Bicycle Planter Garden Feature
Have you seen painted bikes around town? I have seen a few-plus lots of pictures of painted, planted, garden bikes on Pinterest and at last I’ve made one for myself! Here it is!
We have really being trying to put an effort into our back garden this year. In return we will want to be out there visiting with friends and family. We are off to a good start with our effort to spend a bit of time nearly every day to pull weeds and water the gardens….and spray paint a few things along the way…let me tell you about that!
How to Upcycle a Bike into a Planter!
The first step to this project is to get a used old bike. I have found a few at the used sports store for $30 or more and I thought how sad is it to wreck a good working bike. So I waited to find a cheap one on Kijiji.ca which is a buying and selling website that is very popular in my area. I found this beauty for $15.
If you look closely you can see the rubber on the wheels is actually peeling apart. The bike doesn’t turn right or left so I felt okay about painting it and ending its time on the open roads to be part of my backyard.
Besides the old bike you will also need:
- safety glasses
- a damp rag
- fine sandpaper
- spray paint (2 or 3 cans)
- baskets
- plants
- plastic bag or coconut coir lining
- quality potting soil
To prepare the bike for painting the first thing to do is wipe it down. This bike was covered in dirt and cob webs from the previous owner. Next, using a fairly fine sand paper …100 grit maybe…sand lightly the surface of the metal. This removed some rust on the fender and frame of the bike. You don’t want that in your eyes so pop on a pair of safety glasses first. If you were painting a gorgeous looking bike or a bike you would want to ride around town – you should pay a lot more attention to detail. You would take the wheels off and make sure everything is smooth. However, this bike was already in rough shape so I just gave it another wipe with a damp rag to get the dust off and moved on to the spray paint.
I had a hard time choosing what color to paint it. After much deliberation I decided on this brand “Beauti-Tone” of spray paint in red on some Muskoka chairs and loved how it sprays. I chose a satin “Sunshine” yellow.
Spray paint is amazing for covering over all sorts of blemishes. I had thought that I would peel off the old stickers on it but then couldn’t be bothered and painted right on over it. I used an old sheet for a drop cloth and needed a can and a half of spray paint-so buy 2 cans!
Follow the instructions on your spray paint. Spray paint outdoors if possible on a non breezy day.
Recently I popped into the Goodwill charity shop. I was looking for bowling balls to paint into decorative gazing balls for the garden. (I’m so excited to do that project soon!) That day there was a slew of beautiful baskets and other odds and ends that looked perfect for some of my future projects.
What great finds! Everything I got was around $3 each. These wicker baskets could have been painted to match the bike but I like the natural brown. I just LOVE baskets!
When I was a kid, my grandfather would pop around to our house with a basket whenever he found berries in season or a pie for desert. He would knock at the side door and my sisters and I would run around the house shouting Grampa is here! Such a favorite visitor. He was very generous with his love and baskets of berries. So thoughtful. I think that’s why I love baskets, I love Grampa gifts that come in the baskets!
I thought this basket would be great zip tied to the handle bars or on the luggage rack at the back.
You can’t simply put dirt into the basket because every time it gets watered or rains it will seep through the cracks. Using a natural basket in the sun and rain is going to age it fairly quickly. Before adding the soil you might want to use a clear spray paint on the basket to help it last longer.
You can line the bottom of the basket with a plastic (garbage bag), newspaper or coconut coir liner. If you use plastic there won’t be any drainage allowed so you might want to poke some tiny holes in the plastic. Add some good quality soil and then the plants.
If you can find a pot that fits inside the basket that would be even better for packing things away at the end of the summer.
I was tweaking the photo above and turned the bike vibrant bright yellow. I really like it brighter so I might change it next year to a darker yellow or red. Ooh la la!
When your planters are ready you can you use plastic zip ties to attach each basket to the bike. I also used gigantic zip ties to attach the bike to the fence. I purchased my zip ties from the dollar store. Make sure it is fairly steady. The weight of the dirt in the baskets was surprisingly heavy. I would hate to see the bike topple over in a big wind storm-what a mess! I placed my bike planter right onto a concrete patio, but many put it in the flower gardens. In this case you could dig holes for the wheels and bury the bike a bit so its actually in the ground.
