Remember that big yellow Daffodil Bud I showed you on Tuesday? Well look at her shining in my Georgia Garden now! After a day of 77 degrees, she popped open and look, she has some friends that will soon join her...
We finally got that Elm tree cut up and off the ground this past weekend. We were real careful to remove the grapevine which was twisted all around the tree trunk. Here you see the grapevine on the ground just waiting for me to carry out my plan of action. 
Do you know where I am going with the grapevine yet?
I love this swing but always thought the frame a bit too plain for my taste. I perked it up with the Tipsy Pots, Wind chime and Hanging Plant but still do not like the look. So into action with some modifications we go. 
We had a nice breakfast then trip to Lowe's for supplies. We picked out three 10 foot treated 2 x 4 pieces of wood. We carefully measured and cut them into 40 inch pieces and gave each side a 45-degree angle cut.
Little did we know we would have to replace the top 4 x 4 with a new piece. So off to Lowe's a second time for a new 4 x 4. Back home and as the Saint was removing the screws, two of them snapped in half, argggg. The screws were not galvanised/zinc so over time, they rusted. We make sure to always use the correct items when doing outside projects. Too bad the previous homeowners did not install the swing frame correctly. So back to Lowe's again for 6 inch Zinc Lag Screws. Keeping up? That makes 3 trips to town for supplies, consisting of 4 pieces of wood and 6 screws! 
With new top of frame in place, the Saint went to work installing the 40 inch slats.
Ta-Da! We now have an arbor type swing frame. But wait, there's more...
The Grapevine now comes into play. We twisted and worked for quit some time to get the grapevine on the frame of the swing.
It took some muscle and lots of mosquito bites (that warm day) as we could not swat them off the legs due to holding the vine in place while hammering a nail here and there! But we finally got the grapevine to look as though it were naturally climbing the Frame and Arbor. The vine does not touch the ground as we do not want to encourage pest such as termites.
The Wind chime was relocated and the hanging pot removed. I have seeds of Cypress Vine, Morning Glory and 4 O'clock (Thank you Nina and Tina for those gifts) that I plan to plant at the base of each side. Hopefully, this swing will be full of blooms this summer. 
With the smaller left over grapevine, I tried my hand at making a Grapevine Wreath.
I hung it on the side of the Wood Shed/Mower garage.
The wreath was a bit time consuming but very easy to make. I think it will add interest to the wood shed.
Mother Nature knocked down a tree but gave us 2 GRAPEVINE PROJECTS, In the Garden...
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,
In the Garden
What a wonderful project! You and The Saint did a fantastic job. I just love what you have done, both with the swing arbor and the wreath. You took a natural work of art and used it to beautify your space.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
What a cool thing to do, it came out really nice. I look forward to seeing your annual vines blooming on it this summer.
ReplyDeleteOM Goodness! That is so beautiful! It will be something else when the plants and flowers grow on it. Can I come over for a siting spell?
ReplyDeleteClever ideas here. I love the natural look and your vines will be beautiful on this. We made grapevine wreaths for Christmas presents one year!
ReplyDeleteSkeeter girl that is perfect ! we have a very plain arbor against our back fence that our grape vine covers well .. or it did .. until husband hacked a lot of it back last Autumn .. some how I think he also knows he went farther than he should have ? LOL
ReplyDeleteI also have cold hardy kiwi that climbs up the posts .. so that helps block off the annoying neighbor ;-)
I was going to ask you if you had those rotten little blood sucking buggers there with the woods .. arrgghhh ! that is so annoying eh ?
Great project !! It will look fantastic : )
Joy
Skeeter, A wonderful surprise for us to see the transformed swing. It looks super~The Saint is very handy. I have to laugh at all the trips to the hardware store for one project! That so sounds like Mr I and me~ gail
ReplyDeleteI love it! The multiple trips to Lowes sounds like something we would do- too funny. The final result is beautiful. I can just imagine the flowers growing up the vine. Your first attempt at a grapevine wreath turned out great! Enjoy! Carla
ReplyDeleteLove it, love it!! When I saw the swing, my first thought was "she is going to wrap it with the vine!" Your wreath looks perfect too. Such talent!! :)
ReplyDeleteThat swing is a work of art! It is gorgeous. I can just see red cypress vine growing all along it. Great job and kudos to you guys. I sure hope Lowes is close...
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job. The vine looks like it has been growing there for years. Can't wait to see it planted with blooming vines.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
Nice job dressing up that swing!
