upcycle Archives -

Up-cycle Chipped Dishes

April 16, 2019

Hi everyone! This up-cycle project is the result of a split second decision to consider a second life for a tired item. Usually, I either toss or donate an item that is passed it’s prime. And, that’s almost what I did when my crock pot shaped soup bowls began to chip. And then I came up with an idea to up-cycle chipped dishes.

This up-cycle project works great for those small chipped dishes that might not be table worthy for guests, but still, have a lot of potential uses.

I had a few crock soup bowls with chips and I got this idea that these cute bowls be perfect on my tiny deck. It was the perfect size to add to my tiny cylinder table. I pulled those clumps of grass that always migrate to the other side of the border. You know those clumps of grasses that think the grass is greener on the other side? wink

The clumps of grass worked out well because they are easy to maintain and they grow vertical. The grass added some much-needed greenery to a tiny space.

This would be a fun craft project this summer with kids, cousins and gran, children. Everyone goes home with chipped dishes filled with fresh pulled grass!

Pottery Barn Kitchen Table Knockoff

March 14, 2019

I was this close to selling my kitchen table on Craig’s List when I saw this table on Pottery Barn’s website. In just a few minutes of side glances over my shoulder and back at the screen I knew I had a PB kitchen table knockoff in the works!

I looked at this table, zoomed in on the base and looked over to my World Market clearance table. This white PB kitchen table turned out to be the inspiration for my Pottery Barn kitchen table knockoff I finished last summer.

My veneer-ish, shiny black table was mix-matched with the shades of blue. I was so close to trading it in for something new.

I painted my round table with this Benjamin Moore color. It is Mascarpone and it is a favorite white at my house. The hardest part about this creamy white is spelling it correctly. I have to Google it everytime.

And, this Pottery Barn kitchen table knockoff is one of my favorites! My kitchen table went from a shiny, veneer-ish finish to a creamy color to brighten the space.

kitchen-table-pottery-barn-knockoff-feature

I think this table is the longest I have kept a piece of furniture free from new paint. Yes, I do touch it up, but I have not wavered in my decision to paint it a different color. I love it!

How to Upcycle Candle Jars

January 24, 2019

I love candles and any excuse to light a few. I love to light candles on rainy evenings and snowy weekends. Just a forecast for snow gets me excited to light candles. love candles over three day weekends in the winter.

My favorite places to shop for candles are Bath & Body Works and the Capri candles at Anthropologie are a favorite.

And, I can’t walk into a HomeGoods without taking a peek down the candle section. All of these candles have one thing in common: great packaging! The jars are glass and metal which makes them perfect for an upcycle.

For me, candles are the closest thing to a wood burning fireplace in a state that has largely banned wood-burning fireplaces in residential homes. I wonder if candle sales are higher in Colorado than states that allow wood-burning fireplaces?

Candles give many of us a feeling of warmth, home, comfort and peace.

So with almost empty glass jars piling up after the holidays, I had to find an easy way to upcycle candle jars.

And, I discovered the key to cleaning out the wax was to freeze the jars, followed by hot water. That’s it! For an entire month, my freezer had a 1/2 dozen candle jars.

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And, when I had a few minutes I boiled water and watched the frozen wax pop out or break down into smaller pieces. The wax residue just needed soapy water and a little elbow grease.

Have you seen this new brand at Target?

The results were awesome and all of sudden these beautiful candle jars can be re-purposed for new uses. Stay tuned!

How to upcycle candle jars! Click To Tweet

Sharing:

Stonegable

Grandma’s House Diy

Twigs & Branches Centerpiece

October 25, 2018

It was the best (my first) curbside find the day I asked an arborist to help me parallel park my car in Denver. I didn’t actually have him park my car. I just needed some eyes on the curb and hand signals. Once parked I asked the arborist about the stack of twigs and branches next to the curb. Before I could finish my offer to take some of the branches, his crew was loading the twigs and branches into the back of my car. The leaves and bugs were included.

He asked me what I was going to do with them.

I told him I didn’t have a clue…

but, I would figure it out.

Which is basically my motto in life.

With a car full of twigs and branches and bugs I was on a mission to get home and spend time on Pinterest.

Well, the other thing about me is I stink at crafts. I don’t have the patience or the discipline to follow the directions. I take shortcuts. And, with my vision of a twigs and branches centerpiece, I made shortcuts. Get it?

And, then I went with the circle theme and layered the branches on a round cardboard form to form a centerpiece.

It was a glue gun and layers of sliced branches.

My first plan was to layer berries and twigs, but then I remember the stash of preserved boxwood wreaths.

I love to use a small boxwood wreath to layer and stack candles during the holidays.

This twigs and branches centerpiece was taking shape.

I added my favorite mini candle to pull the centerpiece together.

This upcycled centerpiece, made from Denver’s tree branches is ready for the holidays.

Sharing

Upcycle Retail Bags with Mod Podge

August 28, 2018

Here’s a funny story about the buying habits in my house. Do any of you recognize the Lululemon logo (it resembles the swirl on a tennis ball)? My teenage boys discovered the clearance rack last year. Now, they spend THEIR money on Lululemon swag. Over the holidays we accumulated a few of the popular waxy textured bags and they were too durable to toss in the trash. So I decided to find a way to upcycle retail bags.

