Monday, July 13, 2015

How to Make a Flower Planter out of Tea Tins

I thought I would share a quick tutorial/project I completed this morning.  Recently I have been trying to improve the atmosphere of our apartment with plants.  The problem is the downstairs of the apartment is very very dark.  This is great for keeping the house cool during the Mexican summers but it is a killer for plants.  On my last plant shopping trip I asked for plants that would do well in almost 100% shade.  I bought a few suggestions and within a few days one of the plants was already turning brown.  I don't think the man realized when I said shade I meant near darkness.

So that plant has been moved upstairs to my sunny studio and seems to be doing much better.  The cacti have stayed downstairs but I'm worried about them.  I had two that were not even in decent planters yet and I was getting really tired of looking at the beer and pop can they came in.  Well, while I was organizing some things around the house I found these cute tea tins that I was saving for something because of how much I like the look of them.  I wondered if I could turn them into planters.  Here's what I did...


First I punched holes in the bottom of the tins to allow for water drainage.


Then I glued the lid to the bottom of the tin to allow the water to drain and not make a mess.  I used a silicone glue that is appropriate for metal.


Even though it is a fast drying glue I let it dry over-night just to make sure it was on their securely.


Then I added some rocks to the bottom of the tin to aid in the drainage, the dirt, and the cacti.  Ta-da!


They are sitting on a shelf in my bathroom where there is an abundance of sunshine, especially in the morning.


Now I just need to paint the ugly shelf and find another tin for the third cactus.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Thalita Dol Review

Remember back in February when I shared with you one of my favorite doll artists, Thalita Dol?  Well a little over a month ago Thalita approached me about a possible trade.  Now normally I don't do trades, because BeBe Babies is a large part of my income, but when an artist I truly admire and covet contacts me I cannot say no!

I don't know why it never occurs to me to contact the artists myself.  It would be a great way for me to actually have a doll collection again.  I think it's a mix of feeling self-conscious that I will be rejected and also that I just don't think about it.  Whatever it is I never do it and would like to consider it more in the future.

Anyway so because shipping takes so long to arrive to Mexico I finally received my box today.  I was in the middle of meditating when my roommate yelled upstairs that my package arrived.  Everyone knows I've been waiting anxiously for this package.  It's a good thing I'm not great at meditating because I heard him right away and ran downstairs because I knew just what it was.

I made myself finish my daily meditation before I opened the box.  This made meditating even more impossible, but I made it though, and then jumped up and took some photos so you could live the excitement with me.

The box was so cute!



I opened it from the bottom to avoid destroying the front.  His name is NoĆ©.


He is a heavy little guy.


And sooo sooo sweet¡  I just love his little face and his skinny little legs.  I couldn't be more thrilled.  I can't wait for Thalita to receive her BeBe.




If you would like your own Thalita Dol check out her Etsy shop or Facebook page.