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Decorating With Metal Yard Art

07 Jun 2010 by NR

Putting metal yard art around a home can be a fun and attractive way to enhance the look of a yard or house. Metal yard art comes in many forms, from metal lamps, lamp holders and signs, to address markers, garden signs, seasonal, holiday, or year round decorations, family name signs and solely decorative pieces.

From whimsical and charming to serious religious symbols, there are many types of art that a person can use to express their personality, tell a story, advertise hobbies, political or religious ideas, or identify the residents of a place.

Signs are a common form of yard decor. Many signs announce the surname of the family living in the home where they are displayed, or the name of the home, business, farm or ranch. Some include the year that the home, business, or family was established. Other signs have fun or festive sayings, or spell out a favorite quote or sentiment. Welcome signs are very commonly seen on metal yard art. Logos or names from sports teams have become increasingly common in yards across America, too.

Seasonal metal yard art is very popular. Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, and of course, Christmas, are holidays that many Americans dress up their yards for and metal yard art is a common choice for decorations as it stands up to the weather, looks terrific, is easy to place and move, and stores well.

Animals are very trendy metal objects, from the frequently seen pink flamingos to birds, reptiles, and mammals of all sorts. A metal yard stake with graceful butterflies is a gorgeous addition to a flower bed. A variety of metal birds and blooms can grace a patio and add to its appeal. A flock of metal chickens lend a country charm to a yard without the mess of the real thing, and a metal cat stalking grandly through the garden can be a better deterrent to rabbits and birds than a straw stuffed scarecrow.

Fairies and angels have grown immensely fashionable as art and the nature of these lends them to some regal, delightful, beautiful, and stylish metal yard art to adorn a yard or garden or fountain. From delicate metal fairies with stained glass wings to angelic beings with rust resistant halos and gracefully folded wings, there is a plethora of different angel and fairy pieces available on the market to enhance the area around the home or garden.

From rustic to regal, charming to solemn, the vast array of art on the market today means that any home and garden, patio, pool, fountain or other outdoor space around the home can go from a plain area to a delightfully adorned area with little hassle, cost or effort. From vintage styles to contemporary pieces, there is metal yard art available to suit any taste or style.

–Shirely Patterson

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Reasons for Having Yard Art

07 Jun 2010 by NR

Are you currently living in a home where the backyard looks really dull and boring? Or maybe you want to enhance the look of your present garden? You can do any of these two by adding some yard art to your home.

What is yard art to begin with? Basically, this is any form of ornament that you can use to beautify your yard or garden. If you are a type of person that enjoys an ambiance livened up by the sound and sight of nature, then outdoor decorations such as statues, arbors, fountains, planters, trellises and birdhouses are perfect for you.

Meanwhile, if your back yard is more of the “lush greenery” type, then what you should use are different kinds of ornaments in the form of antiques and curios. Carved wooden chairs, benches and even ancient masks made out of plasters would look great, especially when it is accented with a column of a trellis that have painted birds hanging over it.

While it is true that yard art can be appreciated best when it flourishes, particularly when it comes from your own creative efforts, the decorations should never be overdone. If you want to improve the looks of your yard, one good idea is to first produce a mental picture of what you are going to do with the yard before you separate it into different areas.

Do you tend to have lots of visitors at your back yard? Outdoor furniture might be a great addition to the back yard, especially if you have a pool outside. You may get outdoor swings in a corner or maybe a patio set for you to relax. Flowerbeds, placed trees and potted plants would look well with furniture.

If you feel that your yard is too small, do not fret. You can still enhance its look by adding water features on it. A fountain, a small fishpond or even a mini replica of a waterfall can beautify the outdoor look and add to the natural charm regardless of how big or small it is.

However, if you really want your back yard to be a “dreamy” back yard and you have the budget, you can get a landscape architect to design it for you. Rock steps, mini houses, gnomes, a centerpiece bench, budding trees and bird feeders are just some of the pieces that you can add to your back yard so that you can transform it to your personal space.

Generally, you do not have to spend that much on yard art. The cost depends on the person who owns the yard. You can design it on your own by buying simple materials and objects to put in your yard. On the other hand, getting an architect can help you turn the back yard into a relaxation sanctuary with intricate design and quality materials. Just remember that when you go for the second option, you need to prepare quite a few dollars extra.

–Shirely Patterson

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What is Yard Art?

07 Jun 2010 by NR

Yard art, lawn decorations, embellishments…just what ARE garden accents and what purpose do they serve?

Garden accents or yard art can be ANY decoration or adornment used for the purpose of accenting your yard or garden area.

Embellishments can range from simple to elaborate. Garden accents can be as simple as a solitary bird bath alone in the yard to as elaborate as multiple tiered decking with flower boxes, trellises, and plant stands strategically placed for eye-appeal.

Yard art may be singularly visible as a simple gazing globe on a pedestal. Or it may be found as a hidden surprise in the garden that catches the eye upon closer viewing. Maybe a whimsical faerie garden statue set upon an old tree stump within a small clump of trees and placed so as to be slightly hidden from view yet easily seen from different areas within your garden.