Wondering what I did with the other items on from the thrift store?
I simply glued the silver plated tea pot to a black candle stick with E6000 Glue. Then I took a string of pearls ($1.25 The Dollar Tree) and glued it to the base of the tea pot. Why not?! Express your whimsical self with color and fun items.
Next invite friends over for a backyard visit and root beer float! There are lots of conversation pieces decorating the garden this year. I’ll show you some other things I’ve been up to soon!
DIY Garden Solar Lights Using 2 Wire Planters
For this project I’m going to show you how to take 2 wire planters, attach them together and wrap LED solar twinkle lights around them to make a gorgeous night time garden light.
You will need:
- 2 wire plant baskets (dollar store $1-$4 each)
- pliers/wire cutters
- 10-15 black twist ties or fine wire cut to 3 inches long
- package of solar twinkle lights (I paid $20 but if I can find these cheaper I will let you know!)
Before you start your project I would recommend that you test to make sure your solar lights are working as they should. My first project, I put all together and waited for the sun to set and then realized the light was defective and needed to go back to the store. Grrr…On my second go at the project I put them in a dark cupboard and peeked in. It worked perfectly so I started again.
To easily remove the hook and chains, there is usually a clip on the wire hanger. Using your pliers remove two of the chains leaving just one hook and one strand of chains.
Match up the pattern of the wire basket and wrap a bit of wire around it. The above picture was my first try. I forgot to match up the wire basket and the wire punctured my skin. In the first 10 seconds I was bleeding. So my next try I used just twist ties. Black twist ties preferably so it isn’t obvious. If you are going to use wire, put on some work gloves.
With one side secured-open it looks like a clam shell. Put the solar lamp inside the two planters and secured the other side closed.
Starting from the other end of the twinkle lights, begin wrapping the lights around the sphere. Wrap the light with a twist tie to secure the lights snuggly around the ball. As you go around and around you can open up previously used twist ties and secure the newly wrapped lights into it.. Continue until the lights are completely attached.
Attached the hook to the top of the sphere and its ready to hang up! As you can see I needed to use some white twist ties. If it bothers me to see those I could replace them later when I get more black twist ties.
Next I need to decide where I should put it.
If I can find the solar lights a bit cheaper I would like to make 3 of these and hang it from a huge old tree in the backyard.
For now it is hanging on the side of the garage. I’m very pleased with the results!
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Mason Jar Tissue Holder
Tomorrow a friend’s daughter is getting married and I’m going to pop around to their house today to drop them of this mason jar tissue dispenser. Even for friends who aren’t prone to crying – weddings and daughters and stress and wedding parties and lack of sleep can bring out the tissues for anyone. Might as well be prepared with a jar of tissues that match the day!
You will need:
- goo gone or lift off if there is any sticky label residue
- rubbing alcohol
- a mason jar
- multi-surface paint (or glass paint)
- paint brush or sponge
- sand paper or emery board
- box of tissues
- wide mouth jar band
First of all, we need to clean and dry the mason jar. If there is any sticky residue from previous labels take if off with goo gone or lift off – then wash with soap and water. Wipe the outside of the jar with rubbing alcohol.
I used a multi-surface, acrylic craft paint from Michael’s-“Pacific Coast”. It was not expensive approx. $3.50. It can be used on fabric, glass, ceramics, wood, metal, plastic, terra cotta etc. 
Using a paint brush or sponge, paint the jar and allow to dry. Most likely you will require another coat of paint. It dries fairly quickly. Leave over night to really allow the paint to dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.
Using an emery board or sandpaper, gently rough up raised lettering.
Next we add the tissues!
Open the box of tissues at one end. Remove half of the tissues, keeping them in a stack. Keep the top tissue slightly pulled up.
Fold the stack of tissues in half-keeping that top tissue easy to grab.
Fold it again so it will be slim enough to slide through the neck of your jar. Then gently wiggle the top tissue upwards. Test to see if the next one will follow.
