Thursday, September 24, 2015

Make Outdoor Water Features

Wishing well


Creating a water feature for your yard or garden is an easy craft project that you can complete quickly with the right tools and materials. You can make outdoor water features from flower pots, stones or with pond liners. You can also transform windmills or wishing wells into unique focal points for your landscape. Does this Spark an idea?


Instructions


Wishing Well


1. Purchase a medium-size wishing well from your local craft store or artisan. Find the remaining items at a landscape or discount supply store. The river rock should be small stones, as you will be gluing them to the outside of the wishing well.


2. Line the inside of the wishing well with pond liner, securing it to the sides of the well with a staple gun.


3. Place the wishing well on its side and apply a small amount of Liquid Nails or other waterproof adhesive to the surface of the side facing up. Press the river rock firmly into the adhesive until the side is covered. Let the adhesive dry before turning the wishing well over and covering the next side with river rock. Repeat this process until all four sides of your wishing well are covered.


4. Attach the hook to the inside of the wishing well halfway up the brace that connects the top to the base. Hang the ladle on the hook at an angle so that the water will run off it. Use the waterproof adhesive and a river rock to prop the ladle securely against the side of the wishing well brace. If your wishing well has a dowel across the middle, hang a decorative watering can or ladle from the dowel.


5. Cut the copper sheeting to fit the top of your wishing well. Nail the copper to the wood top.


6. Attach the pump to the brick with the rubber band. This will prevent the pump from moving around inside the well. Attach the plastic tubing to the pump and place the pump inside the wishing well. Run the plastic tubing up to the ladle as unobtrusively as possible. The water should flow from the tubing, over the ladle and back into the wishing well.


7. Fill your wishing well with water before you turn on the pump.


Outdoor Goldfish Pond


8. Dig a hole the size you would like for your goldfish pond to be. You don't need a large pond, a 2-foot-diameter space is sufficient for goldfish.


9. Line the hole with pond liner and surround it with large stones to hold the liner in place and to camouflage the perimeter.


10. Add water to the liner and you're ready for your goldfish.

Tags: wishing well, river rock, your wishing, your wishing well, inside wishing