My Corner Online

 

Repurposed Metal Tool Shelf Planter

I enjoy making unique things for my garden. I see so many "vintage" gardens on social media that I think are gaudy. It is not that these folks are tasteless, but rather theirs is not my taste. People will tuck old things anywhere in the garden just to put them somewhere. A rightly placed piece is nice, but there is a point where too much stuff is just clutter. I like creative gardens and creative pieces, but I suppose I am selective.

A few years ago at a DAR meeting, our host decided to use these lovely napkins that she brought back from a trip to Germany. I love it so much I saved two napkins. I did not know what I would do with them, but I knew an opportunity would present itself. Here in June 2024, that opportunity arose.

I found this old metal toolbox shelf in an antique store. I remember these metal toolboxes from my youth. It was screaming at me to do something with it, so I bought it.

I was going to preserve the metal green, but then realized it was too rusty, so it was spray painted white. I like white.

I took one of my two napkins and decoupaged them onto the sides of the box. I kept cutting and placing until the entire napkin was used. I even had some little bits for the handle.

Can you believe I got all of this with just one napkin?

This is the third side.

And this is the fourth side. Too stinking cute!

Watch the above video to see where I got this succulent plant from in my yard. Actually, I failed to mention that this plant came originally from the garden walk in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. I was on the walk when I remarked at the cuteness of a project and she reached down and grabbed some out of her pot and sent me home with it! I put it in the birdbath as you see in the video. The birdbath no longer held water and I was repurposing it.

I grabbed some out of my bird bath planter and put it in the new toolbox shelf planter. I think it looks so fun! The bird bath planter will fill back in before we know it.

At first I set it here in the garden, but then I moved it over a bit.

I like that it has a handle and I can pick it up and move it anywhere for a new look in the garden. That is the way I like to do with things to make them seem new and alive again - by just moving them around.

This succulent actually survives the cold Winter weathers here, so I can leave my new planter out in the garden all year.

I'm anxious to see how it looks with more foliage spilling over the edges of the planter.

I threw out the base of the birdbath as it had seen its better days. We always had to weight it down with bricks and hide the base under the foliage of plants to make it look okay. Instead, we set it in various places around the garden until one jumped out at us as "this is it!" I like the way it ties the lower bed together with the upper bed. The fun thing is I can pick it up and move it anywhere when I tire of it in this spot.

Everyone should have a little bit of lovely in their space, don't you think?

If this inspires you, please reach out to me. I'd love to see what you do.