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Fuchsia blooms in birdcages painted bright green create a rumble in the jungle.

Start with our selection of decorative birdcages to get your project going (click here).

Quick and easy do it yourself project, just a couple of steps:

Step 1: Paint Cages

Focus your efforts on the exterior, as the inside will be full of flowers or foliage. Remember to paint the bottoms, too. Suspend cages to let them dry.

Fern at Life On The Balcony made this video on creating a gorgeous flower garden in a pot.

Her blooming pot is pictured here. We thought this would be great for patios, walkways and even around pools and other gardens.

Saw this idea for a gorgeous pink peony floral wreath, thought it would be a great idea for Mother’s Day coming up!

1. Saturate a 12-inch floral foam wreath base with cool water.

2. Insert green leaves into floral foam, for texture. Or skip this step and insert short, clipped stems of pink and white peonies around the base, slightly varying the stems’ angles while concealing the foam.

3. Display by hanging from florist’s wire, or looping a grosgrain ribbon belt through the middle.

4. Maintain wreath a week or more; place it daily in a shallow container, refreshing the foam ring with cool water.

Read more: How to Make a Fresh Floral Wreath – Country Living

Need an idea for a personal Mother’s Day Gift?

Cluster pink peonies and tulips, red roses, and chartreuse verbena in an oversized square vase wrapped in striped and polka-dotted ribbons. Hot-glue the backs of the ribbons and adhere them to the vase (or substitute heavy-duty double-faced tape).

Read more: Mothers Day Crafts – Country Living

All About Raffia
Raffia is not just for decorating gifts. It’s also a quick and easy way to dress up your potted plants. Raffia comes in an array of pretty colors, so you can mix and match and tailor creations to coordinate with your home décor.

MATERIALS
Terra cotta pot or aluminum pail
Glue gun (Although glue from a dispenser will work, too.)
Raffia

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Smooth raffia onto a flat surface.
2. Squeeze a line of glue onto pail and press raffia to glue.
3. Repeat process until the entire pot is covered.
4. Tie bows with the raffia; use glue to attach bows to various spots on the pail to give it a little something extra.

Paint Your Way to Potted Paradise

Painting pots is another way to beautify your garden and home. Maintain a color theme throughout all your pots to create a sense of unity. And remember, colors such as red, yellow and orange will stand out, while greens, blues and browns will blend into your garden.

MATERIALS

Terra-cotta pot
Towels
Water-based primer
Water-based paints (Any paint will work, although water-based paints are best for the environmentally conscious.)
Water
Stencils (You can make your own with half of an apple or potato in which you carve a design.)
Sponge or Paintbrush
Bowls (to mix paint)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Clean the pot by wiping it with a clean, wet towel. Paint on a thin coat of primer.
2. Mix the paints for a base coat. You can skip steps 2, 3 and 4 if you don’t want a base coat.

Brush the paint mixture onto the pot. It’s best to make sure the brush strokes go in the same direction, working around the pot as you go.

1. Let dry. Drying time depends on size of pot and amount and type of paint used.
2. When dry, use the sponge and stencils to create a pattern on the pot, or dip half an apple or potato in paint to create a design of your own making. If you’re feeling adventurous, do a freehand design with a paintbrush.
3. Let your pot dry.

Make a Mosaic Pot

This project may tend to take a bit longer than the raffia or painting, but you can shorten the time it takes by tiling only a portion of the pot. Covering the whole pot with tile pieces will take some extra time and effort, but the effect can be dazzling.

MATERIALS

Terra-cotta pot
Mosaic tile pieces (Available in craft stores, or you can make your own.*)
Glue gun
Premixed sanded grout
Rubber gloves
Rubber spatula or foam brush
Pencils
Sponge
Water
Tape

TIP: To make your own mosaic tile pieces, take whole bathroom or kitchen tiles (available at home stores), place them in a cloth bag or pillowcase, and hit them lightly with a hammer. Remember to use safety goggles and gloves.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Clean your pot. If you’re only doing a portion of the pot, you may want to mask off the area with tape. If you’re applying the pieces in a particular pattern, we find it helpful to first draw the pattern onto the pot with a pencil. Use a glue gun to apply glue to the tile pieces and attach tiles to the pot.
2. Once the desired area is covered with tiles, put on your rubber gloves, and use the rubber spatula or foam brush to apply grout between the tile pieces. The grout will seal the tiles to the pot.
3. Wipe excess grout with a damp sponge. Try to leave just a thin layer of grout on the tiles, but don’t be too aggressive with the cleaning, or you may wipe away too much of the grout that is needed between the tiles. Let the grout dry.
4. Once the grout has dried (overnight should do), use a coarse, dry sponge to clean the excess grout off of the tiles.

