Trash to Yard Art or Thinking Outside the Box

Much to the delight of children and the chagrin of my poor neighbors and the zoning man, I am a multimedia artist and one of my favorite mediums is found objects, although I know my taste isn't to everyones liking I hope you enjoy this brief tour of my yard after midnight.

 The lead picture is pretty obvious, this was meant to be yard art but I rescued it from the curb, behind it is a concrete birdbath that I found without a base, it's filled with stones, seashells and marbles

Step 1: Welcome to My Midnight Yard Tour

The wooden structure you see started out as the frame for our haunted houses drawbridge, when we moved the drawbridge I decided to leave the frame, I added a found gate and 2 almost matching carriage lamps, the gate leads you into my repurposed dog pen to garden arbor,which is covered in confederate jasmine, scarlet honey suckle vines which the hummingbirds love and chinese wisteria vines. To one side is a found bench that really serves no purpose except as a seat for a halloween decoration ghoul, hidden in the overgrowth of jasmine between the bench and gate is a heavy steel wind chime that also rings when squirrels scamper through the tree

Step 2: Toy Trash to Garden Lighting

I found this plastic c clamp in a box of toys I rescued and realized the handle would hold the pole of a dollar store solar light and I clamped it to a section of fence I had also rescued, 4, 4x8 foot frames of 2x4's covered on both side with lattice that is used to make a play yard for the grandbrats. The multiarmed structure serves in several ways, as a base for solar lights, occasionally the oil lamp which is a beer bottle with the wick and cover from a found tiki torch or sometimes candles. there are also several hanging lights, one style you can find here https://www.instructables.com/id/Wine-bottle-hanging-lantern/

Step 3: Tables

Over the years I've repurposed many things into small display tables in the yard, right now there are only 2, the are both made using a decorative metal stand of some kind, one has a tabletop made form the base of a large chrome bird perch, the other top is made from a large chunk of marble I found and surprisingly I found a piece of glass that fit almost exactly

Step 4: Garden Critters

I only had this one pic turn out but I have several large fake bugs , various snakes and this lovable fellow scattered here and there in the yard. This fellow scared me when I found him late one night and he's fooled many others

Step 5: Fountain

there is a lot here that's been found and repurposed from the pond liner itself which had a crack but with a lining of black plastic is perfectly usable, the pump is actually a small pool filter and pump combo minus the filter cartridge, the plants I rescued from my daughters neighbors curb and stuck in the pond too keep until I found a place for them but they seem to like it where they are! The wagon is a recent addition that may or may not stay, as I was cleaning it I realized it made a nice water fall and thought... hhhmmm  lets try this ..

Step 6: Architectural Elements

My son actually brought me these 2 urns and the stands that he found, I'm sure they belong in some stately mansion but they add a little something to the yard, I used a couple of pot saucers to keep out water and added the strawberry jars (I might even plant something in them) all of course were rescued from the curb. The reindeer are also rescues, all the lights work, I just need to find room in the shed and that long white path curb is an aluminum top rail to a pool that has been doing a different duty for many years with no upkeep

Step 7: Just for Laughs

My daughters rescued this model plane fuselage and brought it to me, it got moved here and there until it found its home in the wall of confederate jasmine covering my arbor

Step 8: Bye Bye

People say they love just wondering around my yard because there is always something new or different to see. I hope you enjoyed this brief tour even, if only because, you're glad I'm not your neighbor.