Up-cycled Garden Orbs, DIY - using Whiskey Barrel Bands!

Nowhere is creative up-cycling more prevalent than in gardens.  One need only spend a short time searching Pinterest to discover a vast array of ideas for re-using almost anything in a garden.  Of course, personal style always plays a large part in one's garden.  Today, I'm going to begin a series of up-cycled garden posts.  Lately, I've been trying to improve the landscaping around our house; now that we've finally moved past the large, plastic toy lawn ornaments, that seemed destined to forever out-compete any and all flowers for "pops of color"!

The first thing I wanted to add to my garden beds was structure.  I like natural elements, (rocks, logs), and also intriguing, artistic objects, (wrought iron trellises, obelisks, orbs, etc.)  It doesn't take long, however, searching garden centers and online retailers, to learn that those lovely, park-like gardens I dream about cost nothing short of a small fortune!  So, how to begin creating my dream-park on virtually no budget.....

Whiskey Barrel Bands

Well, the first piece quite literally fell in my lap, or perhaps I should say, disintegrated onto my foot this past spring!  A number of years ago, my husband and I had put in a raised herb garden using half-whiskey barrel planters.  Now, many years later, those barrels were disintegrating and falling apart.  It was time to replace/re-create the herb garden.  As we were dragging and shoveling the old pieces of barrel away,  and I was stacking their steel metal bands off to the side, it occurred to me that these could make cool garden orbs.  "I wonder how hard it would be to attach these together?", I thought.  Insert handy husband here, and the answer turned out to be, "not too difficult!" 

Here's how we did it:
Materials:

• Old whiskey barrel bands (2-6, depending on orb, and whether making a base or not)
• Pop rivets, and pop-rivet tool (very technical, I know)
• Electric drill
• Drill bit slightly larger than the width of your pop rivets
• Clamps, c-clamps or vice grips (3 or 4 are helpful)
• Bolts (if attaching to a base)
• Saw (if making a base)
• Protective eye-wear and work gloves
• Splitting wedge and heavy mallet (if putting a base in the ground)
• Quick-crete concrete (optional) 

Drilling through the metal bands

Step One:
The Ball.  Match up similar size bands.  For this one, I used 4-same size med-lg bands, plus two smaller bands for the base, (6 total).  Place 3 circle bands together so that they all cross at the top and bottom, forming a ball shape, (you can measure, but I just eye-balled it).  Mark cross spots with a pencil or sharpie if desired, or just clamp together with tight clamps at the top and bottom.  Make sure your bands are evenly spaced to form a nice ball (2 bands will make a more open ball).

Inserting pop-rivets through drilled holes

Once tightly clamped, drill (slowly and carefully, wearing protective eye-wear and gloves) down through all 3 band layers.  Handy husband used a piece of 2"x4" wood, or section of pvc pipe at times to help brace the bands from the inside while drilling.

Once drilled through, insert pop rivet through hole and pop into place with pop-rivet tool!  Repeat the process for the bottom cross.  You now have a nice banded ball!

4th band pop-riveted on

Step Two:
For this orb, I wanted a 4th band running around crossing the circles middles.  So, I took the 4th matching size band and placed it around the other circles, clamping it into place.  Handy husband drilled 3 more holes (one on each band of the ball-we only needed to attach it in 3 places rather than all 6 bands it crossed), and pop riveted it on.  At this point I had a lovely criss-crossed sphere, and in fact, am now in the process of making another which will stay exactly like this, as a ball, nestled on the ground among some plants.  But for this one..

Crossed base pieces

Step Three:
The Base.  I wanted to raise this orb up, like some of those lovely "park-like" garden structures.  So...I took two of the smaller circle bands and handy husband cut them each open with a saw.  We then crossed them in the middle, clamped them together, and like before, drilled, and pop-riveted them together.  This gave me a crossed base piece.

Step Four:
Installation.  We're getting close now!  I placed the 4 base piece points/ends where I wanted them in the garden.  If you live in an area with soft ground, you may be able to push them down into the ground.  However, here in the south with our lovely clay, handy husband used a wood-splitting wedge and large mallet to hammer 4 holes into the ground.  We then pressed the 4 ends of the base into the holes and filled around them with dirt.  Just for good measure, we also poured some quick-crete concrete into the holes with a bit of water to set it.

Step Five:
Final Assembly.  Once the base was in place, I set my orb on top and lined up where I wanted it to sit.  We marked the spots and clamped it on tight.  Once again, handy husband drilled out two holes each through an orb band and base band.  This time we attached the pieces together with bolts, for extra strength as the orb would be subjected to pressure from winds and we didn't want it to snap off the base.  And Voila!!  Up-cycled Garden Orb!!

Garden orb bolted to base pieces

I have now planted ivy at the base of my garden orb and am hoping to get it to twine through the structure as it grows!

This project is easily adaptable for more or less bands, no base, or other bases, wherever your artistic whimsy takes you!  I am already planning other orb incarnations with my left-over pieces, and would love to see pictures of yours!   Enjoy and Have Fun!

