Garden Crafts: Things You Can Make to Add Whimsy to Your Garden

Anyone can have a yard, but if you want an awesome garden with charm and warmth, you can do a lot to make your garden unique and special. Add some whimsy to your home garden by making some of these awesome things.

1. Wind Chimes: Make your own windchimes by hanging bamboo tubes, metal tubing, old silverware, or seashells from a hanger made of a disk, crossed sticks, or an old set of chimes. Make sure they bump together to make 'music'. You can make it entirely from found objects if you wish.

2. Bird Houses: Easy to make from hard shelled gourds, wood scraps. or even an old boot. If you actually want birds to live in them, check out specific websites or books on the birds in your area. Otherwise, just make them decorative.

3. Lanterns: Fill a cleaned out metal can with water and freeze it. Use a hammer and a nail to punch holes in simple patterns. Set outside to let water drain out. Hang can from an old wire coat hanger or any sturdy wire. Place votive candle inside and you'll have a lantern for nighttime walks in the garden.

4. Driftwood sculptures: Lace driftwood together to make interesting designs. Or turn into mobiles by hanging shells and stones and other found objects from it.

5. Statuary: Make your own by wood carving, wire bending or decorating a pre-existing statue with mosaic tiles, glass chips, or plastic lacing. One guy even melts 5 gallon plastic buckets with a blow torch and crafts the, omtp faces. animals and faux totem poles. (See video below).

6. Stained Glass: Real stained glass is a complicated hobby but well worth learning so you can make cool things for your garden. Or make faux stained glass with colored plastic and wire.

7. Basketry: Trailing plants look great hanging from baskets. You can either use bought or found wire baskets, line them with sheet moss, and plant inside them, or you can literally make your own baskets with wire, botanicals, vines, reeds, straw, or grasses.

8. Plant hangers: Use those macrame' skills to make great plant hangers out of hemp or jute or cotton.

9. Birdbath: Find a shallow clay pot or metal bowl and a sturdy used plant stand or table. Figure out a way to assemble it so it's secure, and keep filled with water for your feathered friends.

10. Stencilled clay pots: I made some a few years ago. A well-stocked craft store will have paint suitable for clay or stoneware. Read the labels. It might be labeled 'patio paint' or something similar. Design a simple stencil of a dragonfly, leaf or flower and make your own one-of-a-kind pots.

11. Fairy Houses: Whether you believe in the fae folk or not, these charming houses can be built from found natural objects from your trip to the beach, woods, or park. Make sure it's legal to collect items in your area. Use driftwood, feathers, shells, pincones, slabs or bark, and other cool things to decorate your fairy house and make a path leading to the front door.

12. Flags & Banners: If you have experience with silk and dyeing, you can make some amazing banners. Or go more low-tech and do paint on burlap, or applique on ripstop nylon, or paint some canvas signs. Use flag hanging hardware from the store or make your own with PVC pipes, bamboo stakes or rope.