How to Make an Owl Planter

I saw once on Etsy.com  these cute animal planters made of felt, and I thought I should make my own. Since I don't know how to work with felt, I made them from air drying clay, and chose to go with an owl representation, because it is easy to recreate. I  incorporated all the process in a video, so you can make your own planter as well. See video at the bottom of this page.

Let's begin! But first here is something for you to pin :

Supplies:
When you buy little plants, they come in these plastic containers, so look for a jar or cup that is a little bigger than the container.
You will also need some air drying clay.Here is a suggestion :
-A knife
-Some tin foil
-A non sticky surface, to work your clay on it
-Something to roll the clay with- I used a bottle spray
-And a cup of water ( to help you smooth the surface of the clay )

 Steps:
1.Cover the bottom of the jar with tin foil and press it until it's smooth
2.Take a ball of clay and roll it until you obtain a round piece of about 0.5 cm thickness.
3.Place the round piece of clay on top of the jar and press it until it gains the shape of the jar.
4. Roll an other piece of clay until you obtain a cylinder shape, then press it and roll it until you obtain a rectangular shape, long enough to embrace the jar
5.Wrap around that piece around the jar, and using your fingers dipped in water, combine the 2 parts of  clay together until you obtain a cup shape that sits on top of the jar.
6.Turn over the jar, and using a stick or a pen , roll out the edge, and smooth it with your hands.
7. For the owl look, place 2 flat circles of clay on front , and smooth the center of them with your finger., creating the eyes.
8.Create also a conical shape and place it between the eyes , creating this way the beak.
9.Using a stick ,make some long marks on the back , resembling some feathers.
10.Remove the jar from the clay form. It will easily come out, but the tin foil will be stuck on the clay.
11. Leave it to dry for about 24 h or over night. After it's dried the tin foil pops out easily.
12.You can place your plant in there, or optional you can paint the owl, on the eyes and beak to look more funny.

And you are done!
Here is the video I promised:

Dollar Store Challenge -Wall Hanging Mirror DIY

I never found the dollar store very attractive,especially not in the home decor department, because you can sense the "cheap" effect from most of the things exposed.
Nevertheless, the dollar store is a magical place for a crafter like myself, a place where you can find inspiration to create beautiful things on a budget.
 This is my first project of this kind but I feel that there will be others in the future.

At first I was temped to paint this mirror cover in antique gold , because I noticed a trend with these types of mirrors, but then I thought that a white cover with flowers will be more cute and add more brightness to my home.It is up to you what color you choose in the end.

What will you need (from the dollar store) :
1. A round mirror- with a backing support- The backing support can be easily removed and we will use the holes to stick a hanger in them
2.A pack of wooden cloth pins
3.Some  artificial flowers
4.Some white string

You will also need
5.Glue gun and some liquid strong glue (I used Super Glue ,E6000 is also good)
6.Spray paint or acrylic paint
7.Scissors
8. A piece of tin foil

Step 1.
Remove the backing support of the mirror and identify one of the holes that it unveiled .Cut a piece of string and tie a knot at the end creating a loop. Squeeze the ends through the hole, until the knot touches the mirror frame and the loop hangs in the air. Add super glue and press it down for 10 seconds. You can add some extra glue with the glue gun. This will be your mirror hanger.

Step 2.
Glue the cloth pins on the mirror edge using the glue gun, leaving a little space between them. At the end it should look like a sun.

Step 3.
Cover the glass mirror with tin foil and spray paint it. I added only one layer of paint because I like the wooden touch from the cloth pins. If you like a matte, white look add 2 or 3 layers of paint.

Step 4.
After dried, rip some fake flowers and glue them on the mirror cover. I positioned them randomly. you can create a pattern or you can fully cover it with flowers. It's up to you.

Step 5
Hang it on the wall and take a look. You will look like a queen trough this mirror. Trust me!

 If some of this steps were not clear enough watch the video: