Cat Treat Bath

Heather from Our Life in a Click did THIS project back in April, and although I'd already made a BIRDBATH, I knew I was destined to put one of these bad boys in the backyard. Heather left hers natural.

Would I?

Have you just met me?

For this project, I bought a 16 inch wreath for $1.99 at Walmart and then hauled it into Home Depot for a 12 inch saucer that ran me $6. The wreath got a good coating of Rustoleum Apple Green spray paint, and the saucer got 3 light coats of Spa Blue. For instructions on how to paint a wreath, pop over to THIS project.

Once you have full coverage, grab some twine.

 

 Thread the twine through the wreath, forming an X underneath to support the terra cotta saucer and then up to form a hanger

I squeezed a puddle of Goop, which is waterproof, into the center of the saucer and placed shells, seaglass, and flat backed marbles as an accent.

You know me and garden blinguistics.

And of course, I added a Fairy Charm. For instructions on how to make one of those, pop over HERE.

 You can see the support underneath.

Then hang in a shady spot to enjoy!

Simple, inexpensive, and a perfect shot of color. I'm in love with this idea. And the birds may actually be safe at this height.

Bad Assistance

Ah, Cricket, you are indeed pretty.

But helpful? Not so much.

What Tile Did I Go With?

Um, I went with the Mexican tile for 23 reasons.

Cats, dogs, and people. Think of the traffic on white marble.

Buzzy concured. And approved. Extra cleaning time cuts into his Feline Overlord Pampering time.

So Outside My Patio Door...

We're getting closer...

Wut?

It's a horrible picture, sure. But you get the gist of how fast Cricket was running when I put a candle ring over her head, right?

Coasting Through It

I saw these in a link party last week and immediately ran straight over to Sweet Charli and warned her that I was totally stealing this idea and making them.

While you're in the garden center, grab some 4 inch terra cotta plant pots. They're actually about 4 1/2 inches wide. I nabbed 8.

Spray paint them the color of your choice. As I explained to Mom, LIGHT coats, 3 of them. Don't go for coverage on the first shot.

Measure the inner center and find a glass the right circumferance. Mine were 3 1/4 inches. Cut a circle of fabric for each saucer. Then cut the same size circle for each out of felt.

Get your Mom to do this with your instruction so you can put furniture back where it goes. This was her first shot at this. Yes, it's easy!

Glue the felt to the bottom.

Get out all that never ending left over Mod Podge and using a foam brush coat the bottom of the saucer. Smooth your fabric circles over that until there are no air bubbles.

Mod Podge over the top of the circles. Wipe off the excess. When this is dry, give it two coats of spray sealer.

Helloooooo, $5 worth of patio coasters!

I'm Over 40

...Followers! Hey, that's kind of cool! Considering the name of my blog isn't "A Net Full of Ladybugs and Popsicles" or something equally cute.

When I started this, it was just a way to keep friends and family informed. I did the same thing in 2006 when I had breast cancer. Yes, I love you and want to keep you informed. Nah, talking on the phone sorta sucks right now. SERIOUSLY.

I'm not cute, I wear all black, I've never worn make up, and I'm very bad at doing the chick thing. But I do like to dabble, mess, knock out walls, and try ANYTHING at all. I figure if I mess up, I can try again. Or hire a guy. But mostly try again.

We're also at over 200 posts.  and 13,000 hits in the last few weeks. You're visiting. You may be weirded out, but you keep coming back. Which leads me to believe I'm a guilty pleasure.

I can live with that.

Welcome.

Succulent Planters

The sprinkler donuts caught my eye. I was wandering through the garden section, looking for something completely different, and there they were.

 

They were sturdy, compact, and cheap. C'mon, 50 cents? 

So home they came, and I broke out the Spa Blue.

 

I measure the width once they were dry and cut an old screen with my junk scissors.

Then I trimmed the screen to size.

 

I used Goop because it's dimensional and it bound the screen well, but you can use your favorite permanent adhesive.

Once dry, grab some succulents.

 Pop them in the cavity.

So, where do you want them?

Cool texture, a shot of color, and flexibility, plus a very cheap price tag. 

Go line a path or make a centerpiece. This is a seriously easy little accent you can whip for a song.

Sneak Peek: What the Heck Did We Make?

So...guess what we're making?

We Did Some Painting

As I have mentioned a time or two, the kids are incredibly game when it comes to my project madness.

 

Thom took over the bookcases. You have to love his marvelously efficiency when it comes to laying out the bookcase to be painted. This freed me up to get the house 80% settled in one day. I kid you not. The furniture is all back where it should be. Well, not the stuff in the pod but the stuff in the house is all where it needs to be. Now we just need to unpack the boxes, and that's small bites.

It's not perfect, and I'm DYING to take the slipcovers off and give them a dye bath to revive the color. Maybe this weekend. Among other things.

So how am I doing?

Friday Happy Hour