Newspaper Flower Basket Cart DIY

It's been raining so much around here that I've been stuck inside wondering when I'll be able to go outside and play in the garden. In the meantime, waiting for the sun to come out and dry things out, it's always fun looking around the house to see what you can get into and make! Don't you just love a project that uses stuff you already have and cost next to nothing to make - like this adorable flower basket cart made out of newspaper? Just perfect for summertime! Here's how you can make one, too!

Materials: 

• Newspaper section
• Scissors
• Skewer stick
• Aileen's Quick Grab Tacky Glue
• Small plastic container
• Clamps
• Ink pen
• 2 wire clothes hangers
• String cording
• Wire cutter
• Acrylic paint
  

To make newspaper tubes:

1.  Fold a newspaper section in half and fold again so you have four sections, and crease.
2.  Cut out the four folded sections and open .
3.  Take a thin skewer stick and place on the corner edge of paper at an angle, as pictured.
4.  Place the end tip of the paper over the skewer and start rolling the paper with fingers pressed down on the table first.  Once you've started rolling the paper, lift up the tube so your left fingers are controlling the roll while your right hand is rolling the stick and tightening the tube.
5.  Just before finishing the tube roll, add glue to the corner end tip and continue rolling until reaching the end to seal. You will need to make about 15 tubes - depending on the size of the basket you want.

To make the basket:
Lay three tubes down vertically on your work surface and weave in three tubes horizontally, over and under, one tube at a time,

making sure the tubes are side by side.

Next, take one end tube and begin weaving it around the other tubes, over and under, moving around in a circle, keeping tubes as close together, as possible. 

 Lengthen the weaving tube by adding glue in the tube opening and inserting a new tube.

Continue weaving tube around, over and under the other tubes, lengthening as you weave.

Once you've created a good round basket base, place over the bottom of an upside down plastic container about the size of a basket you want to make and continue weaving around and lengthening the tube until reaching the end. It was easier for me to used a candle holder to set the container on while weaving.

Once you reach the end, glue down the weaving tube horizontally along the basket. Clamp in place until dry. Cut off vertical tubes, leaving enough to fold over, while adding a bit more glue and inserting into the woven sides to seal.

To make the cart wheel, flatten a  new newspaper tube and wrap around a small cylinder shape, like an ink pen, adding a bit of glue as you roll.

Once you've rolled the wheel size you want, seal with additional glue and let dry. Carefully remove pen.

Next, cut the straight wire off of the hangers and insert each one into a newspaper tube.

Insert the wire tube into the wheel opening, half way and bend into a V shape.

Next, place the other wired tube across the bent tube. Place the basket on top, adjusting the space between for support and placement. Remove the basket and glue the straight tube in place.

Strengthen tube connections by wrapping cording in x-shape around tubes, knotting and cutting off excess.

Gently bend the long wired tube straight down on each side and then into a V-shape for cart stands, cutting off excess tube and gluing in place. Glue on short horizontal bar for more basket support.

Glue on basket to cart base, curling the cart handles and gluing together .  .  .

 and then, painting it all.

This adorable flower cart makes for a lovely floral arrangement accent piece - especially during the summer!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Crafting!

Faux Boxwood Flamingo - Dollar Store Craft Challenge

It's that time again for our Monthly Challenge Blog Hop!

I've joined a group of creative bloggers to bring you a monthly challenge blog hop. On the 2nd Monday of each month we share our themed creations for the month.  For June, it's a Dollar Store Craft!  And who doesn't love creating something awesome using items from the dollar store!

This post contains links to products, if you purchase something after clicking on my link I may earn a small commission to help with my craft expenses (at no extra cost to you).Thank you!
 

 We've all seen and admired animal topiaries somewhere along the way. It's amazing to see real foliage growing in the shape of animals. But who wants to spend a lot of time trying to train plants to grow a certain way - constantly cutting, trimming and watering! I know I don't!  And it could take years to get it like you want! But wait - I've got a simple solution using a dollar store flamingo, faux boxwood and silicone adhesive to achieve the look! And it's oh, so simple!

Just paint a pink flamingo and legs (they're tucked in the neck) dark green to match the faux boxwood, and let dry.

