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Decorating, DIY, Gardening, Home Decor, Landscaping, Landscaping & Gardening

DIY Living Wall Planter Tutorial

DIY Living Wall Planter Tutorial

For anyone who lives in a “not so sunny” place (and needs a quick pick me up from the dull grey skies), you’ll find this easy DIY Living Wall Planter Tutorial just what you’ve been craving. Even if you live in the sunshine state, bringing the outdoors inside may have a lot of benefits for your health. According to the NASA clean air study (which was led by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America), certain indoor plants naturally remove toxins from your indoor air.

This project was inspired by our outdoor green wall. We thought it would be fun to create a wall planter for indoor use. Similar to an outdoor living wall, an indoor one gives a natural feel to any empty space in your home.

Do you have a blank wall that needs some decor? Why not dress up this space with a mini living wall? This project is easy enough for the beginner do it yourself-er, so let’s get started.

DIY Living Wall Planter Tutorial Materials:

Wall Grid Plant Hanger (look for them in organization aisle at Lowe’s)
Plastic Planters (Can be purchased at IKEA for .79 cents each)
3 small Ivy Plants ($3.99 per plant)
2 IKEA Blecka hangers (sold in a pack of 4 for $3.99)
2 – 1 inch Drywall Anchors
Level
Drill (if you use drywall anchors)
Pencil

Optional:

Spray paint of your choice

DIY Living Wall Planter Tutorial Instructions:

The wall grid we found in the organization aisle at Lowe’s Home Improvement store was under $6.00. It measures 22 inches by 24 inches. The size was prefect, but I wasn’t crazy about the color.

Spray paint the wall plant holder if you wish. You can use spray paint you have on hand or purchase the color of your choice. (I almost chose a rustic bronze to match the bronze iron farmhouse bed but decided to paint it white.) The great news is that you can always paint over it if you tire of the original paint or decide to move it to another room. Obviously, you want to spray paint in a well ventilated area. Let the grid dry. (It should dry within 30 minutes or so.)

Step 1: Eyeball or measure a spot on the wall to hang your living wall.

Hold the wall plant holder up on the wall. Use a level to make sure your holder is level.

Hold up the Blecka hooks and mark the holes with a pencil. Drill the drywall anchor into the wall at these marks. (Alternatively, you can attach the hooks to wall studs.) This wall grid is not extremely heavy, so securing the hooks to studs is optional.)

Step 2: Hang the wall plant holder onto the Blecka hooks (make sure it is completely dry before hanging.)

Step 3: Place your plants into the planters. You can leave them in the original plastic pots they came in and simply place them into the holder. (When you water the plants the water can actually drain down to the plastic holder. Periodically pour out any water that accumulates.)

Step 4: Now, for the fun part! To finish off your living wall planter, slide the plastic containers onto the wall grid. Play around with the placement of the plants until it appeals to your eye.

(Note: the plastic bins from IKEA with the wide hook on the back are perfect for this project. If you purchase different bins, you might need to add your own hooks.)

Feel free to use your imagination with this project. Use succulents, different color plants, flowers, or something totally different like office utensils if hanging in a home office.

My white living wall hanger is hung on a wall painted with Magnolia Homes Brand “Shiplap” paint. The greenery stand out on the light colored walls. Imagine what you can do with copper sprayed grid on dark or light colored walls! You can also spray paint the Blecka hooks to blend into the wall. Go ahead and get spray paint happy with the white plastic plant holders. Bright colors could really bring this project to life!

We thought a little greenery in our newly remodeled farmhouse guest bedroom would add the perfect natural element. Have fun with this quick and easy mini living wall project that brings natural elements indoors.

January 31, 2018/4 Comments/by Diane and Dean

arts and craft, Decorating, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial, Upcycling

Upcycle Idea: Turn a Soap Dispenser into a Vase

Upcycle Idea: Soap Dispenser to Gorgeous Vase

Upcycle Idea: Turn a Soap Dispenser into a Vase

Hello, Pretty Handy Girl Readers! I’m Julie from Love My Simple Home and I’m excited to be here as a new contributor and hanging with you! I have a passion for interior design and share affordable and creative home decor ideas. Over on my blog, you will find a variety of quick, simple and original repurpose tutorials. Today I am happy to share with you a super easy upcycle idea using a soap dispenser (of all things.)

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Inexpensive Sources for Soap Dispensers:

You can buy soap dispensers at the dollar store, thrift stores or find them at garage sales. Would you believe I purchased this soap dispenser at a garage sale for a dollar! Seriously you can’t beat that! I fell in love with the mother-of-pearl tiles on the bottle, but not so much with the dull silver finish.

