Can Do Decor and Playing with PVC

I am new to drinking coffee.   I really didn't think I was much of a coffee drinker but the evidence says otherwise, although you will see by the brand, I am not a connoisseur of coffee!   I am acquiring quite the can collection.  Every time I empty a new can into my canister for coffee I hold the can and have a full on argument with myself over tossing it into the trash.  You know what happened next, that's right I had a dusty collection of them on top of the fridge.

After several months of looking at them every time I walked into the kitchen I knew I had to do something with them.  Since I am prone to paint anything that stays still for very long, I added them to the pile of things I am/was going to paint relocated them to my paint desk and waited for inspiration.   It didn't take long (okay to be truthful I spend WAY too much time cruising Pinterest) for inspiration.   In the end it was a picture in an old magazine using a coffee can to store tools that inspired me.

I had just completed the dot glasses I posted about here and knew I wanted to use these to go along with those.   With the dotted glasses and the place mats I mentioned in the last post in mind, I did the happy dance all the way to my paint desk and got started.  First I had to peel off the labels and just so you know a lot of those cans that look printed/painted are covered in a very thin printed plastic and a real pain in the patootie to remove!

After you ruin your nails and have had your patience tried you will end up with this.

Next up painting with multiple coats of paint in these oh so pretty colors.  Sorry, I got too into painting and completely blew off taking a shot of them at that stage, oops!

Lastly, I used the end of a paintbrush to add dots....lots of dots.

They turned out to be very, very cute...very happy looking, and I love some happy.  I am so thankful that I am a hoarder saved these cans!  What am I going to do with them now?  Well, since I happened to have gotten these flowers at 40% off plus 20% at Micheal's last week...

I thought they would be perfect to use  with the cans as a centerpiece.  I am not sure if I like them spread between all the cans or in the center one...hmmmm....maybe the other two cans could hold candles, or utensils? 

Don't you love how you see the obvious in a photo?  Since the yellow can is the only can with ridges I am going to use it as the "vase" or the center can anyway....I do believe that might look a tad better than it is in these pictures.

Since I was on a painting roll and had also scored these flowers on sale while shopping at Michael's I decided to make some napkin rings to match.

First I stopped into my local hardware store for PVC pipe.  I made my first napkin rings using PVC for Easter and I blogged about it here.  For those I used the PVC I had here and it was 1 inch.  It will work but it is a tight fit for your napkins.  This time I decided to make my life easier and pick up a larger pipe.  For just over a dollar I got a piece that I will be able to cut 18 rings from!   I cut my rings 1 1/4 inches wide.  I gave them a quick "sand" on the edges using a bench grinder.

Next, I drug out my trusty all surface paints in the same colors I have been using for everything lately and gave them all a base coat inside and out.

If you have been paying attention lately, you know what happened next......I added dots!  I certainly have a thing for dots going on.

You could stop at this point and they would be cute but I had those super cheap flowers so I had to keep going.  First I removed them from their stems.

Then I needed to shorten the stem that was left.  It wasn't much but it was enough to make gluing the flowers on awkward.  So being the genius I am I popped the plastic backing off and cut the stem off completely.

Bet you can guess what happened next.  The whole thing fell apart and into about 15 pieces.  What fun!  Now I had to start with the back section of petals and glue each layer individually and then add the center.  It works and is secure but completely unnecessary.

The best way to do this is to cut almost all the stem off.  Leave just enough on so that you can hold it all together.  Then using your handy dandy glue gun add a bit of glue under the center piece of the flower.

Flip the flower over and apply a generous amount of glue around and on what is left of the stem. Then slap that baby on the PVC ring.

Pretty cutie patootie results from play with some PVC!

  I can't wait to see this whole tablescape put together!  Thanks for stopping by.   I will be joining

 Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday

  and Kim at Savy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Happy Mother's Day!

I wanted to take a moment to say Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there.  Although I am a mother, and should know better, I fail to make sure my mother knows how much I appreciate her daily. 

My mother is so good about "doing" for or with us.  Since Wonder Hubby and I married 26 years ago, Mother, aka The Nana has always been up for whatever project we were into.  Back in the 1980's the three of us really got into making crafts, into the 90's came the children and The Nana was always available to stay up with a sick baby so I could sleep.  By 2002, The Big Dumb Jock had started to play football, Mini picked up ballet, cheer and volleyball and through it all you could find The Nana there cheering them on.

Just a couple of Friday's ago, mother called to see what I was doing.  I gave her a quick overview of my projects for that day and immediately she said she was coming over.   She did, and spent the day working in the flower beds weeding with me.  I knew she had plenty she could be doing in her own yard (that she never asks for my help with) but she chose to be here helping and hanging out. 

She is forever surprising us with little gifts, back in the winter it was Fiesta Ware that Wonder Hubby had seen in a shop 2 hours from here, a few weeks ago bracelets for Mini and I and this week some adorable knives to match our Fiesta.  Wonder Hubby is her favorite and only has to mention that he has built something or done something new in the yard and she is on her way!

It is so easy to take for granted having her around and interested in our lives because she always is.....but I wanted to take a moment to let her and everyone know just how valuable she is to all of us.

The Nana and Mini Easter Morning.

I have certainly enjoyed my Mother's Day despite feeling a bit under the weather.  My ankle biter woke me up to take her out (into a pouring rain) at 4:30 this morning, I guess that was "our" Mother's Day time.   I stopped in the kitchen to get some water and found this in my refrigerator.

Mini had written me a sweet, sweet poem and made sure I would see it first thing (even at 4:30 a.m.).   She was happy to pose with it to show possession which was a good call since BDJ tried to take the credit and say she rewrote his poem and stole his idea!