Whichever method you use, adding some zing to your pots will bring a little something special to any home or garden.

From Homemade Simple!

Another great do it yourself craft to do with your kids and grandkids. Homemade chalk they can have fun with both inside and outside. They will enjoy making their own chalk and playing with their creations!

Materials
Any type of empty egg carton
Plastic eggs (larger sizes are best)
Petroleum jelly
Paintbrush
Plaster of Paris
Tempera paint
Teaspoon
Disposable bowls
Disposable spoons
Disposable knife

Instructions

1. Remove the top of your egg carton so the bottom can be used to hold the two halves of each plastic egg. Place the two egg halves across from one another in the carton so they’re easy to pair later.
2. Use your paintbrush to generously coat the inside of each egg with petroleum jelly. Applying this slippery substance will help you remove the dried chalk from its mold.
3. Combine a 1/2 cup of plaster of Paris with a 1/4 cup of water in a disposable bowl and mix. This amount should be enough to create one large egg-shaped piece of chalk.
4. For color, add one teaspoon of tempera paint and mix. To darken the color, try adding one drop of paint at a time until you’ve achieved your desired shade. Consider combining two separate colors to create two-toned eggs!
5. Pour your mixture into the two egg halves, filling them to the top. (For two-toned eggs, pour a different color into each half). Once your bowl is empty, do not pour the remaining plaster into the sink because it can clog your drains when dried. Wait for your mixture to dry in the bowl, then throw the bowl away.
6. Let the chalk mixture thicken in the mold for about 5-10 minutes, then snap the two halves together. Apply pressure to each end of the egg and shake to encourage the plaster to shape to the mold. Tapping the egg can also help with proper shaping.
7. Set the eggs in your carton and allow them to dry overnight. When removing the eggs from their molds, use a plastic, disposable knife to wedge in-between the plastic egg halves if necessary. Once you’ve removed the eggs, they’re ready to go!

From Homemade Simple! Get some ideas for Uses for Your Colorful Creations at Homemade Simple too!

We found this at Homemade Simple and wanted to share it with everyone. With summer coming and some extra time with the kids and grandkids, this will keep them entertained and occupied for some time!

As fun to make as they are to use, homemade crayons are perfect for kids of all ages. Celebrate spring with colorful craft projects the whole family can enjoy by following our step-by-step instructions to mold your egg-shaped creations.

Materials
Crayons (broken or worn out pieces are encouraged)
Silicone or metal egg-shaped candy mold
Oven
Refrigerator or freezer

Instructions

Safety First: While egg-shaped crayons are fun coloring materials for kids, adult supervision is strongly encouraged when crafting with hot wax.

1. Purchase silicone or metal egg-shaped candy molds from a baking store, craft store or online. Other molds can also be used to create a variety of fun-shaped crayons, and a basic muffin pan is convenient for creating circles.
2. Sort your crayons into the combinations you plan to melt—crayons will look best when similar shades are paired. Break the crayons up into small pieces, making sure to remove any paper. Line your molds with a non-stick spray, and carefully place each group of colors into a different mold, filling each to the top.
3. Preheat your oven to 300º F, and place the egg-shaped candy molds into the oven for about 5 minutes. Once the wax has melted, remove your molds from the oven, set on a cooling surface, and add more crayons to each egg shape until it is once again filled to the top. Repeat this process until you’ve fully filled each egg mold with melted wax.
4. Once the egg-shaped molds are filled, carefully remove your pan from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. For final cooling and forming, place the pan in your refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
5. To reveal your vibrant coloring supplies, simply press against the silicone molds to pop out your egg-shaped crayons, or place your metal pan in the freezer until the crayons are easy to remove. Once finished, you’re ready to color and create!

From Homemade Simple! Get some ideas for Uses for Your Colorful Creations at Homemade Simple too!

We noticed this Blog Post at LifeOnTheBalcony.com and wanted to share it with you.

This ideal for city dwellers and small yards, and you can grow flowers, vines, possibly even herbs. Get the instructions and more insight at LifeOnTheBalcony.com by clicking here.

This is a great idea to go with our 16″ or 24″ Hanging Flower Pot Arms. Shown at the right with three 6″ terra cotta pots, or your choice of other sizes. To assemble, thread the top of the hook through the hole in the base of the pot. Continue stacking the pots. Then add your soil and plants. Grow flowers or herbs!