Creating a Rustic Garden Arch

 Creating garden arches from tree limbs.

Hubby and I moved to a property that hadn’t been maintained for a few years.  There were several older trees with dead branches that needed trimmed, and wild honeysuckle everywhere.  The honeysuckle had grown into shrubs the size of small trees.  The honeysuckle “trees” were approximately 10’ tall and formed a tunnel shape at the back of the property.  We liked the tunnel affect but they needed to be pruned in order to be able to mow around them.

 We spent the whole weekend working in this area of the yard pruning, clearing, shaping the trees.  We had a large burn pile and were burning the wood.  I had wanted to construct an arch made out of branches for years and realized I had an abundance of wood I was burning. I told hubby to stop burning until the next day, and I began constructing an arch at the entrance to our honeysuckle “tree” tunnel.

I started by pounding a steel fence post on each side where I wanted the base of the arch to be.  I measured the mower deck to make sure it would easily fit thru the hole and added several inches to the width.  (Hubby mows a bit too fast sometimes and things tend to get bumped).  Once the steel fence posts were installed I started looking for tall limbs to use for the sides of the arch.

You can see a few of the branches laying on the ground and the area where the arch would be constructed.

I tied the first few branches to the steel post and each other, as you can see in the picture above.

(Note: this was my first attempt to make an arch.  I recommend using zip ties or wire to attach the first limbs instead of twine. After assembling this arch I went back and screwed the limbs together.)

Once you have your branches you want to lay them out so you can see the shape and size of each one.

Once you have selected a branch you think is the right size and shape you will need to trim all the small or size branches that are not growing in the direction you need, and small stuff.

Your pruned branches should look like the two in the foreground above.

Once you have your branches trimmed down to the main branch you are ready to begin assembly. (Note:  I did not trim the length of my branches until I added them to the arch so I could custom fit them to the spot where they fit best.)

(To begin assembly of the arch I installed a steel fence post on each side of this sidewalk where I want my arch)

You can also see that I was trying to find branches that were curved on one end, and as tall as possible. If the branch was entirely too long, I typically cut off a section of the straight end to ensure the curved part of the limb was in the general area where I wanted the arch.  (see above) Once I had several branches secured to the steel posts and starting to form the arch sides I began using my screw gun and screws to attach the branches to one another for stability.  I used a variety of screw lengths depending on how large the branch diameter was.  (These pictures are for reference only – it is not the same arch shown above… it is to show you the technique of how to get started)

 

Note how I screwed the top branch above to the branch I zip tied to the steel post.  You may need to secure them in more than one area, such as at the base, middle and top, depending on how rigid each screw makes the overall structure.

Continue adding branches “bulking up” the structure in the desired shape.  You can always trim a couple of wayward branches if they are sticking out too far when done.

I have two arches.  One at the back of our property shown above, and one at the back of our house where we walk from our back yard to the front, and a storage shed. One is boxier and wild looking, and the other is arched and more refined.  I personally love them both and enjoy the fact that they are each unique to the area where they are located.

Here are a couple pictures of each finished arch.

(Sorry I can't find my picture without the junk...)

I know these are too rustic for some people but if you're like me and enjoy creating one of a kind accents for your garden, that involve more labor and creativity than money, here is how I made mine.  Have fun if you decide to make one for your garden.  If you need additional pictures or info to construct your own arch let me know.  I had a lot of fun creating mine.

Garden Art

Hi,
I want to share one of my favorite garden art pieces.

It was originally a table top sculpture I found on clearance at Hobby Lobby.

I thought it was interesting, and it reminded me of a flower, so I brought it home with me.

It needed some color to bring out the flower characteristics.  I tried painting it purple with pink tips, but it didn't pop.  So, I decided to try yellow and purple.  Much better.

Once I had it painted, I cut off the base using bolt cutters.  I left the "stem" so I could mount it outside. I had a piece of copper pipe I hammered into the ground, and I inserted the stem into the pipe opening. 

I like how it turned out. 

I hope you find something that inspires you to be creative and create a unique piece of art for your garden.

Folk art wood pumpkin

I saw a fabric pumpkin felt project a few years ago that inspire me to design a similar wood pumpkin.

I started with a scrap 1" x 12" board.  Once I had a drawing I liked, I traced it out of a file folder so it would be stiff enough for me to trace onto wood.

I originally made this a couple of years ago, but it needed repainted.  I decided my pumpkin needed a new look.  So I started by painting the main body orange.  The stem was brown previously so I left as is for now.

You can see in this pic that it originally had a scrap wood nose, and I had originally painted on white eyes and mouth.  This time I wanted to add more dimension with some type of eyes.  I decided on round wood drawer pulls but I didn't like them as is.  I ended up cutting the back off so they sat closer to the pumpkin.  I glued them on and I like the dimension they give my project.

