Patio Paver Planters

Patio Paver Planters

I have a slight obsession with flowers this time of year. The minute the stores open up their garden section I am beyond giddy with excitement. Not only do I enjoy overfilling our flower beds and gardens; but any little nook and cranny I can stick a container pot, I do! I have gone through my fair share of pots; plastic ones that I spray painted and have chipped, terra cotta that have aged nicely but cracked, and large decorative fiberglass pots that are simply too expensive. The best pots I have found to date, that I can and have relied on for the past few years, are these handmade paver planters; Quick and easy to put together, very durable and sturdy, and for $6.00 a pot a great deal by far. Along with the combination of DecoArt Patio paints the sky is the limit for coordinating these to match your outdoor decor.

Patio Paver Planters
Materials Needed:
Five 12X12 Patio Pavers {per pot}
Weatherproof Construction Adhesive {for outdoor use}
DecoArt Patio Paint

I purchased the patio pavers in the Lawn and Garden section of Home Depot. They are very inexpensive; only a dollar or so a piece. You will need five pavers per pot.

Lay out four pavers to form a perfect square. You can see in the photo above that each end overlaps.
 
Once you have your form, tilt one tile back and apply the construction adhesive on the overlapping lip and firmly press back into place. The construction adhesive can be found along with caulks and sealants in the painting section. {you will need a caulk gun to apply} Move to the opposite side and repeat the adhesive process. All corners should now be adhered.

Now you are ready to attached the bottom. Squirt the construction adhesive in a small bead-like pattern around the inner lip of the entire planter. This will help with water drainage for your planter.
Firmly press the last paver in place, making sure it is centered on the bottom, and let dry for 24 to 48 hours without moving.

To decorate I used DecoArt patio paint. This specially formulated acrylic paint is permanent and weather resistant which makes it the perfect choice for outdoor decor. It does not peel or crack and can be used on concrete wood and terra cotta just to name a few. It is available in 63 different colors too! {found here} As much as I adore color, I used two neutral shades as I like a more natural look outdoors. I covered one pot in Natural Tan Grout {DCP39} and the other in Rich Espresso {DCP401}.

The Rich Espresso is a gorgeous metallic with just the right bit of shimmer in the summer sun.

Once the paint cured, I flipped over the pots and filled with a few of my favorite greens. {these are quite heavy so make sure you move them to where you would like to keep them before you start planting}

I like to choose plants that will last all season and make a lovely appearance year after year.

I planted Hosta, Plum Pudding Heuchera, and Ipomoea in one planter and a Fern in the other.

I love the look of various shades of green and the deep purple of the Plum Pudding.

I'm still trying to figure out if I have anymore spaces left so I can make more of these cuties!

Mason Jar Lamp

I have been wanting to try this for some time now. Thanks to Ryan, I finally got to!! I thought $14 for the jar lamp kit was outrageous, and didn't want to pay it!! Plus, the lamp kits are only for standard mouth jars and I wanted to use a wide mouth jar. I brought this idea to Ryan, who used to be the lamp and vacuum guy at his work, and he said it is possible to make this without the kit. So, here it is!

I will list the price and some tips I found while making this after the instructions.


Supplies:
light socket
lamp electrical cord
carriage bolt 1 1/2" long 1/4" thick
hex nut 1/4"
fender washer 1/4"
Mason Jar
lamp shade
Dremel
light bulb



1. Drill a hole in the center of the lid. (the drill "got away" from Ryan and that is why it looks so large)









2. Drill a hole in the side of the socket bottom.











3. Insert the lamp cord through the hole you just drilled in the socket.











4. Following the package directions, attach the cord to the screws on the socket.








5. Insert the bolt into the bottom of the socket base. Lightly push socket into base.










6. Put the socket cover over the socket and push until it snaps in place.











7. Place the bolt into the hole on the lid. Secure tightly with the washer and nut. Make sure it is centered (ours is not due to the large hole we messed up)

8. Put the rim of the jar over the socket and pull the cord through. It is now ready to be placed on top of you mason jar.



