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Hometalk is where people share and help with everything home & garden

4.8K
Patty S
Patty S Sturgeon Bay, WI on May 16, 2012
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"Polatems" (pots, plates, totems) birdbaths, bird feeders and planters.

I had so much fun putting my "Polatems" together. I collected beautiful pots and plates from Goodwill and garage sales. I dug a hole 12" deep intserted a piece of rebar, which can be purchased at a hardware store in any length of your choice. Fill the hole with concrete. Level the rebar to make it straight. Once the concrete dries..overnight is good, start putting the pots and plates onto the rebar in an artistic order, gluing them as you go..I used glass glue from the hardware store, it comes in a caulking tube. Use a level to keep each pot or plate straight. You can add pieces in the middle such as a metal dish from an old firepit as a planter or even a terricotta planter. Just be creative. Top it off with a glass ball, a ceramic bird or whatever suits you fancy. There you have it ...Enjoy and watch the birds..even the Hummers like the colors.

#Bestof2012

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    "Polatems" (Pots,plates, totems) My husband always says "What will she think of next"!
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149 Comments Displaying 25 of 149 comments | See Previous
  • Patty S Sturgeon Bay, WI
    I drilled the holes with a carbide tip drill bit. Thanks, I also have done some as planters. So much fun.
    on Feb 14, 2013 · Like 2
  • Sara Corpus Christi, TX
    Made some out of glass vases and glass plates. I had a problem with them falling over in high winds and storms. Broken glass EVERYWHERE. I finally through them away in fear my grandkids would get cut. Not sure how to get them stay up unless you bury them in the ground???? Just wondering~
    on Feb 24, 2013 · Like 0
  • Patty S Sturgeon Bay, WI
    You dig a hole in the ground, and put a piece of rebar into the concrete as soon as you pour it full of concrete. Let it dry overnight. Make sure your rebar is the height of the polatem you wish to make before putting it into the cement. Then drill holes in the pots, plates, whatever and stack them onto the rebar, gluing them with glass glue as you go. Good luck to you. :)
    on Feb 24, 2013 · Like 2
  • Debbie Alvarado Saint Louis, MO
    You can also use the platters as bird feeders or bird baths. Dual usage and the birds will love it !!

    on Feb 24, 2013 · Like 0
  • LoEtta yaden Longview, WA
    not writting. just stops

    on Feb 24, 2013 · Like 0
  • Karen Mcdayd Winfield, KS
    SO ARE YOU SAYING YOU HAVE REBAR ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP??? I KNOW SOME THINGS WOULD HAVE A HOLE....OTHERWISE YOU MUST HAVE DRILLED HOLES. WONT CHIP OR BREAK??? DID I MISS SOMETHING?
    on Feb 25, 2013 · Like 0
  • Patty S Sturgeon Bay, WI
    Yes there is rebar all of the way to the top. You must use a carbide tip on the drill to keep from breaking the plates and pots.
    on Feb 26, 2013 · Like 0
  • Patty S Sturgeon Bay, WI
    Debbie Alvarado, as you can see I did use large bowls, platters and even a divided vegie tray for birdbath, feeders, etc. The birds do love it.
    on Mar 03, 2013 · Like 0
  • Sharon B Green Bay, WI
    Nice to see u on, wrote a while back but did not hear from u.....I live in Green Bay and not far from u.....saw on the news tonight they will b working on the big bridge, oh my......your work is so beautiful
    on Mar 05, 2013 · Like 1
  • Patty S Sturgeon Bay, WI
    Thanks Sharon, right now I am in Arizona at our winter home. won't be back until May. Stay warm!!
    on Mar 05, 2013 · Like 0
  • Elayne B New York, NY
    I'm impressed, these look gorgeous!! One or two- strategically placed could make a garden so unique.... I've seen tea cups & saucers on a metal rod before for sale at craft shows up here. I love the totem pole idea, it's very Canadian, too. These will jazz up my wee garden. Thanks for being so creative. : )
    on Mar 19, 2013 · Like 3
  • Mitzie Smith Plainview, TX
    Beautiful, love these
    on Mar 21, 2013 · Like 0
  • Dee H Arlington, TX
    I love this idea! Will surely try to get hubby to help me with one. I just hope some of the pots or taller things will be slippery enough to keep the squirrels off. We have quite a few.
    on Mar 22, 2013 · Like 0
  • Patty S Sturgeon Bay, WI
    They have never bothered mine. They are too rounded for them to be able to climb. Don't put them too close to trees so they won't be able to jump from a limb onto the "Polatem".
    on Mar 23, 2013 · Like 0
  • Beth Granbury, TX
    Very cute! I will give this a try. Thank you for sharing. I wonder, if you could use a pvc pipe, run a hose up through it and make it into a water feature, as well. If the very top ornament or dish has several holes it could be a sprayer for the yard, water for the birds and/or a sprinkler for the grandkids to play in. :)
    on Mar 25, 2013 · Like 4
  • Judith F Wills Point, TX
    Patty, I am all ready with everything I need to make my Polatems.My hubby drill a whole in one bowl and was fine, then he said it got really hard on a ceramic piece, he broke another. What we bought was Bosh glass and tile roken!!bit, is this correct or is there a helpful hint we need to do, because I don't want anything else b
    on Mar 31, 2013 · Like 0
  • Judith F Wills Point, TX
    Sorry all scrambled.
    on Mar 31, 2013 · Like 0
  • KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO
    Another item that works for this type of work is a small grinder bit, this can be used in a "die grinder" or even a dremel type tool. It may not be as fast as a masonry bit but the chance of breaking a plate or pot will go down.
    on Apr 01, 2013 · Like 1
  • Patty S Sturgeon Bay, WI
    Judith, it has to be a carbide bit.
    on Apr 01, 2013 · Like 1
  • Maggie C Evans, WV
    I just love this
    on Apr 13, 2013 · Like 0
  • Judith F Wills Point, TX
    Patti, we had the hardest time finding a carbide bit, the size we needed. ended up with tile and glass bit.Some worked fine and other items were a bugger bear to drill.
    on Apr 16, 2013 · Like 0
  • Gigles Bonno Iron River, MI
    This looks like it would be a great idea to use with the clay pots as a planter. Use different size pots up and down the rerod and fill with annual flowers, pansies, geraniums....
    on Apr 25, 2013 · Like 0
  • Tina Fort Wayne, IN
    Does anyone know how well this hold up in the midwest winter weather? LOVE this!
    on May 17, 2013 · Like 0
  • KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO
    Tina ... the biggest concern would be would be with freeze / thaw issue. Most bird baths survive due to the convex shape...as ice forms it lifts upward and therefore it is not "constrained". If there is not place for the ice to expand, that would lead to trouble.

    This would never work In my area due to our winds, we routinely see 60 to 80 mph in the winter, and sometime it even gets higher...For this to survive here I would need to bed it down in a few feet of concrete.

    7 days ago · Like 0
  • Kae Forsythe Heber Springs, AR
    Have seen some shorter ones that can be lifted off center post for winter
    7 days ago · Like 0

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