Easy Peasy Project Alert - Tin Can Seed Starters

Grab that load of tin cans you've been stock piling - I've got an easy-peasy project for you.

I've seen tin can everything around blogland lately, and there are many great projects out there to be inspired by. One day I'll make my way through them all.

For now though, I just needed to do something with the ones I've been saving that were beginning to create a moat around my kitchen counter.

I decided to plant flower seedlings in mine. I needed a place to get them started, and this was the perfect solution.

It's a quick project that uses up several cans at one time.

Here we go!

You'll need cans, spray paint, seeds, a drill bit (or hammer and nail), potting soil, and some sort of identification stick.
I used actual flower markers that you can write on.

Ok, so I painted my cans before I took a picture of the supplies.
I'm assuming you all know how to spray paint a can by now, right?

Anyhoo, first, I painted all of my cans in various colors.
Love the mix.
All the colors are Krylon.

Next, let the cans dry completely, and then punch a few holes in the bottom for drainage.
If you have a drill, just use a small bit and do your holes.
If not, punch them with a hammer and nail.
(Just an FYI here - I put way too many holes in mine. Two per can would've worked just fine. Next time I'll know.)

Then, load them up with potting soil and put your seeds in.

Be sure to keep up with which seeds are in which cans so that you can label them properly.

I planted one type of seed at a time and then made my markers so that I wouldn't lose track of what was where.

Aren't the colors fun and happy?

TIP: I always put my potting soil in a bucket and wet it down before I fill my cans. This way, the soil is already packed down and your seeds won't shift or float to the top when you water them afterwards.

I put them on an old table and then sat them on the deck.

The next morning it was raining so I checked on them to see if they were flooding, and here's what they looked like.

The water droplets are so pretty on the colored cans!

And here they are 8 days later in the morning sun - already flourishing!

I check on them every single day, especially during this heat wave!).

At this rate of growth, I'll be able to transfer them into larger containers or into the ground and start all over with a new batch really soon.

I'll definitely be doing this every year now.

Mod Podge Alert - Replace Your Cabinet Knobs on the Cheap

Do you have some of these builder grade beauties in your kitchen?

You know the ones, those shiny gold brass knobs

that should be outlawed in every state by now.

You know you don't really want them, but somehow replacing them seems to fall to the bottom of the priority list.

Besides, cabinet knobs are expensive, and when you need 30-40 of them, that can add up really quick.

What if I told you that you could replace them with something MUCH nicer for only 50 cents each? Would you do it?

Yeah, I thought you might.

How about something like this?

Well ok then. Let's get right to it.

Here's what you'll need:

- Fabric Scraps

- Wood Knobs

- Mod Podge

- Scissors

- Egg Crate

- Sponge Brush

- Paint for the base

(A couple of tips before we get started:

 I use the 2 pack of wood knobs from Lowe's. They're only 98 cents a pack. The ones at Home Depot are a dollar more.

Also, it's quicker to spray paint the knobs than to hand brush them with acrylic paints.

And lastly, the paper egg crates work better for this project than the styrofoam ones because they're thicker.)

Ok, first gather your fabric scraps. I used 7 different ones because I wanted a variety of colors and patterns on my cabinets.

Next, you'll want to cut all of your circles at once. I cut mine a wee bit smaller because I wanted the black paint to show around the edge of the fabric.

If you want to do it the way I did, a perfect template for your circle is a covered button kit in size 75. (at Walmart or any craft store - beats trying to get them symmetrical all by yourself.)

Once you get them cut out, play with the arrangement of patterns based on your cabinet layout. You may find you want to add/subtract/replace patterns in some spots. I cut about 5 extra circles just in case.

Start covering the tops of your knobs with Mod Podge. Put a reasonably thick layer.

Take your circles of fabric and put a little Mod Podge on back of them as well. It'll help them adhere better.

Don't be afraid to be generous with the MP. Just be sure to wipe off any build-up before you let them dry.

 Center your fabric on the knob and smooth down from the center out. Be sure there are no air spots, especially along the edges.

Again, wipe off any build-up before you set them aside to dry.

I did only enough for one bank of cabinets at a time because I wanted to decide which patterns to use where as I went.

Let them dry for about an hour, and they're ready to hang!

That's all there is to it.

I did 36 knobs in 2 1/2 hours start to finish, including cutting the fabrics.

I say that makes it a great anytime project, don't you?

I love how they turned out!

Here is the selection of patterns I used for my new knobs.

Let me know if you do some of these for yourself. I'd love to see the patterns you choose.

AND...............I'll be revealing my kitchen makeover this Friday. I've been working hard on it, so be sure to come back and see!

I'm linking up to:

Here

File Sorter gets a Makeover

I'm linking up with Funky Junk's Saturday Night Special with this easy little project.
If you haven't been over there yet this weekend, you'll wanna go see all of the creative endeavors everyone has undertaken to provide you with some incredible inspiration.
The raw talent in blogland blows me away every week!
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You know the kind. Those thick smoky black plastic file sorters. Ugh.

I literally started to toss this in the trash, but then I remembered two things that a crafter should never forget:

1. I have Mod Podge

2. I have scrapbook paper

I thought I'd whip out the supplies and see if I could give this drab file sorter a new outfit. I'm sure glad I did.

I didn't take pictures of the process, but it's easy peasy.

I put mod podge on the short part in the front, and the front of the first large sorter. You won't see the rest, so they don't matter.

I then put the scrapbook paper on it and smoothed it out. Then I trimmed around the edges with a sharp blade.

I let it dry, and then stamped the words and hot glued the buttons on. (Remove the shanks before you do that so they'll lay flat.)

Here's how it looks now.

