Green and black makeover for a rusted metal shelf (no chocolate involved)

The Find

While out for a walk on trash night (every freestyler's favorite night of the week) I came across this old-school metal shelf.

Discarded metal shelf

Upon some examination by light-of-cellphone I determined that this was a perfectly serviceable shelf.  Also the old gray metal shelf is very lightweight which made it easy to carry back to the freestyle workshop.

The Makeover

As per usual, the course of action with this piece was as follows: clean, sand, paint, use!

The rust was pretty heavy on the top side of the shelves and one of the legs, perhaps it was in some standing water or mud.

Metal shelf: side view

Metal shelf: view of bottom shelf rust

Metal shelf: rusted bottom of leg

After doing some hand-sanding - until I felt it was good enough and I got bored with it - I wiped off the piece and was ready to start spray painting.  I used the spray paints I had on hand, glossy green and glossy black.  Since I did not fully remove all of the rust and make the surface smooth you can see the patchiness of the glossy black finish even after 2-ish coats.  Since this is not a 'forever' piece - I wanted something serviceable and not flaking rust - I'm not too concerned about the patchiness of the finish. Also, it is a shelf, so the plan is to store stuff on the shelf, not gaze at it critically.

Metal shelf after repainting in green and black

Conclusion

After the paint was nice and dry the shelf came inside to serve as storage somewhere. It found a temporary-ish place against a wall and a few minutes later was identified as the perfect spot to hold the power tool battery charger. Hmm, I see where this might be going.....

Metal shelf: starting a new storage journey holding power tools

Happy Freestyling!

Garden of freestyle delights - rusted metal plant stand makes a comeback in glossy black

The Find

Perhaps you can guess, but I don't even remember where I got this oddly shaped metal thing, some trash pile somewhere. It was a bit rusty, still solid (no breaks in the metal), and lightweight enough to carry easily. Naturally I took it home with me to see if it was what I thought it was.  Also, really, I just thought the shape was cool.

Found: metal thing

Take a closer look and you can see that the metal had some significant rusty bits.  Luckily it seemed like all surface rust, nothing significant.

Closeup of some rust

The Makeover

My initial thought was that the rounded ends of the metal would be a good fit under the lip of one of the standard pottery sizes.  I tested it on an adobe pot that I already had on hand, perfect fit!

Proof! Metal thing fits a planter, perfectly

After determining that the metal would indeed serve as a plant stand, I decided upon a course of action. These courses of action are usually pretty simple: clean (sand), spray paint, use.

Spray painting on some new glossy black

Conclusion

Now this once-forlorn and abandoned piece of metal has a new modish life as a plant stand.  In this case as a plant stand for a freestyled planter (once gray, now painted white) holding a lovely lush fern -- perfect as an air cleaner in a shady home.

Final product: Glossy black metal plant stand

Happy freestyle gardening and creating in whatever direction the freestyle path takes you!

Garden of freestyle delights - a round hayrack planter meets some hot pink mini chrysanthemums

The Find

While out and about for a walk I came across this tempting pile of garden giveaways. So neatly stacked up! Can you spot the black metal wire planter in the left stack? I took a few other things too...

Discarded garden supplies

The Fix

The round metal basket was very much in keeping with the style of some other finds and purchases sprinkled through the garden, including the first and second metal hayrack planters I found this summer.

I had to buy a slightly oversized coir insert because the superstore didn't have one that was an exact fit. I figured I could just fold in any excess, and I was right.

Conclusion

Wire metal planter with coir insert and
hot pink mums.

One pot of dark pink mums was just the right size to fit inside of this freestyle find.

Happy freestyling, and don't be afraid to spend a few bucks to make that find beautiful!

Water-damaged squoval mirror makeover

 While out and about I saw this mirror out in a discard pile somewhere.  Made all the way back in 1999. 

Too bad! Upon closer inspection it appeared that part of the frame had suffered from water damage.  I think it is a press-wood or press-board frame because the damaged part had expanded when it got wet.

What do you think of the shape? I like the outer shape of a square but the inner part being a pointed oval to reveal the mirror - the best of both worlds.

The front was a bit roughed up, you can see the lighter streaks of discoloration. Luckily the hanging hardware (inset keyhold hardware) was still intact on the back side.