Prices and Tips
I got my socket and cord at Walmart: socket $1.97, cord $1.88. Home Depot wanted $3.88 for the socket and $5.88 for the cord.

I used a half gallon, wide mouth jar. You can use any size jar, I just liked the look of the half gallon size. I found one at Michael's for $2.99 or $3.99. If you have an Ace Hardware nearby, you can order from the site and pick it up at the store with no charge. They wanted $10.49 for 6 jars ($1.75 a jar). Here is the information: Ace Hardware

The lamp shade I used is 9"x9" and was $5.00 at Walmart. Hobby Lobby sells smaller lamp shades for a little cheaper if you used a smaller jar.

Total Cost
Socket 1.97
Cord 1.88
Jar 1.75
Bolt, nut & washer 0.39
Lamp shade 5.00
=$10.99

Alphabet Crayons

Just break up crayons into silicone alphabet molds,

Bake at 300 for 20 minutes,

Cozy Car Caddy

Thanks to everyone who voted for this project in the So You Think You're Crafty competition!  It was an exciting week.

Without further ado ...

Cozy Car Caddy Tutorial

Materials used:

two pieces of denim (17 x 10 inches and 17 x 6 inches)

one piece of Duck Cloth or other heavy fabric (17 x 10 inches)

gray and yellow felt (gray felt cut to 17 x 3 inches, yellow felt cut into seven 1 x 1/4 inch pieces

White Piping (two 17 inch pieces)

6" belting

1" Velcro

scrap fabric for applique

freezer paper, sponge brush, and acrylic paint

sewing machine and supplies

1.  Cut your fabric.  I used an old pair of jeans for the denim and duck cloth for the front.  Between the two heavy fabrics, it makes for a sturdy car caddy.

 

2.  Take your 17 x 6 inch piece of denim, fold it in half, and press.  This will be used for the car pockets.  Line up the raw edges of the denim with the bottom on the duck cloth and pin in place.  Sew along the bottom edge to secure.

 

3.  Sew vertical lines through all the fabric (3 layers, since the denim is folded in half), spacing the lines 2.75 inches apart.  Be sure to back stitch at the top and bottom.  If your child is especially rough on pockets, you may consider going over each line a second time.

 

4.  Sew your road piece centered in the top half of the duck cloth.  Pin the road dashes in place and sew around each dash using a coordinating thread.  Set the duck cloth aside.

5.  Add a car applique to the denim backing.  Center the car in the bottom half of the denim (see photo below).  When the caddy is folded together, the top half of the denim will be inside.

I used scrap cotton fabric for the car body and felt for the wheels.  You can use a fusible web like Wonder Under to hold your applique in place.  I was all out, so I just pinned and sewed. 

 

6.  Add decorative piping to the top and bottom of the denim backing.  Actually, add the piping all the way around as well ... I only had enough on hand for the top and bottom.  ;)

Line up the raw edge of the piping with the raw edge of the denim.  Pin in place and sew in place

along the existing stitch line on the piping.

7.  Pin the 6 inch piece of belting to the denim fabric, again lining it up centered on the edge of the bottom half of the denim piece (see photo above).  Leave about 1/4 to 1/2 inch overhang, so it will be enclosed between the denim and duck cloth layers when they are sewn together.  Stitch the belting in place using about a 1/4 inch seam (go over it a few times for extra strength)

I forgot to take a few pictures at this point ... bear with me.

8.  I added my velcro pieces last, but now would actually be a better time to do it.  Sew one side of the velcro to the end of your belting strap, and the other piece in the center of your car applique.

9.  Lay the denim piece and the duck cloth piece on top of each other, right sides facing together, and pin.  Sew around the edges using a 1/4 inch seam (try to follow the seam of the piping along the top and bottom).  Leave about a 3 inch gap for turning the caddy right side out.

10.  Turn the caddy right side out and pin the opening closed.  Sew around the entire outside edge again, closing the opening.  Go slowly around the bottom corners - all that denim gets thick.

