My daughter Kristi, her friend Meaghan, and my sister, Sandra, and I decided to go antiquing last weekend. I love old furniture and had a vision of what I wanted – chairs with damaged caned seats or pop-off bottoms. Joking, I told the girls if there wasn’t enough room in the back of the Escape for my chairs, I’d have to take out my bungee cords and strap them to the top of the SUV.

On our road trip, we cruised down U.S. Route 1 between Ellsworth and Bucksport and checked out the antique shops. I found a cute little red rocker for $16 and a straight-back chair for $35, which both fit nicely in the back of the Escape. Needless to say, the girls had a comfortable ride home.

If you are looking to add a little oomph to your deck or flower garden, these chairs make artful planters. And this project takes only about a half-hour to do. You will need a utility knife, heavy-duty stapler, hammer, scissors, bird netting, coco lining, potting soil, and your favorite flowers.

Cut or pop the chair’s seat and fit the bird netting loosely over it. Fit the coco lining so it’s deep enough to hold your potting soil and flowers. Tuck the netting under the coco lining, staple it into the seat’s frame, add the potting soil, flowers and water, and voila!

– Arlene Boyle