Mosaics

• Add broken bits of tile and other ceramics with flat-backed glass stones to create mosaic birdbaths, stepping stones or planters. You can find mosaic tiles for your summer craft projects at your local craft store or break your own from dishes and tiles you find at yard sales. Be careful to break the ceramics inside a sealed plastic bag that is wrapped in a towel so the pieces will not fly everywhere. Gentle taps with a hammer should do the job. Thinset is the standard adhesive for making outdoor mosaics, but you can also use Liquid Nail or another waterproof adhesive for smaller projects. Grouting is the process of filling in the spaces between the tiles and broken bits. It's easy to grout your projects, but cleanup can be time consuming. Make sure to remove any grout from the glass or ceramic pieces with warm water and a sponge or they might become cloudy.
  
  

Wind Chimes

• Make whimsical wind chimes with old utensils, crystal prisms or anything else small enough to hang, soldering wire. This is a great outdoor craft to make with the kids during the summer. It's easy to wrap the utensils with soldering wire so you can hang them from a metal craft ring. You can let the kids decorate the utensils with paint before wrapping the wire for colorful wind chimes. Tie the objects onto a craft ring with fishing line. You can add strands of crystal prisms or a single crystal to catch the sunlight and throw it around your garden. Kids will love making wind chimes, especially if you turn the project into a scavenger hunt for items that make their project unique. Consider hanging seashells collected on your vacation from a piece of driftwood or combining small cowbells and decorative metal sculptures for wind chimes that will grace your backyard for years to come.
  
  

Wheelbarrow Planter

• Transform a wheelbarrow into a charming planter you can place in your yard or garden. A mix of summer annuals like petunias, begonias and gerbera daisies is perfectly suited for adorning your wheelbarrow planter. You can paint an old wheelbarrow if you prefer a clean look or distress a new one if your tastes are more rustic. Embellish the sides with painted flowers, or keep the design simple with a coat of protective polyurethane. Drill holes in the base of the wheelbarrow and line the bottom with pebbles for proper drainage before adding your potting soil and plants.