ReplyDeleteGeessh, raining again. I had some chores I wanted to do today. Guess that's out.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fantastic idea & job Skeeter. It looks as though it's been there forever. You guys are so talented.
Our Lowe's is 30 some miles away. No making several trips here.
That looks really great! I have taken kudzu before and made wreaths. Wasn't the weather wonderful earlier this week?!
ReplyDeleteGreat way to add interest and have a unique swing. You two are very talented and imaginative!
ReplyDeleteThat is a very beautiful outcome Tina. A wooden swing has been tingling in my mind for quite a while but i don't have a Saint to help me build it. A job well done, and now the two of you can sit and talk there together!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful recycling project. It looks fabulous and I can't wait to see it this summer. I know what you mean about trips to the hardware when doing building projects. We built our log house a few years ago. Ever morning we went to the hardware store to buy supplies. Even though we tried to get more of everything than we thought we would need we still had to make other trips during the day. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! It looks wonderful! Lots of work but well worth your time! I really love how it all came out and want to see it when it's covered in blooms;-)
ReplyDeleteHol-ee-mol-ee!!!!! The makeover of the swing is fantastic but the wreath is as good as it gets. Turns a drab, boring wall into something really great. It is all such a makeover that the pretty Daffodil nearly was forgotten.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning everyone! We have gone from beautiful sunshine to rainy days again. I reckon that is to be expected this time of year though. Only wish I had gotten the beds made and seeds planted along the swing....
ReplyDeleteFlowerlady, Thanks, we usually argue over a project but we were both on the same page with this one. I mentioned it and the Saint was quick to jump into action. Such a Saint…
Les, Thanks, I hope the vines do as I envision. That is one thing I cannot control about this project…
Dawn, come on down anything for a sitting spell. We can chat with each other and the birds as well…
Darla, I am happy you said a Natural Look as that is what we were going for here. The wreath was fun to make. I have bought so many over the years and just had to try my hand at making one if ever given the chance. Mother Nature gave me the opportunity…
Joy, Oh yes, those men will cut more then we want at times. Then we have to be the bad guy and fuss at them. I think it is a man thing. The Saint went a bit crazy with the chainsaw when cutting up the elm tree. He ended up cutting much more then the elm. I think he feels like a manly man when cutting things, hee hee. Which nasty buggars are you talking about, termites or mosquitoes? All the south has mosquitoes girl. That is one thing that Noah should not have let on the arc! That is the only plus to drought season as no blood suckers…
Gail, The Saint is a wonderful handy man and has saved us tons of money over the years! We know when we take on a project in this house, that we will make many trips to the hardware store! Nothing ever works as planned for us with any project. We think we have all we need then we run into an obstacle such as a broken screw. Funny thing, we have tons of screws but never the size we need at the time…
Carla, Thank you so much. I get lots of ideas in my head but they don’t usually come out as nice as this project. I am thrilled with the outcome of this one for sure. I have bought so many of those wreaths and had always wondered if they were difficult to make. So given the extra grapevine, I just had to give it a try and to my surprise, that turned out okay as well…
Meadowview, I had the idea of wraping the vine but the Saint came up with the arbor idea. I had asked him a long time ago if we could come up with some type of arbor for the swing and he said, “Oh yes we could do something” but that was all I heard from it. So when I suggested the grapevine he decided it was time to carry out the arbor idea as well. We work well together and I am so grateful for that…
Tina, LOL Lowes is about 15 minute drive from the house. So 30 minutes driving and 10 minutes in store eats up the day light hours a little at a time. We started the job on Sunday and finished it on Monday after the Saint was home from work. We can never seem to finish a project in one day, lol. The Saints Cypress Tree is in the island next to the swing so the cypress vine will look great near it…
ReplyDeleteMarnie, Thanks as I was going for the natural look! Once I get the beds ready and seeds in place, it will be up to Mother Nature to do the rest. Well, I may have to water a bit in the summer months as I know this rain will not be here for ever…
Dave, This swing would look nice near your greenhouse. A place to take a little break from yard playing…
Lola, We had an inch of rain yesterday and still coming down today and calling for more tomorrow. To be expected during spring but we do not need any more rain on our soggy yard. I would like a month off from rain but I guess the plants all need to store up their moisture for when the next drought arrives. Lowes is 15 minute drive up the road so not that far. But an inconvenience to stop working and run to the store twice during a project…
Ulrike, Oh the weather was just divine this past weekend! Now the rains are back and the cooler temps. But hopefully the weekend will be dry and warm again…
Cameron, Thanks, I think using the imagination came from the years of being a child and growing up outside with my brothers. We would make things from scrapes of wood or discarded things from the nearby grocery store. They had some of the neatest crates they would get produce delivered in then toss out to burn. We would haul that stuff home to our woods and create many neat things from them. Being in the outdoors as a child had one using their imagination…
Andrea, Skeeter posting this morning. Sorry for the confusion as we do that at times. Oh, you should find a handy person to set up a swing for you! It is wonderful to sit in it at the end of the evening while unwinding and admiring your gardens and natural surroundings...