An upcycle project is the easiest way to justify (minimize the cost (guilt) of fancy workout gear. The Lululemon bags are durable which made for an easy and practical upcycle. For this project the Lululemon bags’ s waxy finish made for an ideal plant container. It could easily handle water and dirt.

Supplies

The supplies included:

Mod Podge
Scissors
Fabric
Sturdy Retail Bag

What are the zig zag scissors called? Are they shears? Anyway, I used them to minimize the fray effect from the fabric. Honestly, I think the Mod Podge will minimize the fabric fray. It’s that good!

These paper binder clips worked great to secure the fabric to Lululemon bag.

I added Mod Podge to the fabric to “toughen” it up and protect the fabric and retail bag from the water.

This stuff is like a powerful sealant against the fabric.

I loved the finished look and I love the backstory. A little retail bag gets a new career.

Up-cycle projects are a great way to flex our creativity to give everyday items a second life. This is a great way to use fabric scraps that collect over the years.

Do you have a favorite retail bag for a potential upcycle?

upcycle retail bags

Sharing

Across the Boulevard

Home Office Mailbox Find

July 16, 2018

A few years ago I was at the Barn; a popular vintage store located south of Denver in a town called Castle Rock. It’s a fun place to browse when you need a break from the scheduled packed days. On that day, I had a few minutes before meeting a girlfriend for coffee and ran into the Barn. In between the antiques and farmhouse finds, I found a brassy metal mailbox. It was an inexpensive find and I had plans to use it in my kitchen to hold keys. Well, that mailbox went around the block, I mean house, a few times. Finally landing (hanging) in my home office. My home office mailbox with rusty edges was not ready for Goodwill.

Home Office Mailbox Find

With an ongoing home office refresh, the mailbox found a new home in my home office, right next to the door. It got a sloppy coat of Hale Navy paint and added a little cover to the Revere Pewter walls.

In today’s email packed boxes, this little mailbox no longer holds mail.

But with the tiny door lift centered on the front of the mailbox, it is ready to store something fun. Sometimes practical is overrated!

I would love your thoughts on what to store in the front compartment. I love the metal scroll detail. Although this mailbox no longer holds the local newspaper I want to find something for the scrolled arms.

Sidenote: Our kids have no concept of a news article on printed paper.

But, what I love most about this mailbox is it reminds us of the low tech version of mail delivery. The little key entry on the front panel suggests an earlier version of security.

I love it and my little home office mailbox looks content to sit on the wall and be a part of a home office makeover.

Sharing:

Designthusiasm

My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies

Our Hopeful Home

Savvy Southern Style

Clean Closets Gave the Accessories a Repurposed Life

July 9, 2018

Hi Everyone! I finally tackled a task I dreaded; cleaning out the closets (and the basement storage). I don’t know why I dreaded it because the sense of accomplishment was as great as this accomplishment over the 4th of July holiday. But, still, the thought of cleaning out closets, the pantry and the basement were overwhelming at best. But, like so many professional organizers suggest; break the task into manageable tasks and manage where the stuff goes (charity or trash) or to a repurposed life.

The biggest closet challenge was larger than a close; it was the unfinished space in the basement. Over the year it became the place to store seasonal decor, oversized items and the 52 pickup game we play before we entertain. Anyone else play that game? This was what my basement stash looked like at the beginning of summer.

It had become a safety hazard. My treadmill sits on the opposite end of the basement. That was my view during commercials of the early morning news.

But a late night and a Hallmark movie gave me a chance to finally tackle the ribbons, boxes, future projects and greenery. And, amongst the cluttered chaos, I gave accessories a repurposed life.

I found a discarded candle holder and just before I tossed it into the Goodwill pile I grabbed a roll of toilet paper. And, this almost tossed accessory found a repurposed life in a powder bath with no under sink storage.

I took a popular bread container that never quite fit into my kitchen and it became a storage container above a tub.

Sidenote: I don’t love baskets in bathrooms. I like to clean surfaces in bathrooms with cleaning products and a paper towel.

In full disclosure, the metal bread container ended up back in the kitchen, but it could easily be repurposed again. A few years ago I went overboard with lanterns on clearance. So it was no surprise this lantern also became a repurposed accessory.

Like the collection of baskets in my basement. I grabbed this one and tossed a few too many pillows next to the sofa! I love the look! The pillows get off the floor (anyone else has this overnight mystery)?

I shared this project using vases stashed on that storage rack. Here’s an almost tossed glass vase that now sits on the dining room table.

And, I think that’s the purpose of a storage room, closet or pantry. Sometimes these accessories need to be stored until we can give our accessories a repurposed life.

Link to:

Sweet Parrish Place

Ideas to Upcycle Spray Bottles

July 2, 2018

Okay, how many of you have a slight addiction to HomeGoods? What is it about this warehouse of items ranging from makeup to Christmas trees. I was guided by angels when I found this after Christmas. I have a few favorite finds on any given day; dishes, linens, coffee (yes they sell coffee) and seasonal items. But, my favorite go-to purchase is cleaning products! I love the dish soaps and counter spray cleaners. And, after awhile I created a few ideas to upcycle spray bottles.

