canning flowers

I found this sweet litte DIY on a random blog one day so I cannot give proper credit but, I think it is ok becuase this is no big secret.

This makes a perfect easy desk or table bouquet, a pop of color in any room or quick gift to make for someone?  These mason jar vases are kind of fun and I like that it can be done in less than 30 minutes, plus it doesn't hurt they look great!

All you need is a Mason jar or more of whatever sizes you want, a can(s) of spray paint (note to use flat paint and not gloss as the glossy paint will not stick to the jar), flowers and ribbon.

I decided to add these two to my bathroom so I picked out pink and black to accent against my grey walls.

Directions:
1.  Turn jar upside down and lightly spray the entire jar with coat one.

2.  After about 5 minutes, turn the jar upright and spray another light coat also including the top rim this time; you only need enough to not be able to see through the jar.

3.  Once completely dried, add ribbon to the top of the jar and/or add a note to the front like Congratulatoins, Happy Birthday, Thanks etc. - this looks cute if on colored fancy cut stock paper and the words stenciled on it)

4.  Cut the flower stems down to match the size of the jar, and arrange them so they look just how you like them.

5.  Va-la, your mason jar vase is complete!

I would love to hear if you have some other ideas, please share!

Melon bowls

Ever wonder what you could do with the shell of a watermelon?  How about use it for a centerpiece at your next barbecue or get together?





I chose a cute mini seedless watermelon to make my flower vase and found how very simple this is and how cute it can be.




Here is all you need to make your own.
1.  Watermelon - size of your choice
2.  Knife
3.  Toothpicks
4.  Water glass or vase
5.  Flowers
-- yep, that's it!

You will want to first slice the bottom about 1/4" thick to make the watermelon level, then slice the top off enough so that you can scrape the insides out but not too much so that still get the rounded edges (approximately 1 1/2" to 2"), this piece will be used face down under the body of the watermelon like a vase pedestal.

Scoop and scrape all the watermelon fruit out of the shell, I found with this small of one that I could use a butter knife to cut along the inside edges before I scooped out the insides; this made it very easy to get a nice close edge.

Once all the fruit has been removed, secure the large upside down slice you took from the top of the watermelon to the bottom with toothpicks.  It can be a challenge with a small one to get the toothpicks far enough to the sides so your vase will fit inside flat.

After you are confident the two pieces are secure insert your water filled vase or glass, the arrange the flowers of your choice into the water-filled vase/glass.

The watermelon can last up to a week, but you can also apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the inside and all the cut edges, this will help to seal in the moisture and help it last a little longer.

Other Uses:
- Cut a large melon and hollow out, fill with ice and add bottles for a drink cooler.

- Cut melon and hallow out, cut various holes randomly through out the watermelon with an apple corer, add a candle to the inside, and attach small flowers around the rim by poking holes and inserting the flower stems. Makes very cute candle holder!

-  Cut the watermelon along the side (lengthwise) and slice a small piece from the bottom to level out, hallow out and add back the watermelon and various other fresh fruits for a natural fruit bowl.

Shut the fork drawer!

Yep, I did a wood working project on my own, I even used the skill saw with no help!

Trust me, if I can do this , ANYONE can!  And the best part is that that each drawer cost me less than $3.00 to make.

This is what one of my drawers looked like before with a pretty typical bought organizer that probably didn't cost much either, but looks about as crappy as one can get (love the powder blue!!).  This drawer is the one that prompted me to find something that looked good, was easy and would keep everything nice and neat.

Here is all that I needed to get to the final results (no table saw picture but I did use one).

*  Small oak boards
     I chose 1/2 X 2 X 3" boards to fit my drawers
*  Tape Measure
*  Wood glue
*  Finishing nails
*  Hammer
*  Drill for pre-drilling nails holes
*  Table saw or some other tool for wood cutting


The first thing I did was empty the drawers and
 scrub them down so that they looked about as clean as they could get, and then lined them with Red Easy liner that can be purchased pretty much anywhere you can buy shelf liners at.

Then I took different pieces from each drawer and lined them up where I thought they would look the best and be in the best position for easy retrieval as well as easy to put back away (into the right spot).

Then I took measurements of all the positions minus the 1/2" space for the board that would be in between and marked the wood with the measurements I took. 

After cutting them I put them back into the drawer to make sure everything lined up correctly and was where I wanted them.  At this point I could have just glued the pieces together but I opted to drill small holes into the areas that I was going to glue, added glue between the boards and then nailed them together just to make sure that there was no movement in the drawers while the glue dried in place...probably overboard but that's what I did.

I waited about 30 minutes before putting the items back in the drawer to make sure the glue had started to harden.

Since the first drawer I did was soooo easy and turned out pretty well I continued on until all the drawers in my kitchen, that I thought would be useful for organizers to have, were done. The one that holds knives is left...that one I am still working on how I can make an organizer myself, that holds knives correctly.

Here is my new improved drawers that have actually managed to stay clean, organized and look great!

Now, on to the next project. 

Thanks for stopping by!