Screw the ring lid back onto the jar. I like the silver ring lids that come with new jars. If your ring is looking shabby or you want a dramatic look you could easily spray paint it black or soft white before screwing it back onto the jar.
Looks good!
I added a little bit of random white and matching ribbons and simply tied a not around the neck of the jar. I also printed a little note that says “tears of joy”. Using a glue stick I pasted that onto a piece of coordinating cardstock. I punched a tiny hole in the papers and tied it into the ribbons.
Just a quick footnote!
With this pink jar I tried painting with regular pink and white craft glue. It worked but it was a very mat finish so I put it on a broom handle and sprayed it with a clear topcoat. This had the desired finish and kept my hands free from the paint.
DIY Make a Wide Wood Frame for an Inexpensive Mirror
This week I got it into my head to take a cheap mirror and make it really substantial with a wood frame. Recently, I replaced all the doors to the bedrooms and closets and that was where most of our mirrors were. Hanging on the backs of doors. Now the doors are so new and lovely I can’t bear to attach anything to them. So I’m heading out the door not knowing if my skirt is stuck in the back of my tights…or any other possible wardrobe mistake is happening.
For this project you need:
- one 1/4 x 48 x 96 backboard cut down to size $21.40 (mine was 25 x 61 – but measure your mirror and pine pieces first) I had this cut done at Home Depot
- inexpensive pine boards (I needed 2 boards 1x8x6 $7.97 each) choose straight boards
- a mirror $13.99 – mine was 13×49 but when you take it out of the plastic frame it was 10 1/2 x 46 1/2
- exacto knife
- tools to bang up the wood if you want it distressed…hammer, saw, big nail
- stain and brush (mini wax polishade $11.97,this is an “all- in-one” stain and polyurethane so you brush it on)
- Wood Glue $5.27
- Clamps (at least 10)
- Screws $2.97 (5 x 5/8)
- Mirror Caulking $6.97 (LePage 610 Mirror) and Caulking Gun
Carefully Dismantle the Mirror
The very first step before you cut your wood is buy the mirror. If you just follow my sizing for wood cuts you may have a different size mirror and have to recut or get new wood. Remove it from the frame by turning it over and tear off the paper on the back. Take an exacto knife and cut away all of the glue on the edges. The mirror is actually a lot thinner and delicate than you might think-so don’t assume it will pop out. It will break easily. I found I needed to slice the along the edge of the plastic frame and then turn the knife and cut at a different angle. This required a lot more time and patience than I expected.
Very carefully lay the mirror on your surface and measure. I wanted to use a wide wood-you can go wider or narrower just adjust the size of your backboard. You may be able to find the right wood in the lumber area near the fence building supplies this will be less expensive. I went with the wood in the furniture building section because of the sizes available.
My mirror is 10 1/2 inches by 46 1/2 inches wide.
The pine boards were 1 x 8 x 6. But you must remember that they aren’t truly 8 inches wide. Its more like 7 1/4. That is why you need to lay things out measure to determine the needed width of the backboard. A bit too small is okay but it can’t be bigger than your finished project. That would look kind-a dumb.
The finished size of my mirror and pine is 25 inches by 61 inches so that is the size I need to cut the backboard. I had Home Depot cut this one because I don’t have a table saw and it will fit in the car easier!
Place the mirror on the backboard and then see if your pine is exactly how you want it. My side pieces were 61 inches long and the cross pieces were 10 1/2 inches. Everything looking good? Now trace the mirror with a pencil on the backboard. Remove the mirror…carefully…and put it in a safe place. I put mine behind a cabinet. Since we put on 2 coats of the finish it could take 24-48 hours. Keep the kids away from that mirror.
Distressing the Wood-Optional
If you are wanting to make the wood look rustic this is when to do it. It feels a bit wrong ruining nice wood-like your keying a car. I used a hammer with several screw on attachments to bang in several different kinds of marks and also I dragged it across the wood to make a few lines. You could use a regular hammer, counter sinker and saw to make these markings.
