The world in her hands – DIY Women’s Month Planter
She’s got the whole world in her hands (while doing dishes, tending the garden, feeding the kids, juggling work, and trying to maintain a social life). Thank you to all the ferociously fabulous females and happy Women’s Month to you! Life is a Garden is celebrating the ladies with this classy DIY hands planter that’ll make the perfect gift for the green-fingered goddess in your life. Let’s get started!
“I raise up my voice, not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard” - Malala Yousafzai, activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.
You will need
- A dust mask
- 1 bag of casting/sculpting concrete mix (the smooth one that doesn’t have any stones)
- A mixing bucket and a mixing rod
- A small gardening spade
- A pair of plastic gloves
- Stones or bricks to help hold your hands in place as they dry
- Outdoor paint suitable for concrete (optional)
- A pair of scissors
- Potting soil, compost, and stunning succulents from your GCA Garden Centre
Resources at your fingertips: Your local hardware store will have a variety of concrete to choose from. Make sure you get one that is for casting or sculpting. Your GCA Garden Centre has all the rest of the gardening goodies you need, go check it out.
“If you're always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” – Maya Angelou, Pulitzer-prize nominated poet.
Get a grip on your hands
- With your dust mask on, it’s time to mix the concrete. Follow the instructions on the bag for a nice smooth consistency.
- Using a gardening spade, carefully fill each glove with the casting concrete. You’ll have to work quickly here and make sure that the mixture reaches the tip of each finger. Squeeze the concrete all the way down to ensure your hands and fingers will be evenly set once dried.
DIY African Mamma Planter A gift for mothers day
Here's the perfect gift for the eco-mom this Mother's Day! Give like a gardener with this stunning DIY planter made from an empty bottle, some South African flavour, a cute creeper, and a splash of creativity. Whether the mom in your life is an auntie, sister, cousin, or guardian – this home-made act of gratitude is sure to show them just how much you adore their presence in your life.
You will need:
- A clean, empty 2l milk/juice carton (remove any labels and glue, keep the lid).
- Waterproof paint.
- A permanent marker.
- Knife or scissors.
- An African-inspired cloth for the kopdoek/headband (larger piece) and neck (small piece).
- Rope for hanging.
- Potting soil (available at your GCA Garden Centre).
- A cute creeper (as hair) from your GCA Garden Centre. Go for a fun outing and check out which creepers are in season now.
Plant picks: Pilea glauca bowl, String of beads, Philodendron selloum and other Philodendron varieties, Guzmania varieties, Spider plant, and Pathos.
Making your Mamma
- Turn your carton upside down and conceptualise: the opening serves as the neck of your character, the handle becomes the nose, and the bottom end becomes the top of her head where the plant will go.
- Cut off the “head” quarter of the carton (not the lid end).
- Cut a few drainage holes/slits in the lid cap of your carton (her neck). Cut holes for the rope from which to hang your planter and then thread it through.
- Paint or draw on her lips above the neck, create her eyebrows just above the ending of the nose, and then her eyes, either opened or closed with luscious lashes, of course! You can play with the facial features of your mamma – perhaps add a nose ring or earnings, a little blush or eyeshadow. You could even make an African pappa or a few kids to accompany her.