I got to chat with BDJ for a while....but I am not going to lie, it wasn't like having him home.  Maybe I will get to see him soon.....in the meantime I tell myself that I was such a good mom he is successful and therefore not with me!  Whatever gets me through the day :)

Wonder Hubby gave me my Mother's Day gift on Friday.  Since we are at the halfway point of a complete redo of our front landscaping we did some plant shopping on Friday.  I have been toying with adding an urn to the landscape but I am way too cheap to ever spend the money on an urn/pot the size I was thinking about.  So, while I was raking a worker over the coals since I had driven an hour to this garden center only to discover the quantity of azalea's in Ruby Red listed on their online inventory was incorrect and they didn't have as many as I needed chatting with a worker, Wonder Hubby snuck off, found this "awesome pot" and had it waiting at the checkout.  I had to cover my ears when the clerk rang up the total but I am so glad he did it.  I love it.    You have to ignore the state of things right now, before we could position the pot, or fill and plant it, the rain set in.  The boxwood in it now will be much taller when the pot is filled and planted.  I wanted to get this posted tonight, so Mini shot a pic a bit ago and it was already getting dark but I hope you can see enough to see the cool aged look.  I am so excited to get this "awesome pot" planted and see it in the landscaping.

Finally, my spare daughter Bri came by for a visit and brought me an Asian lily and a card.  She is sweet that way, I am lucky to have two children by birth and one by her choice!

This is a picture (which I know it horrible coloring) taken back in October when BDJ came home.  All three of my kids!

Hope everyone one enjoyed a wonderful day today!

Garden Center Tour/Inspiration

I have recently realized that it is impossible for me to go anywhere or look at anything just for fun.   I think Wonder Hubby wishes I would sit quietly in a closet without contact with the outside world, otherwise I am constantly coming up with projects and they usually involve him in one way or the other!   Recently Mini, The Nana and I took a Sunday afternoon window shopping trip.   We were headed to a local garden center but Mini knew I could spend the whole day there so she talked me into heading there last.

We started with home decor.  I was so proud of the fact that I saw these adorable little frames (perfect for my Coastal bedroom I blogged about here) but I didn't buy them.  I mean why buy them when you have all the stuff at home to make them :)  So, we were off  I was already coming up with projects.

We also stopped into DSW (this place is a very dangerous place, I love it but Mini can't seem to leave the place without buying 3-6 pairs of shoes, she doesn't like to shop don't ya know).  I saw these first....

I love some polka dots but I think I like the red heel just as much!

but, I didn't buy them.

Then I saw these...

Awww....You had me at Bow.

but, I didn't buy them.

Then I saw these...

I can hardly pass up a floral heel....sigh.


but, I didn't buy them.  What I did was I flee the place fast because I just couldn't stand this not buying thing. 

Finally we headed off to Moore and Moore Garden Center.  They are located in west Nashville and are a treasure trove of goodies.

I love the country look of the building with its big front porch.  It just says come, stay, fall in love with everything.

After seeing this blue stand with red geraniums, I will be on the lookout for old stands to paint.

Love the plant stand on the left....I could so fill this up with herbs.

I think I am going to have to have a terrerium soon, they are just too cute.

We visited just before Easter so we were able to enjoy all their sweet Easter decor.  I adore the table in the picture above.  I could use this so many places!

Lots and lots of pots.

I need this as the new chandy in my hut!

This is precious!  When Miss Mara's playhouse changes over to my garden cottage soon, I want something unique like this for the front door.

Hmmm....can I make a variation of this?  I think I can!  I can just see it all covered in ivy.

These sweet little frogs would be so cute on the pots around my pond.

Love the blues!  Okay, to be honest I haven't met a pot of any color that I didn't like.  I could have spent all day taking pictures of all the pots color collections they have.

Oh by the way they have plants too!  Finally, I managed to get around to looking at them.  They have a wonderful selection.  I loved the unique geranium colors they had.

Their herb collection was awesome.

There was so, so much more.  I was just so giddy the whole time that I missed taking photos of so many things because I just couldn't control myself! Sorry :(  The good news is I am headed back this week and I am willing to bet there will be much more to share with you later.

 One item I did see and yet failed to photograph was a tool caddy used as a planter.  It was very aged looking and I fell in love.  Of course I wondered immediately if I could make this.   I just happened to have some cedar scattered in the side yard from where we are in process of cleaning out the wooded area behind Mini's playhouse.  It was headed for the burn pile but I kept setting it aside because I just knew I would need it for something.  Within days I had visited the garden center and had my inspiration for the cedar, I would build the tool caddy.

Now when I said I, I really meant it.  Many times I say I and I really mean Wonder Hubby and I, but I was determined that I could actually handle building this!  I would build lots of goodies but there is that whole tape measure reading issue. I have got to attend a class on that or something because being tape measure illiterate is really holding me back.

Wonder Hubby was pretty patient about it and didn't do the usual and just take the project away and finish it thing!

This part I can handle....love the mitre saw!  I only made a couple of bad cuts :)

I don't mind using the drill press either, although I was a little freaked out when the wood started to smoke.  I've never had that happen before, guess it was the cedar.

Then things went south.  I do not excel in the nailing things together department, so Wonder Hubby had to assist with this part.  Thankfully he didn't take over and he had tons of patience.

I love the aged look of it.  I did have to do some interesting painting to get the dowell handle to match the old aged cedar. 

I added it to my freshly planted back bed....so when this fills in a bit the caddy will be surrounded by impatients...I think I did okay for my first building project.

The good news is....Wonder Hubby decided to purchase a set of 5 air nailers!  I learned to use these last week on porch rails and I love them.  As a matter of fact, I just thought of another project I could use them for :)

Thanks for stopping by.  If you are in the Nashville area make sure to drop by Moore and Moore Garden Center and spend a little time drooling.