Learning to Make Do - My Way!

 Hello all, and happy Cinco de Mayo!  Funny how it fell on taco Tuesday as well!  LOL!

I hope you are all well and safe.

It is a cool morning and damp.  We had rain over night, and I heard some thunder a couple times.  We are expecting more rain later on today and tonight.  Things sure are green and growing.  A couple of the peonies started popping open yesterday.  Sunday, I had my first hummingbird of this season!

It is 59* at the moment and the sun is peeking out.  Not going to get a whole lot warmer today.

I have always tried to make do and use things in new ways.  Lately I have had a couple of successes I thought I would share.

I put up my May and summer patriotic door decor and flags.  We have Memorial Day this month and the in a short while it will be July 4th - Independence Day.  So, I have been doing some patriotic decor.

I had purchased a large front door decoration last fall and was trying to figure out how to attach to door.

My door is black wrought iron and the frame on the decor was black as well.  Well, I had nothing black to attach it.

I only had white zip ties long enough to attached and they just glared white!

I attached with them - then I got the permanent marker out and colored the ties!  It worked.  You can see then slightly up close - but not from any distance.  If there is a will there is a way.

My older hummingbird feeder had lost a feeding flower - it fell off and broke when cleaning last fall.  Feeders are not cheap, even simple ones!  I had one for the kitchen window/stoop and I put one on the porch as well.  The birds know where they are every year.  So, for the one on the porch, I improvised.  I didn't want ants or bees getting in it - so I just covered that one feeding port with black electrical tape.  There are 3 other ports to eat from.

You can see on the right side - no flower, but tape.  There are other places to feed, and all is good for another year!  (I like this one because they can land and sit)

After making the t-shirt blankie for my niece, I had a lot of scraps left.  I used nice sections of the fronts and most backs for the blanket - but still had a lot of pieces.  I cut those into squares and will add to my hanky basket.  They would also have made great cleaning rags.  I just couldn't throw away useful material!

I leave dry food out back for the kitties all day. It is under a little table to keep rain off of it.  Well, if you have ever had food out long, you know it attracts ants - no fun for eating.  I tried several methods people had mentioned and none really worked.  I came up with my own.  I put down a foil pie pan, add some water and set their food dish in it.  The food dish is just a bit smaller than the bottom of the pan.  (feeds multiple cats).  Ants do not cross the water!!!!  It works perfectly.  I also have a smaller dish in the drive for other cats, and I do the same with it.  It sits in a dish of water a bit bigger than the feed dish.  I change the water every morning, as it accumulates crumbs and bits.

No ants!

Just a couple ideas on making do.  When you don't want to go out and buy something new or don't want/need to make a trip out to just do a simple task - get creative.

Hope it gives someone incentive to just get a little creative and make do.

Have you done any creative fixes lately?  I just love hearing the things people do to save money and things.

Have a fantastic day!!!!!!