Monday, June 14, 2021

DIY Garden Accents

 

Creating DIY garden accents is a fun way to add interest to your outdoor flowers and plants. It's also a great upcycle activity to do with kids during the summer! It's so easy to gather all sizes of leftover plastic utensils from a get-together and fashion them into decorative garden accents like a lady bug or butterfly!
 
Welcome to our monthly Blog Hop Challenge hosted by Beverly @ Across the Blvd. The theme for the month of June is Summer Crafts


Creating DIY garden accents for the summer is an easy way to add a whimsical look to outdoor spaces - adding the perfect touch to flowering plants and gardens. You'd probably prefer to have adorable handcrafted bugs on your flowers instead of the real ones which can become quite a nuisance. So let's begin.

Materials: 

  • Assorted sizes of plastic spoons 
  • Cutting snips or utility scissors/hot knife
  • RapidFuse All Purpose Adhesive
  • Outdoor Acrylic Craft Paint/sponge brush/paint brush wood tip end
  • 18/14 Gauge Stem Wire
  • Wire cutters/nose pliers
  • Button
  • Googly eyes

Let's begin by cutting the bowls from the handles of plastic spoons using utility or heavy duty scissors. Be careful and try not to split the plastic.
You will need to cut two different sizes of spoons - two larger ones for the upper wings and two smaller ones for the lower wings. I had several plastic spoons in my stash, but most were basically the same size.  One set for the top is rounder than the bottom set.
And I had lots of plastic handles leftover from earlier spoon projects, so I found an handle that was wider on one end for the butterfly head.  
Next, applied multi purpose glue to the handle (body) to attach the wings for a permanent hold. Hot glue would not hold up outside.
First, glue on the top wings .  .  .
and then the bottom wings .  .  .
and let dry.
Once the wings are dry, cut and fold stem wire into a "V" shape, curling the ends to mimic antennae. Glue onto center of top (head)

Begin painting the butterfly. First the wings .  .  .
and then the body. Let dry between areas.
Add decorative pattern to wings. I'm not very good at painting - something I've always struggled with.


To make the ladybug, I used serving spoons from the DollarTree for the body.
And used a hot knife to cut the handles off. I tried using snips on the bottom of the handle to see if the plastic would crack and it did. So I used a hot knife instead.
Lining up three of the bowls of the serving spoons together .  .  .
and then painting two red .  .  .
and one black.
and then gluing the three together.

Painting on black dots using the wooden tip of a paint brush .  .  .


And gluing on a button with googly eyes on the top center for the head!
They certainly enhances the garden scene - don't they!



Each month, a group of craft, home decor, and recipe bloggers co-host a themed blog hop. This month, we’re all sharing Summer Craft Ideas.

 Meet this month’s hosts:
 Be sure visit their links to see how they met this month’s   challenge!



Click on the links below to see how the co-hosts met this month’s challenge!



9 comments:

  1. I'll never look at plastic spoons the sawe anymore - so creative and cute! Pinned!

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  2. Gail, these are so creative! I love them both. They would be fun to have in any garden.

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  3. Love your whimsical ladybug and butterfly! They're super cute and you know I'm loving those polka dots. Dot fanatic here lol.

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  4. Your butterfly and ladybug are sooooo cute! It's amazing that you created them from plastic spoons! So creative!!!

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  5. These are so adorable!! I can't believe they were made from plasticware.

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  6. I love these pretty garden accessories you made out of spoons Gail. They look great in the garden.

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  7. You are so clever, Gail. I never would have guessed these were spoons! Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJ's.

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  8. Great job! Your article is so informative. I really like your work and also keep it up.
    please also check my website here Half oz Touchup Paint

    ReplyDelete
  9. These are the cutest bugs ever -- and the kind that I don't mind in my garden!

    I'm going to feature this at our Party in Your PJs link party tomorrow night on my Grandma Ideas site. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful idea!

    ReplyDelete

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