Creative Containers for Succulents and Vines

When I was preparing for the Beaverton Flea,

I was inspired to create some plant ensembles,

partly because it was summertime,

but also because plants bring the flea displays

to life and add vibrance.

Anytime I can keep the planters versatile, I'll do it.

I planted these in plastic containers that would fit

perfectly into the planters. This way,

the plants can be removed if they die  don't flourish,

or you wish to use the vessels for other decor ideas.

This creamer and aluminum measuring cup
were easy for fitting liners into.
The creamer has a small plastic drinking cup
that I cut the top lip off of to conceal it.
I planted the succulent into a peat pot first,
and tucked in Spanish moss to soften the edge.

The measuring cup perfectly accommodated
the cut off bottom of a clear pop bottle.

This fabulous Blue Willow teapot was missing its lid,
so I thought its vivid designs would compliment
a crisp green plant perfectly!

I didn't want to add a mess of soil and filler to the teapot,
so to my delight, I found one of those Glad storage containers
that fit snug as a bug into the mouth of the teapot!

By tucking in Coco fiber around the plant,
it did a fine job of hiding the plastic rim.

I found this old mantel clock that had serious body issues,

and knew it was the perfect candidate 

for a chalk paint makeover and a plant.

And so it was. After taking the clock guts out,
I painted it a tomato red, then top-coated it with
a vibrant leaf green. Finally, I painted the little
worn plaque with black chalkboard paint,
so a little something could be written on it.

The Piece de Resistance was adding the wire vine plant.
Again, a Glad or Saran container came to the rescue.
This time, it was one of those little oblong ones.
Once I cut off the rim that the lid fits on,
it slid into the clock like it was made for it!
Sadly, I was away from home for a week,
so you know what happened. The plant expired.
That's okay though. I think I'll sell it with a
fresh liner, so it can have many uses.
I'm thinking a sweet bottle brush tree
arrangement for Christmas!

Join me on Instagram!

@MagiaMiaEtsy

Painting Makeovers and Pet-Sitting, Sitting, Sitting.......

Seems like all of my blog posts this year all start the same......

"What I've been up to". 

It's probably because this is the first year that I've exclusively 

been pet-sitting and NO house-painting.

I'm certainly not complaining, 

as it warms my heart to take care of a variety

of pets, and always in their homes.

It's like being paid to stay at Bed & Breakfasts

with a furry baby, or 2, or 5 at each place!

I wasn't particularly productive as far as my crafting

and Etsy shop are concerned, but I got my Mojo back

at the last house I stayed at last week.

I'm finally putting my vendor hat back on,

after only doing one vintage show a few years ago.

I'll be participating in the Beaverton Flea Market 

Sunday, July 3. My friend Joyce and I  are sharing a

double booth, so I've been painting a few vintage finds

for our space at the Flea. 

Here's a few of them.....

An old mantel clock that's seen better days.

Now with a base coat of tomato red, and many

top coats of vibrant leaf green, clear and dark wax.

I painted the plaque with chalkboard paint,

so now a word or mini message  can be written.

I found a plastic Glad storage container

that fits perfectly inside, so I see a plant in its future!

An old lamp base with great bones.

This base is made up of a few pieces,

held together with the hollow rod

that the wiring is threaded through.

I'm envisioning a wooden tray or bowl

attached to the top in such a way that

allows it to be removed. That way it can

still be an option as a lamp base too! 

As much as we all love weathered wood,

I wasn't stoked with the wording imprinted to this caddy's ends.

If it said the name of an old company, 

that would be one thing, but it said "My Garden Box",

so I sanded down the wording.

I didn't want to cover all the beautiful weathered finish,
so I painted the outer sides, and only 2 of the inner sides,
also leaving the dowel handle and nails alone.
I used the same green as the clock for the base coat,
and dry-brushed aqua ever so lightly over the green.
I distressed it with a chisel and coarse sand paper.
Before I wax it, I will use my rusty vinegar solution
over the distressed wood, so it doesn't look new.

So that's it for now. I'll not be pet-sitting again till 10 days from now.
In the meantime, it's Beaverton Flea Market prep prep prep!

TTFN, Maria

Re-Visiting the Woodland Witch & Halloween Bowls

It's beginning to cool down and the light is changing.
So naturally Halloween is on my mind.
I thought it would be nice to re-post
one of my projects from last year
for all of you new to my blog.
A Wicked Witch bowl....

It is no secret, to anyone who knows me, that I have an unwavering love for all things Halloween.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I was a prop master in a previous life, because my holiday decorating usually morphs into “setting the stage”, creating a mood and view meant to transport me to another place, time, and story. But I digress......

A few years ago, I felt the need to create a Halloween candy bowl. I hand-painted a black bowl with a variety of eyes from the creature kingdom, and added glow-in-the-dark paint on them. It was quite pain-staking, and even though I sold it, will probably never create another one.

The following year, I painted a totally differently themed bowl, this time with an Old World gypsy witch in mind.

The year after that, I kept it more simplistic and understated, and let the number do the talking.

