DIY Dragonfly Yard Art

What a unique ornament for your yard! I guarantee that no one else will have one just like it. You probably can’t even make two of them the same. Not only is it cute as can be, but for DIYers who love to repurpose old things, all the components are things that you will scrounge up. With an old table leg for the body, old sunglasses for the eyes, and two pastry tools to hold the wings (fan blades) on, it’s really ingenious. I am in awe of how creative some people are.

People throw away old fans all the time so getting hold of fan blades should be no problem. Watch for old tables that are discarded and pick up one that has legs cute enough to use for this. Having curves definitely makes it much more interesting than a straight leg. You can pick up the two pastry cutters in thrift stores as well as old sunglasses.

So here is what you’ll need to look for and assemble:

• Body: Wooden table leg.
• Wings: Ceiling fan blades.
• Antennae: Any thick wire that will bend and stay in position. I found mine in the electrical section of the thrift store.
• Eyes: I used sunglasses with flat-bottom marbles glued on. Drawer knobs or metal egg cups would also look good.
• Details: I added two pastry cutters (to echo the wings) and a kitchen fork (like a tongue).
• Embellishments: Flat-bottom marbles, costume jewelry, glitter, kitchen utensils—anything goes.
• Paint: Any spray paint or wood paint and polyurethane.

To assemble your dragonfly:

• Paint all the pieces before putting them together
• Melissa from Empress of Dirt used a kitchen tool with holes in it to paint the polka dots on the dragonfly body. She used it as a template and sprayed through the holes.
• Use the mounting brackets that were used on the ceiling fan along with 1/4′ wood screws to put the wings on and GE II Silicone Sealant to glue the flat-bottom marbles to the fan blades and the fork as a tongue.

What do you do with your dragonfly when it’s finished? You can anchor it into the ground like Melissa did, or you could mount it to a wall or the side of a shed or garage. You could hang it from an overhang or a tree. Wherever it pleases your fancy to see the newest addition to your yard.

A big thank you to Melissa of Empress of Dirt for this project and photos.