Trash to treasure?

Well, that's how I see it anyhow.  Since I'm gardening on a tight budget this year I've had to get a little creative... and seeing as how this place has been pretty much neglected for two years prior to us moving in, I've got a lot of ground to cover (no pun intended.)

So as I was scouting out a potential flower bed over by the garage I was thinkin' that is sure would be nice to have a bird bath as a center piece. Plus the birdies would probably appreciate it.  (or the cats... whichever's smarter.)

Hmmm... birdbath, on the cheap.

Well I had this old bottom dish that I scavenged from Mark and Jane's house after they moved like five years ago...

 

(It probably has a technical name, but you get the idea right?)

And then I had this pile o' strange terracotta pipes that were left in the woods by the previous owners... no clue as to what their original purpose was...

 

So I got Big Dave to scamper into the woods and retrieve the biggest one for me...

and voila!

 

Cute right?

And then remember when I found that rusty ol' watering can in the woods? Well check him out... he's now the star of the show in another bed over by my back door...

 

I stuffed an Impatien in him, and he should grow a lovely white flower afro real soon. 

Then, in my fit of poverty-driven creativity, I made this whimsical twig border...

 

I raided the giant ball of Muscodine vines growing along the edge of my yard...

 

We used to make wreaths out of them when I was a kid, so I remembered how pliable they can be.  So I snipped 'em into two foot long pieces and stuck the ends in the ground.  I love how lighthearted and natural it looks.

And the final installment in my Trash to Treasure rant for the day is my new pathway...

  See, we've been doing a lot of digging around here... septic tank issues, running water out to the garage, planting shrubs around the house etc... and it seems like we keep digging up these big flat chunks of concrete. Why? Where did they come from? What was their original purpose? Good questions.  I just shrug my shoulders and chalk it up to the fact that the previous owner worked at a local cement company.  Apparently he really liked it.

So I've been making a pile, and finally decided I had enough to solve the issue of the dirty narrow cut through by the back door.  Sure they're chipped and rough looking... that's what makes 'em fit in so nicely around here.

Phew, that was a lot of trashing and treasuring huh?

It wore me out just getting it all on here.

Think I'll go scrap now. Have a great day!

Comments

[Michelle]

That is just awesome! You better watch out....HGTV will be banging on your door!

[Patty Spell]

Your sooooo smart! Your projects look great.

[dtorin]

I like the twig border!

[lynn whelan]

Oh but to be young and industrious!
I remeber way back when I first moved to Dhu land... digging and planting.
I'm the kinda girl who likes to get a little dirt under her nails from time to time, so no gloves here.
Yeah, I'm dggin' away finding all these cool looking old bricks I'm thinking of repurposing, when the oddball neighbor comes out of his little shack telling me how he remembers the old outhouse that used to be there. gulp!!!

moral of the story:
wear thick leather gloves, and wash often!

[Sid]

I was thinking maybe all those concrete slabs were connected to the septic tank thing. Oh well I guess you're not afearful of a little sh**, huh?

It really is wonderful-looking stuff! (I mean your creative dress-up of the yard).

[Patti]

Your gardens are beautiful! Love the watering can!

[angeljoy]

Came by way of I'm not Cheap, I'm Thrifty.
Great ideas! Know anything you can make with blackbery vines? I have an abundance of those!

[Roxann]

I LOVE the twig border. Even the complete city girl like me wants to do that, now! And the birdbath looks perfect! You are so fantastic, Jamie!