Welcome to my blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I believe that everyone can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune! One of my favorite things to do is find creative ways to re-purpose things I already have on hand, or have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. Join me as I share with you some of my favorite ideas for crafting and decorating, as well as travel adventures, and fun things that I pick up on my treasure hunts! Much of my work is influenced by my love all things French, nature, and of course shabby chic! I have gotten so many creative ideas from you very talented bloggers out there, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as well!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Picket Fence Plant Stand

Several years ago, to make room for a new retaining wall and landscaping in our side yard, hubby tore down an old, falling down and decrepit looking picket fence.  He was about to burn the fence, when I persuaded him to keep at least some of it, as I just knew that it held potential for a neat future project!  So, he reluctantly saved some of the better sections, then I came up with the idea of turning it into a plant stand that we could use on our deck.  A few hours later, and a handful of nails, this is what he came up with!
 The funny thing is, when I told my handy hubby about my plant stand idea, I didn't even sketch out what I wanted it to look like.  I just gave him a very brief description of what I had in mind.  Imagine my surprise when he finished, and it looked exactly like what I was thinking!  I've since given it a fresh coat of paint, and after several seasons on our back deck, it's held up beautifully.
 Much of what you see on my stand was collected over the years at garage sales.  This cute pot with the fun aqua glass "polka dots" was a thrifty yard sale find.  And so were the decorative birdhouses, that I spray painted aqua and bright teal.  My mom gave me this sweet little bunny a few years ago.
 The cute little watering can with a French label, and the minty green vintage pot behind it are also lucky garage sale finds.
 One of my favorite things on the stand is my grandma's vintage galvanized watering can, that I actually still use!
 And this vintage watering can, below, was super cheap many years ago at a yard sale.  I finally have been able to get around to planting a few flowers.  Love the bright pink geranium!

 Ok, I'll let you in on a little secret!  The ivy in this pot is faux!  Shhhhhhh, don't tell!  I did want to show you what the pot looked like without the ivy.  It's vintage (not sure who the maker was, as it's not marked) and I absolutely love it.  I managed to get it for free at a church rummage sale, as no one wanted it!!  Can you imagine?
 The blue and white pot to the right of this birdhouse was one of my first attempts at broken china mosaics a few years ado.  Lots of work and a bit messy to do, but fun to create!
 Every garden needs a guardian angel!
 Another cute little bunny, given to me by my mom years ago.  This one is made of soapstone, and I just love it!
 And here is a little surprise!  This tiny nest is faux, but the egg is real!  As we were walking the other day, I happened to look down, and found this itty bitty blue egg, still intact, right next to the road!  I felt bad that it had fallen out of its' nest, but had no idea where the nest could be.
 I've never seen a blue egg this small, it's definitely too small for a robin's egg.  So not sure what kind of bird laid it.  I placed a dime next to it, so you could see just how tiny it is!
 Here are a few more peeks at my plant stand!  I almost forgot to mention that I won a prize for it a few years ago, when I submitted the idea to a gardening magazine, "Backyard Living" that I used to subscribe to.  The magazine is no longer being published, but was from the creators of "Bird's & Blooms" magazine.
 Anyway, each issue had a feature called "The frugal gardener", where readers could submit money saving ideas and tips.  The reader that they featured won $100, and the title "The Frugalest of the frugal", and that was me!  I was so thrilled to appear in the magazine, and with my (and hubby's, of course!) "15 minutes of fame"!  Oh, and the money wasn't bad, either!

13 comments:

My Grama's Soul said...

It is awfully pretty here.....just had to stop in and say that!

Jo

Musings from Kim K. said...

You certainly have a lovely collection to display on your fantastic plant stand.

Ann@A Sentimental Life said...

No one wanted that planter, now u know I would of snapped it up!
I can believe you are together enough with the move to be putting the patio together. Love the picket fence table, Mr did great on it!

NanaDiana said...

That plant stand is great! I just love it, Donna. I have seen them in magazines before and in a couple of specialty garden shops. How neat to have one made from your old fence though.

All your plants looks great and I am glad you are finally able to stop cleaning the mess up and get outside for a bit.

I think that might be a hummingbird egg. That's what it looks like to me although I could be wrong.

Blessings- xo Diana

Chris Arlington said...

You have a good man Donna ! Lovely finds and creations. I think the egg is a house finch egg if you google it they show a dime beside it too.
Chris

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

SO charming, Donna! I can see why it won the prize!

The Bear's Blog said...

Thank you for the beautiful garden tour, everything looks so perfect and charming. The plant stand is amazing - what a treasure.

Hugs ♥

Renee said...

This is awesome! And what a keepsake.

Karen said...

Guess you and hubby are on the same page! Love your plant stand and all that is on it.

Have a great week!

Tete said...

If my hubby could do that, I would be so thrilled. He has a hard time with a hammer and nail. Oh well, that's why we hired the deck done.
Love all your fun play stuff.
Do you have all of your things moved back in yet? Did you get your mess all straightened out and repairs made???

Laurel Stephens said...

Congratulations on your prize! What wonderful reinforcement for your husband to trust you when you say, we should keep that old wood, honey! : ) I'm pinning your charming stand to my Pinterest, too. It's so cute!

Cindy Adkins said...

Oh wow, I can tell you're glad to be home--this is precious!!!!
xo
Cindy

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

I love this plant stand, Donna! I would even say potting bench. What a great addition to your outdoor spaces, but I could even see this in a sunroom.