Frugal Garden Art

Bet you never thought of using aluminum cans to decorate. Take a look at this inexpensive art project anyone can do. Also using other people's trash can become your decorating treasures.

How to build an outdoor swing using an old single bed.

Making reindeer out of wine corks.

More Easy DIY projects that save you money in your home index.

This Hub will feature four art projects that you can start and finish in a few hours of your time. Walking in a garden is a pleasure in itself but when you add your own personal treasures of art, you make yourself, then, you are stamping your personality to your garden.

Small Gourd Birdhouse

One cool fall day, I found a gift from the birds dropping seeds in my garden. I picked the tomatoes before the frost took them and saw tangled in the stem of the tomato plant a tiny green vine, I never noticed before. Clinging on the vine for dear life was a tiny, knobby, yellow squash.

I delighted in adding it to the centerpiece of my table.

After a while, I hollowed it out, stuck a toothpick in it for the perch of a tiny birdhouse and in the spring returned it to the garden where it belonged. There are numerous kinds of gourds, that, you can scrape out, and dry out, to make a cluster of birdhouses in your garden.

Birdbath Sun-catcher

This bird-bath did hang on chains in my garden last year and you can purchase one from any store that carries garden supplies.

When the chains that it hung from finally rusted, I did not have the heart to throw it away. I snipped off the chains, turned the bowl inside out and sprayed the bowl lightly with a metallic green spay paint. I glued cobalt blue glass beads that I bought at the dollar store around the bowl. I also spay painted the outside frame with a copper spray paint to clean it up. When the sun hits this, it filters through to an amazing design.

Driftwood

Finding driftwood on a beach and bringing it home adds art by itself to your garden. With a few adjustments to the wood, you can make a garden focal point that really stands tall. I have shown here one small piece of driftwood with a spirit carved on it as an example. You can imagine if you carved him on a bigger piece of wood in a nook or cranny of your driftwood piece, what a hit it would be.

If you cannot draw this face, it is easy to download your favorite sketch and trace it to your wood using carbon paper. Then, take your carpet utility knife and carve out the lines. Carve by following the line of your drawing on one side of the line and then on the other side will give you a carved V of the line. Wear a glove on the hand holding the piece of wood, I have slipped off the line a few times and a trip to emergency was taken, for a stitch or two, interrupted my art work. This is familiar story of a wood carver. Place carving in your garden and the spirit will blow the evil spirits away.

Make Your Garden Yours

This named plaque was made from a wooden oak cutting board I had hanging around the house. I sketched my design onto the front of the cutting board. Then, I went over the sketched lines with a wood burner to give the plaque a rustic look.

The leaves, I painted green with left over house paint. When the leaves dried, I painted the outside of the plaque with a red stain. Then taking a cloth; I smeared the red color from the outside edges lightly all over the plaque. If you get it too dark in one spot or two just keeping wiping until you can see the green leaves. When this step dries, the whole project was sprayed with a clear varathane to protect it from the weather.

Make your own garden art to make a splash of interest here and there to personalize your garden. Your friends will love it.