~A Planter Redefined!~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters!

I am sitting here pigging out on some delicious Damla candies, just waiting for my teeth or tummy (or both) to let me know it's time to stop.  Alhamdulillah in the past three weeks thanks to eating well, exercising on my Wii, and lots and lots of stress, I have lost 8 pounds!  The only problem with it is whenever I try to resist something I shouldn't be eating I tell myself "You've done really well! You deserve a treat!"

Ha! If I keep this up, I will have gained back twice as much as I lost by next month.

Anywho....as promised, I wanted to share with you amazing muslimahs my most recent home improvement project.  Lately I have been totally head over heels in looooove with this website called Pinterest.  It's the coolest place where ladies (well, I've never noticed a man posting anything) can post pics of those little things that encourage "oooohs" and "ahhhhhs" and squeals of delight followed by "Oh My God that is SOOO cute!"

You don't believe me?  Check it out...I guarantee you'll be squealing like a schoolgirl again in no time.  :)

Sooooo...a while back I was drooling over a million adorable DIY ideas when I came across some planters that someone had used as containers in their children's room for toys, stuffed animals, and other miscellaneous items.  I thought it was the cutest idea EVAR, and decided to make a couple of them myself.....with a couple of personal touches.

Soooo....here is one that I made for a friend's daughter.  It's exactly like the ones I made for my kiddos, but a different color.  Here is the finished product:

Like it?  :)

Here is how you can make these adorable alternatives to the average toybox:

1) Go to your local home improvement or gardening store and find some wall planters that you like.  They don't have to be the exact color you want, just a decent design.  Decide what color you would like the planter (I made this one brown to match the child's furniture) and what color you would like the letters to be, and buy the appropriate spray paint.  Just make sure the paint you get for the planter is for metal, or it won't stick.

2) Either buy the letters you like for the child's name at the same home improvement store, or if those are too bulky (they are usually to be used on the outside of houses or mailboxes) then go to a local arts and crafts store.  Again....it doesn't matter if you don't like the color of the letters, you've got the spray paint!  Also, pick up some matching or coordinating ribbon from the craft store: preferably one that is wide and wired so you can make a nice bow and it will keep its shape, and one that is very narrow in the same color as your letters.  Also grab two or three mirror/picture hooks per basket and some glue anything, stick your feet to the ceiling glue.

3) After laying out plenty of newspaper, get to painting.  Spray paint usually will run down or drip, so it's best to set the planter and the letters at an angle so you are spraying with the can as close to straight up and down as possible.  After spraying something with spray paint, always point the can away from anything, turn it upside down and spray until nothing comes out but air.  This will prevent the nozzle from getting clogged.  Spray paint dries quickly, so work on the ribbon while the letters are drying.

4)  I made mine so the ribbon doesn't actually hold up the planter, but is just for aesthetics.  I did this because my daughter had the genius idea of hanging up the planter on hooks, instead of permanently, so I can take it down, let her load and unload her goodies, and I can hang it back up again.  Figure out how high you want the ribbon to stretch, how big you want your bow to be, etc and then pin the bow to the wall, with the bottom strips where you want the planter to hang.

5) If you want the planter-turned-toy basket to be removeable like I did mine, hang two or three picture hanging hooks that are meant to hold up to 30 pounds.  You can usually only find these hooks in silver or gold, so if the color bothers you (like it bothered me) you can spray paint them with the same spray paint you used for the planter.

6) After the planter and letters have dried, decide on the placement of the letters, and using the thin ribbon, tie them in place.  When I did this the first time 'round it was purely to hold them in place until the glue dried, but then I decided I liked the look of it and left them.  That is entirely up to you.  Once you've tied them where you want them, add a bit of glue each place the letters touch the planter.  Let the glue dry overnight.

7) Hang up your masterpiece!  Marvel at how adorable it looks, and how functional it is!  These are great for holding anything from stuffed animals, to small toys, or even extra blankets in a nursery!  If you have two kids sharing a room, make one for each kid.  If your child has a longer name, you can always use smaller letters, or buy the long rectangular planters instead of the small one like in the picture.  Anyway it goes, have fun!

So ladies, I will let you go so you can get started.  Insh'Allah I've explained my process well, and if not....then let me know!   I always love questions and comments, so I'm looking forward to hearing what you think.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Crafting!

Fashionably Yours,

The (don't sniff the spraypaint!!!) Mujahada in Prada