Eightymillion

A DIY craft and photography blog. Dogs included.

Quick and Easy Flower Pots Using Cement Bricks

Here’s a DIY project that anyone can do.  Give those cement bricks a new life by recycling them into flower pots.  It’s easy and inexpensive.  If you don’t have any laying around you can buy them for around $1.75-$2. each.  Every year I always use annuals because I like to experiment with different varieties.  This year is my favorite combination. Fibrous Begonia and Celosia.
This is my fourth year using these bricks.  For a step-by-step tutorial click here.  Feel free to check out the previous years here and here.
Here’s a few additional tips that I discovered along the way to save you some time.
Right before the snow arrives, pull out the dead plants from the bricks.  No need to cover them or change the dirt from season to season.  Just let them sit as is.
Use a tarp.  It saves on cleanup time.
If you have dogs, keep them away from the bricks.  My three loved to “mark” one brick in particular. So much that their urine was trapped in between the spaces of the bricks.  Gross right?  I ended up switching out that one.
Don’t worry about the excess dirt.  As it rains it’ll wash away.
Easy right?
I had four leftover plants from the flats I purchased for this project.  I’ll share another easy project tomorrow on what I did with those.

DIY Landscaping Tips & Ideas: Dealing with muddy paws

There’s been a lot of rain recently here in the Midwest.  Three dogs mixed with a good thunderstorm means muddy paw prints everywhere!  They track it in through the backdoor, past the kitchen, and now in the livingroom and perhaps even on the couch.  Enough already!

I know that some people keep rags at the door to wipe their paws as they enter back into the house. Sure this method works, but with three dogs it’s not feasible for my house.  Here’s what I do.  And best of all it works like a charm.

Purchase a bale of straw and spread it all over the muddiest areas in your yard.  For me that’s the area right around the deck especially at the base.  One bale is enough for the space I’m covering. That’s it.  Your done and no more muddy paw prints marking up the floors. You can also use cedar chips but if you have a big area to cover that can get costly.

As far as the grass growing back in those high traffic muddy areas, no worries.  I usually go through two bales of straw throughout the Winter to Spring transition and the grass always grows back.  You can always throw some grass seed down.

So, are you willing to spend roughly $6. for a little peace of mind?

DIY Garden Inspiration Tips & Ideas (Spring 2015)

Our vegetable garden is planted and it’s thriving on all the rain we’re getting here in the Midwest. Usually the seeds and starter plants go in the ground on Mother’s Day, but this year we were able to plant a few days earlier, on the 8th of May.  My boyfriend and I love to recycle.  Last year we recycled two pallets for the leafy vegetables and they worked so well that we’re using them again this year.  The dog kennel we are using is still standing strong.  Read more here about how we came across that treasure and put it to good use.
For a more detailed “how to” tutorial using the pallets read back on last year’s post here.  They held up well over the Winter months.  They weren’t covered or moved during the off season.
This year we decided to go back to using the black fabric landscaping and garden pins for weed prevention. Using the newspaper and straw worked well, but it made for a lot of clean up at the end of the season.  If you prefer the straw method here’s how we applied it last year.
So, what did we plant?  Collard greens, mesclun (greens mixture), baby spinach, kale, green onions, green peppers, banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, grape tomatoes, mountain fresh tomatoes, and watermelon.
Now, let’s get started.  Enjoy the post and I hope it inspires you to plant one of your own.
Along with the seeds and starter plants we always mix some miracle grow in when they first go in the ground (and pallets).  Just to give the dirt a little boost.
Five days after planting the vegetable seeds, they popped right up!  Notice the pallet with the kale and green onions.  Place your taller vegetables in the smaller slot and save the leafy vegetables for the larger section.
The cages were placed around the plants right away.  Once your vegetables start to grow they may need a little additional support.  Read here for additional tips in that area.
Red bricks were lined along the side of the garden that faces the yard.  They work nicely as a stepping stone when entering the garden and they prevent the dogs from reaching in and grabbing any of the fabric material.  Bonus, they look nice.
As you can see from the image above everything is doing well.  This photo was taken on the 27th of May.  A little over two weeks from when we first planted it.
More garden updates are coming along with some additional tips.
The dogs did quite well during this whole process.  Usually they try to get inside the garden and grab a plant or two and run with it.  A fresh bone will distract them for hours.
So, what’s in your garden?

DIY Landscaping Tips & Ideas: Hosta Plants

Over the next couple of months I’ll be sharing some tips and ideas with you that I use in my own flower garden(s).  I can show you that with a little imagination and a few bucks your flower beds will look awesome.  Who doesn’t love a fun DIY project?  Especially when it involves being outside in the fresh air.

First up, hosta plants.  I love hostas!  The simple fact that they’re low maintenance is all I need to hear.  Plus, when they outgrow their space you can just chop them in half (or fourths) and plant elsewhere.

I had this little area of grass in front of my garage.  It was a nuisance to mow so it was given a new look.  My neighbor was selling hostas at her garage sale for $1.  Score!  My parents decided to update their landscaping and no longer needed the lava rocks they were using.  Another score!

I wait until the end of Winter (when all of the snow melts) before trimming the dead leaves off of the plants.  And that’s it.  Mother Nature takes care of the rest.

UPDATE:  5-30-15

As you can see in the image below the hostas are doing well.  Exceptionally well!  There are four plants total in this space, but one of them is hidden so I should relocate that one.  Come Fall, the other three will be divided up and placed in other areas around the house.

DIY Gift Wrapping Ideas Using Photos

Put a unique spin on gift giving this year.  With today’s technology we don’t print enough (or any) of the amazing photos we take.  Here’s a simple DIY project to change that.

I use to spend a lot of money on wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, and tags.  All for it to get ripped off as soon as the recipient receives it.  People are more interested on what’s inside the package.  (Aren’t we all?)  Here’s an inexpensive way to get them to pause for a moment and appreciate the whole gift (and it’s presentation) as they open it.

Personalize the outside of the package/box using a photo.  That’s it!  This past Christmas I used brown craft paper, tissue paper for the puppy, photographs, and washi tape for all of my gifts.  They were a huge hit.  And I observed everyone saving the photos as well.  The washi tape peeled off nicely without any tearing.  I chose a Christmas themed tape to compliment the black and white photos.

The possibilities are endless.  Here’s a list to inspire you.

* Baby shower gift-Use a baby photo of the Mom-to-be (or Dad)
* Graduation gift-Find a Kindergarten photo.
* Birthday-Use a photo from a previous celebration.
* Mother’s Day/Father-Use a photo from the delivery room when you were born.
* Just Because-Chose a random photo of you and the recipient.
* Welcome Package (new neighbor)-Snap a photo of the Sold sign on the house they just bought.
* New Puppy-Attach a photo of your pup with some text suggesting a play-date.
* Wedding Gift-Previous date night photo of the happy couple.

And the list goes on and on.  Be creative and think outside the box.  Photographs aren’t limited to a frame only.

There’s more ideas coming soon on creative ways to display/use all the photographs we take.

 

 

 

 

Pet Photography: Baily Schulting Photoshoot – First Haircut

Baily had a trip to the spa last week for his first haircut.  Today we documented his new look with a photoshoot.  Puppies are a challenge to work with especially when it comes to persuading them to sit still.  After several outtakes I chose these seven. Enjoy!
If this is your first time meeting Baily, he was introduced on the blog here.

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