Instructions:

If your soap dispenser needs a little TLC, you can always clean it up and use spray paint to renew the finish.

Before you begin to spray paint remove the pump from the bottle by twisting it off. To remove the metal plate, wedge a thin screwdriver underneath the plate and lift, it should pop right off. If you are struggling to remove the plate with the screwdriver you can wrap the dispenser in newspaper or painter’s tape and spray paint the plate attached to the bottle.

Pro Tip for Spray Painting:

Place your object on top of a tin can, this prevents the edges from sticking or the spray paint from pooling around the object you are spraying.

Spray paint the pump with the same color spray paint. (This is an extra step, but it will allow you to turn the vase back into a soap dispenser at a moment’s notice.) For help holding the pump, slide it inside the lid of a plastic container and spray. This will ensure all of the sides get covered.

After the spray paint has dried you can glue the metal plate back onto the dispenser.

Fill the dispenser with water and fresh blooms from your yard! Or if your flowers aren’t blooming until spring, purchase a bouquet at the grocery store. You can split the bouquet up to use in many different vases in your home.

If you get tired of using the vase, you can always return it back to its original purpose as a soap dispenser.

There you have it, a super easy repurpose project. I’ll be back again next month sharing another one of my simple projects. In the meantime, you might like this repurposed glass block clock turned into picture frame.

~ Read more of Julie’s Tutorials ~

If you liked this tutorial, you’ll love creating your own mason jar foaming soap dispenser:

January 24, 2018/3 Comments/by Julie at Love My Simple Home

arts and craft, Decorating, Trash to Treasure, Upcycling

A Quick Cutting Board Makeover for Meal Planning

A simple and easy way to upcycle an old cutting board

A Quick Cutting Board Makeover for Meal Planning

Hello, it’s Anika here from Anika’s DIY Life. I hope you had a great start to your new year!

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to get better with planning meals. I’ve really struggle with planning meals ahead of time. In the past, I have tried many systems (from worksheets to online applications) but most seem to fall through after a few days or weeks.

After a lot of brainstorming, I realized it was because I was making the entire process much more complicated than it needed to be. I set out with a simple plan: create a menu for the week in the kitchen where I can see it at all times.

An old Ikea cutting board ended up working out perfect for the job of meal planner!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Old cutting board (a new one would be fine too)
Painter’s tape
Chalkboard paint in the color of your choice
Chalk pen

Instructions:

Step 1 – Clean the cutting board to remove any food or dirt. Let the board dry completely before proceeding.

Step 2 – Measure ½” from the edge of the cutting board and tape on all 4 sides.

Step 3 – Paint the middle of the cutting board using chalkboard paint.

Did you know you can make your own chalkboard paint using Plaster of Paris by following this recipe? Or use Brittany’s recipe that uses unsanded tile grout instead:

Step 4 – Remove the tape while the paint is still wet. Once the paint dries, rub a piece of chalk on its side over the entire painted area to season the chalkboard before using.

This simple project has made a big difference in my productiveness around cooking. We sit down as a family every Sunday and plan out the menu, grocery shop accordingly, and take care of any meal prep.

I think one of the biggest changes this menu board has made is in helping manage the kids’ expectations. The board sits next to the kitchen in my little command center. The kids know what’s for dinner and there is no more “I didn’t feel like eating that” at the dinner table. Mom win!

How do you tackle meal planning? Until next time!

~See more of Anika’s tutorials~

Did you like this tutorial? You might also like Brittany’s Free Weekly Menu Planner printable:

January 10, 2018/2 Comments/by Anika Gandhi

Decorating, Holiday decorating, organizational tips, storage

9 Holiday Storage Hacks

Now that Christmas is over, you’re probably in one of these two camps.

Camp #1: Christmas is over, time to pack everything away pronto.
Camp #2: Christmas is over, but I want to enjoy the decorations for a while longer. I’ll put them away in the new year.

Regardless of which camp you belong to, I have several Holiday Storage Hacks to help you store the holiday items for next year!

Plastic and Foam Cups:

There will always be ornaments to pack away after the holidays. Protect them from getting crushed or breaking by storing them inside individual disposable cups. For fragile ornaments, insert a foam cup inside the larger plastic cup before placing the breakable ornament inside. This gives a nice cushion around the ornament and creates a nice even layer in the bottom of your storage bin, which is helpful for the next hack.

Lasagna Method:

Don’t just throw your ornaments in the bin. Start at the bottom of your bin and place a layer of ornaments stored in cups. (Easy to do if you use the first hack above!) Place a piece of foam over the cups and continue with a second layer of ornaments. Again, add another piece of foam, then place ornaments that lay flat or are very thin on top of that last layer of foam. They will be protected and ready to go for decorating next year.

