How To: Scrap metal owls in the garden…

An old box of metal odds and ends, kitchen implements and hardware can become garden art assemblages in the hands of a Flea Market Gardener. This is yard art of the most fun kind,…you can let your imagination do the rest.

Myra’s Parliament of owls keep watch

Myra’s Parliament of Owls

Myra Glandon has made a parliament of ‘found object’ owls and installed them in her pine trees surrounding her garden.  She says, “They’re fun, they amuse me, and will amuse my grandkids, too.”

Myra’s black owl in the pine tree

Here’s how Myra made them:

First, collect odds and ends

I used two standing graters, a silver plated platter and a large black enamel lid off a canning pot for the owl bodies.  I gathered the lids off water bottles, soda and beer caps, and lids from various foods such as pickles, pesto, dried beef, and even two red lids off the Kentucky Fried Chicken carry out containers.  I used whatever I could find, which made each one a bit different.

Owl Makings

Body and  wings

I very lightly spray painted the graters brown.  I didn’t want them to be perfect, I wanted light and dark on them, so they looked a little more like feathers, as you can see in the picture below.  The owl below has wings made out of an old metal steamer.  I removed the “fins or petals” and threw the main part of the steamer away.  I bent the fins at the end to make a right angle and using a small bolt attached the wing.  On the other side of the grater I had to drill a hole to insert the bolt.  You attach a nut to the inside to hold them tight.  (see bolt in picture)

Plier-beaked owl

Owl eyes

These bottle caps had a smiling sun in the middle but I punched holes in the middle to add my bolts.  I also punched a hole in the cap and lid underneath.  If you look closely, you can see these lids don’t match, but they are close in size and both white.  I used a small pair of old pliers I had in my scrap box for the beak and ears.  I added a bolt to the middle and a nut to the inside of the grater to hold it securely.

Plier-beaked owl’s detail

Myra has perched her Parliament in her pine tree with airy branches so the owls can easily be spied by observant young visitors. As this show, they are hung with hooks or attached securely to branches with screws.

Speckled black-lidded owl in tree

Myra made this owl, above  from a granite-ware pot lid.  The eyes are stacked red-orange plastic lids, jar lids and bottle caps.   See how he’s screwed to the tree branch?

Hanging your owls

Hanging the owls in trees

Myra’s Blue-eyed Grater Owl

Myra’ Blue-eyed Grater owl has metal spatula wings and jar lid eyes.  Notice how she bent the handle to make ‘horns’  A rusty wrench forms the beak.

Blue-eyed and wrench beaked owl

For more detailed instructions for Myra’s owls, see Found object owls for our garden