xmas in july

This project (inspired by something else earlier, but similar project here) has only been on my Do List for months years. I originally planned to use the leftover tester pots from this project, but they dried up while I procrastinated, so I decided to stick with the leftovers from what we actually used on the walls. I was determined to do it before we moved, mostly because I didn't want to drag the old paint with us.

I pulled out the three colors we've used around the house, empty clear glass ornament bulbs, and a few plastic pipettes from an old craft kit, and got to work.



Not exactly what I expected, but nice enough.



I actually prefer the look of what drained out of the bulbs after I left them upside down overnight to dry.





If we manage to buy a house and move in before Christmas this year, we'll hang them on the tree!

inspired

Try to keep up with this timeline, it moves really quickly.

For Christmas last year, Chachi gave me a gift certificate to Succulence, to take a vertical gardening class.

In May, I took this class (see, moving fast) and made this:


I was really inspired by the class to make a bigger vertical garden, and one suggestion was to use a pallet, which are often free on Craigslist. The end result:
http://www.designsponge.com/2011/09/diy-project-recycled-pallet-vertical-garden.html

I found a pallet, which required borrowing a friend's suv to bring home. And now it's been sitting in the backyard for mumblemumble months. I might have been a bit ambitious...



So, plan B. I'll return the pallet to the Craigslist sphere, and start smaller.

We removed this grate from the window of the back door when the house was painted. Step one: spray paint!





Step two: add chicken wire backing and then stuff with moss. Check back soon, we're moving at the speed of light here.

my first ikea hack

I love this website. My project isn't exactly a hack, but let's say it is anyway.

I spent about 20 minutes in Ikea during my last shopping trip picking various plates, serving trays, and candle holders, and arranging them in various combinations. I was going for size and shape, rather than pattern, assuming that I would spray paint the whole thing to match.







Too big, too small, too short, too tall. I started to feel like Goldilocks.

But then... just right!


Well, almost. The plates were just the right size. But the candle holder was a little more bling than I was aiming for. So break out the spray paint!

Et voila!

craftastic

I'm sure you are scratching you head, thinking, "But Miles doesn't do crafts..."

That's right, folks. This blog is taking a detour from the 24-7 Miles Show. Hold onto your hats.

Ages and ages ago, when I first got hooked on Pinterest, I pinned this idea, via http://rachelmahan.tumblr.com/.

Source: rachelmahan.tumblr.com via Joni on Pinterest

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the original post, or any instructions, so I had to make it up as I went.

First, I dug out some vases from our wedding, and an assortment of rubber bands in various widths.



Then I roughed up the surface with sandpaper, though I'm not sure that was really necessary, and taped the inside of the glass so the paint would stay on the outside. The last step was to randomly stretch the rubber bands around the glass, which was harder than it sounds. Now we're ready to spray paint!



Our backyard is a bit windy, so it took 4 or 5 light coats to get good coverage.



The end result isn't as nice as the inspiration. I thought the black paint would be dramatic, but I think it's just too dark. I also thought using rubber bands in different widths would be interesting, but in hindsight, I think the original idea was better. And next time I'll use fewer rubber bands.



Stay tuned for more fun crafts!