Vintage Bird Cage Planter for the Garden, a DIY project

 I finally got around to setting up this year's bird cage planter!

For a while, it looked like we were going to attempt mounting the bird cage to the top of our birdhouse pole. We honestly didn't think we'd be able to put the birdhouse together again once it broke into dozens of pieces after a winter storm. Thank goodness we were able to save it (blogpost about the birdhouse here).

 It's so easy to make these birdcage planters. Most of the cages have tops that can be removed. If your cage has a tray, take that out so the water can drain out when watering. Just arrange your plants, and if you have any trailing plants (I put a vinca vine in each corner), gently pull the vines through the cage bars.

Once I had my vinca vine and impatiens arranged, I decided to add a garden statue (I should have thought of that before and arranged the flowers around the statue).

I decided on these two lovebirds as they're tall and will still show as the flowers get taller. I just pushed the flowers aside to make room for the statue. (The flowers and vines are all in their original containers from the garden center).

I love the little domed door and ornamental scroll work on the door of this old cage, not to mention the aqua blue base!

 I have an old white table that I use for this bird cage planter every year. It's the perfect size!

 The location on the deck changes from year to year. This year it's over by the fountain, which is also in a different location this year.

 It is so relaxing to sit out here on summer days and evenings (until the mosquitoes crash the party!)

 Generally there's no tablecloth on the table as I'm sure it could easily blow away on a breezy day. But I have several old, vintage tablecloths with minor stains or holes, and they're perfect to throw over the table when we are out there.

 And would you look who's been watching me take photos out here! I tossed a few peanuts in front of the slider and the Chips have been keeping her entertained! They all know by now that she's on the other side of the screen and therefore they're safe!

This is the baker's rack that you see in the background of the previous photo. Nothing special going on here. Just my always reliable impatiens and a few ground cover flats that will get planted in the fall. I love using ground covers for 'display' on the deck and around the yard until they get planted in the fall.

AS a matter of fact, here's another bird cage planter I have down by our swingset deck this year. It's very similar to the cage up on the deck, but a smaller size. I just stuck a ground cover inside of it for the summer months and then I'll plant it this fall.

 I'll have to share before and after photos of our honeysucke vine in the background. We planted that to climb a homeade obelisk a few years ago and it has done amazingly well in this spot! (The hummers agree!)

If you need more info on making birdcage planters, I have a DIY link on my sidebar that gives a bit more information. Check it out if you have any questions!

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

I'm hooking up to My Romantic Home's Show & Tell Friday this week.

Donna

Cottage Christmas sheep....

...the ox and lamb kept time, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum...

My good friend, Jill, who lives in Ohio, sent me this beautiful little sheep several years ago, and he is now a beloved part of my Christmas decor...

This year I thought he'd enjoy being part of my vintage birdcage display (last year the pink glittered reindeer lived in the cage, then known as the vintage reindeer barn!)


I went all out for this sweet little lamb, hanging a sparkly silver NEST banner on the front of his cage (it usually hangs on the fireplace, but was moved to make way for the stockings and mantel decorations)...


...and I put one of my favorite flocked bottlebrush trees into his cage.


He even has a sparkly bird to sing him Christmas carols...


I think he looks very happy in his vintage cage... maybe even a hint of a smile?


The outside of the cage even got decorated this year....


I picked up these dangly ornaments, discounted by 75%, at AC Moore this past January.


At the time, I wasn't sure where I would use them, but 75% off was too good to pass up! And this year, when I started decorating the cage, it seemed like a good place to hang them.


Cottage sheep says he's really enjoying his sparkly holiday home, and he hopes the reindeer never want to move back in! (They're enjoying their place of honor in the dining room. Pictures to come soon.)


But now it's time to go to sleep... Goodnight little sparkly bird... Goodnight sweet little lamb... See you in the morning... (and thank you, Jill!)



Wishing all of you sweet and sparkly dreams!



Now you must go visit the lovely Cielo at The House In The Roses to see her "Show Off Your Cottage Monday" post, and to find a list of all others who are participating this week!!!
Happy Cottage Monday!!!






Donna

Blue and green...

A lovely color combination that has worked its way into both our garden and our home...

In the garden:


An ordinary trip to the grocery store turned into gasps of 'ooooh' and 'aaaaah' when I spotted the beautiful hydrangea bushes being offered for sale in the produce/floral area.


How boring to spend my money on chicken and rice and such when I could bring home one of these instead!!