I thought about taking the mirror out of the frame and either cutting a new frame or mounting the mirror on an interesting shape of wood.  However, in the end, I decided to just spray paint the entire frame black in order to hide the uneven bits that had expanded.  I used a gloss black spray paint and the look was fine, buuuuuut a bit severe. It felt a little too goth chic, so I added a pop of green with a stencil in the upper left corner.  And yes, I was not careful enough about overspray. Lesson learned. 

Now it reminds me of a woman wearing a flower in her hair, instead of a look glass towards impending doom..... or something.

Free wall mirrors are always fun to play around with since they are a useful item in almost every kind of space.  Now this one is ready for a new life.

Happy freestyling!

Framed! Three small frames get a shiny gold makeover

A neighbor was kind enough to leave some items out at the end of their driveway in a box marked FREE.

I love this. Such a fun thing to find on a walk around the neighborhood.

Inside the box, among a few other items were these three frames, two were for 5x7-inch images and one frame was for an 8x10-inch image.

I thought these were perfect candidates for a shiny gold makeover.  A few coats of acrylic paint later and they were ready to go.  A few days after I found the frames serendipity led me to some discarded nature magazines from the 1970s and 1980s.  It was fun to take a few minutes to page through these retro publications and find some potential images to use in these makeover frames.  I found a variety of landscapes, flowers, and even a powerful close-up of Niagara Falls and a wide-scale shot of part of the Grand Canyon.  

After trimming the magazine pages down to size everything was ready for framing!

Top left: Grand Canyon; Bottom left: Niagara Falls;
Right side: botanical illustration

Ta da! I'm so happy with this little craft project that took three very different frames and unified them through paint.  This would be the perfect kind of DIY craft project to knock out in a few minutes with spray paint, but I didn't have any gold spray paint, and to be honest I'm on a roll with the little jar of creamy-texture gold paint.

Happy freestyling, don't overlook the possibilities of paint!

Garden of freestyle delights - A cracked pot repair

The Find

A while ago I found this pot that was not just cracked, but also had a hole near the top.  

I took it anyway. 

Because free. Because planter. 

Broken unglazed pot

The Fix

In the same way that I fixed this large round pot with large cracks and this glazed green pot with multi-directional cracks, I decided to trust the fix to some 2-part epoxy.  I don't have a special applicator, I just used some small pieces of cardboard to mix the epoxy and then smear it on both sides of the crack.

Broken pot with epoxy applied

After I had applied the epoxy I let it dry and then got ambitious and wanted to scrap off some of the excess.  This caused the disturbed parts to turn white, normally the epoxy will dry clear, so I learned something new there.  Don't disturb the epoxy after it has started to dry!

Broken pot with disturbed epoxy, dried 

Although the cracks wind around quite a bit of the pot, they can still be hidden by turning the cracked side to the back.

Conclusion

I got some lovely hot pink snapdragons and decided they were the right scale of plant to use in this pot.  In order to prevent dirt from spilling out the hole I partially filled the pot with dirt, then placed a broken piece of pottery (found some months ago) on the inside of the pot, then added some more potting soil and the plant.

Snapdragons!

In order to prevent dirt from spilling out the hole I partially filled the pot with dirt, then placed a broken piece of pottery (found some months ago) on the inside of the pot, then added some more potting soil and the plant.

Potting soil and hole-blocking ceramic shard

From the side it looks like the broken pottery insert, although not a perfectly flush fit against the inside of the pot, it is blocking the dirt as intended.

Ceramic shard blocking hole, outside view

After I finished potting up the snapdragons everything looked great!  I didn't mind a bit of the epoxy showing, none of us are perfect.

Snapdragons in a newly repaired pot

Happy freestyling, don't be afraid to scavenge something and make it beautiful.

Garden of freestyle delights - a SECOND metal hayrack planter appears in the night

 The Find

While out for a walk one night I came across a surprising find, a metal hayrack planter (complete with coir liner, dirt, and some plants that looked relatively healthy).  Why was this surprising, at this point I shouldn't be surprised by anything left out on the sidewalk.  At the time it seemed like the garden-related giveaways and clean outs had slowed down, so perhaps that was the reason for surprise. 

