Project: Flower Pot Redo

I don't know about all of you, but I've been up to about a million things in the past couple of months and just haven't had much time to talk about them!  I am slowly...ever so slowly...trying to make my little house feel a little more like home.

I love palm trees.  Especially as I sit enduring a "stark" and "gray" winter in Chicago - I spend a lot of time dreaming of the sun.  I just needed a palm tree!  Really - I think it was a need.  It makes me happy.  Who doesn't brighten a little, or at least think of the sun, when they see a palm tree?  The tree was inexpensive.....planters (nice ones anyway) are another story!

 This sad little foam-ish pot has been sitting on my front porch with dead flowers since we moved in.  Don't know whose it was, but its mine now!  And it was in as much need of a makeover as I was in need of a pot.

 A few coats of spray paint made it a beautiful shade of shiny apple red!!  LOVE it!

My palm tree loves it too.

Now I just need to add some turquoise or something somewhere.....

Project: Milk Jug Skeleton

Meet Mr. Bones! He was our special guest at my Preschool Co-op today. The kids got to find his already assembled arms and legs to help put him back together while learning the song "Dem Bones". Great activity for little ones! I found some instructions off ehow.com and modified them a bit. Start saving your old Milk Jugs!

Materials:

• 6 clean plastic gallon jugs
• String (I used Fishing Line)
• Scissors
• Glue gun
• Hole Punch

Head (First jug):

Turn the first jug upside down. In the corner opposite the handle, cut out a large smiling mouth centered under the eyes. Make two small slits in the top of the head and tie a loop of string through them for hanging the finished skeleton.

Chest (Second jug):

Cut a vertical slit down the center of a right side up jug, directly opposite the handle. Cut and trim away plastic to make the rib cage. Glue the head and chest together at the neck by connecting he spouts of the two jugs with a thick band of hot glue. Hold the jugs together for a few minutes until the glue cools.

Shoulders (Third and Fourth jug):

Cut of two jug handles (leaving a small collar on the ends) and attach them to the chest section with hot glue. Punch a hole at one end of each shoulder.

Hips (Third jug):

Cut all the way around a jug, about 4 1/2 inches up from the bottom. Take the bottom piece and trim away a small smile shape from each side to make a four-cornered shape. Punch holes in the front two corners.

Waist (Third and Fourth jug):

Cut out two spouts, leaving a 1/2 inch collar on each. Glue the spouts together and let dry. Hot glue the waist to the bottom of the chest section and to the top of the hip section.

Arms and Legs (Fourth and Fifth jug):

Cut eight long bone shapes (ovals) from two jugs. I was able to get 4 ovals from one jug, starting from the top down to the bottom. From four of the 8 bones, cut out the center to make lower limbs (forearms and shins). Punch a hole through the ends of all eight bones. Use string to tie two arm sections to each shoulder and two leg sections to each hip.

Hands and Feet (Sixth jug):

 Let kids trace their hands and feet onto the side of a jug, then cut out the shapes. Punch holes in the hands and feet, and tie them onto the arms and legs.

*For this particular Preschool activity I assembled everything the night before, but didn't tie on the arms and legs. The kids got to go on a hunt to help Mr. Bones find his bones!*

Project: Recycle!

I don't know about you guys, but I have went through various ways to get my recycling in order. I am a huge believer in all things "Save the World," so my battle with the recycling bins has been somewhat crazy! I have done plastic bags under the sink, I have done crates in the shop, I have done laundry baskets...but all of them look terrible and take up soooo much space.

So I decided that the laundry basket was only half right- Walmart has this "el-cheapo" (my husband the Spanish teacher is not impressed with my word invention...) laundry separater for 10 bucks. I lined them with trash bags, labeled each one with cutsie paper and a safety pin and there you have it...

a space saving recycling bin!

Mine fits nice and cozy in my laundry room...

*Because we don't have recycling pick-up where I live, I choose a site where all the proceeds go to our city celebration of "Peach Days" and to our Little League programs. Save the world and then some!

:)