I used five colors on my pumpkin.  Orange, brown, green, white and yellow.  Now, I am by NO means a painter, so I looked on pinterest and the internet for paintings of pumpkins to get some ideas on how to paint it.  This is how I did mine.

At this point I wasn't sure I had made the right choice, the brown, white and green seemed so bright and now what I was thinking.  But as I blended more, added yellow and softened everything up it started looking better.  I blended the nose in and added the eyes.

Here is my finished pumpkin.  I personally adore it.  I blended colors into the stem also, to create depth,  I like his heady little eyes, his nose, everything.  There isn't anything perfect about it, but I admire imperfection, so it's perfect for me.

I hope you'll leave a note if my pumpkin inspires you to create something fun.  

Have fun and be creative!

Myra

Painted pine cone flower wreath

Fall Pinecone Wreath

I made a pinecone flower wreath a couple of weeks ago.  I used various size and type of pinecones, acorns, moss, flower seed pods, and some old poppy seed cones I had left over from another project.  I cut the large pine cones to resemble flowers and painted them with fall colors.

I painted some solid colors, some with different color centers, and some I trimmed with paint to make them pop.  I added in a few small blue accents just to add some pop.

I love the colors and I love the end result.

Here it is hanging on our kitchen door.  I think it's simple but perfect for our old house and door.

If this inspires you to make one please let me know.

Myra

Plate flowers

My daughters, and granddaughter made plate flowers a couple of weeks ago.  They are so easy to make, you won't be able to resist making more than one!

I have been collecting supplies from thrift stores and finally had enough for all of us.  If you look closely at the picture you will be able to tell I have tried to make them using a variety of different things.  I especially enjoyed mixing in metal pieces. I used an old light fixture on one, and one reminds me of an exotic jungle flower.


I added bead stamens to this one.

I really like this one.  I like the mix of silver and copper, and wavy edges, textures and color.

This one doesn't have any metal but I love the shapes and colors.

I hope if you decide to create a plate flower, you have as much fun as we did!

Myra

Bicycle rim wind spinner

I wanted to load a video of our wind spinner spinning but I couldn't get it to work, so above is a picture.  The video is much better.  If you want to see the video you can visit my facebook page.

I have always been fascinated by kinetic sculptures and have been wanting to try making one.  The one I made (with help from my husband) (I had no idea bicycles had bearings in them) is the simplest form of wind spinner, but I hope to make a better one in the future.  Here's how we made this one.

If you know me, you know I normally make my projects out of things I have on hand, or things that are easily found, inexpensive and recycled.  I am the queen of thrift and upcycling.  My projects require more creativity and work than $.

I removed the wheel from a medium sized bike.  I also dis-assembled an old steamer.  I wanted something small, and light weight to catch the wind.  I thought the steamer fins would work perfect, and you can usually find these old steamers at the thrift store.  

I bent the end of the steamer fin so it would stand up using a pair of pliers.  The fins are soft and easy to bend.  To attach the steamer fins to the bike rim I loosened the screw holding the wheel spokes and slid the bent steamer fin underneath.  Then I re-tightened the screw.  I placed them at a slight angle to catch the wind.  

Below is the rim with the fins installed. 

I had pictures of the whole process until I got a new phone and they didn't transfer to my new phone as promised :(  So, you're going to need to use your imagination a bit for the rest.

We put the rim back onto the bike where it had been previously, minus the pedals, chain etc.  If you look closely at the picture below you can see the front of the bicycle is upside down.

If you look at the picture below, the part on the pole is where the handlebars used to be.  Basically the bike is turned upside down.  We cut off the back of the bike.  The part to the left that catches the wind used to attach the seat and the back part of the bike.  We covered this section with some aluminum flashing we had on hand.  Hubby helped a lot in this part.  He cut the bike apart with the sawsall, and riveted the aluminum sheeting on.  I was going to use screws to attach the aluminum sheeting to the bike frame.  We added the aluminum sheeting to both sides. 

To get the shape of the sheeting to match the bike, I laid the aluminum flashing under this section of the bike and traced the shape with a pencil.  I then cut it out with tin snips.  

I know it's kinda primitive and basic but we sure enjoy watching it spin in the breeze.  

You could easily pretty it up by threading beads onto the spokes, painting it bright colors,etc.  Just try to keep it light.  

If you make one please share, and have fun!

Witch Soiree

My oldest daughter Angie is about to turn the big 40, and decided she wants to celebrate by having a Witch Soiree.  Basically, an excuse to have a witch themed costume party.  It is being held in our back yard, and she has invited friends old and new, near and far.  So, I've been working on my attire.

