14 Essential Garden Art-Making Tools & Supplies — Empress of Dirt (2024)

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Making garden art is a lot easier when you have the essential tools and supplies on hand. Have a look at my favorites and how they are used for creating a variety of creative and useful projects.

For tutorials see,50 Creative and Recycled Garden Art Projects.

14 Essential Garden Art-Making Tools & Supplies — Empress of Dirt (1)

Essential Garden Art-Making Supplies

14 Essential Garden Art-Making Tools & Supplies — Empress of Dirt (2)

I don’t like to keep a lot of supplies on hand because it’s easy to hoard them and not get things made, but I do hang onto stuff like:

  • scrap wood and wire
  • hinges, door handles, door knockers, hooks, hangers
  • unusual scrap metal items
  • marbles

and anything else that is interesting and weather-resistant.

These are items I frequently use.

1Glass Gems / Flat Bottom Marbles

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If you’d like an idea of the projects you could make with these flat-bottom marbles, seeGlass Gem DIY Craft Ideas.

This all started when I madea junk art chandelierwith marbles wrapped in wire about twenty years ago.

2Acrylic Craft Paints

I use acrylic craft paints constantly for various craft projects. The quality these days is very good including the Martha Stewart brand. Look for paints that are recommended for a variety of surfaces (glass, metal, wood, plastic) and suitable for outdoor use.

Use them tohand-paint rocks and stonesormake custom hand-painted shoes.

3Acrylic Paint Brushes

Wash and dry your brushes immediately after use! My mom was an artist with a healthy respect for good art supplies (and taking care of what you have). Good brushes can last a lifetime with proper care.

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Safety Gear

4Safety Glasses

Don’t monkey around when using power tools and equipment. Always use safety equipment including protective safety glasses.

Related:28 Charming Recycled Garden Junk Ideas

5Work Apron


A good work apron is a great idea. I do not want to confess the number of times I have wrecked favourite clothes because I was too eager to work on a project instead of covering up first.

6Paint and Pesticide Respirator

If you paint or spray paint, protect your lungs! A good respirator mask is a smart investment

Tools and Supplies

716-Gauge Wire


I buy 16-gauge wire by the roll (look for it at local home improvement stores—cheap) and use it for all sorts of things including supporting plants on trellis to garden art making. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire.

I hang onto all sorts of scrap wire to make things likethis repurposed garden art chandelier (with wire-wrapped marbles). I also use it for climbing vines, supporting fruit bushes, hanging bird feeders, and more.

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8Needle Nose Pliers

A good pair of needle nose pliers andwire cuttersgo hand in hand with my constant use of wire in projects.

9Work Gloves

Protect your eyes, lungs, clothes, and hands when working. Always try gloves on before buying them.

It’s essential to get a good fit so you can handle materials easily and have a good grip. So many work gloves are made for giant man hands = not good!

10Waterproof Adhesive

This is my first choice adhesive for garden art projects. Make sure you get GE Silicone II for gutters and flashing (clear drying, waterproof). It’s much less expensive to buy it in cartridge form and use a caulking dispenser than it is to buy handy tubes.

  • Projects using this product includegarden art ballsandgarden treasure jars.
  • Here’s moretips on making sure things stick.

For more options seeGlue Resource Guide| Choosing adhesives for outdoor garden art projects

11Cordless Drill


My first electric drill was quite good and that was a shame because I like to use things up before buying something new!

When it finally died, after many years of hard work, I got a good quality cordless drill and it’s so much easier to not have to mess with extension cords.

In hindsight, I wish I had purchased two at once because the sale price I got was cheaper for a drill and battery than it is to now buy the battery on its own, so consider this if you’re buying one: it’s great to have a backup battery.

Related: DIY Garden Art Projects

12Screwdriver and Drill Bit Kit

There’s really no way around it: you need different types of drill bits for different surfaces: metal, wood, masonry, and ceramics (diamond drill bit).

For a biglist of garden art projects with tutorials, click here.

12Diamond Drill Bit

This is the key to drilling through items like ceramic plates: diamond drill bits. I have found that some surfaces are fairly easy to drill, others will not budge, so it’s hit and miss when creating garden art flowers. You can see instructions with a short video of how I drill through plates here:

How to make flowers from dishes and plates and drill through glass.

14Miter Saw

If possible, get a dual bevel sliding compound miter saw (12-inch) so you’ll be able to do a wide assortment of cuts.

This is the saw I use for making garden trellis, arbors, raised garden beds, birdhouses, privacy screens, gates, and wooden tomato cages. In other words, everything.

The bevel and miter features mean you can do all sorts of angled cuts.

It’s also nice to havea good orbital palm sanderfor smoothing rough cuts anda jig sawfor curved cuts.

15Tools

Other frequently used tools include basics like screwdrivers, hammer, pencil, measuring square, tape measure.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛

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14 Essential Garden Art-Making Tools & Supplies — Empress of Dirt (2024)

FAQs

How do you use garden art? ›

Let one sculpture or collection be the star in any garden space, and place other pieces farther along sight lines where you want visitors to walk, as well as in tucked-away spaces that will delight upon discovery.

What are the things inside your living room that can be used as art materials? ›

A few household items that work great for crafts and art projects include; toilet paper rolls, wrapping paper from packages, wine corks, beads, pasta, egg carton, empty plastic water bottles, paper plates, old buttons, and more!

What are household materials for art? ›

Experimenting with Everyday Items

Old socks can be repurposed into puppets, buttons are great for making jewelry, and egg cartons can be used to make all sorts of 3D models. Even old CDs and DVDs can be used to create a collage or painting.

What is galing in art? ›

Galing refers to the skill or talent that an artist possesses in creating their work. This might include technical proficiency in a particular medium, as well as more abstract qualities such as creativity or originality.

What materials can be used to make still life art? ›

Opaque mediums such as oil, acrylic, or tempera paint; paper or canvas; brushes; and selected tools appropriate for the medium (palette knives, paint thinner, rags, etc.) Objects for creating still-life arrangements: pottery, glassware, fruit and vegetables, shells, flowers, etc.

What are the benefits of garden art? ›

Therapeutic Benefits: Gardens and the art within them have medicinal benefits. Spending time in a beautifully adorned garden can reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance mental well-being. The visual and sensory experiences in a garden provide solace and comfort.

How do you hang garden art? ›

Follow these steps for a precise installation:
  1. Marking: Use a pencil to mark where holes need to be drilled.
  2. Drilling: With the power drill, create holes for anchors or screws.
  3. Mounting: Securely attach the metal wall art using anchors or screws.
  4. Leveling: Ensure the art is perfectly level for a professional finish.
Jan 15, 2024

How do you use a sensory garden? ›

One of the most obvious ways to stimulate the senses in your garden is by sight. Create a sensory feast of diverse plant colour, shape, size, texture and patterns. You might want to opt for bright and bold flowers, like purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), pelargoniums, tulips, and alliums.

References

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