Garden Therapy: DIY projects

     I'm sure I'm not alone in starting to think about spring. Our snow had melted leaving the brown grass and bare trees staring back at me. But it didn't last for long and more snow came in the last couple days to cover the ground again. It will be a while yet before we'll be able to start planting anything. Maybe it's the same for you. So how about a couple DIY projects for the garden that you can do inside.

     I made the above birdbath a couple years ago for about $15. Can you guess what I used? A trip to the Goodwill store and I found a lamp and brass ornamental tray. By the way the lamp came with a shade, which I didn't need, so I just donated it back to them. Here's some before pictures.

     My husband removed the harp, socket and wires from the lamp. He then bolted the tray to the top using a little caulking to prevent leaking. I roughed up the surface with some sand paper then sprayed with primer. I used a stone textured spray paint for the final coat. It is decorated with glass tiles I bought at a craft store. It makes a perfect shallow bath for small birds and butterflies. We do put it in the shed for the winter, they can get pretty harsh here.

Here's a closer view of the top

     Another fun thing I created was from things I already had. A number of years ago I bought two solar butterfly lights. At night the lights would rotate colors and shine through the plastic butterflies. Over time the sun faded the butterflies and they really weren't very pretty anymore. But the lights still worked and I hated to throw them away. So what to do?

     I took an old CD disc and spray painted the non shiny side black. On the other side I glued flat clear floral stones, which I bought at the dollar store. I was then able to put the rubber piece, that held the butterflies in place, through the hole of the disc and mount it on the light.

 This is what it looks like during the day. Not only do I get lovely changing lights at night but I also have sparkles and rainbows during the day. Two for one.

     Here's a look at it at dusk. It changes from red to green to blue and back.

     I hope I've inspired you to make something pretty for your garden. As I look out my window at the snow I know underneath are lovely plants just waiting their turn. 

A thought to ponder: Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast, you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.                              Eddie Cantor

Participating: Outdoor Wednesday, Tuesday Garden Party, No Rules Weekend, Weekend Blog Hop