Ideas for Fencepost Mailboxes

Paint

• If you can paint, or have a friend who can, paint your fencepost mailbox to make it stand out. Use acrylic paints and cover the dried design with clear acrylic glaze or polyurethane to protect it from the elements. On the mailbox, paint your house; the surrounding landscape, such as mountains or the sea; birds and flowers; a beloved pet; or your family name. If you're handy with wood, you can also add a head, wings or fins to turn your mailbox into a flamingo, a largemouth bass or a rooster.

House

• Some people like to build their mailboxes a house to live in. If you're handy with tools, you can build a model house with a central cavity and slip it over your existing mailbox. A large birdhouse can sometimes be modified to slip over a mailbox. However, if you don't want to build a model yourself, there are craftsmen online who'll build one to your specifications.

Plants

• If your mailbox is already attached to a fencepost, make use of it. Flowering vines such as morning glories or clematis, or climbing roses, will add beauty to even the plainest mailbox. Alternatively, you might add a flower box over, under or to the side of your mailbox and change the plants according to the season.

Junk Art

• If you want to make a statement, or if you just have junk you want to repurpose, try replacing your mailbox with a broken household object. Sometimes these ideas are just plain funny and have the added benefit of reducing waste. Replace your mailbox with a broken microwave, an outdated computer tower, a bread safe or a large metal pipe. Be sure to check with the postal service beforehand, however, to make sure your work of art meets postal service regulations.