Sharon, whatever you do I know will be lovely, and it is so kind of you to think about sharing. :grouphug:

Teresa, we used oak for ours and didn't stain it. The picture on Pinterest looks like they stained theirs. Oak lasts a long time outside even without the finish but I think you could use about any kind of wood if you wanted to put a finish on it. Another thing I did was, after I rinsed the bottles out and let them dry, I cut the cork off so it was barely above the top of the bottle and put it back in the bottle so the bugs couldn't get in and make a mess.

I like just about any color of glass in the garden. Reminds me of mosaics which I love. More than one color is the way I roll.

I love multicolor too. Susie is there a rod thru the bottles or what is hold them up?

Anyone have a pattern for homemade bottle trees? I saw one when visiting in IN that was kinda small but I wasn't thinking I should have taken a picture.

http://blog.chron.com/lazygard...

Me too, Tee, about the color. I'm not real fond of the bottle trees, but I sure love Susie's framed creation.

Teresa, there are holes through the first part of the frame that the bottle neck and bottom fit through. Then there is another board on the outside of that board to hold everything in place. That is why there are so many layers in the frame.

It helps to have a carpenter husband to center the bottles for me. Putting my design together was his birthday present to me which made both of us happy because he didn't have to think of something to get me, and it just took him a little while, and I got something I really wanted for my birthday! :lol:

The plate flowers have a bent spoon on the back of them that fit over the board so I can take them off and put them away for the winter.

I have a bottle tree made with all blue bottles. It originally was only a ceramic bird house mounted onto a fence post. My husband drove long, long nails at an angle for the bottles to be mounted. I love it because Don Copenhaven of Louisiana made the bird house for me and now has passed. I am also attaching some pictures of other bottle trees that I have taken in my daylily travels.

Oh I love these. The second one is my favorite.

Wow!! Those are beautiful, Eddie Rae!

Eddie Raye, I always hated bottle trees. You manage to make the first Bottle trees I like.

I have heard they are such good luck/ but I am aware this sounds bad but..... I thought of them as tacky. Like someone that drank to much and threw bottles in their yard and they happened to land in the trees.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say.

Thanks for all your ideas and photos. I just put together my first totem today from thrift store finds. This is from the kitchen, before I moved it out to the garden. I drilled 1/2" holes in the glass (some pieces were from lamps and already were drilled). Then I strung them on .375" painted steel rod. When I moved it out to the yard, I sunk the steel rod in the dirt and just stacked everything up. I may glue the upper pieces together so the squirrels and wild things dont knock things apart.
Anyway, thx for all the ideas. I'm pleased with my new addition.

I have been to an ink painting glass. If some of your pieces are clear you can add some color by using this medium.

Lynne, that is absolutely awesome and I LOVE the colors

Thanks all. Is fun to go to thrift stores looking for colored glass. Problem is, that while trying to downsize, I now have three new vases that are too nice to drill and use outside.........and I didn't need any more vases.

You sound just like me.

Here are the three I've put together in the garden.




I drilled a 1/2" hole in each piece and stacked them up on a 4' long .375" diameter rebar (from Lowes) that I painted black and hammered into the ground a bit. Drilling the holes wasn;t that difficult...i filled a bucket with water so that the spot I was drilling was barely under water. I'd add/remove water between pieces so that the drill site was always submerged.

Those are just beautiful Lynne

Thank you for posting them and for the instructions as well

Those ARE lovely! And I so covet that cobalt-colored glass. Nice tip about doing the drilling in a bucket of water, too.

Skimming through this thread again. I had to take a break from making totems because my husband was very sick for several years and I was the sole caregiver. I want to make something with glass this coming summer. Haven't decided just what yet. Maybe seashell diffusers. http://nfbkids.ca/project/diy-...