And I really do use it.

Here it is on my desk.

Another Easy Peasy project!

I think I'll try the same thing on my thick smoky black plastic wall pockets next.

Unique Embellished Wood Chips - A How-to

If you all know me by now, you know that I've been doing everything in the workroom except for what I'm supposed to be doing. Which was the case this morning also.

You see, I'm really trying to open all the boxes and put things away, but I keep coming across things that call my name, saying 'make me pretty'. So of course I have to.

You know how it is. You see something that sparks an idea, and if you don't create what's on your mind RIGHT THEN, then you might forget to do it later.

This morning I came across a box of discontinued color chips from a furniture manufacturer I deal with. I kept them because I knew one day an idea would strike me and tell me what to do with them.

Today was the day.

Here's what I made:

and these:

Here's how I did it:

As always, you'll need to gather up some supplies.

In this case, I used the following:

Wood Blocks (already painted and distressed)

You can use a 1" x 4" board for this. Use different colors to paint it up, sand it a bit, and then make your cuts. These are about 4" x 4 1/2". (thank you mr. furniture company)

Black Acrylic Paint

A Paisley Stamp

Misc Buttons

Hot Glitz Rhinestones (love those things)

Hot Glitz Applicator Wand

Clear Drying Craft glue

Sponge Paint Brush

Rub-on Embellishments

Tweezers

A Straight Pin

I simply layed out what I thought I wanted to do and placed it on the blocks.

After I stamped the paisleys, I let them dry and then applied the buttons with glue and the glitz with the wand.

I tried to use button and rhinestone colors that brought in a tad of vibrancy without being too much.

I love the imperfections in the wood. It helps to create an additional distressed feel.

I'm not someone who likes perfection, unless of course, it's perfectly imperfect.

For the other blocks, I cut out a few of the rub-ons and laid them out the way I wanted them.

I rubbed them on the blocks and then added some rhinestones to these as well. These particular rub-ons came with adhesive jewels, but I prefer to use the hotglitz since they melt into the hard surface when you heat the glue on the back. They'll hold so much better than the ones meant for papers.

I have plans to add "Spread Your Wings" to this, but I haven't found my aphabet stamps yet.

I sure do love me some rub-ons. They make life so easy, don't you think.

Hope you've enjoyed my little easy peasy how-to.

Now go craft somethng for yourself and head back here and tell me about it.

Linking up to Funky Junk SNS #16

Make it For Monday @ Cottage Instincts

Make Your Monday @ Twice Remembered

Just Something I Whipped Up @ A Girl Creative

I'm Giving Away The Everyday Crafter Apron over at A Girl Creative. Head on over and enter to win! Giveaway open all week.

Easy Peasy Repurposing

If you don't already know, and I know I 've mentioned it about a hundred times lately, I just moved 1300 miles about 2 weeks ago. Why does this matter, you ask. Well, because it's my excuse for using whatever I find in the next box I open to fill whatever need I have at the moment, since it appears that I still can't find all of the things I usually use for those said purposes.

So I thought I'd share a couple of little, easy peasy things I repurposed for new uses.

The reason I say easy peasy is because all that was required on my part was to clean the item up, put it in place, and fill it up.

Here's my first one.

This is an old baker's bread pan. I forgot I had it actually until I found it in a box labeled "kitchen" that was full of spray paint. Go figure. If you've read about my move, you undastan where I'm coming from.

A while back I used to set up at a flea market on a regular basis and I used this pan to display flavored coffees with my company logo that I gave away.

I always loved it, just never really knew how to use it.

Now I do. It's my breakfast station.

Found it like this:

Cleaned it up, took off the ribbon and berries and added a great drawer knob I found at a flea market shop.

And here it is now, in it's new home, filled with everything I require to get me going in the mornings: coffee, oatmeal, bread and cinnamon. Works perfect.

(Wallpaper in background should be ignored. I inherited it and it will soon be going away.)

I love those little key handles, so if you know where I can find them in stock, please let me know. I need about 12 of them.

See? Easy Peasy.

I'd say it doesn't get much easier than that, but it does. Read on.

One time I was in the parking lot of an antique mall getting ready to go inside when I spotted a woman trying her best to take some windows out of her trunk. I walked over to help her and discovered that she was a vendor there and was bringing in the windows from her 1908 house that had recently been replaced with newer versions.

Uhh, excuse me ma'am, but I'll just take those off your hands right now.

So I made a deal with her in the parking lot and I took everyone she had.

For 5 bucks a piece. Yes I did.

There were 14 of them.

In the mix were a few screens that were original to the house. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with those.

I knew I could resale all the windows, so I just agreed to take everything.

Here's my crown jewel.

Those of you who DIY understand the little pitter patter of my heart upon securing such a fabulous find, don't ya?

Perfect as is.

And here it is in it's new home.

I clip all of my special notes and goodies I've recevied from family and friends.

One day I'll read you the notes on here. They are indeed special.

I used the little clips you find on drapery rings to hang things. I just give them a little twist with my pliers so they won't turn.

And even easier still.................

What do you do with your pot lids? It drives me bonky to have them scattered in the cabinet. They just will not stay in place.

I usually have a lid holder attached to the inside of my pots and pan drawer, but again, I haven't found it yet, so I needed another solution.

Something easy.

I discovered that they worked perfectly in this basket when I tossed them in there to get them out of the way for a minute. Glad I did that. It works and I like it, and it doesn't look messy sitting out on the counter.

I've also discovered that I can hide our cell phone chargers in this basket and you can't see them. They're accessible and out of the way. See, you can't see them, can you? They're in there.

So there you have it, 'no effort decorating' at The Blair House.

What easy peasy projects can you share with me?