Flower Pots for Next to Nothing pt. 2

If you’ve been keeping up with my admittedly sporadic posts, you know that I have been working on killing the overgrowth in my garden by smothering it with potted plants. My first experiment with Folgers containers are holding up well, so I used them as the base for this new design.

I started by removing the label, then measuring bamboo skewers to fit into the straight parts of the container. It has bulges at the top and bottom, and I wanted to glue the skewers flush with the sides. I cut the skewers down to size using old wire snips from my jewelry making tools. I attached them as shown using hot glue.

I'm afraid I waited a bit long to transplant these last begonias. Most of the blooms have gone. Still...

The bulges in the can I covered using jewelry making cord. I attached this with hot glue too. Once cooled, I flipped the whole thing over and stabbed a few drainage holes in the bottom. The finished project turned out even better than the first design in my opinion. What do you think?

Flower Pots for Next to Nothing pt. 1

When I moved into my apartment a few years ago, I was thrilled to have a tiny garden area I could play with. Small doesn’t really even begin describe the space, but its mine. Problem is, that being strapped for money, I couldn’t afford to buy much for the space. My neighbor worked as a landscaper at the time and was able to get me canna lilies, some sort of bamboo, some purple flower that grows on long vines that look like twigs (don’t know the name) and umbrella grass. I love his initiative, but these are all plants that grow wildly out of control. Rather than digging all of this up, I have come up with the idea of limiting them by covering them with potted flowers instead. Pots cost money though, and there just isn’t much (well any) to spare.

I started looking through my collected odd and ends and realized I had a few usable containers around the house. The one I started with was a small plastic Folgers Coffee can. Its bright red and obviously and old Folgers container so that needed changing. I remembered a post where a woman covered her whole floor in paper bags. It looked a bit like leather when it was done, and I liked that idea. I pulled out my trusty Mod Podge, a paint brush, a small paper bag and got to work. I ripped the paper bags into smallish pieces and applied them to the container making sure to overlap each of the pieces and the top and bottoms of the containers. Then I coated the entire outside in another layer of Mod Podge to weatherproof it. I like how it turned out, despite the fact that the red shows through. I paired the two I made in this style with red begonias (under $2 for a flat of 6 at Walmart). They look cute in the garden.

The first coffee can planter all finished and filled.

The terra cotta planter I already had made a good home too.

I haven’t come up with a plan for the next few planters. I have a few large coffee cans, plenty of glass bottles, and a few plastic bottles and jugs to work with. Any suggestions? Please leave them in the comments below.

Updates...

When I last posted I told you all of a number of free items that I sent away for. So far I have received 3 of them. The first to arrive were my wallpaper samples from Wallpapers Direct. The colors weren't exactly what I expected, but that's what I get for choosing colors from a computer monitor. The last item that arrived was the fabric samples. I should have noted the size as they are tiny, but I can still work with them. I wanted varying shapes and sizes, and that is what I have. Bemz shipped them from Lithuania, so the shipping time was pretty amazing and I can't wait to get the whole project together.

The second item to arrive was the lettuce seed from Groundswell International. I have been quite preoccupied with life lately, and so only got them planted today. I am looking forward to having fresh free lettuce in my home, and am already looking for the next plant to get started.

I also had a great surprise this week when the ginger I started from a store-bought root started to sprout. I've already begun looking for new Asian inspired recipes to use it in. One great dish that I have already tried is Crock Pot Mongolian Beef. I tweak this recipe by decreasing the amount of brown sugar and adding crushed red pepper. It's so easy and tasty that this will make appearance on our table regularly.

My ginger... isn't it cute?

FREE!!! My favorite word.

One of my favorite things is finding free things that are actually useful. The usefulness of the item is actually the most important part of the deal, as we all know that it is an easy thing to find free things that nobody wants. Today I'll share some of my more recent finds. Perhaps they may spark some new ideas for you.

