Repurposed Gutter Leaf Strainer Flowers
One of the things that makes repurposing so much fun is that you never know where your next project is coming from… what will inspire it, or where you’ll find it.
It could be something that strikes your fancy at a thrift store or a garage sale, or maybe you stumble across something totally by accident when you’re looking for something completely unrelated.
It’s just kismet… a meant to be kind of thing.
Well that’s what happened to me when John and I were at our local Home Hardware recently.
I don’t even remember what we were looking for, or if we even found it… because once I saw these leaf straining beauties I was so excited that quite frankly whatever we were supposed to be looking for went right out of my head.
Does that ever happen to you?
In my world inspiration trumps practicality every time. lol.
So there are my three beauties in the back, just waiting to be made into flowers for my garden… along with some vintage jello molds, three drawer knobs, some half inch flat end screws, and three silver plate teaspoons.
I save stamped silver plate spoons that I made booboos on for times just like this. Stainless steel teaspoons are way too hard to drill through.
The gutter leaf strainers cost $3 each, which is a little pricey for me… but not pricey enough to deter me because I just had to make these flowers.
NOTE: If you’ve never heard of gutter leaf strainers… join the club. lol. Apparently they go open side down into eavestrough/gutter downspouts and they’re supposed to stop leaves/twigs etc from going down. I did some googling and there are many different styles in all shapes and sizes. Here we call them gutter leaf strainers, but they might also be called downspout protectors, gutter leaf filters… and who knows what else. If you look in the eavestrough/gutter area of your hardware/building supplies store that’s where they should be. If you can’t find this exact style you might be able to modify whatever style you find.
With this particular leaf strainer style creating the main part of the flower is so easy.
All you need to do is bend back the sections, sort of like peeling a banana.
When you’re finished it should look something like this.
Then it’s time to start manipulating the sections so they look more like petals.
Once that’s done you can either leave it as is or bend the petals to the front so what you see in the pic above is the back of the flower rather than the front
Here are the 8/32 half inch screws that will hold my repurposed gutter leaf strainer flowers together.
But first I need to drill a hole into the spoon.
I started will a smaller bit, a 3/32″ (sorry didn’t get a pic of that), and then I used a 8/32″ bit to make a hole big enough for the screw to get through.
Make sure to use bits specifically for metal, and always always wear protective eyeware.
The jello mold metal is so soft that I was able to get through very easily with the bigger bit.
Then I took everything outside to spray paint some fun colors… backs and front, insides and outsides.
For my free spray painting tips printable check out my member library here. The password is included with every TRV email so if you’re not already a TRV reader you can sign up to receive free access.
When putting the flowers together the first thing to do is thread the screw through the spoon.
Then place the spoon at the back of the leaf strainer and push it through the jello mold hole.
Then you simply screw the drawer knob onto it.
Use a screwdriver to tighten it up.
At this point you can bend the spoon just a bit so the flower will sit nicely.
And here are my finished repurposed gutter leaf strainer flowers. I moved my dollar store clothespin flowers to another location in the garden so I could use these pipes that are in front of the kitchen porch.
I used a different jello mold for each one, and I combined the three colors differently for each flower.
This way each one is unique, but they also relate well to each other.
Here you can see what my flower looks like from the back.
And here are some close up front views.
I love that these are held together by just one screw, and I can take them apart at any time and change them up if I want to.
You could certainly glue these flowers together if you don’t want to use a drill, by using either E6000 or Marine Goop Adhesive glue.
These flowers were pretty easy to put together, and I have to say that I love turning purely practical things into something pretty.
So the next time you’re in a hardware store, keep your eyes open and you just might stumble upon your next repurposing idea.
I’m working on another project with more of these leaf strainers right now, and hope to share it soon.
You truly never know when and where inspiration will strike. That’s the fun of this whole creating thing. 🙂
If you enjoyed this project you might also enjoy my repurposed diy tulips.
Thanks so much for reading, and until next time…
keep on keepin’ on!
XOX
Don’t forget to pin this to your favourite Pinterest board.
Love them!!!!
Thanks very much Linda!
I have no idea what leaf strainers are. Seems we don’t have these around here. I love these !! Want to make some but cannot find metal molds or leaf strainers(?)
Hi Enola. Leaf strainers might also be called downspout protectors or eavestrough/gutter leaf filters. You can ask at your local building supply/hardware store. Or you can do a search on the store’s online site. Amazon might have them as well. I find jello molds at thrift stores and garage sales, and I pick them up whenever I see them because I might not find them when I need them. I hope that helps. 🙂
Too cute, Tuula! I can see how you decided to make flowers out of the leaf strainers! I probably would have, too – because I see tulips just waiting to be styled and painted!
Me too Gail! You guessed the project that I’m already working on that I mentioned at the bottom of this post. I really didn’t know which one to share first, but these flowers got done quicker. Now I need to edit the pics and write the post for the second project. Can’t wait to share it. 🙂
love them! awesome imagination!
Thank you so much Ardith!
What a fun project!
Thanks Mary!
They kind of remind me of pinwheels. Would be nice if they could spin. I love what you made. You are so creative.
Thanks Olivia! Pinwheel flowers are an awesome idea, but it wouldn’t work with these leaf strainers because the petals aren’t solid. I’ll give that some thought though for a possible future flower project. 🙂
Well, you have done it again Tuula! Those are just adorable, I love them! Pinning!
Tania
Thanks so much Tania!
Those are absolutely adorable Tuula! I love them & I haven’t heard of them either, but I’ll start looking out for them. I can see why you got so excited!
Thanks Florence! It’s really fun to discover cool things that I’ve never heard of, especially when I can immediately see what they could be.
These are so awesome, Tuula! Love them;) I get distracted at all the potential in hardware stores, too!
I know, right? I especially like plumbing stuff. All that copper looks so pretty. 🙂
Those are really cute! You are amazing.. and have the most creative ideas!
Have a great rest of the week!
Sherry
Thanks so much Sherry! I hope you have a great rest of the week too. 🙂
Love Love and Love some more these! You just solved a problem with what to do with some rebar we spray painted but ended up not using on a project. My yard needs these whimsical flowers 🙂 Pinned
Thanks Marie! I’m so glad I could help. My garden can’t have enough whimsical flowers. No watering required is always a good thing, especially with this hot and pretty dry summer we’re having so far.
These are adorable! I have never heard of gutter leaf strainers and I love your imagination in making them such a cute garden décor item.
Thanks AnnMarie! Just like thrift stores I never know what I’ll discover at the hardware store.
I have been spending time when I can’t sleep looking at all the possibilities for all of my junk treasures?
I love to do that too Pam. I often find inspiration in my junk stashes.
So cool, a great idea!!!
Thanks very much Linda!
Ack! I was in New Mexico visiting family and missed this post! So glad it was mentioned at the bottom of the new one! These are fabulous! I’ve recently started ‘dressing up’ the concrete block wall at the back of our yard and these would be perfect! AND EASY! Have I ever mentioned, you are the best?? Thanks for the idea! Dona
Was are the green stems made of? Love this project.
Thanks Pamela! I used leftover pieces from an old deck swing and I spray painted them green. You could use any pipes that you have, or get some at your local home improvement store. PVC pipe would work too. I hope that helps. 🙂