Gardening: Easy Planters using Succulents

One of my all time favorite plants are Succulents...They are so easy to grow and fun to stick in any little container...Limited only by your imagination!!

Earlier this spring I broke my very favorite coffee  mug or maybe I should call it my favorite garden mug...It was the perfect size for a big cup of Joe while happily weeding in the wee morning hours...even the colors were perfect...so cheery and gardeny...sigh  :(

Anyway I just couldn't throw it out, so after gluing it back together I filled it full of dirt and planted this cool succulent in it,  Doesn't it look like steam coming off the coffee?  Now it's back in the garden with me.  :)

Is this the sweetest little planter you have ever seen?  I got her a a garage sale for only $4.00.  I simply dropped an air plant in her and Ta-Da she was done.  These are probably the only plants that are easier than Sedums!!!  I even had two plants bloom for me this year.  :)

Don't ask me why but I just have a thing for old colanders...Thank goodness they make good planters!!

Usually I plant several different varieties and then add some stones, shells and or sea glass for just a little more interest...

Here's 3 finishes planters on my outdoor table..

The "Sea Urchins" also came from a garage sale..somone's dad made them out of nails....just couldn't leave them behind.  :)

I will be linking up to many of the parties on my side bar.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Denise

I almost forgot to mention...The best thing about these little plants is, that they are so easy to propagate..

just break off a "pup" from the mother plant and stick it in the dirt!!

Pistachio Cabinet

As I promised...One more Furniture up-date...

I found this baby at the GW for only $8.00...which is hard to believe because I think their prices have gotten outrages for furniture!!

OK...This piece is definitely not antique but it was super clean and really, only needed handles for it's doors....

Which I found at World Market for $3.99 each....Together the two of them were the same price I paid for the cabinet...:)

I can't stand those cheap "cardboard backs" in new pieces these days !!  So...I had my hubby pick up some beadboard from Home Depot.  (By the way he was ecstatic and surprised..or maybe the other way around when I said they would cut it for him!!!)

I was in a lazy mood and wanted this job done quickly so I zipped on down to my favorite place for spray paint (Walmart) and picked up a can of by Krylon in Pistachio...Oh do I LOVE this color!!!

After about 4 light coats, we glued and nailed it to the back...

YUMMM..

What an easy Makeover and the whole thing cost me only about $30.00.

Well...Thanks for stopping by and as usual I will be linking up to many of the parties on my side bar...
Have a Great Day!!
Denise

Coral and Blue Night Stand

Wow...June is such a C-R-A-Z-Y month.....Between birthdays (my baby boy turned 18), school dances, finals, sports banquets, races and anniversary's, I haven't had a chance to catch my breath much less Blog!!!

I did however find a little time for this furniture "re-do" and I must say I am kind-of pleased with it!!

I got it a the GW for $4.99 ( price to good to pass up), along with the little pink shelf.

Autumn helped me choose the coral and blue paint I then added Plaster of Paris, to turn it into "Chalk Paint"

The drawer pulls are form Cost Plus and I finish it with two coats of  Water-Based Polycrylic by Miniwax....

Total cost $18.00.   :)

I've got lots of other projects started so "stay tuned"...July should be a fun month!!

And as usual thanks for stopping by!!

Denise

PS:  I will be linking up to many of the parties on my side bar...do check them out!!



Kids Art: Water Colors and Elmer's Glue...

Last week was my last after school art class for this year....So sad!!  :(

I truly had the best group of kids, and they turned out some fantastic art work!!

I think this last project is proof of their artist ability!! 

These are kids from 1st to 5th grade....

MIGHTY - FINE!!

So here is the fun and simple lesson....

Like usual it started out as a directed draw on the wipe board, this time of my old Betta "Flame"...

(who sadly he is no longer with us).

Any-hoo

After completing their drawing, I had the kids trace over their lines with Elmer's Glue, mixed with black acrylic paint.  (I just gave each glue bottle a few good squirts and then mixed it up the best I could).

I also had them practice on a scrap piece of paper, just to get the hang of it...

You need a nice even pressure on the bottle.

We then left them to dry until the following week...

