Tin Can Man . . . trash to treasure project

Trash to treasure yard art is one of my favorite crafts.

This little guy is so cute and seems like a relatively easy project to put together.

Here are the materials used in the project:

• 1 medium vegetable, fruit or coffee can (head)
• 1 large can (torso)
• 2 medium cans (upper arms)
• 6 small vegetable or fruit cans (forearms & legs)
• 5 lids cut from cans (ears, nose, hands)
• 4 tomato paste cans (ankles, feet)
• 5 round bottle caps (eyes, buttons)
• 11 screws with bolt backings
• heavy gauge wire
• Epoxy glue or clear-drying caulk

Tools needed include drill, hole punch, hammer or mallet, metal cutters, “church key” can opener, duct tape, screwdriver.

Click here for instructions

Please note!

The original instructions are no longer available, however, I will leave the information up in case the page becomes available again.

Some other pages that include instructions for a tin can man:

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf43267298.tip.html

http://worththewhisk.com/2009/09/24/how-to-make-a-tin-can-man/

http://www.hometalk.com/4126480/craft-tin-man-upcycle

http://serenityinthegarden.blogspot.com/2012/11/make-tin-can-man-in-your-garden.html

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DIY Stepping Stones and Paths

One of my favorite outdoor projects is playing in concrete and making my own stepping stones.  Your creativity mixed with some basic knowledge is all you need to come up with some awesome and unusual paths for your garden.

Click here for some inspiration, ideas and tutorials.

Click here for more inspiration!

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Secret garden

This part of Westbury Gardens in Vermont reminds me of a secret garden.  I've always wanted a little pathway that leads to a secret garden in my garden and in my mind, it looks very similar to this one . . . except mine would have more color and maybe a water feature along the side.

Very cool idea for a large property!

For more photos featured on the Fine Gardening website click here.

Click here to visit Westbury Gardens' website.

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Around the garden world in 365 days

Container gardens like the one in the photo is what we are striving to do in our garden that includes lots of concrete and container plantings.  Much easier maintenance than the wild look we currently have.  Love the tropical feel of this colorful garden vignette!

This photo was taken at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Day #32 in "Around The Garden World in 365 Days," Barbara's fabulous blog series that takes you on a trip to a different garden every time with lots of photos and inspiration for your garden.  Click here for Day #32 where you will find many more photos from the gorgeous and inspirational Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Barbara Peake Wise describes herself as a plant nerd who works for Landscape Service, Inc.  You can also follow her on Twitter.  She is one of my favorite garden enthusiasts on the internet!

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Containers in the garden

Daniela Baloi's vegetable garden in Hudson, Ohio was recently featured on Fine Gardening's website.   All I can say is that I'm jealous and would love the fenced garden area in my own yard.

Although the garden is awesome and innovating, what caught my attention was this little sitting area with the awesome container planting.  What a great pairing of the container with the red handle and red flowers.  I love a garden with lots of different colorful and pretty spots to relax and enjoy nature happening in the garden.  Container plants are excellent for these areas!

I love those large coffee cup bowls for serving pasta or salad, but it is super cute in the garden!  I've seen them at closeout stores and they are very inexpensive.  Don't forget to drill holes or add lots of rocks to the bottom of the container for good drainage.

Click here to check out Daniela's newly fenced veggie garden.

Photo source is FineGardening.com

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