Thursday, March 21, 2019

Adding Style To Your Garden On A Budget

It's officially spring, at least according to the calendar, so my brain is in big time garden mode right now....never mind the 3 - 6 inches of snow and frigid nighttime temps we are expecting.  

That's right....never mind! I'm choosing to ignore that fact at the moment.

The weather has to change sometime, and when it does I want to be ready. 

The seeds are all coming along nicely, some much slower than others. I'll be moving some out of the warm utility room this weekend and into the cooler area near the sliding doors, where I have grow lights set up and ready. 

But today my thoughts are on up-cycled garden art.  What better way to keep the garden budget in check than to re-purpose some items you already have around the house into super cute garden art!

The first three were found on one site - Upcycled-Wonders. There are many more projects on that page, but these were the ones that caught my attention.


How cute is this??? Turning an old spoon into a hook and using little jars to hang up those awesome petunias. I adore this!  I'm not sure how they bent the metal of the spoon, they must have used some sort of heat....but it would be easy enough to turn mason jars into tiny hanging planters like these, that's for sure. 


I live in a mountain town, where the local ski resort is the hub of the community, so what would be more perfect at my house than a bench made of old skis? Love, love, love this! 


This old cart is so cute used as a focal point in the garden. Of course, at my house the wheels would be red...or maybe the same yellow that I painted the doors! What a great way to use a cart that's not much good for hauling items any longer. 

This next project came from Re-Creations in Glass and is super simple to replicate at home. 


These glass mushrooms are so cute! Three simple vases turned upside down or possibly glass candlesticks with three glass bowls on top.  I could see this nestled into a garden of soft whites, pinks, and blues. Adorable! 

The next was an Etsy item, but has been sold. 


It wouldn't be too hard to replicate this sweet glass flower, though! A visit to the thrift store, some epoxy, and a post, and you're all set.  I love the amber and green tones of this flower, but you could use any colors that appeal to you! 


This chandelier from DIY Show Off  is one of my absolute favorites! What a great way to re-purpose an old chandelier into a super cute planter! you could use the same concept and turn it into a candle holder, using something clear instead of the flower pots.  All the instructions can be found on her site.


How about this awesome birdbath, from The Middle Sister - I adore cobalt blue, and although I don't use a ton of blue in my decor either inside or out, I would totally make an exception for this!  Love, love, love!! 

I saw all sorts of garden art projects using teapots, which are just adorable. 


This one from The Navage Patch is awesome and would hold up better in our snowy/icy winters than some of the others. It's nice to have garden art that can withstand the elements, to add a little off season interest. I would go with different colors, but either way this is super cute. 

More adorable teapot ideas? How about using one to create a birdhouse! 


I found this one on Deep Roots at Home, and the pink polka dots really make me smile! 

But for an even simpler birdhouse, why not try this: 

I can't find a source for it, but holy smokes it doesn't get much easier than that!

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled at garage sales this spring, searching for anything inexpensive I can recycle into art for my garden, that's for sure!

Speaking of gardens....my garden was featured as the Photo of the Day over on FineGardening.com on the first day of spring - why don't you pop over for a peek?  

In other news, my younger daughter and her sweetie of 9 years bought their first house, I'm so proud of them! They closed on Tuesday and my daughter is slowly moving her things out of my house and into her own. I can't wait to see it in person, but here's a photo she took from the outside on her first night in the house. 

This whole empty nest thing is weird.....I have never lived alone, and although I know it's time, I will miss her puttering around in her little pigsty downstairs! 

38 comments:

  1. It is cold here for the first day of spring. I need some warm air! I need some sunshine! I need my outside time! I want to sit on the porch and read a book, I want to enjoy some time with my grand doll outside, I just want to be with spring.

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    1. Same here, Carol, I am really missing my outside time. A couple of sunny winter days I bundled up and sat in the warmest spot in the sunshine, with a blanket and gloves on....but it's not the same, is it? I can't wait to start my days with my coffee and a walk through the garden....and same thing in the evening. Soon!!

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  2. I love all those upcycled treasures. I belong to an upcycling Facebook group and I'm always blown away by the creatively, especially in the garden. And wow, big news, congratulations to her! I hope she's close by at least, I dread those empty nest days, but they're coming...hugs!

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    1. She's about a half hour away, Kim, which isn't bad....much better than my other daughter who is 4 hours away!!

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  3. I have a few daffodils and tulips starting to appear finally. We're supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow when you get your 3-6 inches. Quite a few years ago my friend and I made some small bird feeders using teacups and saucers on poles. They were really sweet. Maybe we'll try that again. I love the idea of using the teapots! So simple but just adorable! We're seeing robins and red-winged blackbirds every day now so I'm feeling positive about some real spring weather being right around the corner.

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    1. I felt so bad this morning, Sue, as I looked out my window and saw two little robins hopping around the back garden in the snow! No worms to be found there!! Hopefully they find something closer to the house under the bushes....poor little things are probably wondering why they came back so early!

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  4. So many cute ideas!
    It snowed like crazy on the first day of Spring and is still cold, but it's coming.
    Congrats on your featured garden - it's so pretty.
    Our daughter and her hubby just bought their first house too - signed on it this week and get the keys April 1. It's very exciting.

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    1. That's so exciting, Mari - congratulations to your daughter and son in law!! I'm going down to see my daughter's house tomorrow, can't wait! They have been looking for quite a while and got outbid on so many houses, and pulled out of one after the inspection so we're all delighted for them!

