Anitra Mecadon’s holiday DIY cloche inspired my homage to the honeybee

It might have started out as a DIY project for the holidays, but I took a left turn to celebrate the honey bee.

First off, I love how Anitra Mecadon’s creative process unfolds.

Anitra suggested we make cloches as a holiday DIY project on the 4 1/2 hour DIY con I hosted on blab. Miniature seems to be all the rage, and I love anything under glass, so I said ‘of course!’

As fun as ever, Anitra led me through her creative process when creating cloches as gifts. She likes to use plastic champagne flutes or mason jars, and picks up odds-and-ends for a theme. Through her talent and mastery of the glue gun, she creates really fun scenes.

What you’ll need:

• plastic dollar store champagne flutes or a jar
• items to put inside
• ribbon
• embellishments
• hot glue
• scissors

You’ll see in the video while I was gathering supplies for a holiday-themed cloche, my mind wandered to the honeybee. Maybe it’s because anything under glass is extra protected, and glass jars remind me of trapping lightning bugs as a kid on my cousin’s farm, or it’s because I’ve spent a few amazing summer days at the Burpee farm where the gardening experts are heart-achingly concerned about the plight of the honeybee. I don’t know. But I reached for honey bee themed items, and put them in my project basket.

If you aren’t a gardening geek or heard about the honeybee, here’s some backstory. The honeybee is essential to the fruits and vegetables we eat. In just the last ten years, 30% of the national bee population has disappeared, and nearly a third of all bee colonies in the United States have perished, ” according to the Center for Research on Globalization. And if this doesn’t sound odd-but-true… There have been honeybees driven in trucks to help pollinate an estimated $40 billion of fruits and vegetables. They are driving the honeybees around, so they are literally on tour. Head over to read this article from Wall Street Daily for more details on the honeybee.

About Anitra: Anitra Mecadon has contributed her spunk and talent on DIY Network’s Mega Dens, HGTV’s All American Handyman, Esquire Magazine’s Ultimate Bachelor Pad, HGTV’s Behind the Build Dream House, HGTV’s Behind the Build Smart Home, HGTV’s Raise the Roof College Challenge and more. She has been an interior designer for 15 years.