Wind chimes have long been used in feng shui to round out a house and promote certain energies. Not only that, but the sound is relaxing, and the look of wind chimes is very inviting.
Bamboo windchimes have been gaining popularity for their gorgeous sounds and symbolism. Bamboo is a symbol of good luck, and when this is correctly incorporated into a feng shui setting, you will be introducing luck into your life.
Put oyster shells in your concrete garden stepping stones. It’ll make them look like they’ve already been stepped around in!
Oyster shells are really funny looking, and ugly… and beautiful! They do kind of look like feet, one of the visually lesser attractive features of ourselves.
No two oyster shells are alike. Each one is uniquely unique! Take an oyster shell in hand and gaze at it, moving it around to play with the light. Some sheen, huh? Definitely pearly!
Oyster shells will definitely add uniqueness to your outdoor garden decor, whether attached to garden stepping stones or other concrete garden stones, or just loosely scattered on the ground.
Wherever you go, think unique garden decor!
I love shopping at the beach for unique garden decor.
Right on the sand! There I find stuff. It’s definitely unique. And free!
This year at the beach was a little different. It was a real noreaster!
The next morning I looked around at the damages.
Decks, and stairs, and fence posts littered the entire beach… even a “keep off the dunes” sign! (appearantly the ocean can’t read.) Mostly too large and too heavy to carry home for lawn and garden decor. Anyway, it’s not driftwood. That “Keep off the dunes” sign might find itself a good fit in my birdie sandbox…
Then I stood on a piece of decking and just gazed at the ocean - [foaming and splashing - so turbulent that the only color I could see was white!] - while the sun came up. The ocean even sent up a few sprays far out, like the sea itself was praising God!
Splendor beyond imagination.
Can you fit a pond or flowing stream into your lawn and garden decor? If not, a birdbath, or two or three, will do.
Give birds a drink and water for clean feathers. Clean feathers are a must for optimum flight. But wet feathers make for a slow bird. Place each birdbath close to protection (within 6 to 10 feet) so wet, heavy birds can escape into a tree if surprised by a cat or snake.
Place your birdbaths in an area clear of ground shrubs and tall vegitation. Snakes or cats can hide there.
It’s for the birds!
A good way to clean birdfeeders.
If you would like to take special care of the birds that visit those decorative birdfeeders & specialty birdfeeders in your backyard, then you know that with the many birds that they attract, they can get rather dirty. Regular upkeep on birdfeeders will ensure that the birds that fly in and dine will be healthy after they’ve eaten.
Here are some tips for your chief birdseed provider & birdfeeder washer:
Obtain a tub big enough to hold your birdfeeder(s), a scrub brush (an old toothbrush works well - you can reach small places), garden hose, gloves, scent-free liquid soap or detergent, and white distilled vinegar.
Place your feeder in the tub outdoors; fill it with warm water and a squirt of liquid
soap or detergent. Wearing gloves, scrub the parts of the feeder you can reach,
and rinse thoroughly with a hose. Empty the tub and fill it with clean water and 4 cups of vinegar.
Let the feeder soak for one (1) hour. Rinse thoroughly.
When most people think of outdoor garden decor, they think of knick-knacks and kitschy stuff like pink flamingos or garden gnomes. However, your outdoor garden decor can be as unique as you are!
Most people tend to think that the best way to decorate your yard and garden is with potted plants, ornamental plants, and flowers but garden decor can turn your yard into a personal oasis.
Here are a few great Garden Decor ideas that can add personality and fun to your yard:
Invite the birds:
Birdbaths, unique birdhouses and decorative birdfeeders come in every form, from traditional to very specific. Pick out a corner to make an oasis to your feathered friends and they will be adding color and activity to your yard throughout the seasons.