Garden accents can be replaced or alternated to provide variety or change in a yard or garden area. Smaller pieces of yard art or garden statuary can be moved around easily. A newly painted old wooden wheelbarrow of pansies could be moved around and placed anywhere in your yard.

Yard art can be store bought or homemade. Store bought accents may range from an inexpensive item picked up at a dollar store to an expensive specially customized piece of signature art. Homemade yard adornments can be anything from an unused colored bowling ball sitting atop a plant stand to an elaborately built garden trellis or deck seat and pergola complex.

What are garden accents or yard art used for? Garden accents mainly serve as a fun and creative way to personalize your lawn or garden area.

Sure, you can use the same planting design as shown in any book or mow your grass in the same pattern as a neighbor does. But, would you go so far as to also set out the exact same embellishments in your garden that were in that book (if there were any) or would you set out the same lawn adornment that your neighbor did?

Probably not.

You have personal preferences that show up everywhere else in your life so it only makes sense for your lawn or garden areas to exhibit your personal touch also.

Just what are garden accents, yard art, or lawn decorations? They are that special touch that add your personal signature to your lawn or garden areas that only YOU can provide.

–Robin Monarch

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Enhance Your Yard and Garden

11 Nov 2009 by NR

If you’re the type of person who enjoys a distinctive ambiance enlivened by the sights and sounds of nature, you can add outdoor accessories like planters, birdhouses, fountains, statues, trellises and arbors, to name some. If lush greenery characterizes your yard, art in form of curios and antiques – like a carved wooden bench – or ancient plaster masks accenting a column of a trellis which may have a mobile of painted birds hanging overhead can look alluring and inspiring.

Though metal yard art is best appreciated when it flourishes as a result of an individual’s own creative efforts, it should not be overdone. When setting out to improve your backyard, an effective approach is to create a mental picture of how to divide the yard into separate activity areas.

Outdoor furnishings may help distinguish the different activities areas in an artistic, tasteful manner. A nice outdoor swing or patio set in a quiet corner of the garden may be ideal for relaxation. Carefully placed trees, flower beds or potted plants may define each border.

Have an average-sized yard and feel like there’s a missing element? A small water feature can have a big impact. A pond, fountain, or waterfall can enhance the natural charm and tranquility of an outdoor area, no matter how modest it is in size. Imagine, for example, water cascading down from small scalloped structures into a blue-rimmed mini pool bedecked with flowers.

In certain cases, a landscape architect can help transform your home into a dreamy and delightful private sanctuary. Small cobblestones can lead to large rock steps connecting the garden to the house. A budding tree, or a statue or bird feeder, a hand cast & hand-painted gnome, or an antique wooden bench may serve as yard/garden centerpiece. For an elegant looking table & chair set, a special vase with intriguing design can be a conversational piece.

Your architect will help you in ensuring that the artistic touches incorporated in your outdoor complement your home’s design. If you have a zen-inspired house facade, you may combine natural materials, cool colors and clean composition/design. Have all the key elements for outdoor relaxation and meditation — a low table, all-weather pillow cushions, a hand-woven tatami mat. A small zen-inspired fountain and wind chimes may provide subtle yet soothing sounds.

Natural materials like bamboo, stone, earthenware, wood and metals are ideal for furnishings and accents. Beautiful metal yard art or figurines featuring fairies, gnomes or animals can be really cool ideas.

-Shirely Patterson

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Selecting Metal Yard Art

11 Nov 2009 by NR
The first thing to ask yourself is what colors do you like?  You may prefer bright colors as this will add more accent to your yard.  It will also add stimulating ornamentation to your garden and make it come to life.  You may also choose colors that come in natural rustic colors or those that are painted to mimic silhouettes.When it comes to style, you may choose between formal and informal styles.  Those who like a more formal look may tend to select materials that have been manufactured and given a proper finish.  However, if your the type of person that prefers your yard to look a little bit more unique, then you may want to go with an informal style.  For this type, you can use recycled materials pieced together to create your signature yard look.There is also a type of metal yard art called ‘copper art’.  Copper is used in order to utilize the sunlight’s brilliant effect, adding more radiance to your right.

The most popular designs seem to be small animals and insects. Their small sizes can serve to give an ‘accent’ to your yard and yet not draw to much attention from the yards natural beauty.  There are also other designs such as copper bird feeders whose designs are combined with stained glass,  creating bright ornamentation for your yard.

In addition to these, copper stakes and other cast pieces are also available for decorating your yard.  One of the down sides with going with copper yard art is that it can be a bit expensive.  But it may turn out to be worth it once you see the overall effect that it has on your yard.

Whats most  important is to really take into consideration your personal taste when it comes to metal yard art. Metal yard art is one avenue where you can let your personality flow.  Always trust with what you feel is best and what you think will suit your yard well.  And, just enjoy the whole process of decorating your own yard with metal yard art.

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