How to Make a Living Wreath

A living wreath is easy to make and keep alive once you know all the tricks. In this post you will learn how to make an inexpensive wreath that looks like a million bucks – figuratively right? I mean a million bucks? Who would sounds that much?

Usually a premade succulent frame will cost you about $30. Here you’ll see how to make one for $6.50 by making a wreath form from dollar tree supplies.

Shopping List for a Summer Succulent Wreath

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• 2 wire 12″ wreath forms from the dollar store $2
• Floral Wire from the dollar store $1
• Floral Pins from Amazon .50¢
• Sphagnum Moss from Amazon $3.50
• Succulents from your local nursery or garden

The package of sphagnum moss is $13, but will do about 4 wreaths. The floral pins package will do anywhere from 5-10 wreaths.

1. Making the Dollar Tree Spring Wreath

Use the floral wire to connect each joint of the two wreaths together. Make sure you fold the ends of the wire pointing inside the form to avoid being poked later.

Next, zig zag the wire on the inside of the wreath where you have the largest opening. You can wire the bottom and sides as well, but leave the top two rows open for succulents.

2. Putting Sphagnum Moss in the Frame

Sphagnum moss is important because it holds the succulents in the moss and frame. This special moss also absorbs and holds a lot of water.

Soak the moss in a bucket of water. Then squeeze out the excess water. Be careful for pokey items. The company does a good job preparing the moss, but sometimes there are small sticks. Squeeze with care.

Press the moss into the wire wreath form. You want the moss to be thin and compact so you can’t see light through the bottom and sides when you lift it up.

Leave as much room as possible (by making it compact) that you have room for succulent roots and soil. Imagine you are making a nest. You need it to be strong, but you also need it to be wide enough to hold plants.

3. Assembling Succulents in Moss

Keep as much soil as you can around your succulent roots. Press the roots and soil into the succulent form.

Use floral pins to hold your succulents in the wreath.

Next press more sphagnum moss into the wreath form, covering any exposed soil. This will help hold your succulents in place and help hold in moisture for your plants.

If desired, you may also want to wrap your wreath, moss and succulents with twine. Be careful to go around plants and only touch the moss. This can help further hold the moss and plants in place while they establish themselves in the wreath.

Once the root system is strong they will hold themselves in the wreath. You may wonder how long do succulent wreaths last?

A succulent wreath can last up to 5 years. It will change over time. As it gets over grown you can trim back the succulents and use the succulent starts for more wreaths.

Succulent Wreath Maintenance

If you would like to place your succulent wreath on the door avoid South facing doors as the sun will be too hot. Also if you have a wooden door, place plastic behind the wreath to protect the wood finish.

How to Care For Your Succulent Wreath

• After planting, keep the wreath out of direct sunlight for a week. Gradually increase light levels to full exposure.

• For hot zones protect plants from midday sun. Indoors set your wreath in a south-facing window, greenhouse or garden room.

• Hang your wreath using galvanized hardware to avoid rust.

• If you’ll be displaying your wreath on a wooden surface (such as a door) consider covering the back of your wreath with plastic, using floral pins.

• Water your succulent wreath when it feels dry, every 3-10 weeks depending on temperature and lighting.

• Soak the wreath in a container of water for at least an hour.

Avoid misting the surface with water as this encourages shallow roots and effects the health of the plant.
Enjoy your living wreath!

One last dollar store tip: for easy watering purchase a round dollar store serving tray. It fits the dollar store wire wreath forms perfectly. Place your wreath on the tray. Fill the tray with water until the wreath won’t soak up any more water. Let the wreath dry out a bit, then hang back up.

If you enjoyed learning about succulent wreaths, you may also like Making A Dry River Bed with Succulents.

3 Cool Things to do With Window Blinds

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The post How to Make a Succulent Wreath in 3 Easy Steps appeared first on This Homemade Home.

When we bought our house it had been a rental which was bad in the aspect that we had alot of things to fix up, but really good in that we got the house for a killer deal.

The front yard had beenprofessionally landscaped, which was great. However many of the trees and shrubs had overgrown and killed lawn or taken over several feet of pavement.

I really didn’t like that you could see the downspout drain pipe from the front. There was also a vast space of nothing right by the front walk way.

And though I wanted to do this project along with 100 others right away, I knew I had to pace myself.

There were several projects we had to do first out of necessity. You can read more about that from my DIY tab. Some of my favorites, some easy, some labor intensive, each made a dramatic difference to the enjoyment of our home.

inground trampoline

the entryway makeover

loft bed

and

installing a paver edge

Finally it’s time for the dry creek bed pictures, how-to maintenance and all I’ve learned in making it the best.