Then, start gluing on small sections from a garland boxwood, starting at the flamingo's beak, head and neck.

 

 Glue on larger pieces draping along the body, following the curves and alternating the direction of the boxwood .  .  .

until all areas are filled in.

Insert the legs .  .  . and have fun deciding where you want to showcase this cutie!

What a fun and quick way to add a touch of whimsy to your garden decor!


Want to see more of what can be created from dollar store goodies? Be sure to visit each and every blogger who joined in this month's challenge! 

My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies • Across the Blvd

Cookies, Coffee, and Crafts • Our Crafty Mom

Intelligent Domestications • Sew Crafty Crochet

The Blue Willow House • Olives & Okra

Purple Hues and Me • Our Unschooling Journey

Coastal Bohemian • The Inspiration Vault

Stone Cottage Adventures • Peppermints & Cherries

This Autoimmune Life • My Pinterventures

An InLinkz Link-up

Sprucing Up the Patio and Stenciling Fabric Rockers

Now that the weather is warmer, it's time to clean off the winter grime with a little TLC and give your patio some love! Our patio is starting to show it's age after seven years and needs a bit of sprucing up! There are several things you can do without costing a lot of money. Flowers are the number one way to instantly spruce up an area. And of course you can always add accessories like pillows, lanterns and accent tables. I found this wonderful website, Wikibuy, that lets you shop at tons of popular online retailers and finds the best prices for you by applying a coupon code at checkout. And the best part, if you're not ready to buy just yet, they'll notify you when the price drops! How cool is that! Check out this adorable umbrella table I got here https://wikibuy.com/

This post contain affiliate links. You are not obligated to click on any link or buy any products that are advertised. If you click on an affiliate link and buy something, I may receive a very small commission.  It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra. Mentions of associated products/services/businesses within the content of my blog may or may not be noted as an affiliate in every reference.Thank for your support!  

Using paint is another quick way to spruce things up - but my way of painting is a bit more decorative! You know I love all kinds of rocking chairs - indoors or out - I just love to rock!  I've had a set of folding outdoor rocking chairs for about fifteen years now. I can't remember where I got them but I can say that they've held up pretty well throughout the years. But lately I've wanted to do something with them since they do look a bit drab and plain. And after considering a few options, I decided to dress them up by stenciling flowers onto the back! It's amazing how a little paint and a fun stencil can go a long way to enhancing an outdoor space. Here's a few pictures of what they looked like at our former home:

 

 Some wonderful memories here - I re-upholstered the sofa and made pillows to match.  We left all of our outdoor furniture for the buyer, except the rockers.

 I'm sorry that I don't have a recent picture of the rockers on our patio. It's been raining so much that I've kept them in the garage to stay dry for this project. And it's still raining so I'm going to stencil them inside.

Let's begin by cleaning the fabric. I used water and a bit of Dawn dishwashing detergent to remove any dirt, and let dry.

 I'm using a wall stencil called Garden Anemone Flowers from Cutting Edge that I taped onto the back facing of the rocker. The rocker fabric is synthetic and the painter's tape did not stick too well. I had to wrap it around the back and use duct tape to help secure the stencil in place.

 I used a stencil brush that was much better to use with the outdoor acrylic paint because of the texture of the fabric instead of using a sponge spouncer - which I tried.

 Once the flowers were stenciled, I did the stems and leaves and  .  .  .

 quickly removed the stencil to reveal a lovely design! Because of the texture of the fabric, the lines were not as crisp - but still it looks wonderful!

 I allowed the paint to dry for several hours and then painted on an outdoor clear drying varnish over the flowers.

Don't you just love this! Simple and Fun!

 

Now if it would just stop raining!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Crafting!

 

The Perfect Gift Wrap for Father's Day!

Impress your dad or any man for that matter, with your gift wrapping skills this Father's Day by transforming your gift into a shirt and bowtie, using your Bowdabra!  

Hi! This is Gail and I'm over on Bowdabrablog sharing with you this adorable tutorial! You won't believe how easy it is to make! So hurry on over and give it a try! Father's Day is Sunday, June 17th!

Thanks for stopping by,

Happy Crafting!