Last year, I created my glue-gun witchy potion bottles, which have certainly made the rounds on the internet. Since it is my belief that these were lightning in a bottle, I don't feel the need to out-do them. But as usual, my Halloween mood can't be silenced, and yesterday my imagination woke me up with an idea. Not to sell, but to inspire.

I thought it would be fun to have useful props that continued the theme of my potion bottles. So what else would this woodland witch have in her home?

How about a bowl for tossing her runes or greens in? But in your case, for handing out Halloween candy! How about party snacks! Or maybe just as props for setting that mood!

Part of the allure of the potion bottles was the upcycle virtue, but also the low cost of the project.

Although this isn't an upcycle, I did focus on keeping it on the cheap.

Here's what you need: a cheapo basket in the size you require. If you want it food-safe, line the basket with clear plastic bowls from the dollar store. (You won't need the liners for handing out candy, but you would for pretzels, hors d'oeuvres, etc.)

Plastic skeleton hands from Michael's. $1.99 per bag of 12.

Spanish Moss

Glue gun and thin wire

I hot-glued a thin layer of Spanish moss around the outside of the basket.  

If you're like me, you like to keep your holiday décor as temporary as possible, so you can dismantle the components to use for other projects throughout the year. 

In this case, I chose to wire the hands to the basket. Using very thin gray wire, thread the ends through the basketweave from inside to outside. Position the hand so you can twist the wire ends around a finger. Twist the wire so the hand doesn't move, snip the excess, then tuck the wire ends between the fingers out of sight. (This is the reason I used a basket rather than a bowl, so I'd have something to thread the wire through.)

After securing the hands, you can now add more moss, tucking it in around the hands to make them look more embedded. Add more moss to completely hide the basket, including the rim. Totally up to you whether you cover the underside or not.

As is typical of my M.O., I couldn't stop there. The bowl turned out so well, that it deserved to be elevated to centerpiece status. I collect shapely wooden candle holders, and I had the perfect one for this bowl. I painted it with black and brown chalk paint, then attached the basket to it.

Since the basket is thin and flimsy, it's very important to secure it properly. A screw alone would tear right through the weave, so you need to add a piece of wood or metal over the basket to secure it and give it stability. The wood doesn't need to be thick, just not flexible, and the closer it is to the full diameter of the basket, the better. A piece of a paint stir stick or wooden ruler would both work great. I had a tongue depressor, so I drilled a pilot hole through it and the center of the basket. (If you don't drill a pilot hole, you will most certainly split the basket material and the tongue depressor, since they are both thin.)

After drilling a hole into the center of the candle holder, 1 screw through the depressor, basket, and candleholder, and all was stable. I painted the tongue depressor black brown to match the basket, and now it's ready for use or display!

 Along with the basket, I made a point of buying the contents at the Dollar Tree also, just to show how inexpensive this creation can be, and how readily available the components are. If you choose to line the basket with a clear food-safe bowl for a buffet, you don't need to attach the bowl to the basket. When the snacks need refilling, just take the plastic bowl out for refilling, then insert it back into the display bowl. If you'd rather attach it to the basket, you have some options -- hot glue, strong double-stick mounting tape, or even velcro.

At this point, all that's left is what to put inside. I bought these “Bloody Bites” for the glow-in-the-dark fangs, but they also include red “oozing” candy blood bags.

Red hard candy, so they could be a blood red filler.

And plastic eyeballs. These were kind of boring, but they were good and cheap for a starting point. And since the glue gun was still on......

Using a permanent red marker, I drew lots of red veins all over the eyeballs, then hot-glued the main vein lines. (Another option would be to paint all the eyeballs with glow-in-the-dark paint.)

Using a red marker again, I colored each hot-glue vein, so they'd look like they were bulging red veins. After doing that, it occurred to me that there were probably red glue sticks, so I've ordered some off Ebay. Can't wait to try them.

And that's it! Let go of your grown-up inhibitions and let your imagination play!

Come Join Me on Instagram!

@MagiaMiaEtsy

LINKING TO:

Jewelry Chest Makeover in Aqua Turquoise Chalk Paint & Italian Paper

After many months of distraction, I finished another chalk-painted jewelry chest. After conquering some Putz houses, I was wondering when I would finally commit to the time and patience of designing more chests. 

Obviously, I never tire of Aqua, Turquoise, & Gold 

Layered in 2 shades of custom-mixed Aqua, the top layer being similar to Tiffany Blue.

The darker accent color is a rich, slightly muted Turquoise/Teal. 

I highlighted the hardware and trim with metallic gold and bronze paint, given more luster with the addition of gold pigment powder.

The hand-painted graphics I designed, as well as the paint colors, were dictated by the interior paper.

I wanted graphics that complemented the interior, without competing with it, so I designed simple rosettes, in gold & bronze, highlighted and shaded for a 3-dimensional appearance.

The drawers are lined with a stunning and vibrant Italian paper in deep Turquoise/Teal, light and dark French blue, cream, and metallic gold. It is sealed with satin water-based varnish.

And as always, I distressed all the paint, then finished with clear and dark wax.

Up next? I think maybe I can finally finish another fabulous spice chest!

TTFN, Maria

Join me on Instagram!

@MagiaMiaEtsy



LINKING TO: