create a garden scarecrow using what?!

we finally had nice sunny weather this past weekend,
and i enjoyed working out in the backyard garden on a project that i've had in mind for months.
i am excited to finally share this easy tutorial with you! 

continue reading to see what i was working on... and how you can make one of your own!

it's a garden scarecrow! and it's made from... (drumroll please)...
A WIRE TOMATO CAGE !

no, i ain't kiddin'! tomato cages are one of my fave cheap supplies for projects ( take a peek!)
and it's really easy to fashion one into a mannequin form:
just grab yourself one of those $2.99 (or less) wire tomato support cages at the hardware store,
and follow my easy tutorial:

* sit the cage UPSIDE DOWN on a sturdy surface.
* bend two of the 'legs' (now sticking straight up) into a shape like a hanger, seen in the far left image.
(use a real hanger as a guide if you need to).
NOTE: bend slowly and gently to keep the welds on the support rings from popping.

* bend the third 'leg' forward toward the other two, in a high arc, seen in the center image above.
*bend a 'hook' in the end of that arc (facing up) - again, bend gently
* cross both ends of the 'hanger'-shaped 'legs' over the 'hook', and tie into place with twine.

you now have a 'wire mannequin' form - something i used in displays at vintage shows for years.
they are easy to make and lightweight to transport,
and by stacking one form on top of a few other regular tomato cages, you can make them in varied heights!

to use the form as a garden scarecrow, you'll need to 'weight' the bottom ring to keep it in place -
i used a few pieces of a broken concrete statue, but bricks or rocks work, too.

next, just dress your scarecrow up... 

i grabbed one of my rarely-worn straw hats + a linen shirt from my closet,

quickly slipped them onto the form, and tied the shirt in front -  

it's a perfect fit for the neutral-palette style of our backyard!

you can dress these any way you want -

(scarecrows are NOT just for fall.... they don't have to look 'country'!)

a sweet childs' dress in happy colors or a floaty white blouse would be darling, 

as would a perky pastel gingham check shirt or a fun tye-die tee. make it fit YOUR style!

i have two of the pretty floral Hawaiian 'muu muu's that my Grandma Ward used to wear,

and i THOUGHT about using one of those. but i don't want the sun to bleach them out. 

she's a charming piece of garden art, really - the hummingbirds find her fascinating!

i'm just hoping she will stop the crows and pigeons from coming into our yard

to steal the tomatoes and poo all over our stone wall. i really hate those pigeons.

don't miss the NEW 2020 version of this project!
 see details of a charming new fall scarecrow in this new post

shared online:

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