Quick Projects

After reading my sister's blog about her homemade bonsai tree a few months back, my mom and I decided to try our hand at it.  Rachael put a tutorial on her blog so we could follow her steps because I could not fathom how to turn a shrub into a tree when she tried to explain it to me over the phone. 

We ran to Home Depot to find the exact kind of tree she used because hers turned out so well and I wanted mine to be just as cute.  We searched through all of their little shrubs, getting poked and scratched all along the way, but were unable to find the kind she used.  We finally settled on some type of Cyprus shrubs.

I took mine home and attempted to follow her instructions.  I don't know that mine turned out quite as cute as hers did but I love it and it has survived; which, quite honestly, surprises me.

Here is a picture of the final product,
I never took a picture of what I started out with.

And here is a view from the side:

The bonsai turned out a lot better then I had expected and the tree itself only cost me 6 dollars.  The pot was 10.  So I would say I saved a whole lot of money, considering that bonsais start around $20 and often go up to more than $100.  It was a fun project and now I'll never have to worry about buying another overpriced tree again, unless I want the real thing, of course.

Around the time that I made my bonsai tree I also made a few clocks and again I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.  I bought a clock kit from Roberts, some black paint, and some fabric and matching ribbon.  I painted the numbers and clock hands, glued the fabric around the clock face and attached the numbers and ribbon.  I love the simplicity of it and how easy it is to personalize each one.  I've made six clocks so far and each one looks unique from the others but of course I didn't take any pictures of those.

Here is the clock I have hanging in my living room.

Both of these projects cost less than 20 dollars and took only about an hour each to complete.  I love quick projects that aren't too overwhelming when you realize too late what you've gotten yourself into.