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  5. Congrats to your daughter! It does take a while to get used to the kiddos being gone, but then it settles down. I love all these ideas for garden decor! Too cute! Love and hugs!

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    1. I have such mixed feelings, Benita! When I go downstairs and see how filthy her bathroom is and what a slob she is, I'm relieved. But I miss her!! Good thing we have all sorts of ways to keep in touch - she keeps sending me pics as she does stuff in her house, I love that!

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  6. I am an empty nester now, too... and will probably never be fond of the whole thing, but... my kiddos are thankfully living very near, and are so happy with their own spaces, I am very happy and grateful.

    I love all these projects! I actually made the mushroom garden here at this old house and had it in my perennial border for two years. Then I wanted to do something different so I dismantled it. It's a really fun thing to create and easy to find the glass pieces at tag sales, flea markets, etc.

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    1. My daughter's house isn't too far away, Karen Ann, about a half hour, down in the valley - she can always come up for dinner when she misses my cooking or the pups!

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  7. PS - to see my mushroom garden, use the search box on my blog, type in Mushrooms... and the second post that comes up under that search is the glass garden I had fun putting together - simple and fun and so pretty when the light hit it.

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    1. Maybe I'll see one of them in your garden this spring, Ellen!

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  9. That's exciting news about your daughter's new house! I love the look of it. And again, congratulations on your garden being chosen for picture of the day at FineGardening.com! I've pinned many of their pictures in the past from their site. I really love some of your ideas for garden art. I'm looking for a chandelier I can use in my outdoor dining room to hang from a big sour gum tree and the flower pots would be so cute. Your glass mushrooms reminded me of beautiful outdoor glass sculptures that I saw on blogger Peggy at Season to Season. I'm so in love with them! But of course the easiest projects you show would be the darling tea pots. I'm adding that to my list of stuff to watch out for when thrifting! Think Spring, even when it snows now, surely the last one of the season?

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    1. I'm praying it's the last of the season, Dewena - we got about 6 inches so far of heavy, wet snow - it's one of those ones that's just wet and awful to shovel but looks pretty! I was really hoping I could get some garden time in this weekend but alas....seems not. sigh.

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  10. Love those ideas for garden art!! I am so ready for the weather to warm up!

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    1. You and me both, Carole!! I'm tired of shoveling this year....I'm ready to move on to other back breaking labor - getting the garden beds cleaned up! At least that's much more rewarding at the end of the day!

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  11. What charming garden art! Congrats to your daughter.

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    1. Thank you, I'm so happy for them!! It was a long road for them to get to this place, with a lot of disappointment along the way - but all those other houses were just not meant to be!

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  12. I love the house they bought! It has wonderful bones. Empty nesting, I think you will find, is fun and peaceful.
    Brenda

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    1. I love the bones of it also, Brenda! She's lucky to have both a covered porch and an open deck - the best of both worlds!! Stay tuned on the empty nesting....I'm still on the fence!

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  13. What creative people that have come up with all these ideas ! Of course my favorite is the pink polka dot teapot, just perfect to host a little wren :)
    Congratulations to your daughter and her sweetie, it is so exciting to own your first home, and hers is beautiful...…
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

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    1. I love the teapots, too, Jo!! SO adorable! The blue one with it's simplicity is also right up my alley - I'll be keeping an eye out for teapots at the local thrift store when it reopens in May!

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  14. I like your ideas. I live on a farm and have had a wonderful junk pile to dig through

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    1. No doubt you can come up with some 'junk' to use in your garden, Judi!!

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  15. I loved everything that you shared, particularly that cute bird bath!

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    1. Isn't it adorable? I used to have a lot of that cobalt glass stuff in my house...I gave it all to my sister, what a shame!

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  16. congratulations to your daughter--love the picture of her house in the pretty moonlight, what a neat picture! Oh I love all these fun pictures you've gathered of garden pretties! I love the glass mushrooms most of all, very unique and looks so easy, I will try that one for sure. Love the cobalt blue too...love that color, I have a few bottles and such that I've collected over the years in that gorgeous color. I love the sweet little teapot birdhouses too, I am going to try that one this summer, fun!! Thank you for all the ideas and hope your spring is coming along nicely, hang in there....the snow and frosty nights will soon be gone!

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    1. We're still dealing with snow and frosty nights, Debbi, but the weekend looks good....well, Saturday looks good. I'm hoping I can finally get out in my garden and start spring clean up!

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  17. Recycled garden art is so cool - and these are some great ideas! I love your daughter's new house; it looks so pretty. How far away is it from you? And I assume your older daughter has moved out, too? So now you have the whole house to yourself - wow! Yes, it is weird to be an empty nester. It's been four months since my son moved out and even though it's a good thing (for ALL of us), it still feels weird sometimes not to have him around.

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    1. My older daughter has been out of the house since she went away to college at 18. She came back for a couple of years, but she's been gone again for a while - she lives about 4 hours away, working on her masters in Newport RI. My younger daughter's house is only about a half hour away, so I'll still be able to see her often, which makes it easier. But yes, Melanie - empty nesting feels so weird!! I haven't lived alone for 51 years!

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  18. So many cute ideas for adding charm to the garden or yard! Thanks for sharing at Celebrate Your Story!

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    1. Thanks, Chloe! I'll be browsing garage sales and thrift shops looking for the perfect teapot!

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  19. I really like those mushrooms of inverted bowls on bud vases or candlesticks. I think I will pick up a few from dollar tree and make a couple. so cute.

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    1. And so simple, Betsy!! Even I could handle that craft!!

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