Thursday, June 28, 2012

Creating Happiness

Ephesians 2:10 NIV

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I love creating things:  new recipes, drawings, paintings, stories, scrapbooks, jewelry, and more. When the seed of an idea is planted, I feel my spirit quicken. The anticipation when I'm in the midst of a project is downright addicting. The moment of completion is bittersweet...satisifaction mixed with sadness that the creative process is over for the moment. It's great to sit back and enjoy the results of my efforts, but it's not long before another idea takes hold and I'm off to create again. Alas, I dabble in a lot of things, but I'm the master of none. Still, it's a true blessing to be able to creative something. It may not be worth a thing to anyone else, or worthy of praise, but it's a piece of me and it brings me happiness.

Birdcage Planter



I was browsing through the shops on Antique Alley looking for something to put out in my new garden. I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for, but when I saw this birdcage, I knew I had to have it. In my mind, I envisioned a planter to sit upon the tree stump at the front right hand side of the garden. Just as I picked it up, the dealer said she'd clipped a picture of a birdcage used as a planter to display with it. I knew it was a good idea!


When I got it home, I realized it was a rusty mess and had several broken bars. It rather added to its charm, but I didn't think it would hold up the constant watering it would have to endure. Thank goodness for Rustoleum spray paint. I brushed off all the dust and rust I could, then sprayed it down with a good coating of textured gold. While it dried, I made a quick trip to Home Depot to gather some supplies.



I got, moisture control potting mix, sphagnum moss, ivy, and a begonia. Back at home, I grabbed a couple of plastic freezer bags, and a pair of scissors.


To start with, I cut the bags in half from side to side and lined the bottom and lower sides of the cage with it to keep the moss and dirst from falling out through the bars. Then I filled the bottom of the cage with sphagnum moss. Luckily, one of the top bars was broken away from the top of the cage, so I just pulled it back and stuck my hand right in. Next, I placed the ivy, one plant at a time, then the begonia. Finally, I filled in the empty places around the plants with potting soil. I put the broken bar back into place and put it out into the garden.


The plastic stood out like a sore thumb and bugged me, so I tucked some moss inbetween the plastic and the bars and I'm liking the look of things. I'm looking forward to the ivy growing more, and I'm also looking forward to replanting it with new things next spring!

The final project - I love it!











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