We are going to be sharing some fun ideas on using unconventional items as planters….we’ll show you how to ‘Think Outside the Pot’! Check out Kelly’s HomeTalk board here to see some of the great ideas.
AND…..after you RSVP you can enter to win a great set of 6 blue Ball jars! Woohoo!
Be sure to click the the graphic below to RSVP and enter the giveaway…..
The show is Tuesday, May 7 at 2:00 EST…..and should be about 30 minutes!
OK…they may look a little goofy, but I think you will fall in love with these Sock Neck Warmers. We gave them for neighbor Christmas gifts one year…and we still have people asking for them. One of our neighbors is a midwife, and she came to our garden to gather all the needed lavender and made them for some of her patients and coworkers.
Ever have a tight neck? Tension? These are the bomb! You heat them in the microwave and then lay them around your neck….the heat and the weight of them feel wonderful!
Here’s what you need:
knee socks…any pattern
white rice
lavender
twine or ribbon to tie them up
big bowl
Here’s how you make them:
1. In a big bowl mix lots of lavender with the white rice
2. Fill each sock with your yummy-smelling mixture
3. Tightly tie the open end closed with twine or ribbon
Heat in the microwave to your desired heat…..I like 2-3 minutes. {And I like to use two at a time. }
These make great gifts….you can match the socks to the person’s personality. I like to use dark-colored socks because they don’t show dirt, etc.
Instead of only using conventional flower pots for our plantings each year, we like to use unique vessels as plant pots. These are two of my favorite this year….our Chicken Feeder Planters.
You can use just about anything to plant in…..just think outside the norm. If it doesn’t have holes in the bottom, be sure to either drill holes or put a layer of pebbles in the bottom of the container you’ve chosen. You don’t want your plants or flowers to get waterlogged.
These two chicken feeders came from the lovely family from this wonderful place. For many years they were in the hen house on this beautiful farm and helped to feed and water their chickens. They were perfect for a fun planter!
I love succulents….so, I decided to fill both of them up with succulents this year. Succulents like shallow soil, and can thrive in hot, dry climates. They are super easy to care for….BUT, you need to shop around, because they can be very expensive. Here in our area you can find them from 99 cents each to $7.50 each. Same size and condition. {Guess which ones we went with? Yep….the 99 cent ones.} So, if you decide to fill a planter with succulents, just be sure to shop around. Garden centers usually have the best prices….over specialty stores, etc.
Here’s a look at our fun Chicken Feeder Planters……..
You can plant succulents in soil or sand.
You’ll want to really pack them in and not have a lot of space left..they make a better impact that way.
Here’s the larger chicken feeder…..
I like to use many different kinds of succulents planted all together; but it would also be fun to fill a container with all the same kind.
I really want chickens. I’ve been studying up….and planning. Tell me what you know about chickens……everything. Tell me everything you know……
OK..that has nothing to do with today’s post. I just needed to share. Thanks for reading my random thoughts and ramblings.
We have been wanting to put curtains on our front porch f.o.r.e.v.e.r. We’ve had them marked in catalogs and ‘on the list’. You know, The List. The one with all the wants and needs…the one that when you mark 2 things off, you add 4 more. Yeah. That one.
Outdoor curtains for our porch was going to cost around $300. {That’s why they’ve been on the list for a while…..too many other things that needed to come first!} BUT, a few weeks ago I went to an outlet sale. We live in the town that houses the factory for Hatteras Hammocks and Pawley’s Island Hammocks….and twice a year they have a great factory outlet sale.
I spotted them. My outdoor curtains. The exact ones I had marked in the catalog. For $10! SCORE! Needless to say, they came home with me.
I knew I wanted rope tie backs to hold them back when we weren’t using them. I had used rope tie backs on these curtains…and love them. I found them at some of my favorite places…..the cheapest being $89 each. ugh. I really wasn’t in the mood to make tie backs….but, alas, I did. And I’m glad. And they look just like the $89 Restoration Hardware ones. I spent around $8 and it took me all of 15 minutes. Here’s how to do it……..
You will need:
18″-24″ of large hemp rope for each tie back or whatever length you desire for each tie back
small hemp rope – usually sold in a package
thick twine
hot glue and glue gun
scissors
Here’s how ya do it:
When the store cuts your large hemp rope they will wrap the ends in masking tape to keep it from fraying….leave that in place.
1. Cut a piece of twine about 8″…or desired length for your hanging loop
2. Glue the ends on each side of your large rope
3. Begin at the bottom of the twine and hot glue the small hemp rope.
4. Put several lines of hot glue on the masking tape
5. Begin wrapping the small hemp rope around the larger one…covering up the end that you hot glued to get started. Keep wrapping until you reach the top of the rope, and secure with hot glue.
6. Repeat 1-6 for the end of each tie back.
Tah-dah!
I love rope. I love porch curtains. I love chickens. I love porches. I love having rope on my porch curtains on my porch. I love readers that read my crazy ramblings.
