Scrappy Scarecrow

Smart Solutions : Episode SSL-915 -- More Projects »
PHOTO

Keep pests out of the garden with this whimsical figure made from household materials.
Craft designer Erlene Hussainy shows how to fashion a simple scarecrow to combat garden pests.

Materials:

2 x 4-foot stud
bucket of sand
3-foot section of wooden dowel
1-foot section of wooden dowel
twine
brass screws
drill
assorted silverware
2 spatulas
2 cup hooks
terra-cotta pot
acrylic paints
paintbrush
shellac
wire
colored pipe cleaners
colander
shirt and overalls
plastic grocery bags
plastic zippered bags
rocks
clothespins

Steps:


  1. Insert the stud into a bucket of sand.
PHOTO

Figure A
  • Attach the long dowel at shoulder height and the short dowel at hip height on the stud with the twine (figure A).

  • Screw in the cup hooks on the end of the "arm" dowels.

  • Drill a hole through the end of the silverware and attach three or four pieces to each spatula with twine. Hang the spatula from the cup hooks. The spatula becomes the arms, and the silverware serves as the fingers.

  • Paint a face on the terra-cotta pot and seal with shellac.

  • Screw the pot onto the top of the stud through the drain hole with a brass screw.
    • PHOTO

    Figure B
  • Make sunglasses with two spoons and some wire. Just bend end spoon just beneath the bowl into a 90-degree angle. Drill a hole into each end of each spoon. Connect the bowls of the spoons together with wire (figure B) to make the lenses. Connect the two bent ends of the spoon with wire that is long enough to fit around the pot, plus four to five extra inches. The spoons will create a reflection that scares away pests.

  • Attach sunglasses to the pot by placing the glasses on the front of the pot and encircling it with the wire. Twist the extra wire together and bend it up and over the lip of the pot down into the interior.

  • Push pipe cleaners through the holes of the colander and bend into squiggly shapes for hair. Attach the colander to the pot with wire.

  • Dress the scarecrow with a shirt and overalls.

  • Tie a scarf around the "neck" to disguise the joint between the pot and the stud.

  • Stuff the legs with leftover plastic grocery bags.

  • Fill a zippered bag with a few rocks and tuck it inside the pants legs to keep them from blowing around. Close with a clothespin.
    • Guests
    Erlene Hussainy
    E-mail: Indiancrainbow@aol.com
    Also in this Episode
    Smart Solutions : Episode SSL-915
    •Recycling Bridesmaid Dresses
    •Scrappy Scarecrow
    •Eight-Minute Workout
    •Smart Solution of the Day