Zen wind chime

Here is a wind chime hubby and I made.  I had the vision, and he figured out how to make my vision reality.

A neighbor had a trampoline damaged in a storm, and being the re-cycler aka hoarder I am, I brought some of the frame home to use in projects.  Here is a section we turned into a wind chime that stand about 4 1/2' high.

Here is how we made it.

The part you see at the top of the picture is in the ground, and we trimmed off the curved part in the bottom right of the picture, making an L shape.


I cut 5 pieces of scrap copper pipe in graduated sizes.

We drilled holes in the top of each copper pipe.

And holes in the bottom of the trampoline frame.  We threaded fishing line thru the holes in the trampoline frame to hang the copper pipe.

Hubby used cotter pins to make hangers in the pipe pieces.  (see next two pics)

We hung them by the fishing line and installed in the ground in a flower bed.  It sounds mellow and sweet when the wind blows, as the copper pipes collide with each other.

If this inspires you to try something similar let me know.

Myra

 

DIY birdbath

By now you know I'm all about recycling and DIY, and gardening, and flea markets....

I wanted to add some pops of color to my yard, in addition to extra spots for the birds and butterflies to hang out.  So I created these bird baths out of pretty bowls of various sizes, blue beer bottles, vases, candle holders etc.   There are more of these in my immediate future, and some will probably end up as Christmas gifts.  Here are some I've made this summer....

(Please ignore the ugly foot in the pic - I need to be more careful when taking pics)

I hope these inspire you to look at things in a new way.  These were so easy to make and enjoy.

Use GEII silicone and allow them to dry a minimum of 2 days before using them.

Myra

Shutter Angel

Here is a garden angel that I have enjoyed in my garden this year.  She is was out of an old window shutter, a brass candle bowl, wings made from pieces of an old barrel, and rebar for legs.

I laid my shutter on my workbench and started laying different boards, spindles etc. behind it for wings.  I originally made this to display at an Eco Fest last fall.  So, it needed to be made entirely of recycled objects.  That's right up my alley!!!

I had a window shutter about 36" tall.  I decided to use boards from an old barrel for the wings.  I love the rough texture and curve of these pieces.  I used the adjustment pieces of wood that came with the shutter as arms.  I decided on the angel I wanted and cut the top to fit the shutter.  I then cut them to the length I wanted the arms.  They were as long as the shutter and I don't know about you, but my arms aren't as long as my body.

I added a brass candle bowl for a head and rebar for legs so the shutter doesn't sit on the ground and wick moisture.

Here's the finished angel when I added it to my garden in early spring.

The rebar legs allow me to push it close to the ground but not touching the ground.

Here it is amid my hosta.

It's outside my kitchen door by the cornzebo where I see it every day.  I have enjoyed it this summer. 

If this project inspires you to create something similar please let me know.  And if you need more info I'll be glad to share more details on how I made it.

Myra

Chandelier makeover

Remember this boring shiny brass chandelier I bought? Well, after painting it black, removing the globes, I have a new to me chandelier, perfect for my old house. I love it! Total cost: $19.59 ($15.00 for light, $4.59 for paint and finish) How I love a bargain that looks good.

Here's another finished item. I've had this old copper lamp for awhile, but couldn't find a shade to fit or complement it. Angie found this reproduction shade at a church bazaar in the spring. I think they complement each other nicely. And you can't tell its plastic unless you inspect it closely. I'm happy with it!

I'm glad to have a couple of projects completed. I've made a list of things I want to accomplish inside this winter. I'm currently working on the kitchen and a new bed.
Myra

My new gazebo

Those who know me personally, know that I love to re-purpose, recycle, and give new life to existing items that have outlived their usefulness. When I bought my house 28 years ago, I was a newly divorced mother of three little girls. We didn't have enough money to pay basic expenses, let alone buy things to make our house or yard more inviting. I had to be creative. When I see things that appeal to me, I figure out how I can create something similar using "junk" and little or zero money.

A couple years ago I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to find an old corncrib to convert into a gazebo for my yard. Her husband is a farmer and knew of one that needed to be torn down. But then I went to europe for the summer (for work) and didn't get it. She said they were going to tear it down.

My friend’s husband called me one night last week. He said he had a corncrib for me, and wanted me to come look at it. I went and looked at the corncrib Saturday afternoon. It was about 20' tall, and he wanted to keep the bottom half. So we decided we would cut if off just above the doorway, and I would take the top. Don't you know he called me Saturday night, said he had it cut apart, loaded on a hay wagon, and wanted to deliver it Sunday morning. I said you're kidding! I thought you were going to call when you were ready to work on it....

So, Sunday morning the corncrib arrived. My friend's husband's father followed him pulling a trailer with a tractor.

They had to trim my 129 year old weeping willow tree in order to get the crib under it. Darn it. :) That thing has been plaguing me with several low hanging dead limbs for a couple years and our chain saw never wants to run when I get in the mood to trim it. So, don't you know, the dad who is late 70's - early 80's has his chainsaw with him, and HE goes up on the forks and trims large limbs out of the willow. While, all the youngsters stand BACK and watch. He was amazing.

They had trouble maneuvering the tractor around my trees, so we ended up pushing the wagon across the yard, then a couple people pulled the wagon out while the rest of us picked up the corncrib and sat it on the ground. Thanks to my daughters, their men, my sister, her husband & my nephew, we had a large crew and were prepared to "man" handle the corncrib as needed.

I felt like it was Christmas thanks to my friend’s husband, his father, and my friend’s son. I can’t thank them enough for taking the time, and spending their day so I could finally have my unique gazebo.
I'll post more pics in the coming weeks as we level it, repair the roof, install some sort of flooring (either stone, brick, gravel or wood) and start enjoying it as a functional gazebo.

I’d love to hear what you think of my idea, and welcome any ideas you have for finishing it. I can always use ideas.

Oh yeah, these are our found object birds. Soon they will be knee deep in hosta and ferns. They look really cute then.