are several nice things about working with t-shirt "yarn". Projects go together quickly and the materials are easily transported.  I was able to produce this rug in a few hours because I kept the crochet stitches simple and took it with me each time my son had an activity away from home.  We may be a homeschooling family but we spend a lot of time away from home either for extracurricular activities or classes. 

Having completed the project, I realized I learned several things.  First, I realized that a crocheted rug will look better if I work on a flat surface.  Secondly, I realized that I needed to expand the rug as I went along so I simply added an extra stitch or two at each end of the oval to allow the rug to lie flat. Finally, a t-shirt rug is quite a bit heavier than a cotton or fleece rug.  The added weight, combined with the bits of screen printing, provide a more stable surface for a bathroom rug.  This rug does not go sliding across the floor like a fleece rug.  A sliding rug can be a recipe for disaster, especially so when placed near a bathtub.

When all was said and done, this rug used approximately 10 shirts that would have otherwise ended up in the local landfill.  It is Eco friendly, cute and functional.  What more could a girl ask for?  ;)

Revamped envelopes = party favor utensil holders

I happen to have a lot of greeting card envelopes just lying around, gathering dust.  I also had a need to organize utensils for my boy's birthday bash dinner.  The theme for his party was mock paintball which gave me license to incorporate a variety of colors.  As I like to do things a little differently than most, I decided to use my stash of envelopes as utensil and party favor holders.

My man helped me out on this one.  While I was wrapping the plastic utensils in paper napkins, he was busy sealing and snipping the envelopes.  This was one of those times where I was glad I had a pair of pinking shears available.  They make nifty designs in paper.  Once the envelopes were cut and filled with utensils, I taped a noisemaker to the front.  I then added in a few Pixie Stix and a bendy straw and the project was complete.  

Oddly enough, the adults at the party had as much fun with the candy and noisemakers as did the teens. Go figure.

Pallets as decks

I have a tiny yard!  It is nice as far as minimizing the need to mow but difficult when it comes to landscaping. Or hosting a party.  We live in an area where the soil is mostly sand and the temperature is in the upper 80's to mid 90's the majority of the year.  Needless to say, my yard needs some creative solutions if I have any hope of having something cute or pretty or, at minimum, not bedraggled looking.  Here is an example of my poor little side yard.  It is approximately 5 feet wide and receives the full force of our beautiful Florida sunshine.

This is an example of the best it has looked in the 3 years I have lived in this house.  'Tis sad, but true. Admittedly, I have not spent a great deal of time in the back side yards primarily because they are usually really hot.  However, my boy wanted me to host his birthday party at home.  I was thrilled to oblige my 15 year old baby!  After all, when my teen thinks I can do something well, I start singing a happy tune!!   Once again, it was time for some thinking "outside of the box".

We decided that the birthday party would be a typical teen guy type of affair.  And I do have a reputation for hosting some ridiculously messy kid parties.  I didn't want to let my boy down but I needed some room to work my party magic.  ;)

The party theme was "mock paintball" where the teens would be separated into two teams.  Each team needed a home base to keep their paintball materials and various party game supplies.  I decided that decks would fulfill the needs of the party but did not have the money to buy the materials from the big box stores. Unfortunately, my go to source for building materials (Craigslist) did not have anything available.  However, my man was able to get some pallets and fence panels from his boss!  I was thrilled!!

I began by placing the pallets on some landscaping cloth I had saved from a failed gardening project.  

The pallets had seen better days and required some reinforcement.  I decided to add  2x4's down either side and fence panels slats in between the 2x4's.  The fence was originally 6 feet long which was far too wide for my needs.  I cut each panel in half and placed them perpendicular to the pallets.  I splurged and purchased some deck screws and secured the pieces together.

The project went together rather quickly and was a wonderful addition to the paintball party.  I even added a cute little bench, just for fun.  Best of all, my boy was happy which makes me happy.  Life is good!!

Chest of drawers upcycle

One of today's projects in the works; a chest of drawers upcycle.  As I said, it is in the works so the pictures do not depict a completed project.

My man brought this home for me a few weeks ago and I have been itching to get started!  It came to me as a Plain Jane 5 drawer chest of drawers in need of attention. Two drawers need new bottoms while the other three have already been replaced.

There was nothing wrong with this baby that couldn't be repaired; she's just a little plain looking.  Thus far, I have tried a purple paint job but did not care for that.  Next, I considered working a card stock mosaic across the top, down the sides and over the drawer fronts.  However, that would be somewhat time consuming and I am on a time budget for the next two weeks.  My boy's birthday party rapidly approaches so I need to be careful about the projects I become involved with.  Nothing like inviting a houseful of guests to get me moving! 

This is the progress made thus far.  I have wiped down all surfaces and applied spray adhesive to the top, sides, drawer fronts and back support piece.  Next, I affixed two different patterns of paintable wallpaper we picked up last year on clearance at Lowes.  I believe each roll cost $2.00.  The next step will be to install another support bracket and shelf.  I am not quite certain how I will use this baby once I complete her but am excited to see what happens next!