As most of you know I am part of a team on Etsy called Upcyclers. I’m sure you have seen some of my entries from past monthly challenges. I am thrilled to have been chosen to be the judge for May’s challenge. The medium I chose to be upcycled was plastic coffee cans or creamer containers…really any plastic container will do. I had a bit of a selfish reason for choosing this item as my house is overflowing with them….ahhh coffee!
I found a cool birdbath on Pinterest that had used clay pots and a light cover. For the challenge I substituted with painted coffee cans and used one of my fused glass bowls. The project was really easy and the materials few and inexpensive. 6 Plastic coffee cans, spray paint, 5' concrete rebar ( bought a scrap piece at Home Depo for $ 0.99), a plastic bowl or light cover.
Here is a link to the site...
The original used 6, instead I used 5, one of my bowls, and copper wire recycled from an electrical cord.
I also chose a textured paint to try and hide the logo. It covered well although the hammered texture of the paint seemed to level out some. I cut an x in the bottoms.
I drove the rebar into the ground and put on my first can at an angle and supported it with rocks and just kept adding cans.
I found out the hard way...you want to fill them with dirt as you go.
I chose to use one of my fused glass bowls. They are a bit heavy and I could just imagine a squirrel knocking it down. I wired it on to the rebar with heavy gauge copper from an old electrical cord. It is still a little wobbly so I am going to weld on a vase camp from and old lamp to set the bowl in and then wire it.
It was a fun project and I got to use quite a few cans. I am very happy with it! It has added a nice splash of height and color to my garden and the birds love it! I can't wait to see how it looks when the flowers fill in.
Hope this all inspires you to get out and create!
Happy Upcycled Garden All!