Saran Wrap the Tree:

Artificial trees can be cumbersome and messy when store them away. To neatly pack your artificial trees use a roll of plastic wrap to secure the branches together, making it easier to carry and store. Bonus, you might actually be able to get that tree back in the box you bought it in!

Linen Zipper Pouches:

If you have a collection of small tea lights and candles, use an old linen zippered pouch from your last blanket purchase. These are perfect for storing your tea lights, batteries, and other similar items until next year. The clear bag also lets you see exactly what’s inside.

Cardboard Light Holder:

Do your lights get tangled up by the following year? This year put an end to the frustration by cutting out a large rectangular section of cardboard (shipping boxes or cereal boxes work great.) Make a small slit on one end to hold the end plug of your light strand. Wrap the lights around the cardboard to keep them secure and organized and ready to put up next year. This hack also allows you to store the strands upright to save on space. It may take a bit of extra time now, but will save you time (and curse words) next year!

Store Like Items Together:

I don’t know about you, but in the past my bins were filled with random holiday items. I struggled to find a particular item. To solve this issue, put similar items into one bin. Next year you’ll know exactly where all of the lights are in an instant. Label the outside of each bin to help speed through the decorating process.

Hang Wreaths:

Wreaths are large and take up a lot of bin space. To store your wreaths, put them on hangers in an extra closet. If you don’t have closet space, nail a horizontal board to the rafters in your attic or garage and hang them there.

Gift Wrap Storage:

Gift wrap rolls are long and can be difficult to store. Use a bin or basket in the corner and store your gift wrap upright. This prevents the rolls from getting crushed and they are easy to grab next time you need to wrap a present. Feel free to store birthday and other holiday wraps as well.

Or, create this under the bed gift wrap station like Her Toolbelt made:

Bins for Gift Bags, Ribbons, & Tissue Paper:

Fold your gift bags neatly and place them inside clear storage bins. Organize by size or celebration and you’ll have a great place to go whenever you need to quickly wrap a gift. Use another bin for ribbon spools and yet another for scrap ribbons (never let those scraps go to waste.) The clear bins make it easy to grab the correct bin, no matter how last minute you’re putting the gift together.

There you have it! Holiday clean up doesn’t have to be stressful, just keep it organized and use these hacks to make your holiday decor last for years to come. Do you have any storage hacks for holiday decorations that you would add to this list? Please share them in the comments!

December 26, 2017/4 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Before and After, Build It, decor, Decorating, ReNew, renovation

How to Tile a Fireplace

Hello Pretty Handy Girl Readers! Sarah here from The Created Home. Today I’m sharing how you can update and customize your fireplace by doing your own tile work. Don’t be intimidated, tiling is actually quite accessible for DIYers, and once you get the hang of it you’ll be unstoppable. You may even find that you really enjoy it!

As with any DIY, especially one you are new to, you will need to read all the way through to make sure you are familiar with the process and always take proper safety precautions. Use ear and eye protection when you are using a tile saw. Read the manual for your tile saw and make some test cuts to get the feel for using it.

Note: This tutorial will not cover the grouting step. The tile I chose for this project was close together and did not require grout. I’ll cover that in more detail in just a bit. To learn how to grout, read Brittany’s tutorial on grouting and sealing tile.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

wet saw (buy or rent)
tile adhesive/mortar – mix or ready made
notched trowel
wet rags
square
pencil
*spacers (depending on tile choice and look)
small level

How to Tile a Fireplace: Make a plan

Entire tutorials can be written about how to choose and plan out your tile. There are a LOT of options out there. Bear in mind that a patterned tile will require more work when laying out, as the pattern needs to be visible and centered in the space. Example: In this fireplace I would have loved to use a cement tile look, but the tiles I found were 8″ and the sides of the firebox only allowed for 6 ½” (which would have looked awkward with the designs I liked.)

Ugly Before Shot:

A second thing to keep in mind is that knowing the square feet to be covered is only half the battle. Chances are you’ll have a number of small pieces to cut which will render some part of each tile unusable. It’s a good rule of thumb to always get 10 – 15% more tile than you need.

Once you have the tile you will need to plan your layout. Where will a row have to be ripped to fit? Where will the pattern repeat? What order will the tile need to be applied? For this project my husband and I spent just as much time making the plan as actually installing the tile.

Get to work:

For this project we chose to tile over existing tile, which was far simpler than removing what was there (even with the poor shape it was in.) If your tile doesn’t have adhesion issues this may be a great route for you. We tested the waters [tile] here and found that the damage to the existing tile was superficial, albeit highly unattractive.

