By Sharon Merkel Prudhomme ~
This is a short lil repurposing ditty! As expected after a recent move, we’re finding oodles of small projects to attend to. Thankfully no major jobs are needed, but the plethora of little ones tend to consume us daily.
While my husband began disassembling & changing out antiquated ceiling fans which were working on one speed or NO speed, I had to take another look at the parts. First, the milk glass globe looked cool with a sort of marbled effect. After removing the little metal bezel and nut at the bottom where the chains fed through I felt it was too nice to toss into the recycling bin.
The hole at the bottom would be perfect for drainage if used as a planter! So off on an already planned cruise to Home Depot I picked up a clay plant drip dish to place under my “new planter.” All the plants for sale in the Depot were bright light/full sun only and were large container jobs. I remembered the good ol’ Shop Rite weekly flyer and the St. Patty Day specials. Shamrock Plants on sale for a whopping $1.99 each! Now that’s right up my alley-always looking for the bargain.
As with most potted plants, I recommend using small pebbles, stones or broken pieces of old clay pots placed at the bottom over the hole. This will assist proper drainage. (if you’ve got old clay pots, place an old beach towel or tarp over and break up with a hammer) I happen to have extra potting soil from last year, so had that covered. A quick pit stop into Shop Rite for Shamrock Plants and voila! A cool looking planter for my table and porch once we hit warmer temps.
3 more uses for ceiling fan glass:
Bird Feeder– needed: large diameter dowel or post – add a foot to length for dowel or post-5’ should do it. *OR-have an unwanted sapling? Cut across for flat surface approx. 3-4’ from ground. Drill hole into center, place couple rubber or plastic washers under and over hole in “bowl”. Using large wood screw, fasten glass to pot. Be careful not to crank down too hard which could break glass. Add seed, cracked corn, etc.
Bird Bath– Same as above except: use all-weather caulk running a bead around bottom of hole both under glass and inside before adding washers & screw. Fill with water and enjoy your bathing feathered friends!
Table Top Fountain- Using smooth river rocks or your own collection of small rocks, turn your ceiling light glass into a relaxing, gurgling table feature. The little easy to assemble parts needed are found at garden centers, Amazon, etc. Also check Pet Centers for small animal supplies. *Another twist for a little fountain would be to invert the globe with bottom hole facing up. Place in larger pan with large lip. Run fountain tube up slightly for water to run up and down around glass. Place small rocks, pebbles, glass beads around edge of globe in larger pan. **there are now little solar fountains to add. Check for settings as on high they will send water out of base diameter resulting in quick water loss.
Aquatic Plants– sealing up the bottom holes makes for a cute little aquatic plant display. Indoors or out, add stones to anchor the plants and enjoy!