Outdoor patio decorating with found objects

We recently cleaned up the back dumping ground yard and I did some patio decorating with some of the pieces I found hiding out back there. There was junk Ricky was keeping “just in case” and some outdoor things from my dad’s house that came over here when he moved. It was a mess. Not quite Sanford and Son, but a junky, piled up mess all the same. One of the things I forgot was out there was a step stool from my parents’. Ricky’s take — Why do you keep so many stools? Can’t we sell some? Um… no. I seem to share my mother’s love of a cool, step stool. Plus they, my parents, like me, were short. We neeeeed stools. Everywhere! 

Anyway, this stool was just out there, all hilter kilter, begging to be used somewhere, somehow. I was recently given a potted plant. A peace lily, maybe? And thought it needed to sit on the stool, but the steps also needed something. Enter the concrete squirrel and the concrete, frog sprinkler.

Would it look better with several other potted plants around it? Of course it would. But I’ll be lucky to keep this one alive for more than a month. Still, I might try some annuals or something. I’ll let y’all know how that works out.

I also swapped a piece off the front porch with this sewing machine base and marble top and filled the baby wash pan with McCoy flower pots. I have my mother’s collection of flower pots as well as my own and don’t know what in the world to do with them that isn’t cliche. This is a very small portion of them. I kinda like the look. Makes it look like I’m a gardener. Hehehe.

I was concerned about it raining and water collecting, but it rained yesterday with strong winds, and turns out it’s under the eaves enough that no water accumulated. 

McCoy flower pots can be bought quite cheaply these days, but are no less charming than when they were selling for $30 a pot.  Click here to see the current asking prices are on eBay. All of mine came from yard and estate sales. My mother had a few that she bought when they were new in the store, but when they started getting really collectible nearly 30 years later, she began snapping them up at yard sales. Her and my collection combined is fairly large. Most of the rest of mine are in an old, peeling paint, hutch/cabinet/thingie on the front porch. The cabinet is not doing well these days. Frankly, it’s about time for it to go to the street. So no pictures of it today. When I declare something ready for the street, you know it’s just about done for.

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Participating in Show and Share over at Coastal Charm