DIY Hanging Ivy Sphere

Home.

I got this idea from a pin on Pinterest and wanted to remake my own.  RaymentWire was selling this orb for about $85 US dollars.  I'm never interested in spending more than seems reasonable so the plan was to DIY.

Originally I thought that I would get a Chinese lantern and rip out the paper covering, but my hope for an inexpensive alternative was blown apart.  The lantern I purchased was very inexpensive and I should have realized that it was not held together with wire - the paper was the structure. As soon as I pulled the paper off, the entire thing crumbled.  What was a girl to do?

Honestly, I felt defeated and was about to give up, but realized that I had a hanging basket that had not been used this spring and was sitting underneath my deck.  I had purchased the hanging basket about five years ago and have been replacing the liners each season.  I did not have the time to plant these baskets yet and honestly wasn’t going to use them anyway.  These hanging baskets were perfect for repurposing.

This was really easy and it only took about 10 minutes.  For sure, it will take longer for the ivy to grow and cover the wired skeleton sphere.

First, buy three small ivy plants.  Transplant all three into one of the plastic containers so you have more plant to cover the orb.

Take the layered hanging planters and take off the metal hooks that are attached to the chains. 

Using an awl or sharp point to put four holes equally around the plastic container with the ivy.  Make sure you put the hole below the lip of the container so the zip ties won’t cut through the container.

Using four zip ties, put one through each of the holes in the container.  Do not connect the end yet. Invert the larger wire basket above the top of the ivy plant.  Loop the zip ties to the inverted wire basket.  Do not zip the zip ties too tight, you want the ivy to hang a bit.  Trim the excess ends of the zip ties.

Connect the smaller wire planter to the bottom of the larger planters with some more zip ties.  You will need another person to hold the top so that you can make sure the zip ties are connected in the same length.  Trim the zip tie end when done.

Take the ivy and loop it around the wire so that when it grows, it will cover the wire entirely.

Repurpose the metal chains by hanging them from the middle of the orb.  My metal chains had two hooks attached to each chain for both layers.  Attach the hooks to the bottom of each of the three chains. When attaching, hook one on each side of one of the wires, this way the chains won’t slide around.

Hang the ivy outside and wait for progress. Hopefully it will look like a big orb of ivy in a few weeks like the one above from RaymentWire.

This project was easy and only took about $15 to make.  The ivy cost around $5 and the hanging planter is only about $10.  I already had mine so it really was an inexpensive project.  Only time will tell if this repurposed project will be successful.  The weather has been warm and has been raining frequently so I know the ivy will be growing.  Try this out and I hope you will have success.  I'll update when progress is made.

<3 mk

Pinterest Challenge

Food. Fashion. Home.

When presented with a challenge, I usually step up to the challenge.  And, isn’t Pinterest the mecca for all things you want to do, but don’t ever end up doing?  For some that is the case and others, not so much. 

I am proud to say that most of the items I have pinned in my projects board on Pinterest have either been done, started, or are just about to begin.

Here are some of my favorite pinned projects that I have done over the last few months.

1. Coconut Oil Deep Conditioner

This has been the number one hit on the blog.  It is cheap, quick, and really works.  There are many other uses for coconut oil from lotions, to face scrubs.  The list goes on. 

2. DIY Terrarium

Terrariums are huge right now and they all are so diverse.  I originally pinned my idea from Making It Lovely . My setting was a bit different, but overall a terrarium is a living decoration for the home. 

3. Make up Brush Holder

This was all over Pinterest and I jumped right on the bandwagon.  The clear vase was purchased at my favorite store, TJ Maxx for under $5 and the beads came from my local craft store.   Now I can access the brushes and they are pretty to look at too.

4. Makeup Brush Cleaning

There were many methods to get your brushes clean, but I stuck with gentil soap and olive oil for the deep clean.   I originally pinned the idea from The Beauty Book.  Witch Hazel has always been my pick for the daily clean.  If you can get past its "wonderful" smell, you will notice how much cleaner your brushes are on the regular.

5. Regrowing Green Onions

This was pinned from Baked by Rachel and was a great idea.  I  used the green onions to replace the fading paper whites in my kitchen.  There is also the added benefit beside using this as a décor piece,  just snip off some onions to use in your next meal.  I did it the other day and giggled.

6. Scarf Organization

I saw so many ideas for scar organization, but I really believe it depends on the space you have and how many scarves you're working with.   Some inspiration came from Be Different, Act Normal, but I ended up using my own method mainly because my collection of scarves was too large and needed a larger home. 

7. Earring Organizer

Unfortunately I can't give credit to anyone on Pinterest becasue my pinned idea doesn't lead to a website.  There is an almost exact copy from Live in Imagination, but not where I originally got the idea. I made a few of these for my girlfriends and bought earrings as their Christmas gifts. I am still religiously using this holder in my closet.  It really allows me to see what I have to choose from so I don’t get stuck in a rut wearing the same pair all the time.

8. Necklace Organizer

Since doing this idea, I have seen numerous others post their own personal necklace organization ideas.  I originally pinned the idea from Be Different, Act Normal. Again, it is all about the amount of necklaces and the space you have.  The rod with hooks has been a huge hit, but all have their own twists.  It makes me sad thinking one day I will eventually be moving and may need to leave my system.  I hope the new homeowner would use and appreciate it as much as I do.

9. State Love

I love this idea and wish I could give props to the person who originally pinned it.  When clicking on the link, all you get is a link to printing up the maps from a .gov site.   It was an easy project and a thoughtful one for a couple who has lived in many places.

10. Under Sink Organization

So there were a lot of places that I got inspiration from for my under sink organization.  The size did matter (LOL) of both my under sink areas in the guest bath under sink organization and the kitchen under sink organization.  I got the idea for the stress rod from Minding My Nest.  It hasn’t fallen down once and still has to be the best space saver.

The idea for the curling iron holders came from curbly.com and it totally rocks.  Our master bathroom remodel is almost done and I can’t wait to put some of those PVC pipe wonders up.

As you can see, PINTEREST = CRACK!  For someone who always has ideas running through her head for projects, it can be overwhelming, but totally inspirational.   I can’t wait until the day when Jeff and I have a new home and I can put some of my other ideas into play.  For right now I will continue to pin and dream.

Follow me on Pinterest.

<3 mk