Can I create something from my yard waste?

John from Tennessee writes:


Christy,I'm in the process of some fall cleaning in the yard. Anything useful among the various debris?



Well, John that is an interesting question. There have been a few things I've used from the yard. The first one is a large branch that fell from a tree in our yard. When I saw it, I thought it would make either a great curtain rod or a railing for our basement. It's free and looks really nice. I took the branch and let it dry for a few days. I sanding it really well and cleaned it up with some diluted bleach. I then stained it and varnished it several times. I purchased some really nice hardware from the internet (that wasn't cheap though) and hung the railing up. It looks really great.



I have seen this same thing done with curtain rods. When finished you just drape some fabric over the branch. This looks great in a room that has a southwestern motif. The trick is to find a nice branch that is "fairly" straight. Don't get too caught up on the fact that the branch is not poker straight, that's what gives it character.


Last year one of our smaller trees fell down. My nephew noticed how unusual the stump was, so he cut it out of the ground. I made a planter out of it. I let this dry out for days and then sanded it up with my Dremel. I then painted it with Glossy Modge Podge (you could use spray gloss). I stuck some foam into it and placed some silk flowers in it. This is how it looks.



So John, there are a few things you can make from yard debris. Curtain rods, railings and planters are just a few examples.

Thanks for the question!
Christy



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