That's when the real fun began....

Time to paint!!!

The glue works a s a wonderful barrier and keeps the watercolors where they belong...

Well mostly.  :)

And..

The thick Black outlines really make the colors pop!!

Yes I know these last 3 fish aren't Betta's...

My assistant Joanna did the directed draw for these lovelies...

Nice job Joanna!!!

Although this was my last class...don't worry I do have one more

 "Kids Art" project to share with you...

Some very cute hippos.

So...

Check back soon and until next time...

Thanks for dropping by!!!

Denise

 I will be linking up to many of the parties on my side bar...

do check them out!  :)

From Mirror to Chalkboard

OK...I'm trying this again!!

I just wanted to share with you this Chalkboard that I just finished

 along with a wonderful blog and Blog Party that I thought you all might enjoy.

But for some reason I couldn't for the life of me get things to link up properly so....

I just gave up and deleated the whole darn thing.  :(

Anyway I'm back now and here it is...

The Chalkboard I purchased at a garage -

Well maybe I should say the Mirror I purchase at a gargae sale...Very Cheap!!  :)

The frame was so lovely I choose to leave it as is, so I covered it with painters tape and simply spary painted the mirror with Krylon's Chalkboard Paint

and

Wa-La......Lovely...

Maybe to much so!!  I had planed to sell it at my booth Viking Village but my daughter REALLY wanted it for her room....

So here it hangs counting down the days till Summer Vacation...YEA!!!

Now if all things work this time I will send you to the lovely blog I tried so hard to do earlier today:

Nope it's not going to work...I will just have to put it on my side bar...look for this button and give her a visit!!  :)  Along wit all the other Groovy parties there!!

Now let me ask you...My computer is saying "HTML cannot be accepted: closing tag has no matching opening tag"...but I don't know what that means or how to fix it. Help!

Denise

May I also add that my spell check is not working which for me is also a VERY BAD THING!!

Kids Art: Giraffes (With Some Very Unique Markings)

Here is a fun project we did in art class that I will certainty do again!!!

The kids have been been enjoying adding patterns to all of our art work so ...

Why not Giraffes?



Markers



After showing the kids some examples of giraffes I found on Etsy...(just to get their creative juices going), I did a directed draw of a Giraffe on the white board for the kids that weren't sure where to get started.



Oil Pastels with Water Color painted over it.



I love that even when I show them step by step how to draw something they all turn out so wonderfully different!! 

*****

We discussed different kinds of shapes they might want to use for the marks on the Giraffes...

And I let them choose what type of media....

Oil Pastels, Markers or Water Colors.

Markers

As you can see they turned out ....



Markers



AWESOME!!!



Oil Pastels



Each one just as unique..



Oil Pastels with water color



Oil Pastels



As the child who created it!!!



Oil Pastels



So there it is...Some very unique Giraffes...

Give it a try with your kids...it was loads of fun!!

And as usual....

Thanks for stopping by!!

Denise

PS:  I will  be linking up to many of the parties on my side bar!  :)

Little Green Bookshelf

Well I finally painted that little bookshelf I got last fall Summer???...I can't even remember when I purchased it!!  But I do remember I got a great deal on it ...$3.00 at the GW!!  :)

So here is what it looked like before...just a plain, boring, beat-up, dark brown stain...

I already had a little "tester" jar of Martha Stewart Paint in Salvia...

So I deiced to add some Plaster of Paris to it...making my own Chalk Paint,

(2/3 paint to 1/3 Pof P plus a little warm water to thin it a tad)

After letting the paint dry for about a week or two (did I mention I have a hard time finding time to craft)...I added the word read with these VERY OLD Stencils my mom had given me...Well the paint ran under the stencils and some of the cardboard stuck to the case when I took them off (not sure stenciling is my thing), plus I probably should have watered my paint down some.

Hmmmm...

So I deiced to hit it hard with sand paper and see if that helped

Yup...it did!!  :)

I then waxed it with Briwax in Golden Oak and considered it done!!!

Yea!



Now on to other projects...

(right after I link up to those awesome parties on my side bar).

Thanks for stopping by!!

Denise