Discarded hay rack planter

I didn't take it with me right away, but waited until I was on the way back and near the end of my walk. It is always a risk to walk away from something left out for free, but luckily no one had scooped it up while I was finishing taking my exercise.  I decided to get rid of the existing dirt and plants because I knew right away that I would be putting something new and colorful in this planter.  I had found my first metal hay rack planter in early spring and loved the classic style.  I had thought about buying more hay racks but ended up buying two metal baskets because they were the only things in stock when we went to the superstore garden center.  Don't get me wrong, I like the look of the baskets, but in a small space the hay racks are a better fit up against a fence to give maximum plant frontage.

Here is the outer metal-only part of the hay rack planter without the liner. You can see that there are attachments in the back if you want to hang the planter on screws or hooks. I didn't do that, I went an even easier route.

Metal hay rack outer part

The Hay Rack Makeover

I hung up the planter with some repurposed cording that had previously been used to hang up a set of individual plastic planters arranged in a pleasing geometry.  This bit of fence has seen quite a few different planting arrangements over the summer.  I planted some bright yellow mums to tie into the patio table color and some small Angelonia plants with purple flowers to carry over the purple from the neighboring hay rack planter full of purple petunias.

Hayrack planter with mums, angelonias, and petunias

Conclusion

I love the second hay rack planter, even though the metal frame has a different design from the first one I found.  Not-matching is pretty much par for the course when you get your gardening supplies for free!  I think the $1 yellow mums appeared in my world at just the right time too. I bought 5 pots of yellow mums for $5, and good thing that I did because that offer was gone within a week. 

Here are the two hay racks along the fence.  The original hay rack was planted with purple petunias, some of which are now long enough that I was able to drape them around the edge of the second planter.

The fence in all its planterly glory

Happy freestyling, and always think about donating before discarding!

Garden of Freestyle Delights - Ornamental Ginger While Out for a Walk

The Find: Free Ornamental Ginger

While out for an evening walk I came across a very exciting sign in someone's yard next to the side of the road.  It said, " FREE ................. ORNAMENTAL GINGER" and there was a plastic bag with pieces of root inside.  I even took a picture for posterity.

Free ornamental ginger root, with sign

I let the root sit around for a few days until I acquired another set a free planters.  Spring is a good time for getting unwanted plastic (or broken ceramic) planters.

Stack of free plastic plant pots

Growing Ornamental Ginger

I planted the ornamental ginger in some potting soil, unsure if it would every sprout. Had I ignored it for too long? Had I planted it too shallow? Would it rot instead of revive? These are the doubts that plague a gardener. 

But plants can surprise you with their hardiness, at least this ornamental ginger root cutting did. 

First ornamental ginger sprout

 

And then it got a little taller....

Ornamental ginger sprout approximately 4inches tall

And then it got this tall and has stayed like that for a while!  I'm still waiting on flowers though...

Ornamental ginger co-planted with an impulse purchase clematis

In addition to the vertical growth (a.k. the plant's "habit" in the parlance of the horticultural world) I like the slight striping (variegation) of the leaves, which is visible in the photo below.

Slightly variegated ornamental ginger plant leaf

Conclusion

When taking plant cuttings or roots, be aware of the risk of spreading invasive species or pests.  In this case the root cuttings were from the same neighborhood, and I was planning to grow the plant in an isolated container on a patio - not in the ground.  I'm not sure whether this plant would get taller if it were planted in the ground and could develop deeper roots, but that is not something I can experiment with right now!

Happy freestyle gardening, don't be afraid to scavenge for beauty!

Sailing into a future involving gold paint, a framing adventure

The Find

While out for an evening walk I came across this LARGE and beautifully framed photo of a sailboat.  Framed with real glass in the front, amazingly unbroken, and reliably heavy.  So what did I do?  I carried it home with only a vague purpose in mind, thinking maybe it would fit some fancy paper that I bought to use as a poster.

The freestyle green-framed find

The Makeover

Normally I love teal. Teal is my jam.  Cerused teal? Are you kidding? I refinished an end table AND refinished a small oak bookshelf to try to achieve a similar look.  With this frame I think the pattern is some sort of overlay, or something printed on, it isn't actually teal-dyed perused wood.  Perhaps it is for the better because a frame made out of solid oak would have been even heavier.

