A big thank you to Mother Nature for beautifying my window boxes with the first snow of the season here in Central Illinois today!
I must also thank my sister, Dee. She knows I can’t turn down cast offs like some lanterns she gave me that were damaged when a tree fell on their house during a storm this past summer. I don’t think she throws much away without asking her hoarder sister first. And just to clarify, I prefer to call it recycling. And recycling her lanterns made for a beautiful winter window box.
My “window” boxes are technically planter boxes, since I didn’t have the nerve to mount boxes to my bricks. Here’s one naked right after I made it.
To decorate them for winter, I thought the most convenient way would be to leave the pots inside the boxes, cover the tops of the planters with a couple of boards and then mount my Christmas items on top of the boards. You can see in the four corners there are the recessed boards that form the legs.
Those are what I rested my boards on to form a “table” for my goodies. Plywood would have been easier, but I didn’t have any on hand. Sorry there are no pictures. It was way too cold out there to be lolly-gagging around taking photos.
After I set the boards in place, I screwed the lanterns onto the boards and then drilled holes where necessary to insert stems of greenery. I also used screws to attach garland and berries and such. We’ll see what’s left after the winter winds take their toll!
These were very cheaply done, since everything in the planters was either recycled, free or purchased at garage sales. This doesn’t have to be an expensive venture. Thrift shops would be another great place to find greens and ornaments for window boxes. I’m guessing I paid no more than $10 or $15 to decorate both of these.
Since my landscaping is new and very small, these planters will be the only form of curb appeal I’ll have in the wintertime for a few years, so they’re pretty necessary.
Merry Christmas, everyone! Yes, Merry Christmas!
This post was written by Tracy Evans, who is a Journeyman Painter, Certified Home Stager/Redesigner and avid gardener. If you have an interest in home organization, DIY home improvement projects or redesign, please feel free to visit her other blog at https://homestagingbloomingtonil.wordpress.com/. You can find additional before and after pictures on her website at http://www.HelpAtHomeStaging.com.
My Urban Garden Oasis 
Comments on: "Winter Curb Appeal With Window Boxes" (2)
I ran across your bird bath repair you did with JB weld, I have used JB on tons of things but never concrete. I have a broken birdbath, I was wondering if your repair still held up. Thanks Steve
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I’m happy to report that the birdbath is still just as intact as it was right after I repaired it. It’s spent three summers outside and survived a move too! I do bring it into the garage for the winter, as our winters can be snowy and icy at times here in Illinois. However, the birdbath is not concrete, it’s a heavy ceramic, so I can’t say if it would work for yours or not. I’d be surprised if it didn’t work. It’s certainly held up well for mine.
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