Putting it all together
Now that the wood is nicely banged up lets put it altogether. Use the wood glue and put the 4 wood pieces where they belong on the back board. Clamp in place quickly-the glue makes the pine slip around. At this point I got out the mirror again. Do I need to say carefully again? I hate broken glass with kids and dogs in the house. I’m a worrier! I thought before everything was set I would double check that the mirror fit in. It did! Now get it back to its safe place behind the cabinet.
Put in a few screws into the bottom to keep the boards in place. This is awkward since you need to come from below with your project pulled a little off the table. The majority of screws went in after the glue had dried and I could flip it over.
Finishing Steps
In this project I used Miniwax PolyShades “Stain and Polyurethane in One” with a paint brush. I originally chose a shade too red and sanded it down a bit and added American Chestnut for my second coat. If you have a stain only product, use a rag and not a paint brush.
Stir this product a lot. You can feel that the polyurethane part of the mixture separates and sinks to the bottom. Stir it mid project a few times just to be sure.
This called for a very thin coat, wait 8 hours, rub surface with steel wool, wipe off fine dust, apply another very thin coat until you have the desired color. So there is a bit of waiting involved on this project. I wrapped my paintbrush in plastic wrap between coats so it didn’t harden.
The final step is to glue in the mirror! Almost done! I used LePage 610 PL Mirror Adhesive. It doesn’t say on the package how long you need to wait for the glue to dry. The instructions say the first 10 minutes is key if you need to reposition the mirror. Don’t move it after 10 minutes. It should be a perfect fit. I applied the adhesive to the backboard and then placed the mirror on top. I gently applied even pressure to push the mirror into the glue. The website actually says that it is cured in 48 hours. Not realizing this until later I moved mine after only 3 hours because I needed the table it was on.
Mirrors are recommended to make a small room appear larger. That is great for our little house but mostly we just need it to make sure our clothes are on straight. The finished product is a bit heavy but could be attached to a wall to raise it up.
The cost of this project depends on if you have some basic supplies already. Home Depot will make all the cuts for free if you need it.
I purchased the pine and backboard, mirror, screws and mirror calking so the project cost approx. $65. I have enough backboard left over to make another one using an old mirror- this time I might just paint the frame black or white and put it in a bedroom. The only thing I would need to purchase for the second one is the pine boards for another $16. The best part is that their were no worrying about mitred corners. This project takes a bit of time but its pretty easy!
Let me know if I am missing any details. I’m happy to hear feedback if you have questions!
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Make a Lovely Rose Picture Frame!
Hello there crafty darlings! Is it wedding season or baby season in your circle of friends? If you are looking for a lovely gift idea…I have just what you need! An easy craft that just requires a few dollars at the craft or dollar store and your trusty hot glue gun. Plug in the glue gun and lets get started!
This project needs just 4 things.
- Roses ($3.75 Dollarama 3 bunches at $1.25 each)
- 4x 6 Wooden Picture Frame ($2.00 Michaels)
- Hot Glue Gun
- Wire Cutters
I discovered some pretty dainty pink roses at my dollarstore. Each bunch had 6 flowers and I used 18 flowers for this project.
The first step is to trim the stem with wire cutters/pliers and bend the wire stem to the side. This style of flower sits very flat on the photo frame making it easy to glue. Wow this project is so easy!
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Next lay out your flowers and see how snuggly you want them to fit. Begin gluing the flowers on.
Now pause to admire the beauty and simplicity of this gift. Will you put a photo of the happy couple in the picture frame or their wedding invitation? Or will you put the birth announcement or leave it empty for the expecting parents? Or did you see my last post about putting gift cards or cash in photo frames to add to your thoughtful prezzie. http://mybrightideasblog.com/give-a-money-gift-in-a-picture-frame/
Voila! This project is done in 5 minutes and off you go to the baby shower with your gorgeous homemade picture frame.
Did you see the tummy sticking out in the photo above? That is my belly growing my second daughter. In the end I’ve decided to give the rose photo frame to Miss B to put in her bedroom. She often remembers the happy times when she was an only child. LOL! This is a nice keepsake to remind her that she was very excited to be a big sister. This kiddo was soooo bald as a baby-not a stitch of hair but here she is a nearly 3 years old and it started to come in beautifully! It’s now 8 year later and her hair is long and luscious! Golly doesn’t time fly!
