"Wonderland-ing" the Garden

Now of course this is a work in progress but I've had to get my vintage garden-stuff collection into the garden to make space in the storage bit, for the stuff in the studio to go in...to have the studio all functioning beautifully and pretty...

These are awaiting their rejuvenation!

I like to collect those cast iron garden decorations from the 40's, 50's and 60's...I find them on eBay sometimes, but mostly I collect them from 'bring out your dead' (council verge side collection) all neglected and rusty and tangled and squeeze them into the back of my teeny little car! I have quite a collection, some you can see in these pictures and others are in the garden near the front door. I Killrust them and paint them and until now store them away waiting to figure out what on earth I will do with them. Some I find are too far gone and have to back out on the verge, that is a sad day.

Here's 2 old dressing table chairs,the one with the scrolling at the back, because the seat is long gone, holds the right sized pot beautifully...right now it's housing a giant Bromeliad that I found in the back of the garden. The second is like a table that displays Mr in Wonderlands bonsai (of which you can see the top of because of terrible photography :) The big white pot will have a pond lily in it, as soon as I find a pretty one in electric blue or purple, plus it seconds as a giant water bowl for Charlie who doesn't come in for water when it's hot. Just looks up the stairs panting at me and makes me come down to get him, silly bugger!

Don't know if my picture taking is very good in this first photo...at the front is The Mad Hatter, Alice and The Nurse(who puts pepper on the baby,that turns into a pig...it's in the book not the film). Up in the garden is a blue concrete table with tea-cup planters with pansies in and a Cheshire cat. There is a concrete rook chess piece with an African violet growing out of the top and down the side. The pots in  the frames have pansies in them and will be accompanied by many more to cover up that big plain wall as soon as I figure out how to attach them. I'm thinking old teapots too, to hang off the wall with plants in them, op shop will be the destination for these! The tea cups were originally yellow for some years but were starting to look very sad...a good primer and spray paint is my friend!

And my favourite art deco cast iron sink (another verge side find) filled with white daisies...the two blue pots below are filled with Margarite daisies. The daisies go CRAZY, the bulk up REALLY quickly, so if you have a sunny spot you want to fill fast, these are brilliant. Their flowers are really pretty, as you can see from all the buds they COVER the whole bush, though they do need a good drink they are well worth the effort because you just can't kill them :)

The tree is just starting to green up for spring...I''ll be getting some solar fairy lights to go in the tree, PRETTY!

NOW for my next project I am doing up an old 50's/60's fold away table...I am yet to find my chairs to match...but I will with patience, that's part of the joy of collecting.

Here it is after I had started unscrewing all the pieces off, it was this cacky yellow colour, but for $10 from the market, I saw it's lovely potential. Now I'm not doing the most fabulous job, I could strip all of the old paint off and replace the screws, which once my touch up job wears away, I will do. For now I'm going for cheap, instant gratification :)

Painting all my bits, spray cans...cherry red, sky blue, pink, lemon yellow, pale green...same colours as my Harlequin Canisters,coz they are my favourite.

Half done!

Just have to finish it...pretty chuffed so far!

Now I'm on the lookout for a bench seat and chairs to match...

if you know anybody wanting to part with a bench seat, even with slats missing or what-not (coz I'll fix those) give me a hoi, I'll be very grateful. Can't you imagine how 50's kitsch it will look in those colours, YAY!

Oh and for those of you that just think I just like painting things outrageous colours...they REALLY were those colours in the 50's see!!!...(and check out the cool sink! hehe)

Slatted bench seat and slatted chairs, don't need to be identical...just have slats for painting :)

So keep your eyes peeled for me...♥ Ash