craft of the month

It does seem like Spring may never come to Minnesota. But, just in case it does, here are two fun ideas to get in the mood for gardening.

Reusing some of those worn out kitchen utensils and other lightweight metal items can be music to your ears!  Create your own garden wind chime with discards from the kitchen or tool chest. Here is a sample of what you might use: slotted and regular spoons and forks,  a gravy ladle, a whisk, a vegetable peeler, a strainer, and a colander. You will also need  a 3/4 “dowel about 18” long, fishing line and scissors.  Tie each utensil along the dowel making sure to space each utensil so the weight is evenly distributed. To add sparkle to the chime tie crystal pony beads along the length of the fishing line.  Form a loop from wire or fishing line and hang from a branch or hook.  If you do not have utensils that you want to use in this way, visit a thrift store or spring garage sale to start a collection of what you need for this fabulous wind chime. Or, to modify the project, incorporate workshop tools such as an old wrench, nuts, bolts, and screwdrivers as other sound source.

Polly put the kettle on and we will all have tea as we enjoy this colorful and eclectic addition to the garden, another idea for collecting rain water!  All you need are teacups and saucers or mugs, a china or clay teapot, a few old vases and a bit of super glue to complete this fun found-object sculpture. Designed to be aesthetically pleasing and functional, this assemblage collects rain water that can be used to water individual plants or add to water collected in a larger rain barrel.  Here is how to make your own mini rain collector. First, glue the bottom of the teacup to the saucer. Thinking about color, shape, and balance, select a vase as a pedestal on which you glue the teacup-saucer. Create a variety of these sculptures, using vases of varying heights and incorporating a teapot or two. When you are done, place your creations throughout the garden on different surfaces and at different heights.  After a good rain, water your planters or empty the rainwater collected into a larger rain barrel.