Bird Cages and More

I’m obsessed with those open wire cage thingys that seem to be popping up everywhere in the decorating world. I’ve bought three that are obviously bird cages, one in the shape of a teapot and another that’s shaped like a casserole with a lid.

Several years ago I found my casserole cagey thing while garage sale-ing with a friend. It held over-bearing, obnoxious plastic purple flowers that my husband definitely did not want on our dining room table. I did change them out and put a few growing things in it with the plan to keep it as a centerpiece. But I’m notorious for not watering houseplants so everything died. It was time to remake that thing and give it away!

This time I “killed” it in a good way. I loved the way the wire cage arrangement all came together. It transformed into a sweet Mother’s Day present for Jim’s Mom. Bonus: she remembers to water.

Mother’s Day 2015 for Teresa Thomas

Check out the succulents I chose 2 years ago. Today these little babies are super popular!

I decorated my next container for the finishing touches on my fixer upper living room. This bird cage fills in the space on the antique basket I bought (for only $20) at a local establishment.

 

Like I said, I don’t caretake inside stuff very well, so the once healthy pansies are a little pathetic.

I wasn’t intending on doing another cagey planter in the near future, but when I spied this teapot at the Mansfield hospice resale store, I couldn’t resist! Plus, it’s PERFECT for Jim’s Mom since she loves tea as much as she loves florals.

Mother’s Day 2017 for Teresa Thomas (can’t remember her present for 2016, probably framed pictures of the grandkids)

Isn’t this precious? I wish I would have brought the purple flowers up through the spout.

Here’s a list of what I used:

a base to put soil in, here I used a paper plate,
potting soil,
a liner to hide the base and dirt such as this sheet moss,
a “leggy” plant to spill out or over the sides of the planter,
some accent plants such as round succulents,
and a focal point such as a something tall and spiky, or full and airy like this bunch of little purple flowers.

I didn’t need the African violet (at the left of the teapot) nor did I use the black sand that’s often used to cover dirt. Of course, you can vary your materials depending on your design. Let your creativity flow!

A local repurpose/Annie Sloan chalk paint shop that I frequent is currently selling an interesting wire wanna-be planter. So far I’ve managed to walk by it several times without reaching for my credit card. We’ll see how long that lasts.

And then there’s these . . .

I guess I don’t want need any more!