How to Make a Dry Creek Bed For Drainage

One of the primary reasons for wanting to DIY a dry creek bed was for drainage. I wanted like nothing else to get rid of that big black drain tube.

What I found is the dry creek bed works amazing as a drainage canal for downspouts.

There are a few specific things that will help your dry creek bed work well to drain excess water.

Dry Creek Bed Cost and Materials

To keep the costs low and because I had them on hand. These are the materials I used for a 10 foot stretch.

3 Heavy duty plastic landscape bags

15 Large boulders football sized plus

30 Small boulders fist sized or less

2 bags River rock /pea gravel

First dig a canal in the ground. Make sure it is sloping away from your foundation. I used a level to make sure it was tilting as far as I wanted.

Then lay down the landscape bags. As seen in the picture I started the bag 6 inches up the side of the foundation and held it in place with rocks.

With each new bag I made sure it overlapped by 6 inches with the new bag going underneath the previous bag.

Each bag also had a 1′ to a 1 1/2′ of space on either side of the canal. Here I made sure to push back the landscape rock. Place large, then small boulders and then put the landscape rock back around to cover the plastic.

At the downspout I had a pile of rocks to help hide the plastic and to lead the water away from the house and down the canal.

How to Keep River Rock in Place on a Slope

After the first rain storm I found I had a problem. The water would rush out from the drain pipe so quickly that it would wash away all my river rock as well.

I actually went and studied the river by my house – I’m pretty committed to this dry creek bed by now.

I noticed two things. A natural river has most of its large boulders on the outside edge, followed by smaller boulders and then river rock. A natural river curves and winds and that is where it slows down.

To create this natural slowing process I had to put rocks sticking out into the “river.” It was difficult, because my brain kept saying it should be uniform, but nature is not uniform and looks better with curves and displaced rocks anyhow.

As you can see in the picture below the rocks slow the water enough that even the tree seeds gather and don’t wash all the way down, but the water still moves away from the house.

I strategically placed one rock on one side and then a foot later a rock on the other side so it would hit a rock, show down, hit another rock and slow down more.

I no longer have river rock washing away.

With a view of the whole creek you can also see that I only did two major rocks, strategically placed to slow the water flow.

The rest of the creek curves a bit for aesthetic and water control purposes.

Dry Creek Bed Landscape Plants

When the landscape was originally planned there was no water run to this section. It gets too dry for regular plants to grow, so I tried native plants, as you can kind of see in this picture.

They all died, probably because of my limited plant knowledge.

I tried again with Chick and Hen Succulents and they thrived. First off succulents love rocky terrain for their little roots to wrap around. They also do great with large amounts of water during rainy season. The thick leaves allow them to store up water for dry spells.

Watch your succulents. If the leaves start to get thin, give them a good long drink of water. I have found they can go several weeks in hot dry weather before needing water.

Keep in mind, not all succulents can survive outside in all growing zones. We are zone 5b-7a. I have also successfully grown these in zone 4 where it got pretty cold for 6 months. Check for the particular succulent you are looking to plant before you put it permanently outside.

Depending on your rain fall, hostas would also do well near a dry creek bed. Keep in mind that they like a moderate amount of water and do well in shade.

Dry Creek Bed Maintenance

Once you’ve got the water flow under control and plants that grow well there is not alot of maintenance.

A few times a year I use a leaf blower to blow away any trees seeds, leaves and plant residue.

Every so often I adjust a rock or redistribute river rock that has fallen. In general its a nice, low maintenance landscaping.

It’s added interest to our yard. Provided an attractive way to move rain water away from our house and acts as an occasional balancing exercise for our children.

The Succulents have taken off and at they grow will also help hold the smaller rocks in place.

Thank you for stopping by. Please share your thoughts – which of your projects have had the greatest effect on your curb appeal?

Have a wonderful day!

Natalie

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The post 5 Steps to Make a Dry River Bed appeared first on This Homemade Home.

We recently landscaped our backyard and our quality of life immediately went up once the grass was in.

Since we had done a complete overhaul on our last home, we promised ourselves we wouldn’t take on any major home projects for a year. We wanted to give our lives a bit of normalcy. It also meant we planned and dreamed and changed plans and improved dreams.

I’ll update posts as I describe each area we are implementing, but today I will show you how and why to install a paver edge along your grass. It may surprise you to find (it did me), that the work is strangely therapeutic. I have a friend who hammers jewelry and she once called it therapy. I understood once I started installing the pavers.