11.  Fold the caddy in half horizontally and make a crease.  Sew a seam, following the crease, down the middle of the caddy (between the pockets and the road - see the final product photo for seam placement).  This will make the caddy easier to fold up.

 

12.  Using the templates found at the end of this post, cut the numbers out of freezer paper.  If you've never done freezer paper stenciling, you can find easy instructions at Angry Chicken (and everywhere else online - do a google search and I promise you'll find tons of help).

I sponged 3 light layers of white acrylic paint for my numbers (let each layer dry before applying another).

Fill your pockets with matchbox cars, and you are ready to roll.

  

 

Here's how it folds:  Fold the caddy in half so the road meets the pockets.  Then fold in thirds.  Wrap the strap around the front and velcro closed.

 

Enjoy!

p.s.  This project is similar to Sharla's Car Cozie at My Little Gems, who I have just recently gotten acquainted with.  If you plan to make this project, you should check out her tutorial as well, since they are different and you might like her construction better. 

Also, check out this awesome car caddy/crayon roll combo project at Create Studio.  Love it!

His & Hers Personalized Baby Quilts

I'm a mom of twins, a boy and a girl.  A friend of mine just had twins herself and I decided it might be fun to find a way to use the same fabric line to make a boy and a girl version quilt.  I got the idea for this quilt from a pillow I made for Moda Bake Shop last year. You can see it here, it would be fun to make one to match the quilt using your scraps.

Stop by my blog and say hi!! Or visit my etsy shop may & mae for more sewing patterns!

1 Layer Cake: (you can use 1 layer cake for both quilts) I used Tweet Tweet by Keiki
1 yard white fabric per quilt for the center
1 yard fabric per quilt for backing
1/2 yard fabric per quilt for binding
Batting
Heat N Bond Lite


Buttons, colored thread to embellish applique
Smiley Monster Font (can be downloaded free)

First you will want to sort and pick your fabrics. Take your layer cake and divide it into a "boy" and a "girl" pile.

Next you want to decide which layer cake squares you want to use for the block border.  You will also want to set aside the layer cake squares you want to use for the applique names & shapes. If you want to have the tree applique (like on the boy quilt) you may need more than one layer cake piece to get enough  trees to cut out.

Cut the layer cake squares you want to use for the border in half so that they are 5" x 10". You will need a total of (14)  5" x 10" blocks for each quilt. I used some fabrics twice, but you will have plenty of layer cake pieces if you do not want to repeat any fabrics.

Sew (4) 5" x 10" pieces together along the short sides. Press & set aside. Repeat.

Sew (3) 5" x 10" pieces together along the short sides. Press & set aside. Repeat.

Cut your white fabric to 29 3/4" x 29 1/2"

Sew one of the 3 block strips to the 29 1/2" side of the white fabric. Repeat by sewing the other 3 block strip to the other side.

Press.

Sew the 4 block strips to the other 2 sides of the white block. Press. Trim off excess if necessary.

Quilt as desired. I quilted mine with a walking foot in straight lines approximately 2" apart.

Using a word processing program and the font Smiley Monster, print your name approx 4" tall. You may need to make it slightly smaller if you are printing a large name.

Trace the letters backwards onto the slick side of a piece of Heat n Bond Lite. Cut out roughly and iron onto wrong side of fabric. Cut out. You can see photos of my applique method here.

Apply to lower right hand corner of the quilted top approx. 2" from the bottom border.

I used the bird in the fabric as a guide for my bird appliqué.  I just scanned the fabric and printed the bird  enlarged so that it is about 4" tall.  I then pieced it using scraps from my layer cake.

Stitch around the letters and pieces of the bird.  Using brown thread in your machine stitch in legs for the bird.  Sew a button for its eye.

For the boys quilt, I cut out 5 trees from the layer cake pieces. I applied Heat n Bond Lite to the back and ironed them onto the quilt top. I then stitched around the edges, using brown thread for the tree trunks.

After you have finished the applique, bind the quilt as desired.

Finished size is approx: 30"x30"

Two or three personalized baby quilts from one layer cake.