Cast iron sinks ... Thrifted and RePurposed fountain and potting bench

I thought I would share with you today this little space at the back door of our workshop that I turned into a potting station, fountain and photo shoot area.

Our friend and neighbor (92) was moving close to his daughter and had a few things to sell. Sitting behind their art studio was this table with yellow cast iron double sinks ... wow, was it ever heavy! He said it was their fish-cleaning sinks but from the traces of paint on it,  I would guess it was where they cleaned their brushes. 

For $15.00, it was coming home with us. We removed the vintage faucets, replaced some rotten wood and painted the stand.


We poured this small slab by the back door of our workshop just the width of the ramp that was already there and put the table there. It sat like this for months. Even the nice wood gate that we built out of reclaimed wood just leaned up against the wall ... too heavy to hang and it covered the electric plug that we always needed to use. It was a nice backdrop for photos.

I am safe in saying that everything that you see here was thrifted or repurposed.

 I could put a cover over the sinks and use it for a table for taking photos. The lighting is perfect until the sun starts going down and then there was too much sun. 



BEFORE 
 Photo shoot of blue tool box.


I used it like that for awhile and then I found this perfect faucet to just sit there for looks.

  

Then one day decided to make a little fountain out of it by putting a bucket of water on the shelf below and adding a recirculating pump to connect to one side of the faucet ... thus, it became a fountain. Having running water is nice to rinse my hands. 

I still use it for photo shoots by laying a board across the sinks.

 Today, was hot but I decided to make that area presentable even though it was not visible from the street.                                        
Cute little thermometer for 25¢

With old gate hinges, I mounted the gate to the wall and made a perfect screen for that one end. 

I hung the glassless window frame that had just been sitting there on top the bucket bench for weeks and added a few more plants. Window frame was a curb-side find. 

The bucket on the shelf under the sinks holds the pump and catches the water. A nice estate sale rocker needed for a short rest.

Old wire fry baskets hanging inside the old window with garden tools, clay pots and Sweet Anne adds interest and a place to store potting stuff. Just straighten the handle on the basket for an easy built-in hanger.

My new friend Cecilia at My Thrift Store Addiction.
inspired me to cut some rosemary and make a swag for my glassless window.  Hope you will hop over to her blog and see her beautiful Rosemary wreath tutorial.
It is so beautiful ... 

 

The awning may not look too pretty from this angle, but it sure helps to drop the temperature. I think it dropped about 4° in just a few minutes after I rolled it out.
 

Just a few steps away is our Windmill water fountain that runs through an old metal water faucet, and adds a pleasant sound of running water. This is where the deer drink and the large birds love it too. Next to the old ranch fence is a vintage metal animal water trough planted with several kind of wildflowers. 
8' trough was $10.00.

 

Thanks for the visit ... hope you leave a note to let me know you were here.

Blessings,

Linking to: 

Revi's Revisionary Life: Thrifty Life Thursday

Angie's Knick of Time Tuesday Vintage Inspired

DIY Concrete Pumpkin and Yard Art.Potting Table/Sink.Pouring Cement

You know ... when you pour concrete ... 
you always have some left over.  
 

So when we poured a small 3' x 10' pad/walk at the back door of our new addition to our workshop ... we did have extra concrete and I was prepared to make some concrete yard art. 
  
I had ready ... a large glass globe that had been a swag lamp ... it had been in the yard for years and had lost most of its color ... two other small round globes ... an oleo tub ... a plastic peanut butter jar and a plastic pumpkin. 

Here is what I made ...  
A cement ball that is so heavy, we could not pick it up ... had to roll it to where we wanted it. It is bigger than a basketball. 

Hope it will age and grow moss.......... 


Then ... a pumpkin ... the oleo tub using the peanut butter jar to make an indention for a candle or a plant and 3/4 into one of the small glass globes ... then we were out of left-over concrete mix.

Love how they all turned out. 
(These are not fully cured, so still look a little "wet" in spots)

I added some sphagnum moss and perlite to the Quick-Crete mix as Shayna at Woodgrain Cottage did HERE. 

I think my mix was too thin and did not come out with the aged, cracked look as Shayna got in hers or Bliss at Bliss Ranch.

Next time, I will know ... needs to be more of a dry, clumpy texture.

 Anyway ... I am pleased with how they turned out.

I added a stem that I picked up from the yard; rusty, curled metal wire; faux leaves; grapevine and moss to the pumpkin.

The 3/4 ball can be used in several different ways ...

Fall decor ...

Can put a candle or a plant in the 'oleo tub' pot.

It was coated with oleo so the finish turned out slick looking and I made the top to look rough.

Yes, I sprayed the insides of the molds with PAM.

Stacking these two pieces makes an awesome riser ...

Here are these pieces in my dug-out wooden trough ...

 can be seen HERE.

You know why I needed wanted this pad or walk ???

I needed a place to put my new old, cast-iron double sink table. 

We bought this table ($15.00) from a neighbor who was moving ... 

they called it their 'fish-cleaning' table ... actually, they were professional artists and I think they cleaned their paint brushes here. We repaired/removed rotted wood and painted it gray.

Anyway it has yellow cast-iron double sinks with very little counter space and weighs a ton. I plan to use it as a table for photo shoots and maybe also a potting table. The faucet is non-working and removable when I want to lay a board on it for a table.

The picket fence/gate to the left is made for recycled boards that were in my pile of saved wood. 

The white crank that you see in front of the picket fence/gate is for a six foot retractable awning for those sunny hot days.

LOVE it ...

Thanks for visiting ... 
hope you enjoyed my latest project ... many more to come.




Be sure to visit these parties: 
Ivy & Elephants What's It Wednesday
Share It One More Time @ One More Time Events
Seasonal Sundays #174 @ The Tablescaper 
Sunday Show-off Linkey Party @Twigg Studios 

Knick of Time Tuesday Angie at Knick of Time 
Party Junk @ Funky Junk Interiors 
 WOW us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
 Home Sweet Home-142  @ The Charm of Home 

Home and Garden Thursday @ ADelightsome Life

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Share aCup with Ms. Olson

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Feathered Nest Friday @ FrenchCountry Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ CommonGround

Thrifty Things Friday @ TheThrifty Groove   
Nifty Thrifty Sunday #131 @  Nifty Thrifty Things