Garden Figures:
Maybe little garden gnomes aren’t your thing. Well, there are so many types of garden statues and figures out there I am sure you will find one you can’t live without. If you feel things must be useful, go for a toad house to add charm, decor and invite froggy friends all at the same time
Water Fountains:
These great functional sculptures not only invite birds into your yard but are a classic way to decorate your lawn and make it into a classic garden. They come varied in shapes an sizes, from small wall mounted ones to great stone fountains. My favorites are the backyard water fountains that just look like stone and are made out of fiberglass: this kind you won’t need a man to help you move.
Benches:
Make your garden an inviting place for people. Benches add a great vantage point whether it’s from the outside looking in or the inside looking out.
Railroad Spikes
How many ways can we think of to use railroad spikes in the creation of unique garden decor?
The most obvious, of course, is collect as many as possible and throw them together in a pile. A simple pile of rusty railroad spikes does make a fascinating spot of outdoor garden decor.
Or create an elegant, artistic, and completely original design with them. (as above)
Hammer them around your garden stepping stones for security, and to give your garden stepping stones a unique flair!
garden yard stakes? … well … they’re rather short…
Happy railroad hopping! ………. and gardening!!
Design a garden pathway with garden stepping stones made of steel!!
Just use railroad tie plates (found along your local neighborhood railroad tracks) for garden stepping stones. They are really cool!
A tie plate is a flat piece of steel about 2′ long with a ridge about 6-8″ from each end, forming a flat space about 8″ wide in the center. Wide enough to step along, but not for a casual stroll, but truely stepping stones! You have to watch to keep your feet between the ridges, but it’s fun!
It’ll take a lot of work and probably a lot of time, but the end result just may be worth it…
When walking along a train track, you can walk along the top of one of the tracks (not recommended!) like on a balance beam. Now you can walk along in your garden in a similar fashion, only you’re walking along in the groove for the track…much better footing than the other way. Safer too….over all….
It’s great fun exploring life, and relating to every kind of idea for outdoor garden decor!
Recently I took a walk along a set of railroad tracks.
I discovered lots of pieces of cast off rusted steel!
There were spikes and tie plates and other odd looking pieces of rusted steel alongside the tracks.
My mind went to my garden and new ideas for unique garden decor! I can see one of my potted plants perched atop one of the tie plates, which has been secured with a few railroad spikes driven into the ground.
You also could use some of the spikes to deck your wonderful garden stepping stones, the next time you’re creating new ones. Or just drive a few into the ground around one or two garden stepping stones along your garden pathway.
Next time you take a walk down a set of railroad tracks, you might be amazed what you can find, and how your creative juices start flowing!
Windchimes go back in history almost 5,000 years and are thought to be one of the world’s first known musical instruments. Primitive windchimes have been discovered at archeological sites in Southeast Asia and are thought to date about 3000 B.C. At that time, they were usually made of bone, bamboo or other wood, stone or shells, and were believed to ward off evil spirits. Indonesian digs indicate that farmers were using windchimes and other sound-producing wind instruments to scare birds and other animals from their crops and predict wind and weather patterns during ancient times. By 2000 B.C., windchimes had been independently developed along the Mediterranean Sea and in ancient Egypt, where they had been cast in bronze. Ancient Celtic tribes used them to intimidate enemies by making wooded areas appear haunted. Windchimes were also useful for ancient people who lived on or around the sea, as they were believed to provide evidence of impending storms and the possibility of choppy water. Around 1100 B.C., the Chinese created a bell that didn’t have a clapper, known as a yong-zhong and used in their spiritual rituals. Following the yong-zhong, the Chinese developed a form of the modern wind bell called the feng-ling. The feng-ling was hung from the eaves of Chinese shrines, temples, pagodas and caves, believed to be a positive religious talisman that would attract benevolent spirits. The usage of a version of the feng-ling spread from China to Japan and eventually to the Western world, when Asian art, design and philosophy began to influence tastes in Europe and the United States.
Over time, the secular world began the frequent use of windchimes as home and garden decor–sometimes to scare away negative supernatural influence, but often because the sounds prove soothing, calming, or somehow pleasant.