Plastic Jug Garden Scoop DIY

It's so easy to make a much needed scoop out of discarded plastic jugs! And it's a quick and easy way to recycle and repurpose large plastic jugs. Especially the ones used to hold cleaning or other heavy duty supplies.  They are super tough and sturdy and will hold just about any outdoor item you need to scoop up - like mulch or soil while gardening.  How many times have you said to yourself you wished you had a scoop to spread that mulch when top dressing your garden or planting a new flower or bulb?  I know I have!  I hate having to lift all that extra weight of bags while I'm gardening. It's so much easier to SCOOP it out!

And I had the perfect jug to make a scoop! Just look at the picture below. Don't you see a scoop outlined in the jug, just waiting to be cut out?  See, I told you it's easy!

And you only need a few things to get started:

Empty heavy duty jug with handle

Utility knife

Sharpie marker

Scissors

Sanding block or paper

Magic Eraser (optional)

Ruler (optional)

Start by removing the labels from a clean, empty jug. 

Next, using a sharpie marker, draw dotted lines around the base of the top handle nearest the screw top .  .  . and then draw a continuous dotted line around the opposite handle side, angling down to the bottom and straight across (no lip) and back up again.  Make sure the lines of the scoop are equal distant on the jug, as pictured.

*If you make a mistake in marking out the scoop, or your lines aren't straight,  you can erase them using a magic eraser and start over with the help of a ruler.

Then, using a utility knife (a craft knife is not strong enough), carefully insert the tip into the plastic on the dotted line and cut slowly around the handle near the top opening, following the dotted lines.

Continue carefully cutting along the dotted lines and .  .  .

 down the sides following the angled dotted lines . .  .

until the scoop is cut out!

Use scissors to round off the corner edges .  .  .

and a sanding block or paper to smooth out any rough or sharp edges (not shown). The black lines from the marker can be removed with a magic eraser.

What a handy, dandy scoop!

Now the fun part begins out in the garden!

 Spreading and top dressing mulch!

But, it doesn't just stop there. Use it whenever you need to SCOOP - compost, sand, soil, snow melt, dog poop, trash, etc.! 

So save those plastic jugs, recycle, and have fun making all types of scoops!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy -

Happy Crafting!

Easy to Make DIY Ribbon Wrapped Ornament

I know, I know, I know! It's July and I'm posting about an easy to make ribbon wrapped ornament! Well, it's Christmas In July, and I'm sharing with you how to make this adorable ribbon wrapped ornament!  Don't you just love handmade ornaments?  And now's the time to start making them if you want a head start on your Christmas crafting and avoid that last minute rush and feeling overwhelmed!  And to help, I've got an easy and cheap way to make a lovely Christmas ornament!  And the best part about this is that you can use decorative ribbon to match your holiday décor! Yay!!!

You will need:

Smooth Styrofoam ball - 3"

Double-sided tape

1/4" Ribbon - 6+yds.

7/8" Decorative Ribbon - 9 ft.

Scissors

Fabric glue

Begin by wrapping the ball with double-sided tape, starting at the center end, down, around, and back to the starting point. Next, run the tape across the middle, until ends meet.

Then at the top center, place the end of the 1/4" ribbon on top of the tape and start wrapping the ball down and around, back to the starting point, slightly moving to the left or right (it doesn't matter), overlapping the edge of the ribbon  .  .  .

down and around and crisscrossing at the center top and bottom.

Smooth out or straighten the overlapping ribbon as it sticks to the tape.

Continue following the ribbon edge, pulling ribbon down to the bottom, crisscrossing ribbon, and back up to starting point, crisscrossing again.

Quickly lift the ribbon to smooth out or straighten overlapping areas if you make a mistake while wrapping or the ribbon moves out of place.

Continue wrapping ribbon down, crisscrossing and up again .  .  .

 crisscrossing and overlapping until .  .  .

 the ball is completely covered.

Once covered, end the ribbon at the top starting area, cutting off excess and holding taut, glue down with a small dab of glue. 

Don't know if you noticed the ridge around the Styrofoam that's showing through, so I cut a strip of decorative ribbon and added fabric glue to the back and glued it over the ridge.

In hindsight, the ridge could have been smooth out with sandpaper, but I like the decorative look.

To make the bow, I used my Mini Bowdabra and made eight loops on each side, scrunching the ribbon down, as I made more loops. The Mini Bowdabra is a handy tool to own, but you can google bow making to find other ways of making a loopy bow if you don't have one.

Glue on finished bow to the top of the ball (not shown).