Wherever you are-I hope you have a super day! Thanks for stopping by!
Crafts Using Burlap and Buttons – Easy Project that Looks Great!
Is it a new trend that burlap and jute are in so many crafts? Maybe this has been around a while and I’m just noticing it. The crafts on Pinterest with both jute/burlap and buttons are really catching my eye. So I thought it was high time to get on this button-burlap-jute wave! :o)
Project #1 – Jute and Button Wall Art
You will need: Burlap/Jute, Mixed Buttons, 8×10 Canvas, Hot Glue Gun or White Glue and Paper
The local Dollar Store had several options…in both the garden area and the craft sections. For this project I cut up the big burlap bag that you would cover your shrubs with for the winter. There is still plenty of fabric left over I could still use it in the garden or other crafts.
I cut a heart shape on paper first and then used it as a template for cutting out the burlap. Then I put a few dabs of hot glue on the 8×10 canvas to flatten the burlap into place.
The buttons I used were all cream color or silver. They came as a bag of buttons from my Dollar Store for $1.50. There are some nice Pinterest posts with examples of art made with colorful mixture of buttons-I might try a colorful one next time. Start by gluing the biggest buttons in the centre and work outwards with the smallest buttons.
Watch your fingers while you glue the buttons on! Using the hot glue gun might be a bad idea for the small buttons. I like the speed of hot glue drying but since the project lies flat you could easily use regular white glue and spare your fingertips.
Project #2 – Jute Wrapped Tin Flower Pot
For this project you will need: Jute Ribbon 3 inches wide, a bit of lace, mixed buttons, flower pot (mine is a tin bucket style) and hot glue gun.
Using the hot glue gun attach the jute with a dab of hot glue on the back of the aluminum tin. Wrap it around the container and glue it flat. Mine puckered at the bottom so I pulled the jute snuggly and added more glue to secure it flat. I had a few inches of lace that was glued to the front of the container.
Then add on the buttons.
I really like how these turned out and I think I might have some follow up projects with more glue and buttons. I would love to get a few bags of vintage buttons from a thrift store and mix it with broken jewelry to make a more sophisticated eclectic bit of art. On my to-do list are button bracelets and hairbands for the kids. I’ll let you know how that turns out later!
Have a super day!
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Nature Craft – Perfect for Earth Day Activity – Clay Imprints with Plants and Flowers
I wanted to blog about a natural craft for earth day and discovered clay impressions of plants and leaves and flowers. What a great idea! The only problem is that its just the very beginning of spring and the garden is ugly. Except for a few crocuses there is nothing nice around my home. I popped into the florist shop (Regency Florists) nearby and asked if they had any flower scraps like a bit of fern that we could use for this craft project. The lovely young lady made a little bouquet of scraps for free! How lovely is that! We are going to take her one of these lovely creations as a thank you gift.
Supplies
So you will need CLAY and a very smooth surface to work on. If you have a clear bit of plastic table cloth or a very smooth kitchen cutting board-either will work. You also need some flowers or plants, a rolling pin or water bottle that has smooth sides. Later when the clay is dry you may want to use some craft paint to add the green or flower color. Also if you want to turn it into a mobile or wind chimes you might need a chopstick or skewer to poke a hole in it.
Our clay is from the dollar store craft aisle. We just slice off chunks and made different shapes with it. Then we rolled it flat. Next we place a bit of plant or flower onto the clay and rolled over it gently with a smooth water bottle. Pull the plant off the clay and admire the details now imprinted in the clay. If you want to add a hole-this is the time to grab your kebab skewer or chopstick.
Allow the clay to dry overnight. It should feel completely dry before you paint it. I just used regular craft paint.
This would be a lovely gift from a child to a teacher or grandparent. Its a great craft for all ages though. I highly recommend for adults to give it a try. Its very therapeutic! This project has a lot of possibilities so let your imagine go wild. Find things around the house with interesting textures to imprint the clay.
Have fun!