After all, the family could sit on the deck and eat cereal or sandwiches while gazing upon these beautiful blossoms, right? A great trade-off, if you ask me!

There was a wide selection to choose from... some pink, some blue, and some a combination of blue and green, which is what I chose... It's still sitting on the deck, waiting for me to decide the perfect place to plant it.

I wish I could keep it in a container on the deck year 'round, but #1, it wouldn't survive our New England winters if it was just in a pot, and #2, bringing it inside isn't an option since it grows to a height and width of 5 feet (a tad too big for any of our little rooms!)

In the home:

You've met Pete before (he's the green parakeet on the left)...

...but here is our newest addition, Re-Pete...

Pete is vintage whereas Re-Pete is new, but they haven't let their huge age difference keep them from becoming best of friends.

The pair of them provided me with another opportunity to work in that blue and green color combination that I love so much!! (The three main colors that I keep repeating in our little cottage - because I love them all so much - are blue, green, and peachy-pink!!)

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!! I hope to get some flowers in the ground, if the weather cooperates!!

Donna

Mini Bird Cage... #4

This is something of a make-shift corner in our dining area, with all kinds of things sitting on top of each other!! (See all the rainbows from my window prisms?)


(click any photos to enlarge)
I've had this mini bird cage for so long that I don't even remember where I bought it! It sits on top of a little mirrored cabinet which, in turn, sits on top of our little jelly cupboard.


I thought these parakeets were life-sized when I ordered them on-line a year or two ago. When I got them I was disappointed because they were so teensy weensy. But then I realized they were the perfect size for this little cage...


So little green Pete sits on the right hand side of the cage...



...while little blue Pete sits on the left...

And here's my beautiful Nana posing with her handsome Pete back in the 1950's. She absolutely loved her parakeet(s). In many of the photos I have of her with a bird, the cage door is wide open so her Pete could come out if he wanted. In the photo above, you can see that the cage door is open and she has put a little bowl of water in front of Pete's cage for him to bathe in. The writing on the back of several photos tell how Pete loved to bathe in these little water filled bowls that Nana put out for him...

I have a table very similar to the one pictured above that belonged to my mom. Some day I'll post about it. But just the other night I saw tables almost identical to this one at Target, except they were black and my Nana's was green.

By the way, I'm going to try to post my 'one-year blog anniversary' giveaway items on Saturday, so be sure to check back then, especially if you like birdies!!!

Donna

Bird Cage Love #3... Chippy Cottage Green!

Continuing with my bird cage collection....

(click any photos to enlarge)

Last week you met Pete, who lives in this little footed cage on our kitchen counter.

And yesterday I showed you this white wire bird cage that is currently housing my philodendron plant...

Today I'd like to share a favorite old bird cage that makes its home next to one of the family room windows (all the better for the birds to see out!)...

I purchased this vintage bird cage from eBay years ago. I absolutely flipped for the chippy, cottage green color. It was also the perfect size for this old black bird cage stand...

I love the domed top, the deep base, and the scrollwork on the front.

And this is sweet Pete, a beautiful blue-green celluloid parakeet who spends his days swinging back and forth...

... while his friend, Miss Canary, spends her days eating! They are the best of friends and share the cage together... (just look at those perfectly chippy cottage green bars!!!!)

The scrollwork on the cage shows up better in these night-time photos...

I don't know if I'll ever get another live bird. I haven't had one since I was a teenager. But if I were to get one, I think I'd have to purchase a larger cage than what we used in the 50's... Looking at some of my old photographs, the cages seem so small. With all my talking about wanting a parakeet lately, the girls suggested we transform the windowseat area of our family room into a big cage and get a couple of parakeets! Wouldn't Spotty and Tiger love that!

Did you know that you can adopt birds from Petfinder.com? I think that's so great because if what I've read is true regarding most pet store birds (bird smuggling and bird breeding - think puppy mills, but for birds), I'm afraid it's not a very pleasant existence for these beautiful little creatures. I've added a link to Petfinder on my sidebar (just click on the parakeet photo), where every possible species of birds can be adopted. As a matter of fact, through the Petfinder website, you can rescue/adopt a wide variety of animals, from cats and dogs to birds, lizards, and farm animals... It's definitely a website worth checking out if you are looking for a non-human companion!!!

And I couldn't end this post without sharing another old famly photo of Pete... (Note: All our parakeets were named Pete)... Here, my sister and Pete are enjoying a warm summer day out in the yard. (I wonder if my sister was trying to capture a playmate for Pete??)

More cages to come in future posts...

Donna