My first thought was basic witch everyone else does, then my daughter told me that there are lots of different types of witches.  This thought reminded me of Radagast the Brown in Lord of the Rings.  So, I decided I would be a forest witch.  You know I have to be different.  So, this is what I've been working on. 

I picked up a Halloween mask for $1 and ripped off the feathers and trim it had on it.  I then painted it flat green and brown.  I then glued tree bark over the nose area, added a dried mushroom, pinecone, acorn, lichen, moss, sticks..... and more bark.

I am pleased with the way it turned out. 

Now for my witch hat.  I decided to go with the traditional witch hat shape, but with a forest twist. 

I inserted a Styrofoam cone shape into the top portion of the hat for stability. 

I gathered pieces of bark that our pine trees had shed and glued them onto the conical portion of the hat.  I added several types of moss, lychen, berries, acorns, pinecones, etc to cover the areas between the bark.  I used a piece of ivy and wound around the conical section for more stability and interest.

I am working on my attire, but am happy with the hat and mask so far.

What do you think?  Will I look earthy and project the image of a forest witch, or do I need to start over?

Found object owls for our garden

FOUND OBJECT OWLS

I have made a parliament of found object owls and installed them in the pine trees surrounding our garden.  I know these aren't everyone's "cup of tea" but they amuse me, and will amuse my grandkids.

Here are some pics of the details so you can see how I made them.  I used 2 standing graters, a silver plated platter and a large black enamel lid off a canning pot for the owl bodies.  I gathered the lids off water bottles, soda and beer caps, and lids from various foods such as pickles, pesto, dried beef, and even two red lids off the Kentucky Fried Chicken carry out containers.  I used whatever I could find, which made each a bit different. 

I very lightly spray painted the graters brown.  I didn't want them to be perfect, I wanted light and dark on them, so they looked a little more like feathers, as you can see in the picture below.  The owl below has wings made out of an old metal steamer.  I removed the "fins or petals" and threw the main part of the steamer away.  I bent the fins at the end to make a right angel and using a small bolt attached the wing.  On the other side of the grater I had to drill a hold to insert the bolt.  You attach a nut to the inside to hold them tight.  (see bolt in picture)

These bottle caps had a smiling sun in the middle but I punched holes in the middle to add my bolts.  I also punched a hole in the cap and lid underneath.  If you look close you can see these lids don't match, but they are close in size and both white.  I used a small pair of old pliers I had in my scrap box as the beak and ears.  I added a bolt to the middle and a nut to the inside of the grater to hold it securely.

Below is a close up before I added the wings.

On this owl I spray painted the top of two lids the same size, and then added beer bottle caps on top of those for the eyes.

(These lids had lots of writing on top.  I didn't want that, and I wanted a pop of color to attract your eye.)

I used two mis-matched spatula's for the wings on this owl.  You can see they are similar in shape and size, but not exactly the same.  I used a small screwdriver to pry the spatula apart from the handle.

I used an old wrench for the beak on this one, and bent the top of the grater for the ears.  I had to drill a hold in the wrench and grater to attach it.

The wrench nose wasn't showing against the brown grater, up so I added a bit of yellow paint to the beak portion of the wrench.

This owl is made from an old silver plated platter.  The beak is an old spring.  I drilled two small holes under the spring and used a piece of wire to hold it in place.  The eyes are two pickle jar lids, a deeper lid, and christmas bells from the Dollar Store.  I glued these onto the platter, and one another using GE II clear silicone.  I let them dry for two days before installing them.  The ears on this one are clips I found in my junk stash, held on with more bolts.  

I found it easier to use a metal punch on the platter when making holes than the drill, as I didn't have a small metal bit.

Here is the silver owl attached to the tree limb.  

This owl is made from a very large pot lid.  I lightly painted the lid handle yellow to represent the owls beak.  The eyes are made from KFC carry out lids, two dried beef lids, and bottle caps.  I glued these to the lid and each other using GE II clear silicone.  

Here are three of the owls in our tree.  These are placed in a pine tree along the path from our patio to the tree fort, thru a grouping of pine trees.  They will add a bit of unexpected whimsy as we walk thru this area.  

This is how I hung my owl.  I drilled a hole and hung it by a cup hook screwed into the tree limb.

Here are more of the supplies I used, in case you want to know what size bolts I used.

Here's the black owl on the tree branch.  This one is much bigger than the others, and is mounted on a limb about 10' up looking down over our grill and circular patio area.  It will add a bit of whimsy to this area.

I hope you can get enough detail from these pictures to inspire you to create something unique for your own garden. 

 I was inspired by some found object owls I saw on Pinterest.  I was unable to track them back to the original artist to give them credit, but they inspired me to create my own version of owl for our garden.

Have fun and be creative!

Myra