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How to make a DollarStore Picture Frame into a Cork Board! Easy Project!
Hello again! Today’s project is all made from Dollarstore items! Its a bulletin board or corkboard-covered in fabric! The Dollarama Stores near me are getting great craft items. They are no longer everything in the store is $1 but they are getting better quality items and still much cheaper and closer than going to my local craft store.
For this project I purchased a very modern photo frame for $4, a roll of cork $3, a roll of jute (this one had a white painted design) you could use fabric for this instead. Additionally, you will need your scissors, ruler and hot glue gun and some cute tacks to post pictures or notes to it.
The frame I used was square 12×12. Take off the backing and remove the glass from the frame. Use the backing to trace and cut the cork to exactly the same size. Next cut the fabric larger than the backing. Make it an inch wider all the way around so you can wrap it around the cork and board and secure it on the back.
Now stack the layers-the board on the bottom, then the cork, then the fabric-and push it into the frame. Pull the fabric in tight. Everything should be snug.
Hot glue the fabric flat-close to the edge and trim off extra fabric. Fold the corners so it is tidy with a mitred look. Find some little pictures and cute push pins. At the moment I have it leaned against a wall on a side table but it could be hung up on the wall….in fact-there is plenty of supplies left over to make more frames and put a collection of 2 or 3 on a wall! I just took down some shelves and know just the place!
All in all this is a 10 minute project with a cost of about $10 with left overs to make more projects. It was a success!
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Lost Sock Seeking Sole Mate-Laundry Room Sign
I saw this idea on pinterest and immediately went in search of a left over scrap of wood. I found this 1×6 partial board that happened to be 26 inches long. Perfect no need to cut any pieces because my saw is in the garage and there is a ton of snow in the driveway. More wood diy projects to come when spring arrives in Canada.
So here we are with a cute idea for a laundry room sign to help lost socks make their way back to their mate.
You will need:
A scrap of wood, sand paper, paint or stain, a stencil for the letters, clothes pins, paint brushes, glue, hooks and wire.
Before you get started smooth the front of the board with fine sand paper. This will make the writing a lot easier. Find some sort of paint or stain to start the back ground of the sign. I had my regular craft paint already out and just mixed the white and black and make a nice gray. I liked how streaky it turned out. Once this is dry test out where you would like to put the clothes pins. Be sure to write the message on the board before you glue the clothes pins on. You could use a letter stencil or free hand.
I painted the clothes pins gray and black and then put white polka-dots on them. I love painting polka-dots by using the tip of the paintbrush and dipping it in the paint.
This was my first time using E6000 glue. It is slow to dry compared to my usual hot glue gun but so far its proving to be strong. I left it over night to be sure it was dry. In the tool box I found a little frame kit with wire and these screw in hooks. It was very easy to screw it into the soft wood. Then put the wire through the eye of the hook and wrap it around. That was all there was to it. I had everything for this lying around the house. If you don’t have the hook and wire you could also use picture frame hooks nailed into the back. Instead of wire you could use twine or ribbon.
You could write Lost Sock Seeking Sole Mate or Lost Socks in Search of Sole Mates. However, I was making up one to put on the craft sale table at my work and I wrote Lost Socks Seeking Soul Mates. I’m not sure how hard it will be to fix it since I wrote it in black paint. It will be hard to cover up. Grrrr. It’s not a funny play on words if you spell the pun wrong. Whoops-a-daisy!
Jazz up a Vase or Candle Holder with Glass Gems and Hot Glue!
When I saw this bag of glass gems at Michael’s craft store I had to get it even though I didn’t know what project to use it for yet. The beads had pearl and pink and turquoise….so pretty!
The vase is small either for short cut flowers or its a candle holder…I’m not sure. One bag of gems was enough to cover this vase…candle holder…for simplicity lets call it a vase.
It doesn’t really require instructions its so easy. Alternate the gems for variety. Try to save some smaller ones so you can fit them into the small spots. I found the ones on the bottom wanted to pop off because the edge is a little rounded. So another glue might be better for a curvy vase. Or just put it in a place that won’t tempt your children to touch it.
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