Next, to make the hanging loop, cut an 8" piece of 1/4" ribbon, folding in half. Place a dab of glue between the ribbon about an inch from the ends and press together. Let dry.

Open the ends of the ribbon out from the glued spot, and place glue on both sides of the inside ends.

Press down ribbon ends along the center of the bow tie strip and hold in place. Let dry.

I'm loving how this turned out!!!

And it looks great hanging, too! 

What an easy way to make ribbon wrapped ornaments!!!!

The Christmas In July Link Party that I'm co-hosting is still going strong!  Link up your favorite Christmas ideas here until the end of the month! And don't forget to visit all the wonderful projects and inspirations you see!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy -

Happy Christmas Crafting!

How to Create Layered Bows for a Recued Pup

Just look at that smile!

Hi everybody!  I'm over on Bowdabrablog.com today where my niece's rescued fur baby, Xena, is showing off the layered bows I made for her!   Won't you stop on over and check out Xena 's story, from rescue to triumph .  .  . and see how pretty she looks modeling her Bowdabra bows and how I created them! 

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy -

Happy Bow Making!

Decorate a Thrift Store Find with DIY Wire Flowers

It's the 2nd Monday of the month and it's time for another Monthly Challenge Blog Hop!  The theme for July is Thrift Store Upcycle Challenge!  I've joined an amazing group of creative ladies to bring you a monthly challenge.  This month we have to upcycle/repurpose an item we found at a thrift store for twenty dollars or less. 

Across the Boulevard

My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies
Purple Hues and Me
Stone Cottage Adventures
Two Chicks and a Mom
The Boondocks Blog
Sew Crafty Crochet

I love looking in thrift stores, but rarely find items to repurpose or upcycle since ideas don't readily jump out at me.  I have to have a plan and then try to find what I need. And usually I don't find what I'm looking for in a thrift store. That's why I'm so hesitant to buy something, always wondering what I could do with it - then I leave the store and later wish I had gotten it.  So I'm a bit out of my comfort zone with this project.  But on a recent trip to Goodwill I actually picked up a wire basket/wall stand? for four dollars, that I liked but had no idea what I would do with it, initially. It was such a good buy and in great shape! I hoped that I could do something with it!  I loved the patina look of the wire basket and just didn't want to paint it. 

BEFORE

Then it dawned on me to dress up the basket with handmade wire flowers with the same type of finish. And you won't believe how easy wire flowers are to make! 

Here's how.  Gather the following materials:

• 16 gauge multi-purpose wire - Lowes
• Wire cutters
• Needle-nose pliers
• Round/cylinder object - wooden handle
• Decorative push pins 
• Dap RapidFuse Glue

To Make the Wire Flower:  

Extend the wire at least a foot or more.  Do not cut wire. 

Wrap the wire around a round object (I used a wooden handle) leaving a wire tail and using the handle, turn it a couple of times around the wire tail, twisting to form the first petal.

Remove the petal from the handle and extend the longer wire, straight out, sideways.

For the next petal, wrap the wire around the round handle as close to the first petal and twist and turn the handle and wire around twice to form the second petal.

                  

Continue making petals, for a total of five, extending the wire and wrapping wire around handle, twisting and turning to form petals, as before.  Make sure you get as close to the previous petal wire when wrapping for the next.

Once you've made five petals, push and shape the petals together forming the flower.  Cut off the excess wire leaving a tail at least six inches long.  Using needle nose pliers, begin rolling or coiling the wire into circles toward the center of the flower.

Continue coiling wire towards center .  .  .

 using the pliers to center the coiled wire between all of the petals.

Apply RapidFuse glue or a quick grab adhesive for metal to the coiled center and insert the decorative push pin.  Allow to dry.

 Now make several more!

The original wire tails (on back) were used to hook the flowers onto the basket. But you can permanently attach them to the basket using Dap RapidFuse glue.

I love how decorative the basket looks now!

AFTER

The wire flower basket is so versatile - giving extra storage space with a decorative flair when used in any room.  You can use it to hold fruits and vegetables in the kitchen or toilet paper or towels in the powder room.  You can also use it for magazines, or a catch all in the foyer.  Now, with handmade wire flowers attached, the wire basket is as attractive as it is functional!  What a great thrift store find!

Be sure to check-out all of the other creative thrift store upcycle projects my co-hosts have done! You will surely be inspired! And don't forget to come back on the 2nd Monday of August for our Sharing of Family Recipes Challenge!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy -

Happy Crafting!