Macramé Planter Workshop with The Sweet Escape

I have a crafty friend who joins me in taking workshops a couple of times a year.  It's always fun (sometimes boozy) and we love catching up while working on a craft.  I drag her all sorts of places and she's a very good sport so when the talented Melissa DiRenzo from The Sweet Escape offered a macramé workshop, we signed up immediately.

I had last attended one of Melissa's workshops while I was about eight months pregnant with Rudy but I had fond memories of it.  This one may have been even more fun and I've always wanted to learn how to make delightfully granny (and totally boho chic) hanging planters that are in style right now.

First of all, I have to share a couple of shots of Melissa's studio space because nearly every nook and cranny is creative, colourful and Pinterest-worthy!

Pretty, right?  Now let's get to the craft, which was pretty easy and only took a couple of hours from start to finish.  Another bonus was that, since Home Depot supplied everything we needed, I now know where to get more supplies!

We began with drapery hoops, some copper tubing, six equal (approximately 14 foot) lengths of cotton rope, scissors to cut and (optional) fabric dye to dye the ends.

We threaded the rope through the drapery hoop, creating twelve lengths of rope.  We then proceeded to divide them into three groups of four and we made the spiral top part using one basic knot.  It actually felt like making friendship bracelets at camp and the time flew by.  We were all encouraged to use our own ideas in terms of placement of the copper tubes etc.

As you can see from the four examples, there's really no wrong way to do it!

To make the diamond ropey part that holds the planter, you can just use the same knot twice (I actually used a square knot which is the original knot once and then, instead of tying the same knot again, you do it in reverse, which makes the knot flat instead of spiral.) to join the three different sections.

It's actually very intuitive once you start.  We finished by knotting them and some of us chose to dye the loose ends at the bottom.  Here's my finished product.

Cute, right?

DIY Stained Glass Planter

Work has kept me so busy that I'm often coming home after Rudy's asleep and I've been working on some crafts to wind down before bed.  This one is really easy and quick (except for the drying time) and this technique would also be great to decorate the outside of teacups or coffee mugs.  In fact, for older kids, it could make a great Mother's Day or Father's Day craft.

I wanted a plant in our bathroom, which is soooo close to being ready to paint.  Those of you who read my blog know that I don't have the best luck with plants, but I figured a bathroom fern would be low-maintenance and safe from Barkley and Cheetah.

I picked up a cheap planter from Value Village (Note: None of my precious milk glass was harmed during this craft) and I bought some tissue paper, dishwasher safe Mod Podge and a sponge applicator.  

I cut the tissue into little squares and "painted" on a small area of Mod Podge before placing each square.  I then gently painted over each one like a glaze.  I decided not to totally cover my planter and I let it dry when I was satisfied that I had covered enough.  When it was fully dry, I did one last coat of Mod Podge before letting it dry overnight.

I think it will be a sweet addition to our bathroom and hopefully, I'll keep this little fern alive for a while.  After all, I take care of a human being... How hard can a fern be?

Easy "Dipped" Planter

After seeing how well my Fiddle Leaf Fig is thriving, I want to try my hand at another larger plant.  I'm thinking about a Mother In Law's Tongue because it's notoriously easy to care for... and a little bit because it has a funny name!  I bought a cheap Papaja planter at Ikea but I wanted to make it look a little more interesting.

To get the "dipped" look, I spray painted it in layers while holding the nozzle only about an inch away from the top.  By coating it too heavily, I insured that paint would drip down.  The top picture was taken after the first coat, and here's a shot after the second:

.... And after the third and final coat:

It's not for everyone, but I think it would look cool in almost any colour combination and I love that it no longer looks like a plain Ikea pot.

Since I scheduled this post so far in advance, I've actually bought a plant so I'll update this post with a picture.  Excuse the unpainted baseboards and walls:

And, I'll end this post with an appropriate meme:

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