Tuesday, June 17, 2014

DIY: Make your own watering cans our of milk or juice jugs

I have lots and lots of flowers and herbs and even veggies in all kinds of pots that need watering and sometimes I just don't want to drag that hose around the yard so instead of buying lots of water sprinkling cans that cost @$5.00 each I decided to make some of my own from Milk or Juice Jugs.

What you Need:
A Dremel tool or A Drill with a small thin bit
I Love My Dremel Tool It does so much

Milk Jugs or Orange Juice Jugs with Lids

Milk Jug with lid on it
Orange Juice Jugs work too

Drill several holes in the top of the Lid
Also for Air drill one or two little holes in the top edge of the Jug 

Then fill your jugs with water
and you're ready to sprinkle your flowers or herbs
with light droplets of water so not to injure flower petals or leaves from a heavy hose
or when your flowers need a little water and you don't feel like dragging that hose all over your yard
Or these work great on balconies and terraces too




Sunday, June 15, 2014

Crafting with Pallets: Swimming Pool Fun and Rules Sign Painting

So my daughter got a new large pool for her back yard, it's awesome, we all love to swim, the kids grew up swimming a lot, at the lake, the beach, and many pools over the years.
Well she said to me the other day I need a pool sign, I was thinking something cute on like flamingos and a beach, can you do something with that idea?
Sure I said, so I came home and painted the bottom half and she finished the top, together we make quite a great crafty team

What you Need:
Craft Acrylic Paints
Craft Acrylic Brushes( the better they are the more they cost)
A Paint Pallet(to hold wet paint)
Some boards to paint on(we used Pallets(yes the pallet craze has hit us too)
Ideas or Patterns to paint with(I looked around for ideas, then hand drew my own)
Acrylic spray clear finish in matte or shiny

Pick your colors before you start
You can find these at craft stores, online, or even walmart

Handy paint pallets are helpful but you can use a Styrofoam plate too

You can either draw a design and trace it onto your board with craft transfer papers
or free hand it which is what I did today

This is the beach design
so here is part of my design on a painted board(my daughter painted the boards)
Once the design is sketched onto your board
your'e ready to paint
Put out colors you need for one object at a time because acrylic colors dry fast and you'll waste paint
if you put out globes of colors at one time
You also have to work fast if shading and highlighting with acrylics for a project like this
or use a medium extender to keep the paint bendable for a while
for acrylic classes you can search YouTube for some good ones
or your local craft store, art galleries,the library may have a list of places too, or some colleges have good classes that are reasonable priced
First I worked on the pretty pink Flamingo
She's so cute, I gave her pretty glasses too
and a pool tube for the swimming pool so she doesn't drown :)
A little highlights and line work and she's ready for the sign

Then I went to work on the beach sand and sun
Mr Sun is so cool he needs shades too!!
Now the sign is ready for the top of the board
My daughter is putting this together with more boards in a pretty blue
with Letters painted stating POOL RULES
She is going to put this up in her pool area, they had 8 ton of sand hauled in to make a little beach around the pool
It's like heaven because I love the beach and I no longer live near one 
This is the finished bottom of the sign
I will post more pictures when the sign is completed