Give Vintage Garden Tools a New Life in a Whimsical Wreath

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make a vintage garden tool wreath using old metal tools. It’s easy to do and looks great on your garden gate or front door

How to Add Whimsy to Your Garden | Part 2

Yesterday I showed you how I made a Peter Rabbit mini-garden using a few of my collected vintage pieces. Last week I visited a local antique store, The Collectors’ Eye in Stratham, NH. They were having a Summer Solstice Sale and most everything was 20% off…like I need an excuse to go vintage shopping!! If you are ever in the Seacoast New Hampshire area you have to make a trip over.

It’s located in a big ‘ole beautiful barn and is filled with so many treasures. It’s the kind of store you have to walk around twice because you always miss something the first time around.

What I came home with was a bag of goodies! I picked up a few vintage metal tools, small worn terra cotta pots, baby shoes, plant markers, a twig wreath, and a cool handmade stepping stone.

At the entrance of my cutting garden, I made a Beatrix Potter-inspired garden using the red shovel, baby shoes, and a DIY felt jacket that I made. I also added my #1 all-time best flea market find… a $2 galvanized watering can, and a length of vintage garden fencing that I picked up at last month’s Sage Farm Antiques show.

Let’s Make a Garden Wreath!

The first thing that caught my eye when I was antiquing was an old rusty garden fork…and I think it was only $4! Along the way I had grabbed another vintage tool and 2 small terra cotta pots, then I spotted some cute wooden herb markers.

At this point, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them until I was coming down the stairs of the shop and saw a twig wreath hanging on the wall…lightbulb moment!!!

Gather Supplies

When I was picturing this wreath in my head I thought the addition of some sort of vintage seed packets would look perfect…but then I remembered that I had my Floret seed packets and they have an organic, natural look and would be perfect.

Another item that I grabbed from my Spring supplies was one of the DIY bird’s nests that I used on my Spring Entryway Table. They are super easy to make using Spanish moss and spray adhesive (I added green moss and quail eggs to it too)

Seed Packets

Since they are made of paper I thought that maybe a coat of Mod Podge would protect them and extend their lives out in the elements. We’ll see what happens but I’m honestly not too worried because after all, they are just old seed packets!

Adding the Vintage Tools to the Wreath

To wire the tools in place I wrapped the handles with strong wire, I already had the copper wire left over from another project This wire holds up to 14 lbs so it was super strong but also thin enough not to distract from the wreath.

Any strong wire will work…I always recommend you use what you already have around the house to save $$$

Securing the Pots

To secure the terra cotta pots to the twig wreath I ran the copper wire through the bottom hole of the pot through the top and then wrapped the wire around the wreath frame.

To make it extra sturdy and make sure it stayed in place I ran a bead of hot glue down the backside of the pot.

From the backside of the wreath, I pulled the wire tightly and twisted it until it felt like it would stay in place.

Add Flowers

Well, if you have flower pots on a wreath they are going to need to be filled with something right!!

In the bottom of both of the pots, I glued a square of floral foam that I had cut to fit.

In one of the pots, I added a few small stems of artificial lavender. If I was hanging this in a protected location dried lavender would look just amazing but since it’s going to be out in the garden I had to go with artificial.

And those wooden plant markers that I picked up…I added the lavender one right into the pot!

In the second terra cotta pot, I added some herb greens and glued in another marker.

Tuck in the Bird’s Nest

Next up on the wreath was the bird’s nest. A healthy dollop of hot glue on the back and then I just tucked it next to one of the terra cotta pots.

Glue the Seed Packets

I scattered the 3 seed packets around the wreath to fill in some of the empty spots. Just a bit of hot glue on the back and I held them in place until they were secured into place.

Moss

The last thing that I did was to tuck in pieces of preserved moss around the wreath. It’s the perfect finishing detail!

Finished Garden Tool Wreath

Originally I was going to hang the vintage tool wreath from my little garden gate but I thought it hung too low to the ground so I plan B’d it and propped it up on one of my thrift store finds…a $2 rush seat chair that I have used over and over through the past few years (I actually scored a set of 2 for $4!!)

All the different garden elements work so well together in this wreath too!

I say that every new wreath that I make is my favorite…LOL…but I really think this one may be it!!

So next time you are at your favorite vintage or antique store try thinking a little bit out of the box and come up with different ways to use pieces that you find!

Shopping at thrift, vintage, and antique markets are ways to add uniqueness and character to your home. So if you aren’t already a thrifty shopper I highly recommend starting…plus it’s so darn fun!!

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