Wallpaper and fabric samples
I have a completely bare wall above the couch in my living room. I hang stuff there for Christmas, but the rest of the year it's just a full, unused space. It has been this way for the two years we have lived here because I couldn't come up with anything that seemed to fit the space. Yesterday I had an epiphany and began looking for free wallpaper samples on line.

Wallpaperdirect.com allows 2 free samples (shipping included), no questions asked.

Bemz, a company that specializes in Ikea furniture updates allows fabric samples that ship overseas at not cost. The plan is to use the wallpaper and fabric in frames to fill in the space. (Now just to find free frames!) I will be sure to update this project once it is all in place.

Gardening
As you know if you have read previous posts, I have begun trying to supplement our grocery supplies by growing a few things at home. I already have cilantro and basil growing well from seeds that I purchased on the cheap. I also have green onions and ginger growing from store purchases. It is a good start, but I want more. After searching, I found several sources for free seeds.

Groundswell International was the most impressive source that I found. They have a goal, it seems, to feed the world. Therefore, every spring they give away thousands if not millions of seeds to promote ending world hunger. Definitely worth checking out even if you don't have a green thumb.

Gardens Alive will send you a free catalogue, and that contains a $25 coupon with no minimum purchase. I haven't received the catalogue yet, so I can't promise there is no fine print, but other testimonials I have read point to it being true to its words. The exciting thing here is that they offer equipment and other gardening supplies.

Feed a Bee has a lofty goal in mind. They want go grow 50 million flowers to help out dwindling new population. To that end they will send packets of 200 wildflower seeds for free. No, it's not food for us, but we rely on bees for a majority of our food. In my book, this type of gardening is even more important than any of my plant endeavors.

This isn't the end of my quest for freebies, but it is a great start. If you have any good sources, please share them in the comments. I, of course, will report on the outcome of everything I tried here today. A little searching can pay off in a big way!

Money crunch!

This week I bought an almost new car. It is only a year old, has very few miles, and has all the fuel saving perks a frugal girl could want. While I got a great price given my credit situation (thank you recession), it still is a lot more money than I spend on things. Of course after the purchase, I panicked about money. So today, I am looking for ways to save even more money around the house. I already use dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar to do most of my cleaning (especially the floors) and shop sales for commercial cleaning products. I buy the store brand or equivalently priced item for nearly everything else. I also take advantage of various store perks and programs such as Wal-Mart Savings Catcher and grocery store member cards but still think I can do more.

Another step I have taken is to start an indoor herb and scrap garden. It's been slow going since I have been quite busy lately, but I have basil and cilantro going strong. I started them from those small $1 kid's growing sets. The containers are recycled tea cans. I also have onions, both green and yellow, growing from what was purchased from food we bought. Apparently this can be done with a number of produce items. I have some ginger that will find itself in a pot before the weekend is over as well. The most expensive part of this venture was the potting soil (yes Mom, Miracle Grow). Recycled containers help, but even the ones I purchased were only $1 from Wal-Mart.

This is a beginning, but by no means the end of this quest. Feel free to comment below on some of your container gardening adventures, and I'll keep you updated on my progress.

My herbs and green onions. 

Hard to see, but a small yellow onion plant is popping up here.

Reuse, reduce...

Because money is harder to come by than ideas, I have decided to use the latter to make the most of what I have or can get for very little cost. That is fortunate, because I have a desire to lessen my carbon footprint and I love to make things. Finding unique solutions to everyday issues comes naturally to me. My bedside wastebasket is made of old magazines and hot glue. I based it on an idea I found here. It has lasted a year, and a little less trash went to the dumpster that day. I save jars for storage of small items, etc. and use soft drink caps to elevate my dish drain to help with water flow. I know this makes me sound a bit like a hoarder, but trust me - many things do end up trashed. The key is to keep a few items (jars, empty water jugs) on hand, then toss the rest until some have been used. So now that I have shared a few ideas, it's your turn. Please share some of the unique ways you reuse items in your homes. I will continue to share ideas I find with you... complete with instructions and photos.

Theses  jars were re-purposed for avocado plants. Nothing happened, but I tried!