It is that time again! Warm weather brings with it the inspiration to decorate and make our yards and garden look nice for the year, right? Now, I do not have a green thumb, nor do I claim to be a gardening expert; my specialty is more crafty things.
However, my mother is an avid gardener. Since Easter, her birthday and Mother’s Day are all in the spring, it allows me to come up with many gardening-type gifts for her. So, using my mom as inspiration, I am bringing you five DIY garden decoration projects you can do with your kids or on your own this season!
Plant Markers
First are DIY plant markers. I love this idea because it is so easy! If you need a way to mark your vegetables or herbs in the garden, this is an inexpensive and simple way to do it! Send the kids into the yard to find some sticks, grab some clothes pins, and label them with a permanent marker. You can paint the clothes pins like I did for a splash of color, or keep it extra simple and use them plain!
Tic-Tac-Toe Stepping Stone
Make a tic-tac-toe stepping stone for your garden! This one takes a little bit of effort, but it’s worth it! Get a stepping stone with a flat surface, then paint the tic-tac-toe lines. I used a stencil I printed to paint mine. Then, find some rocks to paint as the pieces. We decided to go with ladybugs and bees, and my kids loved helping to paint the rocks. We even added leaves on the stone for an extra touch. For the leaf print, we used an actual leaf from the yard and painted it, then put the leaf on the stone, making a print of it. It turned out so cute! If you are going to leave the rocks outdoors, you may want to go over them with some clear waterproof Mod Podge to help the paint last longer.
Garden Decoy Rocks
Here is another one that involves painting rocks, which again, my kids loved! We painted these rocks to look like strawberries and tomatoes. The idea is that you put them in your garden now, before the tomatoes and strawberries grow and the animals will think they are real, but then ignore them with they realize they are rocks. Then when the actual fruit starts to grow, they will ignore those, too, thinking they are rocks! As with the tic-tac-toe rocks, be sure to coat with Mod Podge for durability. And even if it doesn’t trick your animals, they still look cute!
Solar Chandelier
This one was a process and did take some time and effort, but the result turned out too good not to share and made the process worth it! We replaced a light in our house a few years ago, so I upcycled it into a solar chandelier. First, I removed the lightbulbs and wiring. I removed the glass panes as well, but set them aside to put back on after I painted it. I used an outdoor durable spray paint. It did take a few coats, over a few days of drying. Then, I added the solar lights in the spots where the light bulbs were. I only needed the top part of the solar lights, so I removed the bottoms as well, and then glued them in with heavy-duty caulking. Finally, I put the glass panes back. I loved the way it turned out, and it is still going strong and hanging on my mom’s deck a few years later, so it was worth the time!
Recycled Basket
Do you have any extra baskets around that need a purpose now that Easter is over? My daughter and I repurposed an old Easter basket into a planter! This was a simple project and she was able to do a lot of it herself. First, we cut the handle off, and then we spray-painted it a fun color. We did spray the basket with a clear coat of spray paint as well after the color paint dried. Once that was dry, we lined the basket with a plastic liner. We used a piece of plastic from a bag of soil that we cut to fit, but I hear coffee filters work well, too! Then she picked out some flowers, planted them and gave them some water. My daughter was so proud she found a way to repurpose something and now we have an adorable centerpiece for our deck table.
I hope you can find some of these DIY garden decorations a place in your home and that you love them as much as mom does! Many of which she loves and doesn’t get rid of until they fall apart, and maybe not even then. But let’s face it, even though the decorations are cute, I know it is less about the item and more about the fact that I made it and gave them to her.
I love you, mom! Happy Mother’s Day!