It is absolutely gorgeous here in Eastern NC right now. Spring has finally arrived, and we have been having fun gardening over the past several days.
I thought I would put several fun gardening ideas together in one post….from our archives here at Oak Cottage. These have been some of the most popular….
Salad Garden in a Chicken Feeder………I love chicken feeders. All kinds. I was just given a round one from this wonderful place, and I can’t wait to plant something special in it and hang it in the trees. =)
This weekend we finally finished painting the wonderful chairs that we found at this place….and we finished them up by covering the chair cushions with grain sack. {Here’s my favorite places to find grain sack…if I can’t find them in person at a flea market or antique store.}
I shared about these wonderful chairs here…..and we were so excited to finally get them painted and finished. We found them in a barn..and couldn’t believe that there were eight matching chairs! {Two with arms!} Woohoo!
Last week I painted them..if you follow me on Instagram, you found out the I do not like painting chairs! They are a bear to paint. BUT, they’re done! And, it is so worth it.
Here’s what they looked like when we found them in the barn….
And here’s how they look now……..
If you have never covered chair cushions….it is so easy. It’s a great way to completely change the look or update a chair in just a few minutes. {I shared in this post how we covered our outside dining room table with coffee sacks.}
I painted each chair with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White…and waxed them with dark wax. I then used really rough sand paper to distress each chair.
These chairs didn’t have any seats….so they had to be made.
Next, you will need to get Handsome…..no, wait. {You’ll have to get your own Handsome-type of helper….I don’t share Handsome.} I’m kinda selfish that way.
Back to the story….Handsome made a template of the chairs and cut the seat bottom out of 1/2″ plywood.
If you have to cut seats…be sure to ‘test’ them before you start cutting material and padding…to make sure you are pleased with how they fit.
I suggest using 2″ foam for the padding. You can use a thinner padding/foam, but your derrière will thank you much more if you go with the 2″.
Lay the seat cushion on top of your padding and trace with a marker.
Then cut along your traced line with really sharp scissors.
This is not the most fun part…but when you are finished, with your gnarled, cramped hand…stand back and admire your lovely stacks of cushions.
Now you’re ready to cover. {Even if you are not ready…it’s time.}
Gather together a few tools and supplies:
staple gun
3/8″ staples
your material that you will be using to cover your cushions
foam padding
wooden seat bottom
{Handsome likes to arrange the staples in fun shapes when he sets up my little work space.}
Place your foam padding on top of the material that has been cut for each cushion.
Your material should be cut 4″ larger than your foam…to allow plenty to pull around and cover your cushion.
No, those are not bugs on my padding. I like to sprinkle fresh lavender on the padding before I cover the cushions. It makes them smell wonderful…just faintly.
Lay your wooden seat bottom on top of the padding.
Begin in the middle and staple close together all along the top of your cushion.
Next begin in the middle of the opposite side and staple the other edge…pulling to make sure the material is taut, but not so tight that you will create dents or uneven spots.
Don’t worry if the staples do not go all the way down…we’ll take care of that in a moment.
To make the corners you will push the end in just like you do when you wrap a gift. Be sure to pull tightly …. you don’t want saggy corners. Saggy corners just don’t look good on anyone…even cushions.
{Be sure to tense your hand and hold so tightly that your hand becomes wrinkled and red … and looks like it’s 99 years old. Like mine.}
Once all sides are done….use a hammer to make sure all the staples are all the way in and secure.
{My Mom gave me this hammer many years ago and put red dots on it. She said it would keep people from trying to take my hammer. I haven’t quite figured that out….but I just go with it.}
Now…at this point you can finish off the back of your cushion by cutting a piece of felt or material to cover the back. You can hot glue it into place. Personally, I usually don’t do this because this side will never be seen unless someone lays under your chair. I feel that if someone is going to lay under my chair, I don’t want them to be disappointed ….they deserve to find something fun. So, I leave mine just like this. If I was going to sell these chairs I may want to finish off the back with a felt covering. Completely up to you.
The back of your finished cushion.
Here is what your finished corners will look like.
And your finished cushion! 1 down, 7 to go! {It took me about 45 minutes to cover 8 cushions.}
If you are using your cushions in the dining room…or anywhere else that will get heavy use…you may want to Scotch-Guard them. I always Scotch-Guard our cushions. It makes cleaning them a snap! {Be sure to read the directions and test your fabric first.} You can check out my tip on how to spot-clean cushions here.
I like to do this outside….with my cushions on a clean blanket or tarp.
Handsome then screwed each cushion onto the chairs.
And, voila! We have 8 of these beauties!
We are loving them!
Here’s a quick list of what you need to cover a chair cushion:
seat bottom {1/2″ plywood works great}
2″ padding
material that you wish to cover the cushions with
staple gun
3/8″ staples
hammer {red dots optional}
drill
screws to attach cushion to chair
fresh lavender {optional}
+++++
Woohoo…we can sit in chairs for dinner tonight! We’ve been sitting on the floor for a week!
When trying to organize and make the best use of the space we’ve been given in each room we have found a wonderful way to add character and charm AND hide stuff!
Quite often we use curtains as doors…. door curtains, if you will.
We’ve used curtains as closet doors in our office… you can read about that here. {Made from printed linen}
We’ve used curtains under kitchen cabinets and under our new farmhouse sink…..{Made from a painters drop cloth} You can view our cottage kitchen here.
We used them on our sideboard in the dining room to hide the massive amount of storage that was created and to make accessing the stuff under there easy. {It also softens and adds warmth to the room.} {Made from linen} You can view the tutorial on how to make this sideboard here.
We also use curtains on our bookcases in the living room. {Made from French ticking} Our living room redo posts can be viewed here…..and it is ongoing!
The living room is the hardest room in our cottage to take pictures in….weird lighting. I am determined to figure it out and master it one day. If you hang around long enough you might get to see it! {I just hope I still have my eyesight and all my real teeth when it happens!}
I love what it adds to the rooms……so much prettier than a door. Also, it’s much less expensive than adding doors to cabinets and bookcases, etc.
You can use ready made curtains purchased at a store, or you can easily make your own. I made the ones in our home and it was such a quick fix. For some of them it did not even involve sewing. For the ones that it did involve sewing….it was just a quick hem up the sides.
My favorite rods are the cafe curtain rods or the spring loaded curtain rods. Sometimes I slide the curtain right onto the rod…. using a pocket in the top of the material; but most of the times I use cafe rod clips. The clips make the curtains open and close so easily.
Have you ever used curtains in places besides windows?
When the autumn Pottery Barn catalog arrived I fell in love with some cute signs that were in there. They were fun sayings on vintage paper and then framed.
I was about to purchase them for our new master bath…they were just what I was looking for to fill the big space left on the wall.
Then it hit me…how easy would they be to create myself!??
So, I uploaded a scan of some vintage paper and selected the size that I wanted the prints to be, added my phrases and fun wording, sent it off to my favorite printer, and Voila! For a mere $20 total I had my $100 Pottery Barn knock-offs hanging on the wall.
Can I get a woo to go with the hoo!??
If you would like to create something similar…you can use any free photo editing software, such as Picmonkey, Gimp, etc…you don’t have to have Photoshop. It took me about 10 minutes.
They are perfect in the big, empty spot on the wall.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you subscribe to Cottage in the Oaks through a reader/RSS feed….within the next week we will be switching servers. This should not interrupt your feed, but sometimes it can. ugh. I certainly don’t want to lose any of you….I love having you here! So, if all of a sudden you don’t receive a post be sure to come back here and subscribe again so we can get back on track! Fun things are coming in 2013….we’re getting an overhaul.
Now, onto our regularly scheduled program…….
It’s always fun at the end of each year to see which posts have received the greatest views/hits over the past 12 months. Quite often it surprises me!
Today I pulled up our stats and made a list of the Top 12 posts of 2012.
Thought I would share them with you here in order {you can click on the name of each post to be taken to that particular one}…….
So, there you have it…..the Top 12 posts of 2012! It was fun to see what was the most popular. Did you have a favorite?
I hope you have fun here on Cottage in the Oaks….it’s a blessing to have you as a reader. I’m honored and humbled that you guys like to see what we are up to and hopefully get inspiration while you hang out here a bit.
We are in full Christmas swing here…how about you? I thought I would share a few of our fun little Christmas touches we’ve added this year….really easy ones. {I also listed with the links at the end of this post the other ideas from last year with the how-to’s…}
I do not like the labels that come on most products….like jar candles, plastic storage boxes, etc. I’m that crazy person that when I see someone has left the label on the plastic storage container I have to hold myself back. I just want to run over and pull it off! Truly. It is all I can do to keep from doing it. And, if I know the person, I actually do it. ha!
SO, to cover up our jar candle labels I used upholstery webbing…..ya gotta love upholstery webbing. It usually comes in red, a dark forest green, or black.
For this little project I just cut the webbing long enough to overlap and hot-glued it together. It forms a little sleeve that can slip off and be used on another jar candle when needed. {But be sure to glue it tight enough that it doesn’t slip down.}
Another way I used the webbing was to add a little fun to the pillows that we have on the porch swing…..
Another fun, quick project we did was make some little word labels for two of our vintage silver foil tabletop trees.
Using craft paper….we printed some fun words, cut them out, outlined then in German glass glitter {my favorite!}, and then glued hangers on the back. For the hangers I just used wire ornament hooks and straightened them out, then curved them to make a hanger for each word.
I am noticing that I really liked using the word ‘fun’ in this post. Fun!
Here are some other Christmas projects from last year {just click on the title of each one to be taken to the post with the tutorial and any free printables}:
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Fun things are coming in 2013….we’re getting an overhaul. 
