DIY Viola Planters

I don't like to spend a lot of money on decorations but, I still want my porch to look and smell beautiful in the spring and summer. For less than $10 you can make both planters below in under 10 minutes!

Materials:
Handful of rocks from driveway -free

Dollar Tree:
2 metal containers of your choice -$2
1 bag of butterfly sticks various colors -$1

Wal-Mart:
1 small bag of potting soil -$2
4 viola starts -$4.74

Total: $9.74

Directions:

Put a very thin layer of rocks along the bottom of the containers. Remove violas from their containers (save containers to start other plants in later) arrange flowers in containers then fill in empty spaces with potting soil. Press soil down firmly from the top and dampen soil with room temperature water. Arrange butterfly sticks how you would like. Proudly display on your counter, porch, or patio. Water lightly daily. Don't forget violas are a perennial so store then in a cool, dark place, inside during the winter. Only watering a couple times a month. They will regrow on their own in the spring when you bring the planters back out in the light.

DIY Hummingbird Nectar

Anyway I can save a couple bucks and do something good in the process I'm down for. I was surfing the web one day and stumbled across a hummingbird website. One of the articles was about the harmful effects of the red dye in the commercially produced nectar. I had always been under the impression the hummingbirds wouldn't drink it if it wasn't red...boy was I wrong! The red dye was actually hurting the birds not helping them! So this got me thinking about ways to make my own. Which led me to another question, what percent of sugar does the nectar need to be to provide enough nutrition to the hummingbird? Here I found varying answers anywhere from 25% to 50%. So for my recipe I decided to split the difference and go with a 37.5% sugar content. However you can make adjustments as you see fit depending on you region and different species of hummingbirds.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 cups water

Directions:

In a sauce pan bring water to a rolling boil. Add sugar and boil for 1 minute. Stir continuously to ensure all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into freshly cleaned* feeder or store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

*It is very important to clean your feeder thoroughly every time you refill it. Bacteria that is very harmful to the hummingbirds can grow in the feeder. As long as you wash it every time you refill it the hummingbirds will be fine.

DIY Aluminum Can Flowers

Materials:

1 pop can
Scissors
Gorilla glue
Dowell rod
Paint
Paintbrush
Clear coat
Pencil

Directions:

Use the scissors to cut the top inch off the can. Cut down the can to the base creating strips, you can make these as fat or skinny as you want. Only cut to base of can leave the bottom in tact that will become the center of your flower. Once all of your strips are cut flatten them out as shown in the picture below. Paint the can any color(s) you want. Allow to air dry then spray with clear coat. Once it is dry curl each petal around a
Pencil to give the curved look. Gorilla glue a Dowell rod to the back center of each flower. Once the glue has dried stick them in the flower bed and garden to decorate. One can makes one flower.

DIY Tuna Can Planter

This project was borrowed, with permission, from Melissa Souders. Thank you for the awesome idea!

Materials:

1 tuna can, empty and washed with label and top removed
1 or 2 flowers your choice/  (the kind from the garden section, that are already rooted and blooming)
20 clothespins

Instructions:

Take clothespins 1 at a time and clip them onto the sides of the tuna can. Making sure to push the clothespin all the way down. Clip them going around the entire tuna can until covered. Remove 2 flower sections from the container, roots and dirt included. Place into the center of the can.Yield: 1

DIY Cake Stand

Materials:

Glass Plate
Glass Candle Holder
Gorilla Glue
Elmer's Glue
Food Coloring Liquid (see chart for color options)
Paint Brush

Directions:

Gorilla glue the candle holder to the bottom of the plate and let dry. In a bowl mix together Elmer's Glue and your choice of food coloring. Mix together thoroughly. Apply to candle suck and underneath side of plate. Do NOT paint the top side of the plate where the cake sets. Let dry completely then use for your favorite cake or loaf of bread. Banana bread is pictured. (See recipe)