Leave a CommentShare: |
Subscribe
Winter, when there’s not much to do but dream with seed catalogs, is a perfect time to play with the fun and crafty garden projects you won’t have time for later when you’re over here hoeing. You’re going to be over here with your hoe, right?
It’s suddenly so quiet.
You can recycle all sorts of things around the house into flower pots, but one of the easiest is a metal coffee can. It’s just the right size to make a nice flower pot. You can drill holes in the bottom for drainage, or just pile some rocks in there. The metal also makes a great surface on which to play.
First, drink ALL the coffee so that you are completely spazzed out and filled with energy! Knock out those winter doldrums! Then get rid of the plastic label and thoroughly wash out the can.
If you want the bachelor pad look, you could use the shiny can just as it is, but there are so many crafty options with paint and decoupage, either by themselves or in combination. Or you could glue little things onto the pot–seeds, beans, cord, and so on. If you’re feeling artsy, you could make pictures or other designs. I used metal paint in two colors for a two-tone pattern. After I finished painting the pot, I sealed it with a polyurethane spray.
Yes, it’s too cold to paint.
That’s not stopping us! Plus, painting in the cold makes paint go all blobby and weird, which is awesome.
I spread out some newspaper and placed the can on a box so it would be easy to pick up the box to bring the can inside (without having to touch the wet can) to dry where it’s not 20 degrees. Cold or no cold, spray painting has to be done outside.
I did a first very light and deliberately uneven coating with a matte copper. Once that dried, I sprayed a matte silver around the top, only spraying down a few inches. The silver paint had actually been stored outside. The thick, cold paint made for a nice textural effect. Then I sprayed some more with the copper, lower down on the can, deliberately allowing for some drips.
I perused my results and found them primitively and imperfectly perfect. I don’t like perfect stuff. Imperfect is so much more interesting.
I can hardly wait to see some flowers blooming in this pot!
This is a relatively quick little project that makes a pretty and unique pot almost for free, repurposing the coffee can and using small amounts of craft supplies that you probably already have on hand. And it makes Spring feel a teeny bit closer.
Like you just wrote her a love note.
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on February 4, 2011
1:11
am
6:51
am
6:53
am
7:37
am
I think my heart will break if I can’t see you soon. It’s been so long and I can’t get you off of my mind. I love everything about you, how green you are, how warm you are, how sweet the flowers smell. Please come soon, I need you!
7:58
am
Thanks for sharing……….
8:00
am
8:05
am
Stay warm,
Suzanne
8:38
am
9:03
am
9:08
am
10:48
am
11:08
am
12:04
pm
12:12
pm
12:18
pm
Looks terrific.
3:34
pm
11:00
pm
11:28
pm
8:38
am
6:07
am