Elmer's Spring DIY Projects - and a giveaway!

Here in Wisconsin, it stays cold for a loooong time (especially this spring!).  For the casual gardener like me, this poses a bit of a dilemma.  If I want to grow vegetables from seed, they need to get planted early, yet it's much too cold to put plants in the ground until after Memorial Day.

A logical solution - and the one that the hardcore gardeners use - is a greenhouse.  I looked into buying a small one last year, but found that even small ones cost quite a bit.  I had pretty much given up on the idea for now.

Last month, the folks at Elmer's approached me about partnering with them to complete a Spring DIY Project using one or more of their adhesive products.  Despite not being very "crafty" at all, I jumped at the chance.  I love working with Elmer's - the Bag It Forward program was such a rewarding experience for my whole family!

Elmer's put together a digital booklet that has some great DIY projects that anyone can do at home.  There's a project suggestion for just about every room of the house!  But my wheels started turning and I thought "What if I built my own mini-greenhouse???"  I'm not talking about a huge freestanding building here - just a small table-top version that would allow my seedlings to get some sun despite our cold spring temperatures.

I set off to my local Home Depot to explore my frame options.  I found some wood that looked suitable but only came in giant eight foot pieces. 

Since I was not comfortable using my hubby's saw, the nice guys at Home Depot cut it for me. (Did you know that they offer this service at no charge? And they were much more precise than I probably would have been!)

The two guys who helped me with the wood asked what I was going to do with it and I explained my grand plan.  They expressed some concern about the fact that I was planning to glue the wood together rather than nail it (Did I mention that I'm not crafty?  I don't do hammer and nails!), but I told them I was using Elmer's Glue-All and wasn't worried.

I also picked up some sheets of clear plastic to create the sides and top of my greenhouse.  The plastic will let the sun in to warm the space, but will protect the seedlings from the cold wind that's been blowing off the lake.

Once I got home, I formed the base of the structure by gluing four of the pieces of wood together with Elmer's Glue-All.  After letting it dry for about 45 minutes, I tested it and found that it was strong and solid.  Yay!!

I then proceeded to build the rest of the frame using the same process.  I added a few corner supports (also glued into place) to provide some added stability and let the whole thing dry for another 45 minutes.

Next I took the plastic sheets and cut them to fit each of the sides.  Using a staple gun, I fasented them on leaving the bottom open so that the greenhouse can be placed over the seedlings on our patio table.

Here is the finished product already put to use.  The final cost of the project (not counting the glue which was provided by Elmer's) was less than $20.  The least expensive greenhouse I could find in the stores which was about the same size as the one I made cost over $100.  Not bad, huh?

Now for the giveaway.

Three Wisconsin Mommy readers are going to receive an Elmer's Spring DIY prize pack chock full of great Elmer's products like:

· Elmer’s Glue-All

· CraftBond Tacky Glue
· CraftBond Extra Strength Glue Stick
· Elmer’s Multipurpose Spray Adhesive
· X-ACTO Gripster Knife


Here's how to enter:

1)  Leave me a comment telling me what you use Elmer's adhesive products for most often.  Are you a crafter and use them in your creations?  A teacher who uses them in their class?  Or just to repair things around the house?

Once you've answered question #1 (mandatory), you may earn additional entries by doing any of the following.  Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

2) "Like" Wisconsin Mommy on Facebook.

3) Follow Wisconsin Mommy on Twitter.

4) For three extra entries, Tweet about the contest by clicking here

(you will need to be signed into Twitter first).  Don't forget to leave three separate comments.

5) Subscribe to Wisconsin Mommy posts via email.

6) Bookmark this post on your favorite site (Digg, StumbleUpon, etc) and leave comment letting me know where you did.

This giveaway will run until Sunday, May 15th.  At that time, random.org will choose three lucky winners.  Please be sure that your email is visible or in the comment so that I can contact you if you are chosen. Prizes will be supplied and sent out by Elmer's.  Open to US residents only.

A huge thank you to Elmer's for sponsoring this post and providing the materials needed for this project!  All opinions expressed are my own and not influenced by any compensation.