OMGosh, thank you all! You are all such an inspiration...what wonderful ideas! I really bought it for outside... and today I found a great spot for it. (I sure was tempted to keep it inside after reading some of the postings). I knew that I needed to put it on the house in a spot where you can see it real well! So my DH pounded some cement nails in for me. I have a walk-out basement with a garage. So it is in-between the big garage door and a window in the cement block. It will be awesome when decorated. I went ahead and stained the wood today for protection (winter around the corner) ... and I'm keeping an eye out for some metal containers to put conifers in the 2 circle holders (hopefully cone-shaped) ... and also lots of pines, nuts & berries. I will send a pic when it's done. Might even use some little lights and run a cord into the garage. Thanks so much for the feedback. Jeanne S. p.s. It was a $15 flea market purchase...the lady had marked down her stuff half-off on the last day...I fell in love with it...thinking I'd put it on my garden shed.

In answer to using old plush toys filled with soil? Why Not? Plants are rather adaptive and you will find something willing to take over and be cut back regularly, returning with a vengeance to cover that toy completely. I make topiary for a living and have used alot of drainage pipe for letters like a billboard I did in SF for garden.com that was completely planted with ficus vine for a years' contract. I secured the black plastic 4" tubing to the billboard forming letters along the way, forty feet up...filled with soil, made plant holes 1 per foot,covered in sphagnum moss secured with fishing line, made a solar powered drip system with 50 gallon drum water reservoir (remote location) pumped it 40' up, another pump for 40' across...The new disney retail headquarters in Pasadena, CA has an 18' Mickey Mouse Archway at the entrance...it has alot of spare space inside and is filled with refuse plastic. the plants dont mind as long as they have soil and water to grow in. The 15' ABSOLUT bottle I did in St Thomas has basically a teddy bear lining inside to hold plants and soils in, come to think of it. 3 months later the ficus vine had fully taken over, no doubt it did not hurt using grey water for conservation methods...dark green plants after that!

Thanks, everyone, for looking at my things! Karen, We love living here in a smaller town than the metropolis of Southern California where we came from (seems like one big city). And we're lucky that we are both closer to family. But I wouldn't sell Phoenix shopping short...I've seen some PRETTY GOOD stuff in your pictures! Blizlady...Isn't it interesting? "Made in Japan" used to be considered junk. I could tell the stein was nice quality, loved the colors, and would like more (I'll keep my eye out). It is packed away for my move, but if I recall, "Japan" appears to have been "scratched" into the bottom before the pottery was dry. How lucky you are to have a collection! - Magpie

Lots of French horns for sale on Etsy and eBay—I checked! My 26 wreaths have arrived and the Etsy lady just shipped the velvet bows. I wanted a deep red without a hint of that orangey hue you find in most outdoor red velvet bows. I also wanted just four loops and no really long tails. She made them for five dollars each and I am happy to have the full number of them without going to different stores. i recommend her highly if you’re interested, TinaM.