This past weekend's project was half barrel planters. They are not your typical "cut a barrel in half" that you can get anywhere. I cut the barrels lengthwise. First I had to secure the bands to the barrel itself. That involved lots of screws and drilling. Then each metal band had to be cut on opposite sides. I painted the bands black and stained the barrel with an oil base stain for some protection. I drilled a few holes on the bottom for drainage. I used a couple of barrel staves for the stand so they won't rock. I put some plants in one of them. They are plants that should creep over the edges as they grow. I think that will look pretty cool. The other one I am going to use to get some trees going. For $10 you can get 10 trees from the National Arbor Society. They are actually more like twigs but it goes to a good cause. I will put them in the planter for the first year so they can get established then I will figure out where I am going to put them in the yard. I posted pics of the planters in the "Other cool stuff" section. Check them out.

Michelle