Renderings of a restless mind

As everyone definitely knows by now DIYs are compulsions for me. Every time I finish a project, my mind identifies another area to invest an afternoon on. The results remain imperfect - slightly lacking always thanks to my impatience which gives up just as the project nears completion. But they still happen, and take form, only to be teared down soon.

The below are from a few weekends back. Fed up with upside down umbrellas and having to lay them flat more often than actually using them - I tried a few 'center of gravity' uplifting projects. The ideas aren't novel (as I learnt from a quick Pinterest search to up-level/polish the projects), but I did try and made a few variations. Cost of all versions: Less than 10 dollars.

1. Version 1: Re-use old baskets at home. This one was the easiest. I had a huge basket mostly rotting which I could fit an existing base into, so all that was needed was digging a hole in the cover and putting the umbrella stem through. Rest is intuitive (putting a cinder block through the stem and filling up with soil. Pics shared below.

2. Version 2 (for scenarios where there are no baskets available to spare): Involved buying 2 cheap plastic planters (3 dollars each), digging a hole at the bottom, and putting the stem of the stand through (it was hard to find ones that could fit the base inside - if those can be found at reasonable cost like version 1 - digging hole through base won't be needed).

Rest is the same: put cinder blocks through, fill up (I put a few extra pieces of leftover pavers with the soil to increase weight), and decorate top with rocks and sample artificial grass. You can off-course plant real ones too if you want.

The results (all versions) have been Phoenix wind storm tested and still standing.

Pics below.

In the same week while shopping for some random items, I came across really cute and fluffy white rugs (at a very reasonable price of USD 7.99 each). Since my daughter had been wanting a fluffy headboard for quite some time I bought two, and attached to the wall with board pins (it is fluffy enough to keep the board pins hidden). Best part? I detached and washed them after a crayon accident (happened already - within weeks). Pics below.