Chalkboard Plant Pots

I also love to bake, cook and garden as well as craft. It was actually a difficult decision choosing which subject to blog on, crafting obviously won! That being said, this next project does have some overlap from my other hobbies. I have a garden every summer where I grow green beans, carrots, cucumbers, gourds (for bird houses), cat nip and various other things.  I hate only having them in the summer though so I decided I would plant some fresh herbs in the winter indoors and that way I would be able to have at least fresh parsley, mint, basil and oregano when i make sauces or bruschetta or other things that require these herbs.  Then of course I decided to get crafty with it haha.  Here is my how-to.. 

SUPPLIES:

• 4 Ceramic Terracotta Pots (with matching water catching dishes)
• Painters Tape
• Chalkboard Paint
• Chalk
• Seeds ( I chose mint, parsley, oregano and basil)
• Dirt
• Water

DIRECTIONS:

1) Tape off the top thick rim of the ceramic pot with the painters tape.  I did this because I did not want the entire pot to be chalkboard. I liked the contrast of the terracotta color with the black of the chalkboard paint.  

2) Once it is taped off then you can begin spraying with the chalkboard spray paint.  I did multiple thin coats because I have found that works best.

3) Let it dry and remove the tape.. 

4) Write the names of the seeds you are going to plant on each pot with the chalk.  Just make sure the name you write correlates with the seed you plant! All of the seeds look so similar and the plants when they grow are hard to tell apart sometimes also so be careful! 

5) Plant your seeds! I put the dirt in, wet it and add the seed on time.  Then I lightly brush some dirt over them.  

6) Now place them in front of a window that receives a lot of sunlight and wait for them to grow!

You're done! Here is how mine turned out! 

Now I have fresh herbs all of the time! 

It's great!

What seeds would you plant?!

Traveling Hearts Wall Art

Brian and I love to travel.  We have been together for almost three years now and in that time we have already traveled to Buffalo NY, New York NY, Portland ME, Nantucket MA, Boston MA, Hampton Beach NH, Cape Cod MA, Atlantic City NJ, Nashville TN, Chicago IL, New Orleans LA, Fairhope AL, Columbus OH, Pittsburgh PA, Provincetown MA, Newport RI and more together.  Because of our love of travel and our great memories of the places we've visited I wanted to make something to remind us every day of those trips.   I saw something that inspired this project on Pinterest or StumbleUpon, I can't remember which, and decide it was perfect. Here is the how-to for my Traveling Hearts Wall Art... hope you like it!

SUPPLIES:

• Decorative Picture Frame
• An Atlas or Maps (of the places you'd like to include)
• A Heart Stencil
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Ruler
• Scrapbook Paper

DIRECTIONS:

1) Take the map of your choice and your heart stencil and trace the heart around the area of the city or place you'd like on your wall art.  For example, place the heart over the map of a section of Cleveland and trace it.  I chose six different locations but you can do it as many times as places you'd like to be framed. I placed mine in the order of a six pack of soda because I liked the space between and a more organized, less cluttered  layout but you can get creative with your placement also.


2) Cut out the map hearts.


3) Paste the mapped hearts to the scrapbook paper in the location you want them. Again, mine is two across and three down like a six pack but whatever way you choose will work.  Also, make sure you have measured the scrapbook paper to fit the back of the frame, I usually take the image that the frame comes with, cut it out and trace it onto my scrapbook sheet.  Then I cut out the scrapbook sheet and it's always a perfect fit.  


4) Put your paper with the hearts glued on it in the frame, hang and you're done.

Here is ours... 

We chose:

Chicago           Portland ME        

           Fairhope AL         Boston 

                

New Orleans  &   Pittsburgh

What places would you choose? Maybe a timeline of your life? First date to proposal to wedding and so on? Could be neat!

Glue!

I have done quite a few projects that have required glue and by now I have a favorite I wanted to tell you about! That may seem weird but this one is the best so far.  It's called Gem-Tac and it is made by a company called Beacon.  

Here is a link to their site to learn more about the product:  

Beacon Adhesives Website- the Gem-Tac Page! 

I find it weird because I never thought I would have a 'favorite glue', that seems silly but it REALLY, REALLY is the best glue I have ever tried! It dries fast and clear, it has worked for EVERY project I have ever tried and its not too messy.  The bottle is even easy to squeeze which means it doesn't hurt my hand like Aileen's does and the consistency is not too runny or too thick. It's perfect! 

It is a little bit more expensive though. I think at Micheal's, my local craft store, it is around $10 for the 4 oz. bottle but I just wait to buy it when I have a 40% off coupon.  

I really and truly recommend it from the bottom of my crafty little heart so if you are ever fed up with the glue you are using or are looking to try another, choose Gem-Tac!! You won't be disappointed! 

Glue Facts from the Website:

• Permanent adhesive
• Bonds gems, sequins, glitter and rhinestones to fabrics
• Bonds fabrics to glass, vinyl, metal and patent leather
• A great multi-purpose adhesive
• Washable, dries crystal clear