Category: Crafting

Mini Hosta Tool Box Planter

Have I convinced you that Mini Hosta are just as cool as succulents yet? If I haven’t made you a fan yet, maybe my mini Hosta Tool Box will do it.

I mentioned a trip to Picker’s Pig Pen in my last post, what I didn’t mention was this fabulous old tool box. It was exactly what I was hoping to find. It has just the right amount of rust and it’s perfectly battered. One of the cutest succulent planters I’ve seen on Pinterest is an assortment of succulents in an old tool box. I needed a tool box so I could reproduce that planter with mini Hosta!

I only paid $20 for everything I got Saturday and honestly the table base was worth that easily! So these two boxes were pretty much free. Even the bit of tool box rubble was free! Old drill bits and miscellaneous screws. You know the stuff!

Both metal boxes were cleaned up and I drilled drainage holes in them with a drill bit meant for metal. When you are drilling in metal it helps to have some wood underneath that you don’t mind drilling into. There still might be some burrs, but the holes turn out much neater.

The Tin Box

I planted the galvanized box with creeping jenny and a Hosta ‘Waterslide’. Waterslide isn’t a true mini, but it is a small hosta. Mine is even smaller than it should be because I almost killed it a couple of years ago so it’s coming along.

The Tool Box

I planted the tool box with a green and white mini Hosta and some Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’. But I didn’t stop there…

I spray painted some brushed nickel house numbers to attach to the lid of the toolbox.

Mini Hosta Tool Box Planter

So have I convinced you that Mini Hosta are cool yet or do you need more proof?

I’m still on the lookout for an old bird cage and a metal chair so I can replicate those looks too. I’ll make a convert of you guys yet.

Mini Hosta Kettle Planter

Sure succulents are cool, but have you tried Mini Hosta yet?

They come in blue, green, yellow, and all kinds of variegated combinations. Some are really tiny and some are just small, leaves might be long and narrow or short and round.

Miniature Hosta are just as collectible as succulents. Well really, all hosta are collectible, but miniatures have nearly as many adorable planting options as succulents. Check out my up-cycled enamel kettle planter!

Mini Hosta Planter

I found this blue enamel kettle at Value Village and decided it would be perfect for a small planter. Most of the time I prefer large planters, but for a miniature, this is a large planter.

Hosta are a perennial but they do very well in planters. Some people have hosta that are in the same planter for years, they just store it in an unheated building over the winter and bring them out when the pips are ready to emerge.

Benefits of Hosta in Pots

  • you can control the moisture more easily in a planter.
  • they’re portable, you can move them where you like without touching a shovel.
  • perfect for tenants who want a lovely garden but don’t want to leave behind their collection if they move.
  • if you worry about HVX, pots and planters are effective quarantine for new plants.

The Mini Hosta Kettle

This kettle won’t be used to make tea ever again after I drilled a couple of drainage holes in the bottom.

Mini Hosta 'School Mouse'

Hosta ‘School Mouse’ is the star of this planter. See the green stuff growing on the top of the soil? That’s something that happens sometimes in greenhouses, scrape that off before transplanting.

Mini Hosta 'Church Mouse'School Mouse was an impulse buy, but notice how similar it is to ‘Church Mouse’? I love those ruffled twisty leaves.

Mini Hosta Kettle Planter

I added some creeping jenny (Lysimachia) as a trailer and there it is – a planter that is just as adorable as a succulent. Still don’t believe me? Take a look at the Hosta Turtle I made last week.

So what do you think? Could you get hooked on Mini Hosta?

Hummingbird Feeder from a Spice Jar!

What do you do when you want to have a hummingbird feeder for every hummingbird, but you’re a little bit cheap? You get out your glue gun and DIY some feeders!

I’ve had my hummingbird feeders out since early April because I was determined to not miss their arrival like I have every other year. They showed up on May 1st and have been busy sipping nectar and chasing each other away ever since. I have 3 feeders out already plus the oriole feeder, but I wanted a couple more to really spread them around the yard. This is how I made my DIY spice jar hummingbird feeder.

Materials for Hummingbird Feeder:

Hummingbird Feeder Supplies
  • Spice Jars – I got mine at the dollar store, three for $2.00
  • Twine
  • Silk Flowers – Try for red or deep pink
  • Ribbon Trim
  • Yellow paint
  • Glue Gun
  • Drill & Drill Bit – I used a 3/16 bit
  • Hole Punch

Make the Hummingbird Feeder

Step One:

DIY Feeder - Drill Holes

Tighten the lids onto the jars and mark the location for the holes. I placed mine so that when the jar is tilted it would be towards the bottom. Next drill the holes in the lids. The center part is a brittle clear plastic, so go slow or it will crack.

Step Two:

Pull your silk flowers apart, removing the plastic centers. Glue all the layers together with your hot glue gun.

Step Three:

Glue your ribbon trim around the lid.

Step Four:

Punch a hole through the silk flowers.

Then glue the flower to the lid, lining up the hole in the flower with the hole in the lid.

Step Five:

Paint the center of the flower yellow.

Spice Jar Hummingbird Feeder

And there’s your Hummingbird Feeder finished! Now to make the macrame hanger.

