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A Miniature Bee Skep

How to make a decorative miniature bee skep by CountyRoad407.com #DIY #crafts #TenontheTenth #summercrafts #springcrafts #easyDIY #beecrafts #countyroad407
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Hello Friends!  Today is going to be so fun because even though I am not a crafter nor much of a DIYer making a miniature bee skep seems to have me all kinds of excited.  And the best part is I made 2 of them for less than $4.00!  Let me say that again.  I made two of them for less than four dollars dollars dollars (in my best echoing voice)!  So let’s get right to it so we can all throw our hat over the windmill.  That means celebrate for those not from Texas. 😉

How To Make A Miniature Bee Skep!

bee skep on black and white plate with yellow napkin

Have you ever heard of a Bee Skep?  I’ve seen several and liked them but never knew what they were called.  Then I saw a large one in a magazine and thought it would be cute on a teensy scale.  Like 6 inches teensy.

For centuries Bee Keepers have used these carefully designed dome baskets (Skeps) to house their bee hives.  When looking it up, I found out they are now illegal.  LOL – illegal!  It’s because there’s a better way but I still find it humorous.  Good thing mine is just for cuteness and not actual bee hive keeping.

How to make a decorative miniature bee skep by CountyRoad407.com #DIY #crafts #TenontheTenth #summercrafts #springcrafts #easyDIY #beecrafts #countyroad407

Here’s what you need to make two.

2 – Plastic pots or any dome shaped bowl – Mine were 5″ plant pots from Dollar Tree

13 feet of rope – Dollar Tree 

Hot glue and a hot glue gun

Black Sharpie

Exacto knife and Scissors

How to make a decorative miniature bee skep by CountyRoad407.com #DIY #crafts #TenontheTenth #summercrafts #springcrafts #easyDIY #beescrafts #countyroad407

Steps 1-3 to Making a Bee Skep

Step 1:  While you’re heating up the hot glue gun, measure out how much rope you’ll need by wrapping it around your small pot.  I think it looks better with one long rope verses several small pieces glued together.  For one pot I used about 6-1/2 feet which sounds like a lot for one tiny skep.  You’ll need more if your pot is larger or if your rope is thinner than what I used.

Step 2:  Simply start with one drop of hot glue to secure the end of the rope to the plastic pot.  I started above where the lip starts to flare out.  I wanted a dome shape instead of it looking like a bell.  Work in 3 – 4 inch intervals and hot glue the rope around the plastic pot until you’ve reached the top which is actually the bottom of the plastic pot.  

Step 3:  Once you’ve reached the top, make sure you push the rope down inside the rest of the rope.  If you let it build up on top of itself, it will start to look like a poop emoji!  Not a good look.  😉  It should be round and not pointed at the top.  I simply pushed mine down into itself and it worked out perfectly.

How to make a decorative miniature bee skep by CountyRoad407.com #DIY #crafts #TenontheTenth #summercrafts #springcrafts #easyDIY #beecrafts #countyroad407

Steps 4-8 to Making a Bee Skep

Step 4:  Figure out how small you want the handle on the top and cut the length.  Mine was about 3 inches.

Step 5:  Secure the handle to the top of the skep with hot glue on each end.  Hold the handle to the skep for about 30 seconds.  You want it to have a good strong hold.

Step 6:  Now use an Exacto knife or good scissors to cut off the extra plastic from the pot (the flared end). 

Step 7:  About 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the skep, draw out a square “door” with the black sharpie.

Step 8:  You can use the Exacto knife to carefully cut out the square for a more authentic looking skep or just leave it.  After cutting out the first square, I didn’t love the messy looking edges to I left the second skep alone.

How to make a decorative miniature bee skep by CountyRoad407.com #DIY #crafts #TenontheTenth #summercrafts #springcrafts #easyDIY #beecrafts #countyroad407

That’s it!  Now you know how to make a miniature Bee Skep!

Due to my lack of hot gluing skills, I went a bit overboard with the hot glue.  If you look closely you can see it squirting out.  If this happens to you, just tell anyone who comments that it’s supposed to look like honey.  Of course your real friends won’t say anything about that.  They might however ask you to make a few for them too.  

I searched my craft store for a small bee to hot glue on the top but no luck so I opted for the flower.  It’s still super cute and will be so fun to use this entire season.

brownies stacked with potato chip on a black and white plate with yellow napkins

Update:  I used them as a food cloche in an Eat Dessert First Tablescape!  Click here to see it too!  It was so fun!

DIY bee skep with sunflower

Happy Spring Crafting My Friends!



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60 Comments

  1. Gail
    March 10, 2019 / 7:30 am

    Adorable

    • March 10, 2019 / 11:04 am

      Thank you Gail. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.

