Eightymillion

A DIY craft and photography blog. Dogs included.

Recycling Cement Bricks into Flower Pots

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 Inspiration: Smash Book Progress

©JenniferSchultingPhotography2012
I’m extremely excited yet overly tired.  Honestly, I could fall asleep within 30 seconds of hitting the pillow.  First I want to share an update regarding the Smash Books.  If your new to the blog, *thanks* for visiting.  Also, read here for the history behind this awesome handmade project.
I’ve got three piles of cutouts ready to go.  Huge piles.  I surprised myself at how much I’ve collected for this.  Every page in the book isn’t going to be the exact same size.  Why?  Because I hate to measure and I don’t want to take the time to cut again.  I’ve spent enough time with the scissors for the prep work.  And it doesn’t matter if they match.  I’ve got an idea to make each page fit within the book.  It was inspired by a child’s toy that I saw in the store.  I’ll share more when I approach that step.  
I also kept the odd pieces from each box that I broke down.  Not sure where they will fit in, but I couldn’t throw them away.
That’s all folks.  Girl needs sleep.  Check back tomorrow for Friday’s Top 10 List (I’ve made new connections and found some goodies from around the web).  On Saturday I’ll show you what supplies I’ve gathered to place in the books.  Everyday oddities that are inexpensive yet creative. 
Until the next word…
~Jennifer 

Recycling: DIY Flower Pot Project

I had these two plastic flower pots taking up space in my storage area “aka” the garage.  They have a unique vintage look to them.  In the process of cleaning out the garage I thought of a way to reuse them and save them from the garbage.
I flipped one of them over and used three screws to connect them.  Now I like them again.  I recently replanted a shrub that was growing out of control in one of my flower beds.  I noticed that I forget a portion of the plant in the ground, so I’m attempting to give some life.  So far so good.  
~Jennifer

Thrift Store Find: Service For Two?

Found these awesome tv trays at a thrift store this past week.  I don’t have a kitchen table in my house.  Why?  Because when I did it only turned into another storage space for odds and ends.  I find that using tv trays are much easier.  This way I can multitask when I eat with watching the news and doing some paperwork.
It felt good to throw away the old ones we were using.  One was a cool retro pattern.  It was starting to buckle in the center.  And the other was made of wood.  One in which our youngest son (House) took a fond liking to with it being wood.  The $4. investment I made with the new ones was well worth it.  They match and have a lip to them.  That way the drinks don’t slide off the end.  Remember, the simple things.  Seriously though, I was looking for some with a lip for that one reason.  You would be surprised at how much strength a dog’s tail has. 
I’ve seen a lot of trays with some sort of flower arrangement on them.  I haven’t come across this pattern.  It’s interesting.
P.S.
Perhaps this is why I don’t like to go out to eat at a restaurant.  Because I don’t like to sit at the table.  Umm…
~Jennifer

Recycled Vintage Wall Art

Here’s my latest project I’ve been working on.  Remember the sneak peek I gave you earlier this week?
I used the original 1967 vintage flash cards, some card stock, and a frame.  The box came with 144 words to work with.  I was going to sell the box of cards as is, but as I got looking through them I was coming up with all sorts of phrases.  My mom convinced me to frame some.  A few will go in the shop in Galena, IL, some on Etsy, one will be for a gift, and a couple in my house. 
Here’s a flash card that I got from a set my mom has.  Having a house full of four-legged ones I felt it fits most appropriately on my office wall.
Until the next project……have a funday Monday!
~Jennifer

Recycling a Piece From the Past

Some say to move on and let the past go.  I refuse.  If you find something and it still works, why not use it, right?
How cool is this?  A 1970’s Zenith Receiver complete with turntable, cassette player, and 8 Track deck.  And everything works.  Connected to two speakers it makes a nice surround sound unit for the living room.  Obviously, we’re not using the turntable and cassette player due to the fact that the television is sitting on top of it.  Probably not the safest position, but it hasn’t fallen yet.  And for the record it wasn’t my idea to set it up like this.  I’m not a big fan of the huge HD flat panels.  Sure they save space, but as long as I can see and hear the picture that’s all I’m concerned about.  This tv cost $50. (discontinued from Sears) and the receiver $35. (antique store).  
I’ve been coming across some vintage VHS tapes which caught my eye.  My latest pick was Lifestyles of the Ramones.  And I found some Beatles on 8 track.
Next project, a sofa table for in front of our picture window.  We need something long and narrow to keep the dogs from jumping on the glass when the mailman walks by.  With Spring coming the town will soon fill up with garage sales.  I’m sure to find something.
Have a great week!
~Jennifer

DIY Outdoor Recycling Inspiration: Think Spring, Part One

Has cabin fever set in?  It has here and I can’t wait for Spring.  Mother Nature has been dishing out some funny weather, so I decided to look back on projects that I did in my yard last year.

I try to recycle everything in some way.  The vintage doors were given to me from my mom.  They were already hinged together with the flower box attached.  The only thing they needed was some color.  So, I found a quaint little corner in my yard and added some flowers.  The silver teapot was a $5. Ikea find.  Love that store!  The greenery is from Hobby Lobby.  

My favorite part of the door is this pair of crocks I found at the thrift store for $1.00.  Instant flower pots.

A local downtown business had a pile of bricks in their alley.  One day I decided to call the owner (whom I knew) and ask if she had plans for them.  Sounds crazy, right?  Well, they are now mine. Score!  Again, another instant flower pot.  I lined them along the sidewalk by my back door. They fit the length of the walk way perfectly.  I “thought” they would serve as a distraction to the dogs and prevent them from jumping off the edge. Perhaps encouraging them to use the steps.  No, didn’t work. They jump even higher now over them.

And then there’s the garden.  The best part of spring.  This was the third season for planting and as my three beloved dogs got taller the need for a taller fence grew as well.  My neighbor had multiple pieces of a dog kennel leaning up against her house.  I asked her if she would be willing to sell some of it.  She told me that it was free if I could make it disappear.  Another great find!  But I couldn’t take it for nothing.  A case of cold beverages put a smile on her face.

So, my boyfriend and I found the pieces we would need to complete our project.  We relocated our exiting garden by expanding it to the corner of the yard.  Therefore, we only needed panels to cover two sides. And we were lucky enough to find a piece with a gate. It helps with the maintenance.

A new season brings new projects.  There will be a part two to this post.  I have additional recycling projects I’ll share as soon as the snow melts and the ground softens.  And yes it involves me asking people for their junk.

Do you have any outdoor projects to share?  Feel free to share links for your projects in the comment section below.