Make the hanger for your Hummingbird Feeder

Step One:

Making a macrame hanger for hummingbird feeder

To start you will need 8 lengths of twine 72″ or 6′ long.

Fold them in half to find the center.

Make a knot as shown. This is the top of your hanger. You should now have 16 strands of twine.

Step Two:

Section out 4 strands of twine. We will only be using square knots for this hanger.

Cross the left strand over the center two strands and under the right strand.

Then cross the right strand under the center two, and pull it up through the loop you made with the first strand.

Next pass the left strand under the center two and over the right strand.

Bring the right strand over the center two, and through the loop on the left. That’s your first square knot.

Repeat until you have 6 knots on this section of 4 strands. Do the same for the remaining 3 sections.

Step Three

For the next step, you will take a center and an outside from two adjacent sections.

Using those 4 strands, make a single square knot 6″ down. Repeat for the remaining 3 sets.

These instructions will make a hanger that measures approximately 12″ from the hanging loop to the bottom of the hummingbird feeder and an 8″ tassel at the bottom. If you prefer a longer hanger, you would add the length in this step. For each inch you add to the length, you will need to add 2″ to the length you cut your twine at.

Step Four:

It is easier to work the rest of the hanger if you can hang it on something while you are working. Then next knots are 2″ below the last ones. You will need to use a center strand and outside strand from 2 adjacent groups again.

Repeat for the remaining 3 groups. You should start to see the netting form.

Step Five:

The last set of knots are 1″ down. Switch up your groups again as you did in the previous steps.

Step Six:

Test fit the hummingird feeder

Gather all the strands together and knot. Test fit your Spice Jar Hummingbird Feeder to make sure it’s secure. Once everything is good, trim your tassel to the length you want and you’re done.

Fill your Hummingbird feeder!

Spice Jar Hummingbird Feeder

Fill your feeder with nectar to the rim as shown. You can make your own nectar with 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. Use only white sugar, anything else can make hummingbirds sick. There’s no need to add color, the flower should catch their attention – hopefully.

Vintage Metal Cart Makeover

vintage metal cart

Vintage Metal Cart – The Before!

Earlier this summer I came across this vintage metal cart at Picker’s Pig Pen. I’ve mentioned Picker’s Pig Pen before in this space. It’s a place I can go when I’m looking for inspiration or a new project. I had spotted one of these shelves there last year, but I didn’t take it at the time and the next time I went it was gone.

So when I spotted this one I was thrilled. The shelves were a little rough, but the casters and chrome were in great shape.

vintage metal cart - gunky shelf

I have no idea what the spill on the bottom shelf was, but it ate into the paint.

On the top shelf, someone had repainted it with a brown that did not match the original.

Vintage Metal Shelf

The Makeover!

I gave it a good scrubbing to remove all the dead bugs and spider egg casings, then I stripped the paint off. Then I got stuck, how was I going to make-over this cart.

There’s a certain pressure that comes from having a blog and following a lot of truly creative blogs. The pressure to do more and be more so ‘your’ project will stand out in the crowd. I kept thinking of the vintage metal cart makeover Marie at Interior Frugalista (I’ll add the link as soon as I find it) had done and wondering how I could make mine as lovely.

And then I stopped, because at the end of the day, I’m not selling or giving away the things I make. They have to live in my home, not on my blog. So knowing my vintage cart was most likely going in my bedroom it needed to be either blue or gray. Since gray felt too much like commercial filing cabinets, blue it was.

Forgive the lack of after photos, it spent a little over a month out beside my BBQ – very handy in its own way.

Then I started sewing again, and after 2 weeks of my sewing living in my kitchen, I decided it was time to move it out of shared living spaces and set up a dedicated area.

And this is where it lives now, keeping my sewing supplies contained and somewhat organized.

A Quick Fix for Smelly Skechers

Here's a quick little project to fix smelly Skechers.

I bought a pair of Skechers last year and they are absolutely my most comfy pair of shoes. In fact, the only reason I don’t wear them all the time is because they either smell too bad to wear or they’re in the wash to get de-funked. Which is a bummer because they’re the perfect cute little shoe to wear with casual capris or crop pants. So I decided to take a stab at solving the problem.

Please note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase an item through my affiliate links, this has no effect on the price you pay for these items. It simply means this site will receive a small commission on your purchases.

Supplies to fix smelly Skechers

Supplies to Fix Smelly Skechers

How I fixed my smelly Skechers.

Test application on scrap fabric

Before I did anything to my shoes, I did a couple of test applications on some scrap fabric.

Put a drop ofPut a drop of Dritz Fray Check in each spot you are adding an eyelet

First I put 3 drops of Dritz Fray Check in a line along the instep of my shoes. I left it to fully dry, then punched a hole in each spot.

Using the eyelet pliers, I set an eyelet in each hole. Then I applied Dritz Fray Check on the inside of the shoe all around each eyelet.

I’ve been wearing mine around the house without socks and it’s actually helped! I’ll probably still have to wash them once in a while, but if I can wear them more than a day or two before they’re unbearable I’m happy. The only other alternative is to completely remove the memory foam insoles.

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