Pavers require a good bit of hammering with a rubber mallet and since it’s rubber it doesn’t hurt your ears. I found myself looking forward to coming home and finding time to install more pavers. For me hammering was a stress release. Something about the pressure of the mallet pounding out any built up tension from the day. I hope it works for you too. I always felt a bit calmer afterwords.

Not all projects are this rewarding while you work. I love all my projects once they are done, but there are a few of them I have had to endure.

Paver pounding? You will love it!

With the right preparation, tools and material it will be a great stress reliever and you’ll have a bonus awesome yard.

Skill level: moderate

Tools

Rubber mallet
Hammer with metal head

Materials

Pavers of your choice, ours were 99¢ each at The Home Depot
Weed barrier, landscaping material
Landscaping staples
Play sand $5 a bag, we used 3-4
Pavers sand

We started the paver edge once the sod was down, but there was no landscaping outside of this. So we had a nice edge to follow for the pavers.

Prep the ground by running the sprinklers an hour before working, this makes the dirt softer and allows more movement while hammering your pavers into place.

Lay the landscaping material down first and have it come up the edge of the paver an inch or two. This is to keep grass from growing between your paver. By putting work in upfront now, we hope to avoid annoying grass problems later. Notice how I set pavers to hold large portions of landscaping material in place. I then came back and finished the edge. This method helps you easily get that 1-2 inch of material coming up the edge.

The purpose for installing pavers is to create a nice edge between the lawn and fence and other landscaping and so it creates easy mowing and less need for a weed wacker.

We had quite a bit of grass growing next to the fence from our neighbors yard. To combat this, we pulled out all the grass and sprayed the edge with grass and weed killer to prevent further growth and to kill any grass seeds left.

We also built the soil up an inch or two and put down landscape material. I’m serious about avoiding annoying upkeep down the road. I love yard work, but there is only so much weeding a person can love.

Use landscape staples right up next to the edge of the fence. I also have the landscape material coming up an inch or two to discourage unwanted weed and grass growth. Use the metal head hammer for this otherwise the staple pounding eats up the rubber mallet.

Some people use string and a level to make sure the pavers are straight. We had already done alot of work to level the ground with raking, rolling etc. so I didn’t use a string – in fact I eyed it. If it looked straight I left it, if I noticed a bulge in the line of pavers I hammered it into place with the mallet, very easy.

To give your pavers a nice foundation to sit on and reduce pavers shifting through the years, lay about an inch of play sand (play sand because it’s cheaper, we’ll use the nice stuff at the end). Sand will also help the paver not tilt when it’s walked on.

Set the paver where you want it to go and hammer it into the ground slightly. The sand holds it in place, the soft dirt gives way and surrounds the paver, setting a nice sturdy line for a professional look. My pavers were about the same thickness as our sod, so I hammered until the paver was even with the height of the grass.

For easy upkeep and mowing we curved the grass at the corners. The pavers just fanned out around the curved corners creating triangle wedges that I then filled in with sand.

To further seal in the pavers, spread paver sand on top. It is very fine sand and will fill in all the little crevices making it harder for weeds and grass to move in and cementing in your well pounded design with very little wiggle room.

To finish off the look and hold down the rest of the weed barrier fabric we put down a few inches of chocolate mulch. If we ever want plants in any of these areas we will can cut a hole in the fabric, but for now, the weeds are held at bay.

I am so happy with the way this paver edge turned out. The pounding was actually fun and we are going to have a much easier yard to care for. Our dog literally wanted to be in every photo, so she gets to wrap it up.

Are you planning a lawn edge soon? What edging are you considering. Feel free to leave your comments below and best wishes with your next project.

The post Installing a Paver Edge appeared first on This Homemade Home.

These bench ideas are all over Pinterest and I love them, because they inspired this in a moment of desperation.  Someone was giving away a free king size “headboard” and because I haven’t had the time to make my desired headboard I thought this could fill in until I get there.  Well… I show up to take a look and immediately realize it is a foot-board. My initial thought was to say, “no thank you.” But, the foot-board-giver had these pleading eyes like, “please take this thing away.” He also looked like he had just had the worst day of the year. So… I took it. The whole way home I’m thinking, “I’m going to need to explain this, this large thing that isn’t going to be a headboard.” By the time I arrived I had planned out the whole bench and was ready to start. It also helped that the same week someone else gave away real walnut wood planks, left over from a kitchen cabinet job and the house being built down the street donated a few pieces of hardwood (really, I did not just take them :). Before I knew it, I had everything needed for my spare parts bench.

