Thursday, April 30, 2009

A Free Fountain

It's time for the Spring Round-Up party at the Remodeling Guy, so go on over and check it out. If you're here from Tim's blog, welcome & make yourself at home.

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Last fall on one of my treasure hunts, I came home with a free fountain and told you all about it here. Now, who am I to pass up free?! Not me! You just never know what kind of deal you'll run across out there. It’s been sitting like this since September and I finally got it up and running.

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Pretty sad looking, huh? I’m actually glad I didn’t pay anything for it, since it’s rusting really bad and that rust has already eaten through the copper layer that’s on the front of it. So, I bought some metallic Rustoleum spraypaint (that claims to stop rust…we’ll see about that) and gave it a couple coats of paint all over, especially on the rusty spots. I figure that even if I only get a couple of years out of it, since it was free, I don’t have much invested. The paint made it look SO much better….

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The basin has a few surface cracks, but holds the water just fine. So, I got some brick pavers and pea gravel that was leftover from the patio project last year and now the fountain is running. And boy, am I excited to have it going! I straightened up the bricks after I took this pic, since they got out of place while I was putting it together. Got so excited to show you all.

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This thing is really heavy, but it’s in place now and shouldn’t be moving. Bought a $20 pump from Home Depot and it works perfect.

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I've already been out on my swing listening to the soft sounds of running water. A magazine, something cold to drink and a fountain in the background.

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Ahhh, bliss! If you missed the patio project from last year, you can read how we did it here. And then it was decorated with mostly yardsale finds. I’ve got more plans for this backyard area with landscaping and a flagstone walkway, so that will be next on the project horizon.

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My hubby has laughingly said he's going to put some fish in here and mentioned to the neighbor that it would make a nice urinal, but that ain’t gonna happen. :)

I hope you're not tired of giveaways yet, cause I have another one lined up for Friday. I'm partnering with Dayspring, the Christian division of Hallmark and they have sent me some beautiful things to show you that I think you will love, so come on back tomorrow for the fun!

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58 friends stopped by:

Room Service ~ Decorating 101 said...

great score! I would put ferns all along the base and cover the stone. It would really soften it up and be so wondderful. Love it.

Patti VZ said...

Nice job! You did great on this project...I think a couple of day lilly and roses would look great. I can easily hear my guys saying the same thing as your hubby! :)

Laura said...

I'm a fountain loving gal. You found a good one!

Laura

Tammy518 said...

I remember when you got that fountain. It looks wonderful now! I would love to have some sort of water feature in our backyard.

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

Looks wonderful Rhoda...I like Vicky's idea for ferns, too. Great score!

We really enjoy our fountain by the patio. We can hear it there and on the porch. We had to turn our lady fountain into a birdbath because after repairing and repairing we decided to give up on the leaks,last year. It really makes a nice statement in the side garden. Now we're looking for something to take it's place in the dining room garden. I think we're moving St Francis and the bird bath up, from the creekside garden. You can tell it's spring at our house...the little gardening wheels are really turning.

Carmen @ Life with Sprinkles on Top said...

Very cool! :)

Becky K. said...

Your husband sounds funny.

Mine wants a water feature in our landscape one of these days. So far he is too busy to choose and install one.

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

Great project!! I just love listening to fountains, it's so soothing!!

savvycityfarmer said...

You hit the jackpot, I'd say.

I can just see group clusters of rosemary, boxwood and other glorious herbs nestled around the vase.

This is something I would have a dream about.

savvycityfarmer said...

ooooppps, I mean Base.....got so excited my fingers hit the wrong key

Heathahlee said...

Yes, free is good, but when you turn it into beautiful, that's GREAT! :)

Roeshel said...

What a great feature! I love it! It doesn't look like it was "free"! I'm so envious...one of these days we'll get to working on projects outside. :)

My husband would have made the same remark!

Sa-Sea said...

NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!! I SAW ONE LIKE THAT AT TARGET AND I WANTED IT SOOOO BADLY!!! THIS PICTURE RIGHT HERE JUST MADE ME REALIZE I WANT IT EVEN MORE THAN EVER!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!

Amanda said...

Oh Rhoda- that turned out awesome!! what a steal. I can just see some yummy potted ferns around the bottom of that thing. I bet the sound is heavenly!

aguhmom said...

Don't you consider a free - but
loaded with promise castaway!
As my friend Beth Moore says,
consider it a "DOUBLE BLESSING" -
actually sweet Beth says "blessin"
God's blessings to you sweet friend
for your wonderful blog!
patti

Darlene - Our Creative Life said...

Your fountain looks fabulous and you can't beat FREE!!

Runner Mom said...

I'm impressed!It looks great Rhoda! I went back and looked at the before and after pics--wonderful job. We have a decorating dilemma ourselves for a patio--just need to save some money before we tackle it! I'll holler at you when we get started!

Hugs,
Susan

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

Great fountain. When it finally gives up the ghost (water-wise, that is), turn the whole thing into a wonderful planter. And yeah, ferns around the bottom would be very nice.

The Tattered Cottage said...

Looks wonderful...free is great...now it's priceless.
Toni

the BLAH BLAH BLAHger said...

Rhoda, I LOVE how this turned out!!!

Allidink said...

How nice! I love fountains like that! I hope the spray works and it lasts a while for you!

All the best,
Allison

KarenB said...