Once you have a game plan it’s time to make your first cut. A tile saw (or wet saw) cuts much like a table saw, but it needs a constant source of water to keep the blade cool and the dust down. Keep a pail of water on hand to refill the saw as needed. Some tile saws can be hooked up to a water source via a hose.

You will be covering the edges where the tile runs into the wood mantle surround with some sort of trim, so it’s not important that you are dead on with every cut fitting perfectly against that edge. This is also useful if you run into issues with things being out of square (which happens frequently). You can see in the photo below the tile does not fit snuggly, or uniformly along the far sides.

Using a Wet Saw: a few tips

I recommend using a tile saw rather than a snap cutter (which just doesn’t work very well). It can be intimidating at first, but go slow, use caution, and follow some basic rules to ensure a professional looking, safe job.

The first rule, is to keep those fingers away from the blade. Make your cuts slow and steady. Water should be flowing around the blade constantly as you gently push the piece through. You can avoid chipped ends by pushing the piece through very, very slowly as you reach the end, being careful not to force the blade. Too fast and the corner of your tile will likely chip off.

Use your fence to make sure your cuts are straight. You may have to trim off ends if you tile is staggered, as ours was. Place the trimmed end to the outside, where it will be covered with molding.

How to Tile a Fireplace: adhering the tile

Tile adhesive comes either pre-mixed or in powder form. Pre-mixed is great for small jobs like a fireplace, but either route is fine. Use the notched trowel to spread the adhesive on the back of the tile piece, covering the entire back.

The notches will leave tracks, like so:

Position the tile where you want it and push firmly, wiggling it around a bit so those tile tracks fill and the tile is firmly adhered along every point to the fireplace.

If you are grouting between your tiles you will use spacers around each piece. The pieces we used required being set close together to mimic the look of the “preset” tiles. We used the adhesive to fill any small gaps that did show. Again, be sure to check out Brittany’s grouting tutorial if you plan to use grout.

Continue adding the tiles to the desired pattern. Be sure to account for how your final row will fit, as it will in all likelihood require cutting the tile crossway to fit correctly. The good news is you will be able to hide the seam at the top with some molding.

This fireplace required tile down on the hearth as well, which meant notching around the mantle. To make those cuts be sure you are cutting the tile face up and draw lines to help guide your cuts. The blade will undercut a bit farther than your top cut, but it will be hidden underneath. You’ll quickly discover that most lines are not square, and probably have a gap something like this. Use some caulking to seam it all together and it will look just fine.

Finishing the Fireplace: adding trim

Molding completes the finished product and hides those seams. Quarter round is a great option for the fireplace. Paint the molding to match the mantle. Attach by driving brad nails through the quarter round at an angle so it goes into the hearth. Caulk around the molding for a seamless look.

Bonus Content: wrapping the hearth

The front of the hearth here had tile, and I decided the better look would be to wrap it in wood instead to tie it into the white of the mantle and break up the tile a bit. It’s the same look I created when we redesigned our own fireplace.

To create this look you will need a piece that is the same width as the height of the hearth front inclusive of the tile you just added. If you are lucky you won’t have to rip a piece down to fit.

The sides of that front can be square cut or mitered. To miter the front, cut one end at a 45 degree angle. I prefer to use the saw’s bevel function to get this cut nice and straight.

Place the piece against the front of the hearth and line up where it will sit.

Mark the other end where the short end of the 45 will sit. This is easier and more accurate than simply measuring.

It also helps to sketch the angle of your cut while the wood is in place to ensure you don’t cut the wrong way (it’s easy to do).

Cut 45˚ for the side pieces, then measure and make the 90 degree cuts. You can easily cut those back to fit, so cut a little at a time. Paint the molding. Attach by finish nailing the angles together, and then either nail or glue it to the face of the hearth. We used construction adhesive and clamps, letting them sit overnight.

Stand back and enjoy your hard work!

As you can see, not only are there a lot of options for refinishing a fireplace, there are a ton of options for tile itself. Tiling is a great way to go that doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Our cost for this fireplace was just over $100.

When we started, this fireplace was far from the focal point of the home, as you can see . . .

. . .and here’s the dramatic finished look.

Now it’s your turn! Put those tiling skills to work and tile it up! In no time at all you’ll be chatting with company and casually mention, “Oh yes, the fireplace. I did that. No big thing.” And don’t forget to share your before and after photos so we can all admire the transformation with you.

Happy tiling!

~See More of Sarah’s Projects~

Check out these other posts to up your tiling game!

December 22, 2017/5 Comments/by Sarah Home