repurposing garden art

A couple months ago my sister and I tore down an old shed at our parents' house. It was falling apart and had been replaced with a bigger/better model. While we were loading the truck, dad said we should get rid of the wheel barrow too. It was covered in rust and the wheel was about to fall off. It wasn't worth repairing and had already been replaced with a shiny red model. I was about to oblige when my sister asked if it was the wheel barrow our oldest brother had used when he was a brick mason. My radar went up. What did she say? Was this something that had belonged to our brother? In the 20+ years since his death I had gradually let go of all but one of the gifts he'd given me, but I'd never owned anything that had once belonged to him. Sure enough. The wheel barrow had been his and no one wanted it - except me. 

But what on earth was I going to do with an old wheel barrow? My sister suggested I put it in the garden and plant some flowers in it. That's when it hit me I could use for seasonal displays in front of our house. Since it was the end of September, it was the perfect time to set out some pumpkins and a straw bale. 

For Christmas, I looked around the garden and decided to repurpose the Eiffel Tower as a Christmas tree. 

 

Toss in a few gift boxes and voilà -- inexpensive seasonal decor with personal meaning for me. It sits just outside my office window and brings me joy each day.

Speaking of joy -- I'm wishing you all much joy and good health this holiday season and beyond!


Believe, 
Di

creating again

Greetings! Thank you for being patient while I took some time off from creating this year. I had no intention of being away this long, but you know how life goes. If we don't manage our time and energy it manages us and boy, did I learn some lessons this year in that regard. I'm slowly working my way back and with as much grace as I can muster, intend to continue. 

Here are a couple pics from when I made it into the studio recently. The first one was playing with metal and the second one is something new I'm experimenting with. I really like it but haven't completed a piece as yet. The glaze I used the first time was apparently old (go figure, huh? ha!), and ate away at my work so I had to start over. I actually like the colors of the second version more than the first (no photos from that). They look a little like the cosmos to me. Anyway, I ordered some new glaze to try and am anxious to play around some more with the process. If the results are good, I'll add some pieces to the shop. 

Oh, and for those of you who like the stained glass pendants in the shop, I haven't stopped making those. A few are ready to solder but I'd like more ready before getting out the soldering supplies. To make more means replenishing my glass supply, which will require servicing the grinder. Sounds like I'm complaining but it's helpful to know what all is involved when making things. It's not like I'm buying kits from the store and assembling them. As much as possible, I create from scratch. This doesn't make what I do better than what someone else does, it just makes it more authentic for me - more enjoyable and rewarding. And heck, isn't that why we create to begin with? To have fun, express ourselves, learn, explore and refine not just our skills but who we are on the inside? 

"True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done,

the zest of creating things new." ~ Antoine d Saint-Exupery

Believe, 
Di