NICE JOB! Having a fountain helps make my yard feel like a vacation spot. Enjoy!

Jenny said...

You are so creative and talented! I would have passed that up, because I wouldn't know what to do with it.

Lisa~A Cottage To Me said...

What is it with men and peeing outside? They will look for any excuse! Ha, ha!
Great re-do Rhoda!

Deb said...

I love your fountain!!! husbands are so funny....

Mindy said...

Free? Wow! You have done well! I really like the finished product. ~Mindy

Crystal said...

As I say "If it's free, it's for me". What a great deal you found. "Amazing" is all I can say.
I really miss my pond, now I might just go get a fountain. I just love the sound of water running while sitting outside.

Karyn said...

Looks great!

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Love it and you can't beat the price.
Glenda

BittersweetPunkin said...

I love the fountain...it was a great find!

Anonymous said...

Can't believe you got that for free. It looks simply gorgeous now!
I've always thought a fountain would be fun, but with four boys, I am afraid of exactly what your husband mentioned to a neighbor! :)

Unknown said...

That looks wonderful! Great job!

I can't wait for your garden party & the Monday yard sale party. Last Monday was so much fun!

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Oh, neat!! I am so impressed...just saw some of that Rustoleum today when I bought some spray paint for another project. :)

Chris said...

Rhoda, you. are. brilliant!!! I love it! And it was FREE (supplies don't count)? Even better!

Kathi said...

Your "new" fountain looks great!
Love FREE stuff! Hope you enjoy many hours of listening to the tranquil sound of water from your swing... Nice job on the re-do too!

Renae Moore said...

Well done...you did a fantastic job..just a bit of creativity and voila!
Blessings!

Kim @ Starshine Chic said...

Fabulous freebie!!! It looks great. I want it. And I have one thing to say about your husband: "Men!" That explains everything.

Ali said...

Great job, it looks wonderful. I just love fountains, have 3 myself, but we don't have any outside outlets on our old farmhouse so I haven't been able to set them up in the 2 years we have lived here. Maybe I can find some solar panels... =)

niartist said...

Rhoda, I knew you'd get that working! I remember when you got it - I commented and said: WOW! FOR FREE?E?EE?!? LOL! I was so excited! I'm glad it's working for you - and that paint worked wonders! :)

Mary Ruth said...

FREE is GREAT! I just love the look of that fountain with all its different shapes and finishes! We are looking around and trying to come up with a fountain for our back deck area. You found a treasure!

Unknown said...

You can't beat free! It looks super. What a perfect place to sip a morning cup of coffee or afternoon iced tea.

Thank you for sharing.

Charla

Rose - Watching Waves said...

Rhoda - It's super-fantabulous now! What a wonderful job you've done. Free is my FAVORITE price - ha! You are always such an inspiration with the way you create beautiful things from your treasures. I want a tall fountain like this for my courtyard, with planters extending from each side. Some day!

Amber Filkins said...

That's totally awesome!! I can't believe someone gave that to you!! It looks SOOO much better with that spray paint! Love it!

Cindy said...

I want it!

Tami said...

Absolutely gorgeous....I love it!

Have a great day!
Hugs~T

momof3girls said...

ooh-laa-lahh! I love free and you have it looking so spiffy

The Bloom Girls said...

Hi Rhoda,
LOL on the urinal thing...such a man statement.

You got yourself quite a deal on the fountain. It was beautiful before, but now it fabulous! There is nothing more peaceful than the sound of a fountain.

Enjoy!
Nola @ The Bloom Girls

Kelly said...

Love the fountain! I would love to have one too, but they are sooo expensive! Great find!

Unknown said...

You are the queen of the yard sales... I love the fountain. Very classy.

Cynthia

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

I would love to have a fountain on my back deck. Yours looks great! Good job, Rhoda--as usual! :-)

Jadehollow said...

Rhoda..
What a great deal! It looks awesome now. I know you're enjoying the peaceful sound and it's beauty. My husband would sneek fish in it if we had one.
Thanks for sharing.
Have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Debbie

Remodeling Guy said...

Rhoda! I love that fountain! I had a Lion's Head fountain at our last house and I'm with you on the sound it makes! It's very soothing! Yours looks great!

Have a great weekend!

Tim

Jen Kershner said...

You are amazing Rhoda! I can't believe you got that fountain for free. They sure gave it to the right gal!

Daisy Cottage said...

Oh it's perfect! What a happy fountain now! I bet it sounds heavenly too! Yea Rhoda! You did it again!!

xo,
Kim

Katie said...

I love these and free, oh my goodness. THese are not cheap plus this thing could be really old.

Cha Cha said...

That's great that you got that for free! It looks really nice to me...I'd love to have one like it.

You know, if that copper keeps rusting out you could replace it with a similar material to whatever the rest of it is. Is it concrete or resin? You could totally make a new back out of either one and it would probably look even better all one color.

Don't feel badly if the Rust-Oleum doesn't work because you can make it even better.

Nicole ~ said...

Wow, your fountain looks wonderful!! You did a wonderful job of bringing it back to life. Nicole

Anita said...

You did a great job- ad kept something wonderful out of the landfill at the same time. That's the great thing about thrifting anf junking and garage saling-saving money and saving the eart...And you've inspired me to turn a garden statue I bought at a sale into a fountain...Now, to Hime Depot for the pump! Thanks for all your inspiration!