Gardener Turns Plastic Spoons Into Effortlessly Adorable Garden Decor

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Lots of people hang on to plastic spoons from takeout orders or birthday parties thinking they'll come in handy in the future, only to find them cluttering up kitchen drawers and cabinets. Fortunately, one gardener took to Facebook to show off an adorable design that turns this cutlery clutter into cute flower bed decorations. In a Hometalk video, this creator turns old plastic spoons into little ladybugs and bees that instantly brighten up any garden. The best part? The project costs next to nothing, so you can easily add a bit of whimsy to your yard without touching your piggy bank.

To recreate this adorable design, you'll need a pack of heavyweight clear plastic spoons, some black pipe cleaners, and some outdoor-friendly acrylic paint in red, yellow, and black, such as this 32-color set from Nicpro. For tools, you'll need scissors, a hot glue gun, and a few small paintbrushes. To plant your finished critters firmly in the soil, you'll also need a pack of wooden garden stakes, and, if you want to help your DIY stand up to sunlight, you might consider investing in a can of Krylon UV-resistant acrylic coating as well.

To make the ladybug version, start by cutting the bowl off of three spoons. Take one bowl, and paint small black spots on the inside, allow them to dry, then cover the entire inside of the bowl in red paint. Repeat this process on a second spoon, and paint the inside of the third spoon black. Once they've had time to dry, flip all three bowls over so that the rounded side is facing up, and position them with the black one in the center, and the two spotted ones on top on either side, splayed out slightly like wings. The base of the bowls — or where the spoon handles used to be — should be touching, and you can glue them together in this position. For the bumblebee, use the same assembly method, but paint the inside of one spoon in yellow and black stripes, and leave two additional spoons unpainted to serve as the wings. Wind a piece of black pipe cleaner into a small ball to make the head of each insect, and affix these with glue. Finally, glue the wooden garden stake to the underside of each insect, and finish with a layer of acrylic coating.

Once the bugs are dry, you can set them to work in your garden! Place your ladybugs near chamomile, cilantro, and oregano — all plants whose pollen is a tasty treat for real ladybugs. Bees, on the other hand, should be placed near lavender, oregano, or marjoram, whose clustered blooms these busy pollinators particularly enjoy. If you want to make a family of ladybugs or bees, you can also try recreating the DIY with mini plastic spoons to make baby versions, which can then be grouped in cute clusters alongside two larger parents. Place a few peeking out of a window box or patio flowerpot for a particularly adorable look.