Garden Art Projects
Make art to jazz up your summer garden. Many pieces of garden art serve double duty as both decorative and useful items. Kids can help with many garden projects with the supervision of an adult.
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Stepping Stones
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Use an aluminum pie plate or square pan for a mold to create a stepping stone. Pour quick setting concrete into the pan, filling it to within an inch of the rim. Allow the concrete to set up until it is still soft but holds its shape, which usually takes two to four hours, depending on the type of concrete. Press shells, broken bits of colored glass or colorful pebbles into the surface of the concrete to decorate it. Once the concrete hardens completely, which takes about 24 hours, turn the pan upside down and slide out your stepping stone.
Decoupage Pots
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Create colorful pots to use outdoors. Coat a plain clay or plastic pot with decoupage glue. Attach cut out pictures or scraps of colorful paper to the glue, smoothing out any wrinkles. Overlap each piece of paper slightly so the pot is completely covered. Add two or three more coats of decoupage glue on top the decorated pot. Once the glue finishes drying, paint with a clear acrylic sealer so the pot is weatherproof.
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Seed Feeders
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Choose a log that is about 8-inches long and about 3-inches in diameter. Drill two, 1-inch holes through the log. Under each 1-inch hole, drill a 1/4-inch hole. Insert a 3-inch length of 1/4-inch dowel into each of the smaller holes to form the bird perch. Insert perches into both sides of the log so a bird can feed on either side of the hole. Mix peanut butter and bird seed together and stuff the mixture into the large holes. To hang the feeder, attach an eye hook to the top of the log. Leave the feeder plain or decorate it with a wood-burning tool.
Tin Plant Markers
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Use empty soda cans or the thicker cans from soup and vegetables for the plant marker. Remove the top and bottom from each can then slit the can up the side using tin snips. Wear work gloves to avoid cuts from the sharp metal. Cut the tin so it fits on top of the flat side of a wooden plant marker. Nail the tin to the marker with small tacks, ensuring no sharp tin edges extend beyond the wood. Paint the plant names on the metal with a paint pen. Further decorate the tin by punching designs in it with the tip of a nail.
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