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Newbie's Blue Totem

16 years ago

Hi, I've just recently started posting, but here's my first picture. I hope I did it right! I want to thank you for all the great ideas and hopefully I'll have some ideas to share too! Whenever someone asks me where I got the idea for something, I always say from the Garden Junk forum!{{gwi:154242}}

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Comments (18)

countrygrl
Original Author
16 years ago
Oh boy, that's way too big, isn't it? Sorry! Practice makes perfect I guess!
kudzukween
16 years ago
Very pretty. Love the blue glass,love your flowers,love your BB's,too:)

Cherry.....who can't find any blue bottles!
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Questions from a newbie about totems.
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Comments (3)
What kind of reinforcement are you planning? If you are hammering rebar steel down in the ground first, then yes it should hold up. In areas with good loose soil keeping a heavy one (top heavy) standing straight may be difficult. If you are drilling holes through each piece of glass and threading them on a pipe, then being heavy should not be an issue. I've only used the marbles, which do add weight, on the totems that sit flat on the ground or upon a stone pedestal. So I do not know by experience. I use a stake for my teacup (light weight) bird feeder totems. The plates catching water is good for butterflies, wasps, bees (and mosquitoes if left standing too long). In dry weather it could be used as a bird seed tray. So the owner of the totem will have to pull it up out of the ground and spill the water out. After gluing the piece together I like to put my totems on a lazy susan. I twirl the totem around and smooth the glue with my finger to make it as airtight as possible. Sometimes I will glue marble blobs over the seams to hide the glue. susie
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Comments (9)
Wow, they are beautiful! I used E6000 for the first 3 years of making my totems and plate flowers. It has worked excellent but I noticed after 4 years in my garden year round some had a brownish tint where the glue was. I now use UV6800 which won't do that and works just a great as the E6000. As far as the slipping around goes I always have to check on mine every 15 or so minutes and make the corrections before it dries completely. I try to make sure I have everything level but some pieces of glass are not perfect. It help to apply the glue and let it sit for 5 minutes before attaching the next piece of glass. It holds on better that way.
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Comments (10)
Hi Justdowntheroad! You've hit on the biggest problem I've run into with Glass Garden Totems. It is really hard to get them to sit perfectly straight on rebar, since it is much narrower than most vase openings, and the top, where the glass rests on the metal, isn't flat. I've been playing around with pvc pipe which is fairly cheap and easy to cut, It comes in lots of diameters- but be aware that the measurements are of the INSIDE diameter of the pipe. If you slide a piece of pvc pipe that fits inside your bottom vase, over your rebar and make sure it extends just a bit past the top, AND make sure it is cut flat and level, your Totem should sit nice and straight. (of course your rebar needs to be sunk into the ground straight up and down too!) Good Luck! Kathy
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Totem Newbie
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Comments (1)
You may be looking for the Inspiration Album that our good friend GJer, purplemoon, keeps up for all the GJers here. I'll post the link below to the 'totems' ... & welcome to the forum! Jeanne S. Here is a link that might be useful: Inspiration Album ...Totems
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tootiet
16 years ago
Love the totem. It looks like a lady's figure with a little apron on. It truly is a "garden lady".
gretch1964
16 years ago
Very nice. Great job.
kelpie473
16 years ago
Nice! No, it's not too big, we can see the details without squinting...

Suzanne
cindee11461
16 years ago
I love your "Garden Lady" (-: Beautiful!!!!
craftylady-2006
16 years ago
Gorgeous blue totem, love it. I agree with Tootiet, I saw a ballerina with a tutu dancing in the garden!!!
TwoMonths
16 years ago
It is great, I was gona say, love the ruffled skirt.
cherry, do you have a World Market near you? Maybe they have they blue water bottles there.
katladie
16 years ago
Excellent job, I love it. It's perfection.

Sharon
Purplemoon
16 years ago
That is really lovely. Cobalt is my favorite. I have a bottle like your bottom one, but it's in the house on a table. Couldn't bring myself to put it outside. You got great finds on this totem for a wonderful design!

Karen
craftylady-2006
16 years ago
Second post by me here- Sorry, I want to apologize for not properly saying - Welcome to the GJ forum, you'll have a wonderful time here. Personally, I love the big pics, as Kelpie said above, we don't have to squint. Is that a "Rooster" I see in the background there? Ooooooh boy, I love those Roosters! Could you please take a close up photo of that one for us. And, upon further admiring of your totem, I get the impression that area of your garden is formed into a circle, am I correct?

Sal
Bright199
16 years ago
Welcome to the junkyard... that's a great first photo. The totem is beautiful..and I see lots of other great stuff. Keep the pictures comming.
thrift_shop_romantic
16 years ago
Gosh, it looks so... expensive... the way you did it with the cobalt glass and the frilly dish in the middle. Lovely job.

Here is a link that might be useful: My crafting/thrifting/decorating blog
foxygrandma9
16 years ago
Love that totem! Beautifullt done.
Dottie B.
16 years ago
That turned out great!!!
luvstocraft
16 years ago
Totems just look so pretty with the flowers. Good job. I agree with Craftylady--we need a close up of your rooster. Luvs
countrygrl
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you for all the compliments! Sorry it's taken me a while to respond, but I've had yukky jury duty, and I have to go back again tomorrow. Craftylady, you spotted part of my rooster fetish. I'll take a picture when I'm done doing my civic duty! And yes, that area is a circle, but I'm not at all happy with it, so I don't know if I'll be sharing many pics of it yet. Thanks again!
njtomboy
16 years ago
I'm in awe - FANTASTIC... Looks like a blue angel wading through your garden!!!! Beautiful!!!!

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