JoyReturns

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post “Getting Creative With Dead Branches”.  It was about how I saw beauty in some branches that were pruned from my sand cherry tree.

The project turned out alright, however it seemed to be missing something.  Well a few days went by and then it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Last year my friend Amy and I went to the Great Big Home and Garden Expo.  All the gardens created were based on movies.  I loved the winning garden and Joe would have also.

I would have loved to recreate the garden in my back yard but distressed leather chairs in the yard is not practical.  Nor do I want  Sentinel’s hanging from the shed or deck awning watching my every move.

However what they did with the trees, even though impossible in my backyard because I have no trees, was easily adaptable to my dead branches.

So without further adieu…here is my finished project (well almost). 

Now I know you are saying to yourself  “Spoons?”

Yes my dear readers – I hung spoons from the branches.  Now all you movie fans will have figured out by now the winning garden  was based on the movie “The Matrix.”  

Here is a 26 second video I found on YouTube showcasing some of the garden.

My Masterpiece

Here is how I created my masterpiece.

• Took an old resin planter,
• Lined it with an old rubber shower mat,
• Put pea gravel in it for weight,
• Used foam circle that fit about 3/4 of the way inside the planter,
• Stuck the branches in the desired pattern,
• Added a little more pea gravel,
• Added Spanish moss on top of the gravel,
• Wrapped twine around the handle of each spoon (Imperial Dominion pattern available at K-Mart for $7)
• Tied to the branches in the desired location,
• Added hot glue to the knots,
• Then applied Spanish moss to the hot glue to help hide the knotted twine,
• Hot glued a little bird I had in the basement to one of the branches,
• Added some medium size rocks from my front flower bed,
• And ta-da!  I have my spoon tree.

Ooppss!  There is one thing missing.

I found him at the local drug store for $3.99.  He was tan but thanks to 2 coats of left-over Behr Premium Plus Ultra Exterior Paint in “Coastal Beige”, he is now white.  (This color is what I used for the trim on my shed)  He will be placed in the planter when the paint is dry.

Final Location

The place where I took these pictures is not it’s final location.  Not sure where in the yard or on the deck I am going to put it.

Here are some close up pictures.

Words of Wisdom

I leave you with these words of wisdom from the movie.  If you have not seen it, you should.  It is a classic.

From The Matrix (1999)
Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Spoon boy: Then you’ll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

May you bend enough to see the beauty surrounding you.