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.

DIY Waste Basket from Upcycled Magazines (Redone)

Once upon a time while searching for craft ideas on the internet, I happened upon a site featuring recycled paper crafts. One young lady made sturdy and attractive baskets from old magazine pages. The idea stuck in my head, and when I found I needed a new bedside waste basket I knew what to do. While apartment hunting, we had picked up loads of visitors booklets and catalogs and luckily I knew where my glue sticks and hot glue supplies were. I even had an appropriately small box lid. I got to work rolling paper "logs" with the glue stick, and then fastening them to the lid using my hot glue gun. I loved the finished product and it served me well for 2 years. Then it got smashed. I decided it was time for an upgrade.

I regret to say that I have lost the original link for instructions on making the logs, but I have found another that covers it: Magazine Vase and Pencil Holder. The only difference is that I used glue sticks instead of Mod Podge.

Weaving the "logs" together

I spent a while testing it apart and picking off old bits of hot glue. Once I had the bare components of box lid and paper "logs," I got to work. Using 24 gauge wire, I wove the logs together in sort of a random basket weave. I could have been a bit neater, but I was aiming for strength. Since I had ripped some of the logs I had already decided that aesthetics were no longer an immediate priority.

I wove the wire at the bottom and center of the logs to create a long panel. Next, I returned to the original design by hot gluing the panel to the lid. I then added glue between the logs. The finished product is much stronger, (and a little lopsided - oops) so goal achieved. Now to decide how to decorate it...

My lopsided basket. I wove a little too tightly. I think if I make it look like twigs, the lopsidedness of it will look natural.