Thursday, December 17, 2015

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 voilĂ  -- 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