Polymer Village Planters

I'm sharing a fun little project I did to give homes to some lonely little succulents.  And when I say little... I mean itty bitty.  

All you need is:

Polymer Clay

Rolling Pin

Ruler

Knife

Parchment Paper

Baking Sheet

Glue gun

+

Dirt and a plant!

First, cut 1/5 of your block of polymer off and roll it out to be about 1/8" thick. Cut 2 squares that are 2"x2".  Cut 2 squares that are 2"x1 3/4".  Next, Cut the front of the house with a peak on the front.  That should be 5 total pieces. 

Now, bake them according to the instructions on your clay.  Make sure they are laying completely flat on your baking sheet!

After they are baked and cooled, paint the windows, doors and any other accents you'd like to add.

Piece your house together and use a hot glue gun to seal the edges and make it water tight. 

Use the 2 pieces that are 2" x 1 3/4" as the sides so they will fit snuggly between the front and back pieces.

Next, plant your succulent and water!

I made a tiny village of these for my windowsill in the kitchen.  I absolutely love them!

   

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CRAFT: Checkered Planters

We shared this simple plant makeover a few weeks ago on The Lovely Cupboard. Grab some spray paint and a plain planter, and jazz up your decor with this tutorial!

If you read our blog, you know that my sister-in-law, Shannon, and I LOVE estate saling. In fact, Shannon even wrote a 3-part series on how to prepare for and find the best stuff at estate sales. If you know what to look for, you can furnish your home or add to your collection pretty inexpensively. And don't turn something down just because it needs a little work - that's the fun part! 

These little checkered planters are an example of a cheap estate sale find (I think I paid $1.50 for 3) that are transformed into something pretty and useful with a little paint.



SUPPLIES: ceramic planters, spray paint and sealant, masking tape or painters tape, X-Acto knife or scissors, measuring tape.

ONE: first, measure your planter to determine how long to make your checks. Mine was about 12 inches around and 5 inches high, so I decided to make 6 rows of checks 2 inches long.

TWO: next, cut out a bunch of rectangles from your masking tape or painters tape.

THREE: using your scissors, cut the ends of each rectangle at an angle.

FOUR: here's what your checks should look like.

FIVE: carefully stick your checks around your planter. 

SIX: when you have all your checks placed evenly, take it outside and place your planter on some newspaper or something you don't mind getting paint on, and spray evenly until covered. Spray several layers of paint on until you achieve an even coating all over, then spray with sealant once the paint has dried. 

Now fill with your favorite plant and display proudly! I'm a big fan of succulents (plus they don't die easily), so I picked up a few at a local convenience store and put them in the planters with some potting soil. If you're having trouble finding succulents in your area, you can usually find a lot of fun varieties at Home Depot. I've even seen some basic succulents at grocery stores.

These little planters make a great addition to my living room decor! Actually, this is Shannon's living room. She has cooler stuff than I do :)

I hope you enjoyed my project, and if you'd like to see more great DIY's, recipes, and home decor, please come visit Shannon and I on Eat. Sleep. Make! You can also find us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Bloglovin.

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Metallic Checkered Planters at The Lovely Cupboard

Hey friends, how are you surviving summer so far? I think school is out for most people by now, and  my kids are already begging to be entertained every minute of the day (thank the good Lord for summer school!) My daughter seems to think that we are millionaires and can afford to go to the zoo, mall, and out to eat every day with each of her old classmates. I need to figure out a way to teach that girl that restaurants don't just hand out food for free if you ask nicely - which is what I spend half the day doing (growth spurt much?)

I'm so thankful to live in a city that has lots of activities for kids, so we have the zoo, strawberry picking (which we did recently - pics soon!), the pool, and tons of parks to go to. That should keep them entertained for a week or two ;) I'm just glad they still nap for me. How's a girl supposed to get anything done without nap time? I don't know how you nap-less parents do it. I think I may lose my sanity the day my daughter goes nap-free.

Anyways.

Here's a quick peek at some cute checkered planters I made to hold succulents and decorate my creative space. I ADORE succulents because I can't kill them! did I ever mention that I have a black thumb? True story.

Please tell me someone else has similarly bad luck with plants? I love the idea of having flowers, I just can't keep them alive. Maybe it's because I don't see the point in buying flowers because, while they're beautiful, they only last for a few short months. Now fruits and veggies are another story altogether because you can eat them. I did try to grow some cucumbers in 2011, but those turned out yellow and disgusting. Maybe I should stay away from fruits and veggies too... 

You can find the full how-to for making these metallic planters over at The Lovely Cupboard today!