Pocketful of Posies

When Linda Dresselhaus spotted this waist-length work apron at a garage sale, she says she couldn’t resist its decorative possibilities—and she boosted its charm with careful attention to detail. Follow Linda’s lead to create your own garden-motif arrangement by clipping an apron to a vintage hanger meant for slacks. Staple chicken wire to a large wood frame, and hang the apron on the wire. Tuck vintage gardening supplies, seed packets, silk flowers and naturethemed books into the pockets of the apron to build a wall hanging that would be equally at home in a potting shed or on a back porch.

PHOTOGRAPHED AND DESIGNED BY LINDA DRESSELHAUS OF INSTAGRAM.COM/ ITSYBITSANDPIECES.

Brighten up a sparse flower bed with this clever decoration from Tuula McPhee of Color Me Thrifty, which reinvents a rusty garden trowel. Scrape any rust flakes off the metal with a stiff wire brush, then rinse with water and let dry. Mask the handle with painter’s tape, and spray the metal blade with a rust-inhibiting product that contains paint and primer in its formula. Tuula coated her trowel’s blade with a rustinhibiting product in white. Apply as many coats as necessary to cover the rust, letting the paint dry between coats; Tuula let the coats cure fully for about 24 hours. Spray-paint the primed blade hot pink, or any other color that suits your garden. When the blade is dry, mask it with tape and paint the handle with a rust-inhibiting product that combines paint and primer. She chose a bold green to suggest a stem. Let dry. Attach flat clear glass marbles to the blade with a strong clear adhesive. Wrap painter’s tape, if needed, around the marbles and trowel until the adhesive sets. Once the adhesive has cured, partially bury the trowel handle in the ground among your plants to add an eye-catching pop of color.

PHOTOGRAPHED AND DESIGNED BY TUULA MCPHEE OF COLORMETHRIFTY.COM.