POSEY, CUTE IDEA, I THINK THE AFRICAN VIOLETS WOULD LOOK TOO CUTE IN TEACUPS. WHAT DOES HE USE TO MAKE THE HOLES??

THANKS FOR SHARING

Hi Posie,

I recently found a whole box of coffee and tea cups,
all in great condition but none matched the others.
I took them, glued a 1 inch wooden ball to the bottom
of the cup and then glued a 1/4 inch threaded rod into
each ball. In the cups, I planted marigolds, rose moss
and other small flowering seeds.

I have stuck these in my flower beds, at various
heights, especially in areas
where the greenery is most prominent.

I can hardly wait for blooms!!!
just the cups setting here and there looks
cute!

~Jude~

Hey..cute idea, maybe you can have a "Marigold Tea Party"!

I LOVE this idea!! I collect all kinds of tea cups and this idea would be perfect for my garden and landscape around my house!!
Thanks
Tam

Wow, such a cute idea. These would make a nice hostess gift too.

My Hubby just uses a small drill and goes very slow while drilling the holes.

You can also buy a drill bit made especially to drill glass.

I also love this idea...sorry i need to ask this, so I take my drill (power , right?)and use a small bit? It wont break the cup?

Also saw the cutest idea at a second hand/antiques store the other day. It was a transferware type( but much cheaper) consomme / soup bowl expoxyed to a wooden stake for birdseed. Hope I described it Ok it was really cute and would be easy to do.

Don't you think the little tiny minature violets would look too cute in the smaller teacups, or even a demitasse cup (don't know if that is spelled right!)

read in here somewhere that it helps to have this certain kind of drill and then they had water in a bowl just in the bottom and a sponge in the bowl and the glass teacup on top the sponge so where drilling the sponge was wetting the glass and ta-da...something like that...sorry not any clearer, but check back in search for drilling in glass

carolynGA,
You're right, they do look cute. That's what I use for mine, but it's a good idea to put saucers in the teacup to prevent waterstains, etc. I'm having trouble finding teacups, though, antique stores in the area wanted $25-30!! for one teacup. Haven't had time to check garage sales yet.

Answers....I hope.LOL I've never tried china cups, they may break easier, so the sponge and water idea might work better with them. I use the heavier type cups and mugs. Use a tiny drill and drill slow. Be sure to try the Goodwill, Salvation Army, Savers, and other stores...The saucer under the cup is a great idea, I usually use whatever type clay pot saucers I have on hand. I also buy the mugs to use at Christmas time for the "Bake A Cake in a Cup" and/or hot chocolate mix, etc. Another idea....I had a CD rack that is not in use that is built like a tower or ladder. I'm using it in my garden and have a Petunia climbing on it.
Have fun!!!

Great Ideas!! Cup w/flowers on post placed over those areas in the garden that have finished flowering or that are resting for second round of flowering would add color again to that area and could be moved to another spot at any time for bright spots of color. Also could be used at different heights in those areas that are hard to plant in, like under trees w/dense roots at soil line. You Guys are Ssooo creative!!!! Joy

Don't forget that thrift stores ALWAYS have a ton of saucers and teacups too!! I have been stocking up for mosaics, and have found quite a few sets as well that I have made teacup birdfeeders from!:) NOW I am going to do this too!!
**The prices at secondhand shops are WAY under $1 for saucers and cups also!!:)

Hey everyone, thanks for all the great ideas! I just can't wait to try the tea cup birdfeeder! I have a craft show in Sept. and need new ideas. I also love tea cup flower idea. As Martha Stewart would say...This is a Good Thing! lol :)

I've made 5 teacup birdfeeders and drilled through the cup and the saucer on my drillpress. The bit to use is a 1/4" Black & Decker glass & tile drill bit that I bought at Lowes for around 5 or 6 dollars. It worked great and I never had to use water to drill.Some of the numbers on the package were 16902-03 spear Hope this helps....Bonnie

Turn the cup or mug upsidedown and make a cross on the base with 2 pieces of masking tape. Drill slowly and carefully where the tape pieces intersect.

I love these ideas. You people are very creative. Thanks.

Great ideas! Just in case, it is always best to use water at the site when drilling ceramic, glass, tile etc. It would be a shame to have it break. My aunt actually drilled multiple holes in wall mounted mirrors (12"x12" already attached to the wall!) to drill screws through to secure large wall size shelves for nic-nacs. I was thouroughly amazed! She has worked with glass for many years (leaded, etc.) and is the craftiest person I know.

Bake a cake in a cup????? More infor please. You can e-mail me at eaglemama8n@msn.com.....sounds like an idea for our upcoming bake sale.

I saw another cute teacup idea today at a craft store. Soneone made a chandelier out of pieces of wrought iron fencing and teacups. If the cups were china, they'd be transluscent enough for candles. This idea sparked all kinds of ideas. I was thinking about building a trellis for a less colorful vine, then attatching teacups here and there for flowering annuals.

i have been drilling holes in china .it is a hard job but it did not break it is not as fragile as i thought it would be. it takes twice as long to drill through the china than the ceramic items. the only thing i have a problen drilling has been soda bottles. the heat from the drilling caused the bottles to continue to crack.i have been using tungsten drills .i also used a small diamond drill for the dremel.i used a diamond encrusted blade to slice the china cup.

Great ideas!!! Love this forum. Keep on posting!!!

Here's another fun idea for cups and mugs.

Here is a link that might be useful: coffee mug or teacup bells

i have collected about 25 plates to breakup for an attempt at mosaic . i just absolutely can not crack the first one...they are so pretty.i have no success with the little glass cut thingy.nor the nipper!!i want to use the flower designs in the center. for necklaces.and the rims for mosiac designs.does anyone have any suggestions.

Momsgirl..Maybe if you started a new post you would get an answer to your question. Give it a try.

i have not learned all the ins and outs of these forums yet.will you tell me how to start a new post.is it as hard as putting pictures on these forums???haha

All is very interesting. In the past, I have used old ceramic bowls of a larger size than cups and used a drill bit designed for this it is called a "masonry bit". when using larger containers you would drill several small holes in the bottom. If you want something unique and very interesting....... try planting up an old work boot with hens and chicks! even put some holes where it might wear out around the toes and such. Its great fun using alot of different kinds of planters.

I'm new here, and I don't know if anyone else is interested in things like this---but I like the outrageous. SO I bought some wild, leather, tennis shoes red, yellow, and organge), a pair of mary-janes (that's what we called them when I was a girl), workboots, and a pair of old loafers. I drilled large holes in the bottom of each, placed a dowel in the holes, then poured liquid plastic on the inside and outside of each. When dried, I pulled the dowels out, planted one with the more traditional hens and chicks, but impatiens looks terrific in the sneakers and I added driftwood "sticks" to look like "pants' bottoms. The "mary-janes" have white lobelia cascading out of them... and the workboots have pincushion plants jutting out. The next batch will have nasturtiams in them, since I have an overabundance of seedlings to plant. People seem to like them; they always laugh.

Sounds like a cute idea. I've seen some old men's cowboy boots planted that way. I have a man's old cowboy boot that someone made into a birdhouse. It's pretty rustic now, so I use it as a "OlD Woman In the shoe House" in my minature garden. Have small figures that I kplace here and there for the "children".