  2. March 10, 2019 / 7:37 am

    Adorable! This is going to be great to use in spring and summer vignettes.

  3. March 10, 2019 / 7:50 am

    Cindy how cute is this? Girl, you really rocked it! I’ definitely going to be trying to make one of these!

    • March 10, 2019 / 11:07 am

      Rocked it?! Woo hoo! I think this wold look very cute on your festive patio. Thank you Tammy

    • March 10, 2019 / 11:07 am

      Thank you Susan. It was so easy to make!

  4. March 10, 2019 / 8:26 am

    That is just darling! What a sweet way to welcome spring.

    • March 10, 2019 / 11:09 am

      Thank you Kim. It’s fun to walk by and see it sitting with my table centerpiece. Have a nice Sunday.

  5. Lisa
    March 10, 2019 / 8:39 am

    This is adorable!

    • March 10, 2019 / 11:11 am

      Thank you Lisa. I might try making a really large one. Would be cute at a summer BBQ as a food cover!

  6. Barbara Warner
    March 10, 2019 / 9:31 am

    I love this skep! How cute and adorable that will be all through the summer! Like you said, it will be so cute sitting on my stack or books or on a side table. It will look cute as part of a vignette on any table – inside on my dining table with a jar of honey, a honey dipper, and and with a flower arrangement with some bees floating around! You are so clever!

    • March 10, 2019 / 11:18 am

      Thank you Barbara. I can see it! When my son asked what it was for, he mentioned I should have put a jar of honey next to it for a picture. LOL. I hadn’t thought of that but you both are correct! Super cute.

  7. March 10, 2019 / 10:00 am

    I do know what a bee skep is and yours are absolutely adorable! So cute and clever Cindy.

    • March 10, 2019 / 11:20 am

      I knew if anyone would know, it would be you Laura. 🙂 Thank you!

  8. March 10, 2019 / 10:03 am

    This turned out super cute and I can see using it in many ways to add to your decor. On the table with lemons and flowers in a vignette.

    Some of the links don’t work that are listed.

    Cindy

    • March 10, 2019 / 11:24 am

      Thank you Cindy for letting me know. I’ve corrected them! Barbara said below she’d like to put one on her table sitting next to her honey with a dipper and a floral arrangement. How cute would that be(e)?! :0

  9. March 10, 2019 / 10:20 am

    Cindy, I love this, it is just too cute! I’ve seen them but never knew what they were called…I’ve just always called it “that bee thing”…LOL Amazing that they are illegal…I mean, was it necessary to MAKE them illegal? LOL Love this and thank you so much for participating this month!

    • March 10, 2019 / 11:25 am

      LOL Benita, that’s what I always called them too! Loved joining in. Thanks for hosting!

  10. Patti @Pandoras Box
    March 10, 2019 / 1:05 pm

    Cute idea. These would make such cute centerpieces for a Honey Bee Themed luncheon! Thanks for sharing

    • March 10, 2019 / 3:00 pm

      Yes they would Patti! I’m using them in a similar post soon. Have a great week!

  11. Marlene Stephenson
    March 10, 2019 / 3:20 pm

    I love Bee skeps and have always wanted one for decor purposes but didn’t know they were unlawful. I love yours and what an easy way to make one, i hope,lol!!

    • March 10, 2019 / 3:38 pm

      It literally took about 5 minutes to make these little cuties. Hope you make one or four! 😉

  12. Kathy A
    March 10, 2019 / 7:31 pm

    Great project! Great for a spring-time vignette. I could immediately see some of those pipe cleaner bumblebees “flying” around.

    • March 10, 2019 / 9:29 pm

      Awe. I forgot about those little pipe cleaner bees! That would be fun in a floral arrangement too! Thanks for the cute idea Kathy!

  13. March 10, 2019 / 9:10 pm

    Cindy, this is such a cute DIY project. I’ve seen similar projects but I didn’t know that they were called bee skeps. Nice to learn something new. Love using things from Dollar Tree to make home decor projects.

    • March 10, 2019 / 9:32 pm

      Thank you Carol. Our Dollar Tree is really small compared to most but I’m amazed at the amount of treasures We can find. Glad you liked it.

  14. March 11, 2019 / 2:40 pm

    Super cute and clever, Cindy! Love! Pinning!

    • March 11, 2019 / 2:53 pm

      Thanks Julie. You’ll probably see them a few times this summer. 😁 Thanks for the Pin!

  15. March 12, 2019 / 9:26 am

    OMGosh, Cindy! And you say you are not a crafter?? This is adorable! Pinned of course and I WILL be stealing this idea and making some this spring… Sooo cute!!! Happy to be part of 10 on the 10th with you again. <3

    Happy spring hugs,
    Barb 🙂

    • March 12, 2019 / 1:07 pm

      😁 Thanks Barbara! Makes my day to hear someone wants to make some. That means you’ve been inspired which is why I do this blogging thing! Woo hoo!