Tools Used

Miter Saw

Nail Gun

Sander

Drill

Pre-drill Bit

Chisel

Rubber Malet

Sanding Block

Cheap Paint Brushes

Measuring Tape

Pencil

Materials Used

Head/foot board

2″ x 6″ Hardwood the length of your foot board plus a few feet for front legs

2 1/2″ Screws

Woodglue

Drywall Mud

Stain

Wood Putty

Polyurethane

Primer

Paint

Upfront disclaimer, the reason this bench was able to cost just $15 is because a bulk of the wood was free and I already had most of the paints, stains etc. It’s leftover, spare parts–but that is the beauty of it. With a little imagination, you can bring leftovers together and get a nice piece of furniture .

First I built the front legs and support piece of the bench. I took one long piece of 2×6  for the support, which I actually had to buy because no one is going to give away good lumber like that. As you can see it is rough wood which makes it cost less.  It also take forever to sand smooth, I will show you in this article how to deal with that and get a smooth look. You will also need to notch out the wood of the vertical leg piece. Then you will need to pre-drill with one of these handy drill bits specifically for that purpose.  It also has a large drill at the end that will drill out a hole to fit the screw head so you can caulk over it. If you don’t pre-dill you will more often than not split your wood.

On the vertical leg piece cut notches about 1/4″ apart with a circular saw.  Adjust your saw so that is cuts the depth of 2×6 board. Then use a chisel or screwdriver to break off each piece.

Clean it up with a chisel and rubber mallet like this. If you don’t clean it up the 2×6 board will not lay flat. No need to sand it, but get off the jagged wood so it is smooth.  In this picture you can see the portion behind the chisel is smooth enough for the board to lay flat.

Now to get rid of rough wood, sand it a bit just to get the real jagged parts off, fill in gaps with caulk and let it dry.  After it is dry take drywall mud and spread a smooth layer over all the parts you want smooth.  Drywall mud fills in gaps nicely and blends this joint together almost seamlessly.

Now the bench is ready to prep for paint. When I am planning on painting a piece that is varnished this is my quick trick that works really well.  I sand the entire area that is varnished with a sanding block.  See all the scratched up wood?  That is going to allow the primer to really stick well to the wood. In order for it to stick you will need to also wipe down the piece with a damp cloth and get rid of all the dust.

Next prime the whole piece with good primer.  Cheap primer will not stick as well. Remember to give nice even strokes and watch for drips, they are much easier to take care of while they are wet than when they are dry.

Select your desired bench color.  I have seen plenty of cute white benches or black benches, but I already have those colors incorporated on my front porch. I finally went with this color because it is a nice country blue and can pop a bit with the white railing and red brick.

I wanted to add a little texture and personality to the color so I sanded the edges with my sanding block and stained it with a walnut brown stain to give it a warm well loved look.

Then it was time to make the seating.  Since I had come across such beautiful walnut wood. I decided to make slat seating. Like this. Testing out the waters to see if I liked the spacing ect. The arm rests were just placements until I could get a jigsaw to round them out a bit and tie it in with the nice curve of the back of the bench.

To cut the slats to size I used my miter saw, cutting four pieces at a time. I then sanded each piece lightly softening the corners and edges.

Each slat needed to be secured to the back and front of the bench. I secured the front by pre-drilling each slat like this and then screwing it into place.  You will notice I am drilling in at an angle and had to be careful that my screw would go through the slat and the 2×6, but not show. I was successful on all of them, but one.  I simply filled the hole in with colored wood putty.

To secure the slat on the back I used a nail gun.  Each slat had to be measured so I could know where to nail in the back. I also used a hand weight to hold each slat down so that is was in the exact spot I wanted it to be when I nailed it.

Here you can see where I am measuring to get the placement of the next slat and where the holes are for the other slats. This was my first time using a nail gun and I was a bit intimidated, wear ear plugs and make sure no one is in front of you just be be safe. I did have one nail hit to the side and ended up having to pull it out and try again, but amazingly all the other nails went where I wanted them Yay!

Now it’s varnish time, the pinnacle of refurbishing and building. I love how it brings out the shine and beauty of the wood. No stain here, it’s all natural wood color.  I made one mistake here and used my good brush and even though I cleaned it “thoroughly” or so I thought, with paint thinner, it still dried hard with varnish residue.  I was reminded again why I love cheap paint brushes so much and finished the rest of the bench with these bad boys. They are so inexpensive you can toss them instead of spending for ever trying to clean them out and it not work anyway.  They also work better–at least I think so.

Once you have it varnished you need to let it dry for a few hours, lightly sand it wipe it with a damp cloth and do another layer of varnish.  You should varnish at least three times on bare wood that has never been varnished before. When you have all the layers on let it dry for a good 24 hours or so before using it.  I used oil based varnish for indoor outdoor use since it would be sitting on our porch.

I loved making this bench

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