Category Archives: Yard Art

So, jar lids, copper wire, some old bottles and a piece of re-bar…this is about 15 years old, and still intact!  Take that, you crazy changing climate!Some old lamp parts, some dollar store glass, some copper wire, and an endless supply of hardware from the good people at Monarch Hardware in West Philly…right around the corner!  I’d be lost without them!

Privacy is hard to come by, living as we do (in West Philly) with many people in a small area…The things that we do in our outdoor spaces have impact all around us. So, enhancing your privacy and your neighbor’s at the same time is a bonus.

Our back yard is directly connected to four others. The sight lines were initially pretty rough. Some of the neighbors only use their back yards for trash storage, some only as pet runs. Only one adjacent neighbor has a garden… part of it we planted out (plum trees), part we fenced and in the rear, we designed and installed a timber wall, topped by recycled window frames. With the help of our friend Gordon Richardson ( a wizard with a four-foot level!), the foundation was set, the timbers installed, and the windows were placed.

The” before” situation. Pretty gnarlly. Also, fairly typical in West Philly, where lots of the houses are rentals, lots of the tenants are students…priorities differ.

Here is the finished product. Our neighbors got a little upgrade as well.

Here is a dragonfly made with 100% recycled material.  Her wingspan is about 10″, and height including the base is about the same.

It is made from street glass, copper wire ( a piece of 12-2), some reclaimed copper, and a piece of used 2×8. The top part of the base is a ceiling light canopy from about 1930.The glass is held together with copper foil, which breaks down in winter weather, so I move this guy inside when it starts to get cold.