Easy Container Art 💐

This time of year it's hard to find things to do. Your garden is planted and now you wait for the harvest. During this blog you will learn step by step instructions on how to make some artful containers to fill your house and garden with.

The first container is one that is very versatile and I have been making for years.

Chic Garden Container:

Supplies needed:

One canning jar (any preferred size)
Rebar tie wire (can be found at any hardware store)
Wire cutters
Needle nose pliers
Thin wire
Assortment of beads

Supplies for filling:

Candles
Potting soil
Plants
Cut flowers

Step 1
Cut 2 pieces of wire that are about three times as long as the jar.

Step 2
Wrap one piece of wire around the jar and leave about three inches on one side and the rest of the length on the other. Twist wire together. Using pliers gently tighten. Continue the same on the other side.

Step 3
Take the long end of the wire and twist together at the bottom of the jar. Using pliers twist gently to tighten at the bottom.

Step 4
Next, the top two small wires curl them with your needle nose pliers.

Step 5
Curl the long bottom wires and make a cute curly design. Take your time and curl the wires around tour fingers and use the needle nose pliers to make curls.

Step 6
Cut a piece of wire for a hanger as long or short as you wish. Attach to the top of the jar.

Step 7
Pick out some beads of your choice. An broken necklace, plastic beads or whatever you like.

Step 8
Cut 2 small lengths from the thin wire and curl the ends of the lengths with the needle nose pliers.

Step 9
Add beads make each side the same or different is all about what you decide. Attach to small curls of wire on the jar.

Step 10
Add to your garden.

Dino Containers:

This project is fun to make if you have kids.

Supplies needed:

Plastic hollow dinosaurs
Spray paint (colored and primer)
Heavy duty scissors
Potting soil
Variety of succulent and cactus starts

Step 1
Wash your dinosaurs good so that the paint will stick good.

Step 2
Cut the backs of the dinosaurs open.

Step 3
Use your spray primer and prime all your dinos.

Step 4
When primer is dry, start spraying them with your color choices. It may take several coats. Coat them good so that the color of the dinosaur doesn't show through. Let dry overnight.

Step 5
Fill with potting soil. Make sure to push it into the tails and head area.

Step 6
Plant your small starts. (Succulents and cactus are preferred.) Enjoy!

Avocado from seed to tree..... 🌳

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Matthew 7:18 NIV

In this months blog we will be looking at how to properly propagate an avocado seed from the grocery store.

Three Year old sapling.

First, you need to soak your seed over night in a glass of water.

Seed being soaked over night in water.

Next, the seed need to be thoroughly cleaned. This prevents mold and disease.

Cleaned Seed

Second, the skin of the seed needs to be slightly scored with a knife to help the tree shoot break through. Then poke several toothpicks into the prepared seed. Locate at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock & 9 o'clock.

Prepared Seed

Next, place seed on top of a glass cup.

Next, fill the glass with clean water and make sure that the water is changed daily. This is the key to prevent seed rot.

Seed in Water

Watch your seed grow. It can take several weeks for your seed to start sprouting. It resembles a bean sprout at first.

Cracked with first sprout.

With some diligence your seed will begin to sprout leaves and roots. When your jar is pretty full of roots transplant to a small pot. Transplant as the tree grows.

Sapling with roots

Here is the tree from the original seed three years later. The avocado tree makes a nice house plant. 

They are a rather slow growing tree and sometimes take up to 15 years to produce a single avocado. These plants require a lot of patience.

🍄 Wonderland Fairy Garden

Supply list:
🍄 cactus potting soil
🍄 potting soil
🍄 3 of the same size terracotta pots
🍄 Wonderland fairies and accessories
🍄Small wood rounds
🍄 3 bricks of height adjustments

Plant list:
🌵3 varieties of hen and chicks
🌵Chocolate sedum
🌵Light green sedum

🌸spotted dead nettle
🌸Sorbet raspberry voila
🌸Irish moss
🌸Delta premium blue blotch pansy

Three Pots on Three levels

Keep your imagination open on this project. Always make your fairy garden your own. I purchased the wonderland characters online. They are actually cake toppers. The rest of the decorations were purchased at a local hobby store.

Red Queen Level

I started with the red queen pot and made it into a succulent pot. 

With a mix of sedum and hen and chicks because they don't mind the shady areas. 

Because its the red queen I incorporated flamingos, white and red bushes, and tweetle dee and tweetle dum.

Then I did the mad hatter pot. It has irish moss and violas mixed in. I purchased a small cup and saucer from a local thrift store. I felt like it emphasizes the mad hatter theme. I included some wire fencing and the wooded ladder. You can make your own wooden ladders out of sticks and hot glue from your yard for a cheaper route. I included fake mushrooms in this pot throughout.

Mad Hatter Level.

I finished with the Alice pot. I used the nettle and the pansies in this pot. Pansies are nice in the shade and if watered and fertilized they should bloom all summer. I included more wood rounds and fake mushrooms throughout. Also, I included a small tea pot shaped house to help tie it together.

Alice Level

Just remember all fairy gardens are you own creation. Have fun and fairy on.