Cheers,
Christine

www.out2lunchdesigns.com

Ready or Not

Photo: Stacy, Out 2 Lunch, LLC

Although it has been over 90 degrees for the past few weeks, and I would like nothing more than to spend my days at the beach and the pool, we all must admit at some point that Back to School time is here. If you read Christine’s last blog post , you know that Pantone has released their Fall 2016 color palette; stores are stocking up on school supplies and pumpkins; my fall loving friends are dreaming of apples and pumpkin spice.  As a native of Western New York, I fondly look back on the cool crispness of fall mornings, the changing leaves, the fresh pressed apple cider at Sanger Farms and peaches from Tom Tower’s Farm that signaled it was time to go back to school. Here in the south, it is without a doubt still summer when our children return to school.  Some of our friends in NC attend year round school, which means that they begin a new school year just after Independence Day, other schools across the Southeast begin between mid August and just after Labor Day.  Regardless of start date, southern children often transition directly from swimwear and sandals to school clothes – with plenty of beach and pool trips on the weekends. 

Hair Bows: Out 2 Lunch; Photo: Stacy, Out 2 Lunch

Whether Back to School means fall weather or an extension of summer, everyone enjoys the chance to purchase back to school clothes and school supplies. And as more schools (both public and private) have added uniforms, accessorizing becomes a great way for children of all ages to express their personalities.  Both Christine and myself have children that are full of personality and attend schools that require uniforms. This makes our Out 2 Lunch accessories the perfect way for all of their friends to express their styles.  Children, like our products, are truly one of a kind. 

 

 

 

 

 

Choosing Fabrics....

 

 

 

When I decided to blog about Back to School fashions, I  must have felt like fall was further away than it is was.  I decided that moving, finding new schools, and running a business wasn’t busy enough, and I added a little extra challenge to this project.  I put a call out to my children and their friends (ranging from rising Kindergarten to 5^th grade) and asked them to participate in a Back to School photo shoot – that part was easy enough, we had plenty of adorable models step into the limelight. From there I upped the ante a bit – I told the parents that I wanted each child’s clothing to reflect their personality, they could wear uniforms or not, and I would create accessories to compliment both the colors and their styles. My young models came through with flying colors – their personalities shine through, and I had a great time creating for some of my favorite people.

Below I will feature our products that are most commonly used as school accessories.  For those of you that are new to Out 2 Lunch I will also be giving a brief description of each item and its name.  When we began our business, we wanted to create accessories that would bring a modern twist to any “out to lunch” wardrobe (hence the name….) ranging from a formal garden party, to a casual picnic, to lunch out with friends. As we developed new products we named them after some of our favorite southern luncheon staples – items whose traits are reflected in the products.  I hope that you enjoy and can find some accessories that are useful and bring personality to your childrens’ back to school wardrobe! 

Hair Pin, Hair Bow and Organizer: Out 2 Lunch, LLC

Photo: Stacy, Out 2 Lunch, LLC

Fried Pickle (Tie Wallet) – Like one of our favorite appetizers, these little guys aren’t fancy or elaborate.  They are functional with a twist of fun.  There is some variation to the dimensions of these tie wallets, as there is variation in neckties.  Each wallet comfortably fits several standard size credit/gift cards, and secures with a snap closure.  These little wallets are perfect for holding earbuds, so that they do not tangle in backpacks and purses.  For older students, they are also perfect for carrying flash drives and student ID cards.

Organizers and Bows: Out 2 Lunch

Sweet Tea (Snap Pocket Organizer) - The most versatile carry-anything soft pocket you'll find! This one will show up everywhere! With its cute envelope styling, you can pack it full of sunglasses, make-up, art supplies, or use it as a pencil case! Just throw it in your backpack and you are ready for homework anywhere.   It's even cute and stylish enough to just grab and go!

Hair Pin and Purse: Out 2 Lunch

Lemonade (Denim Purse) - Comfortable and easy as your favorite old jeans - oh wait, they practically are! These denim "jeans" bags are cute, fun, relaxed and in the smaller sizes they are perfect for any age. Each has its dimensions listed on the website, has a magnetic snap closure.  They are perfect for an afternoon at the mall, and hardy enough to be carried in your backpack during the day.

Bow and Organizer: Out 2 Lunch, LLC

Divinity (Hair Bow) - Delightful, fun, and a little "nutty"; these hair clip bows bring a vintage twist to an everyday classic.  Bows vary in size.  Each is created on a covered alligator clip, and includes a piece of vintage jewelry as accent. There's something for everyone-  all ages and hair-styles -  to love!  Simply divine! 

Hair Pin: Out 2 Lunch, LLC

Praline (Hair Pin) - Fancy and everyday at the same time, these hair pins can dress up your day to day and add sparkle to any formal occasion as well.  A perfect accent to short hair or a dramatic updo!!

These products can be found for sale on our website (www.out2lunchdesigns.com) and are also featured on out Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. If you are looking for a specific color group or style, please email us at out2lunch@out2lunchdesigns.com.  We can only feature a limited number of products on our website, as each is one of a kind, but we have a back stock and can help you find what you are looking for! In addition, the Fried Pickle and Sweet Tea will be on sale – 20% off!! -  through the end of August. 

I'd like to close with a special thanks to all my models, and their parents, that braved 90 degree temps, and what felt like 90% humidity.  I couldn't have done it without you, thanks for letting your personality shine through! You can see more of them on our website and instagram!  

Sophia: Gr 1, Lily and Louisa: Gr 2

Evelyn: Kindergarten

Ava and Clara: Gr 4, Makayla Gr 5