Melanie, When we start a project, we make a list. We think we may need X amount of something so we add a few more extra just in case. Then we still don’t have enough and end up back at the hardware store! Plus the unknown will happen such as a broken screw. And with all the screws and nails we have, we never have the size we will need for that project, Story of our life….
ReplyDeleteJan, I so hope the blooms will be as I envision. I hope to have hummingbirds buzzing above my head while sitting in the swing. Maybe I will get that perfect picture of one…
Jean, You are the only one to mention that pretty daffy! I can tell you live way up north and are ready for spring, hee hee. We are so happy with the final product on this project. Mostly we just say it is okay but this time, we are really proud of this one. I am happy with the wreath as well, even though I see a part that is not a full circle. Now Dawn would take it apart and start over :-) but not me, I am okay with it….
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat a transformation. Imagination and hard work pays off.
ReplyDeleteLove the swing Skeeter! It was beautiful yesterday -a bit rainy this morning but the sun came out and it's warm. The flowers are all budding and several blooming. Little Bundle loves being outside in the warmth and sunshine:) Sidekick tells me he wishes he could see you, lol. I guess he is thinking frogs, cool bugs and snakes -isn't that what you have in your yard?? hahaha The kiddos played outside until dark -it's nice to be back outside. Have a great day all -Lola stay dry -your flowers are loving the rain -so just think they are doing good while you're stuck indoors. Ciao
ReplyDeleteHey Tina -I'm sure your yard is full of all kinds of lovely Spring stuff -
Thanks for the information on voles. I guess I am going to have to get some cats! I'll let you know if I run across any ideas that work. Carla
ReplyDeleteWow, that's beautiful, you guys did a great job!
ReplyDeleteNellJean, I have always been called one with Imagination. Sometimes, such at this, it pays off ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, Now dont you think that Sidekick loves me for more then my frogs and lizards! hee hee. I know you will be glad when school is out for spring break. Then you and the kiddos will have a blast in the yard...
Carla, I know I did not give you much to go with, but hopefully something may help…
Pam, Thanks, we make a good team working together. You should hear us bicker while doing a project together sometimes too…
You do have a Saint for a husband, Skeeter. How many trips into town did you say? Well, he will be mighty pleased to sit on the swing with you on summer evenings and snuggle under the beautiful flowers. You are so creative!
ReplyDeleteTina, what a beautiful transformation! You're very creative. I really love the topsy turvy pots too. I want to try this little craft for my garden.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! I would love to have that swing in my garden!
ReplyDeleteEven with three trips and what looks to be at least an all day job, you've got a really lovely setting for flowering vines. I'll bet you are very pleased! I love the grapevine wreath, too. I used to make them a lot when I had grapes growing in my valley garden.
ReplyDeleteYour Saint is aptly named. :)
Brilliant - I can't wait to see the swing when it is covered in flowers! That vine 'sculpting' has already made it look so inviting!
ReplyDeleteFantastic, Skeeter! Your swing looks so attractive already, and I can just imagine what it will look like this summer full of climbing blooms. The grapevine really adds a unique touch to it as well.
ReplyDeleteThe Saint is indeed a saint--my hubby would have called it quits after the second trip to Lowe's:)
LOL, no project my dad ever did required fewer than 3 trips to the hardware store! I love what you did with the swing--the arbor cross pieces are genius and the grapevine is the crowning touch--it really softens the whole look and makes the swing look even more inviting.
ReplyDeleteI just love how it turned out! You are so creative, I'd never have thought of that. One trip to the hardware store never happens, something unexpected always comes up :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments on this project. We don't often say, we are totally happy with a project but this one, we ARE totally happy!
ReplyDeleteBusy busy so off now....
Everyone have a great weekend...