      • March 15, 2019 / 6:30 pm

        Our movers arrived yesterday (Thursday, March 14th) and the day before I went with my MIL Gini to pick up a queen mattress and frame locally. Some jute rope was used to tie the mattress to my car’s roof! I now have the jute just need the skep parts… Some fun soon!

        Off for the weekend to Corsicana,
        Barb 🙂

        • March 15, 2019 / 9:25 pm

          Free is the best kind of craft supply! I look forward to seeing it! 🐝🌻

  16. March 14, 2019 / 7:17 pm

    You are so clever, Cindy! This is adorable…I’m off to google why they are now illegal!

    • March 14, 2019 / 9:28 pm

      I found that weird but what do I know about bee keeping?! Glad you liked it and thanks for the visit.

  17. March 18, 2019 / 11:31 am

    Cindy, this is adorable. I never would have come up with this. You say you aren’t crafty. This is so crafty and clever. I just love it and I’ll be making one of these. I had bees and sunflowers in my classroom for a long time. This would have been so cute in it!

    • March 18, 2019 / 12:26 pm

      Thank you Katie. The crafting is getting fun! Who knew I’d like it?! Not me! Enjoy making one. If you use Mod Podge, you can use string/twine instead of hot glue and it’s perfect for a low cost kid craft. 😃

  18. March 31, 2019 / 1:06 am

    Cindy,
    Your bee skeps look authentic. Have you seen photos of the shop displays at the Magnolia Silos this spring? The design team for the Magnolia store make several large bee skeps and hung them from the ceiling… Yours reminds me of those… just a wee bit smaller. Good job and good tutorial!

    Judith

    • March 31, 2019 / 2:10 pm

      No i haven’t seen the Magnolia store displays. I’ll have to check it out. Thank you for the visit today and saying they look authentic. I’m happy with them. Best wishes on your sale too. I’m sad I can’t be there. ❤️

  19. Camille
    May 20, 2021 / 7:51 pm

    I wanted to make some small ones to put on a wreath. Could I use twine for this on a small pot or something similarly shaped?

    • May 21, 2021 / 11:03 am

      Absolutely Camille! Just to make sure it looks proportionate though, keep the bee skep pretty small. Would love to see it when you are finished! They were super easy and fun to make. 🙂

  20. March 3, 2022 / 6:32 am

    Cindy what a cute idea! Pinning love it!

    • March 3, 2022 / 10:06 am

      Glad you like it. You can do so many things with a bee skep. Thank you Stacy

    • March 3, 2022 / 10:07 am

      Super cute, super cheap and super easy! Thanks a bunch Rachel

  21. March 3, 2022 / 8:25 am

    This is absolutely adorable! I love it. Brilliant. I would love it if you could share this on The Fabulous Friday Link Party this Friday. You can find the link on my website. Hugs to you.

    • March 3, 2022 / 10:11 am

      I’ll be happy too Renae. And thanks for the sweet comment. Appreciate you!

    • March 3, 2022 / 10:06 am

      Thanks so much Brendt. I’ve had a lot of fun with it.

  22. March 3, 2022 / 11:55 am

    Oh my goodness. This is so adorable, Cindy. What a cute idea for spring. And it looks so pretty styled on your garden tablescape.

    • March 3, 2022 / 12:34 pm

      Thanks bunches Jen. I so appreciate that. I need more friends like you around to stop by and appreciate all the work we do. My family isn’t enthusiastic enough! 😉

  23. Robyn Huff
    March 3, 2022 / 12:55 pm

    Cindy, these are just soooo darling! What a fun idea!

    • March 3, 2022 / 12:58 pm

      Aww, thanks Robyn. Glad you like them. I’ve enjoyed using them in different spots.

  24. Jessica
    March 3, 2022 / 8:14 pm

    I love how adorable these are! They are just perfect!

  25. March 3, 2022 / 8:51 pm

    Oh my heavens Cindy these are adorable and totally doable! Love it

    • March 4, 2022 / 11:09 am

      Yes, totally doable and fun to play around with. Thank you Sarah.

  26. March 7, 2022 / 8:46 pm

    LOL! I’m still laughing about the poop emoji explanation. You are too funny! I’ve never heard that phrase about throwing your hat over the windmill either. You’re teaching me all sorts of things! Love this little spring craft…too cute for words. Pinned!

    • March 8, 2022 / 1:43 pm

      LOL Crissy, you need to hang out with more “kuntry” folk and you’d learn a lot! 😉

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