LOL - that's cute!

Is the head gonna move? Or have a red nose? (grin)

How cute! What an ingenious idea!

Tell me how trashy does this sound tho...I have a 8ft tall candy cane arch I put up for xmas..Well, this year from all the wind it broke in a couple spots. It's just gonna break more from taking it apart to store it, so I decided that I am gonna try n keep it up in the backyard by where my pond is gonna be, and grow some type of vines up it, and when i want to I can plug it in to light up. I'll just try n rig the couple places it broke. I think maybe I should paint it though..It is red with white stripes..like a candy cane, hence the name, lol. I just have to figure out what type of paint to use on it since its plastic, most paints would bead up and drip down.
Honestly now, tell me if its too stupid.
Daniella

No - paint it with a latex - water base. Light coat. You'll probably need to do one side at a time.

That way the light will still come through after it dries. Of course - if it's red plastic - you're gonna have a problem. It's gonna be pink.

Now - you'll need to provide some strings for the vine or whatever to climb on though because I'm guessing that the plastic will be too smooth to have the vines crawl on.

What you can do - after the white dries - make some of your own "green" vine strips on it with green paint so that it's not strange looking while your vines are still growing.

If that's too much work - they do sell those types of topiary trellaces also. (grin)

I'm just tryin to make use of it as long as I can. Probably take 5 million years to break down, so I might as well get as much use out of it as I can. I'm recycling it in my own way, lol.
I wonder, do they have latex paint for outside? WOnt it peel?
I already started with the strings when I put it up in the back, then I realized I'd better wait with them till I paint it, lol.
Even taking down xmas decorations turns into a gardening thing..no wonder people in my life think I'm obsessed, lol.

I wonder how it would look if I painted it a hunter green? I dont think the red would show thru so much, but you'd still be able to see the lights with only 1 coat. Since green and red make brown, maybe it would have a brown tint to it...hmm this will be interesting. I'll post pix in a few months. OOOH, Karyn gave me passi seeds..I could have them go up it!
Now I'm thinkin about my reindeer like yours Edna..I did notice they are starting to rust a bit...hehehe..what exactly do you have growing on yours?
DAniella

Daniella, I took him/her apart, took off the lights, painted hunter green, stuffed with sphag. moss, planted ivy At it's feet, kept the ivy going in the direction I wanted, clipped here and there, 2 years later...there she is..very easy. Your candy cane sounds good, no more red neck than my deer. You can just keep it tied and keep twining it around till it reaches the top, it will work. Go for it....

lol, Edna...you said red neck not me! lmao! I was trying hard not to say that. I dont think your deer is red neck at all, I love it! My arch on the other hand..well..Sounds like somethin Dweeb's toothless tree guy would do, LMAO!!! Put some string n paint on that there thing, n U gotchyerself a nice grdn thingymabob.
Which reminds me..Dweeb how is the search for a good daylighter goin?

That is darling Edna. Dog-gone-it I had a whole set of them critters and I got so tired of packing them away every year I tossed them in the trash about a year ago. They took up half of the attic too.

I'm into that kind of stuff but I do everything the hard way.

I'll be watching the trash piles to see if anyone throws any away. LOL

Oh and Daniella, some of my arbors are worse than what your talking about. I have several arches and arbors made out of horse/goat panels that are 20 ft long and four feet wide. I cut them in half so they are 20 ft long and 2 ft wide. Then the real tough part...LOL I drive 2 t-post on each side of it and attach it to them. Walla, I then have a arch I can drive the truck, tractor or other things under without messing the plants growing up them up. Now those are RED NECK. But my jasmine and other vines don't seem to mind it. And besides the panels and t-post don't really show once they are covered with the vines.

LOL

Marian

Marian, at least yours are wood! I have been waiting for someone to throw out wood like that for 2 years so I could make an arbor or 2! Never see any, and I honestly do not want to go spend the money. I'm always lookin at trash when I'm drivin down the street to see if theres anything that looks like I can do something with it. I'd much rather make an arbor myself then buy one. We'll see how mine goes, I hope it doesnt look too crappy, lol. I know it'll be fine when its all covered up, but its all the other times I am worried about. Well, I'm sure it'll look better when its painted. So bright red right now, lol.

Glad I'm not the only one scanning the trash on bulk pickup day, lol. Hubby teases me every time he sees an old entertainment center or something and says couldn't you make a raised bed out that? If I told him to stop he wouldn't do it though, lol. I go junking on my way to work when he isn't able to stop me, lol.

Kristy..my hubby is worse than I am, lol. He brings home crap you cant do anything with. But I must say whenever he sees anything I can use ie, whiskey barrels, flower pots he brings em home for me.

I love the deer topiary. I had asked him if he could weld me some kind of shape after I saw a show on how to do it but he never got around to it. If he sees something I might want he'll tell me where it is but won't stop and get it, lol. He says I have no shame and I say heck its free and they are just throwing it away.

LOL Daniella and you guys.

I don't do that because I get yelled at about NOT until you put some of YOUR junk at the curb - you're not bringing home any one ELSES junk.

The local "sanford and son" pickup truck guy - hey - think it's my "daylighter" guy - LOL - they cruise my house and mom and dad's house.

They put out a solid maple counter chopping block because they didn't want it. Could have screamed at her - she put out a SCANNER that I was gonna swap with mine. My bulb went out - she put the WRONG ONE out. That one WORKED. (It was one of the large format 1600 x 1600 scanners - not the little ones you get now.)

(sigh!)

I have to haul an armoire out there. Took a washer and dryer out there and stove a while ago. Tags on all of them that said "they work!"

POOF! Gone! (grin)

I love the deer!!! I am a total junker...LOL The joke at my house is DH asks "where are you gonna put that crap".. My response is Baby.. We have 65 acres...LOL
He is as bad as I am.. Only he brings home construction stuff.. I always get excited when I go the big city...LOL we don't even have trash pick up out here much less bulk day...

Have you tried freecycle.org? It's whole purpose is to keep useable items out of the landfills. I have gotten all kinds of plant pots & LOTS of other good stuff (like my waterbed). It saves me from having to trash things that someone else has a use for. There are local groups almost everywhere (worldwide).

Linda

Kylie, you have to come down and go junking with me sometime on Fort Hood the army base. They have hundreds of people moving in and out all the time and they have a weight limit that they are allowed to move for free and every single bulk pickup day there are tons of stuff for the taking on the curb and mostly good stuff. We furnished my friends daughters whole apartment with free stuff when she moved out from her parents house, lol.

Linda, I'll have to check that out..

Kylie, I hardly ever find good construction stuff..hubby brings home nice wood n stuff..he never lets me have any..greedy, lol. I made out like bandit about 2 months ago, I found a mother load of PVC..you can bet your butt, I took it all, lol. In the middle of making a cold-frame with some, and I wanna use some more of it to make shelving for plants on my back porch.

F4F, wow you musta got alotta stuff there! Wish I had a place like that around here. Today was pick-up day in my town, was cruisin after dropping the kids at school, but noone has anything out except xmas trees.

I took advantage of this amazingly warm weather we are having and painted the candy cane arch today..not so bad lookin I guess, lol. It will be SO much better when there's beautiful plants growing up it. This weather is SUCH a tease!! Gonna be about 70 here today..was 68 yesterday. Just insane. Anywho..I'm gonna plug it in 2nite and see if the lights shine thru good enough with 2 coats of paint. Also be interesting to see what color it lights up as with green paint. If it doesnt look good, I'll just pull the lights out.