Corner detail or the original frame

With this frame I wasn't feeling the teal, I was feeling the fake gold.  First things first, I had to take it all apart and clean it, oh, and sadly throw out the large intact piece of glass.  Sigh. It made me sad, but having glass in large frames makes them heavy, which makes them harder to hang, and that glass is very breakable which makes me nervous.  Heavy + breakable + suspended from a single nail on a wall is not a reassuring combination.  Anyway, here is what the frame looked like underneath the dust wrapper, pretty standard assembly.

Inside the back of the frame

Lots of little framer's points to pull...and save for later.

Inside of the back of the frame, corner detail

The first coat of gold paint is always a little streaky. I expected it to take a few coats to cover the darker green and bald underneath....and I was right.  Patience is the key, I try to use thin coats with plenty of dry time in between. 

After the first goal of gold paint

After the painted was complete I looked at some decorative papers I'd purchased and with the existing matting they were the right WIDTH but not the right LENGTH...... you can see some of backing board showing at the bottom with printed text on it.

Poster with backing showing

I wanted to use this "Minerologie" paper anyway so I decided to fill in the blank spot at the bottom of the frame with slightly textured watercolor paper. 

Poster with backing covered by watercolor paper

After some generous use of double-sided tape I re-assembled all the pieces, including poking those original framer's points back into their original holes.

You can see the edges between the watercolor paper pieces a little better in the close-up below.

Closeup, corner detail of watercolor paper overlapping poster

The Final Result

I LOVE the way this turned out, even with the oddity of the watercolor paper at the bottom. I just think of it as a title bar like you sometimes see on posters purchased from museums.  In this case it happens to be a blank title bar, but no matter, I can always fill it in with some script if I ever trust my own handwriting.

Minerals poster in new gold-painted frame

I think the warm shininess of the gold paint is an excellent setting for this colorful poster of minerals.

Happy freestyling, don't be afraid to take the freestyle frame even if you aren't sure what it will turn into.  Finding beauty from scavenged pieces gets easier with practice.

Garden of freestyle delights - (another) scrap wood planter and a painting experiment

Upcycled Scrapwood into Painted Planter

When life gives you scrap wood, make scrap wood planters!  That has been my motto lately, and it has been fun to see what can be created out of a few leftovers by making as few cuts as possible.  The picture below is the bottom of the assembled planter while I was completing the last construction step -- drilling drainage holes into it. It's definitely made of leftover pieces, you can see someone else's pencil marks.

For this scrap wood planter I decided to try painting the outside with some really cheap poster paint.  The paint CLEARLY SAYS it is water-soluble, so I did not expect my paintings on the wood to last very long past the next rainstorm. But I was also curious about how much paint would sink into the wood and how long it might persist while living outside in the elements.

Here is the assembled planter before any painting.

I looked for some Art Deco inspiration, in the very loosest sense, and found a butterfly and a lotus - both of which seem like appropriate themes for garden art.  I have near-zero decorative painting skills, but this seemed like a good place to play around and try something new.

Painted Planter Results

I had 6 colors of the poster paint but didn't try to use them all, in this case simple was the goal.  

Below is the first side, painting inspired by an Art Deco jewelry piece I saw online.

Below is the side that I painted with a lotus-inspired design. Van Gogh I am not, nor Monet.

Conclusion

Lucky for this scrap wood planter painting experiment there was a rain event the very same night that I painted this planter and planted it with some scallions. (Yes, those are scallions purchased from the grocery store for 99 cents per bunch that I replanted in the garden.) The photos below shows how much washed away in that first rain event, just hours after the paint had dried.

Since the paint fades so quickly I wonder if this could be a technique to use if someone wanted to quickly create a 'weathered' look along new wood (it would be someone who had poster paint, but not other traditional aging washes like nails soaked in vinegar).  You could maybe use a mix of white, gray, brown, and black paint applications to mimic varied textures, let it sink into the wood and dry, and then wash the wood.  I have no idea if that would look reasonable or like a decrepit art project from some long-ago children's art attempt. 

This was a fun project, and all for the cost of a few screws and some $2 bottles of poster paint.  

Happy freestyle-garden-ing!