Friday the 13th

by Lorraine Frantz Edwards

january-as-a-comment

friday-13th-calendar

Many pictures are duplicated here to show this “Bottle Bush“ project from start to finish. ~~ It started so innocently with an impulse purchase, followed by “peculiar person project.”  I did an Internet search and learned Bottle Trees are considered the poor man’s stained glass.

Strangely, there isn’t a blog message when I originally set up the “bush” –but several pictures. The forty pound metal “base” was purchased in North Carolina, moved to Texas, but lacked a useful purpose until this project. (I’m deliberate about a sturdy base!!)

Taking out of box

white-pipe-removed

Bottle Bush with pink sheet background

.

The early base on Bottle BushIf you have followed my blog you know this original purchase turned into Bottle Mania.

I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

(Below) The white plastic trash bag is in the planter for a purpose. Further down the line, see the end result.

No rhyme or reason: I like Bottle Bushes and Bottle Trees “rooted” in a planter.

.

Preparation for Bottle Bush base

Mixing cement for Bottle Bush base

Need another bag of cement

Preparing for more cement

Fresh mixed cement

Cement in select area

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Finishing this project was more important than watching the Today Show celebrate 65 years. Would my improvised forms accomplish my goal?? 

Ready to unwrap

Unwrapped

Naked bush

Re-bar through planter

.

Bush base in planter

Decorated bottle bush

Solar decoration (1)

Solar decoration (2)

Solar decoration (3)

What do you think question

question-marks-in-several-colors

2 comments on “Friday the 13th”

  1. Jimmie's avatar Jimmie says:
    January 13, 2017 at 10:57 AM

    Is this the final presentation or still a work in progress?

    Being a visual person, my eye is drawn away from the bottles to the cement base. I feel like it needs to be painted darker and fill the void around it level or within an inch of the top of the cement so you still see the molded in ripples. Just an idea for the final presentation. What to fill it with? River rock? Broken glass? Plant or mulch material? Don’t know…

    Reply
    • Lorraine Frantz Edwards's avatar Lorraine Edwards says:
      January 13, 2017 at 11:37 AM

      THANKS for your response, Jimmie. I’m delighted when I hear from someone and know someone actually reads my blog messages. (It’s my “journal” so I can keep track of my activities!!)

      I plan to add some of my “pebbles for planters” (https://threequartersandcounting.com/2016/01/09/bag-lady/) in the bottom (for drainage plus large holes in bottom of planter). Then quality planter soil followed by (possibly) trailing Petunia. To be decided!!

      For now, it’s nice to have that part of the construction project completed and bottles moved over to my patio area.

      Reply

Leave a comment