You can imagine my enthusiasm when I won a basket of cleaning products at our kids’ school auction. It was such a treat because the product labels matched. If you are a HomeGoods (or TJ Maxx) shopper you know the struggle to find more than one of any find. So yes, I loved these matching cleaning products (and I paid too much for this cleaning basket, but it was a fundraiser)!

So when the cleaning products are nearly empty, I feel a sense of guilt for tossing the plastic spray bottles.

I mean how is that spray nozzle ever going to get a second chance if it ends up in the dump?

I think I carry the recycle gene from my Appalachia great grandparents. Taking a cue from my grandparents (and my mom) I backfill the empty spray bottles. I use cleaning staples like vinegar, baking soda and a vinegar based cleaning product I buy in bulk.

My sister first turned me on to Nature’s Miracle for pet accidents and for workout clothes. As she explained, the vinegar is what neutralizes the odors. But over time, I just bought a gallon of everyday vinegar for like a dollar.

I removed the labels and glue from the plastic spray bottles and used chalk labels or scrap paper to identify the bottles. This fun dog print was perfect for the vinegar based cleaning products for dog messes. It was the visual the family needed to clean up the pet messes and puppy puddles.

I didn’t want one of them to pull the, “I didn’t know if it was filled with bleach so I waited for you to get home.”

I purchased baking soda in bulk at Costco. And, last summer was the summer of Snapple. I collected dozens of Snapple bottles and let’s just say this summer the Snapple bottles store lots of tiny miscellaneous items and cleaning products.

The Snapple bottles were the perfect size bottle to store baking soda for baking sheets with cooked on grease. And, a little sprinkle of baking soda added sparkle to the sink and a great way to remove rust from serving trays.

And, then there were the plastic spray bottles that were too practical (maybe it’s me) to toss into the recycle bin. I love these chalk friendly labels but added a layer of clear packing tape to keep the labels dry.

These spray bottles were previous HomeGood finds and now had a new purpose. I tucked these spray bottles into closets with a reusable rag or paper towels for quick touchups. Storing these in closets or cabinets saves time by not having to run around the house to find a surface specific cleaner.

How do you upcycle plastic spray bottles? Do you have any suggestions for my Snapple bottles or spray bottles?

Looking for a way to organize the cleaning products check out this idea here.

Here’s an easy way to remove rust with a little baking soda and this .

Sharing:

Funky Polka Dot Giraffe

Oak Hill Homestead

Cowboy Boots to Book Ends

April 30, 2018

Hi Everyone! I recently spent an evening sorting thru my kids baby blankets, baby shoes and all those child keepsakes packed away in a storage bin. The memories of Winnie the Pooh bathing suits and my boys’ cowboy boots. The blankets made by great aunts for our daughter. All these amazing memories tucked into a bin and stored in a hall closet. When I found the cowboy boots it brought back memories of my youngest son’s cowboy phase; pajamas and cowboy boots. I initially tucked them back into the bin and then I got the cutest idea for these memory-filled, boots.

And, my son’s memory filled boots had spent too much time in storage. I had a few ideas for these boots but decided to display them on my freshly painted shelves in the basement. The basement is where our boys hang out with their friends, so it made sense to display these where he and his friends chill. I may have pointed the cowboy boots out to his friends on more than one occasion. wink

The size of these boots makes it easy to play with their placement on the shelves.

Look at the mud caked onto the boot’s heel. I almost cleaned it, but I decided those boots, with the mud, tells my son’s story.

Oh my gosh you guys I just love these re-purposed boots. I would encourage you to pull out those storage bins and find a few favorite keepsakes and put them on display.

Oh and that wire basket was a dollar section find at Target!

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Feathered Nest Friday

5 Simple Ways to Make Every Day Earth Day

April 22, 2018

Hi everyone! Happy Earth Day! If you know me you know I love a good up-cycle project. Sometimes I think my up-cycle enthusiasm is from my grandparents and my parents’ generations. They learned at an early age to save, recycle, repurpose and reuse everyday objects. But today we use fancy words like up-cycle and repurpose. So in honor of the big day here are simple ways to make every day Earth Day.

How to Make a Wall Mounted Paper Roll

April 9, 2018

Do you love craft paper? I have a thing for markers and paper. I buy rolls of wrapping paper at HomeGoods on a regular basis. And I did a fun upcycle project with wrap paper here. But what I was obsessed with was this wall mounted paper roll. My obsession took root when I saw this mounted paper roll on BHG.com.

Sidenote: Up until 30 seconds ago I thought the painted floor was the steps leading up to the kitchen sink. #opticalillusion. I love everything about this photo.

I created this wall mounted paper roll on the fly. My goal was to use what I had on hand. I even had the brown paper. I purchased the solid iron hooks last year on Etsy. That gives you a look at how to long it takes me to get a project to production.

I decided to build this wall mounted wall mounted paper roll under the DIY farmhouse kitchen shelves.

It was a strategic decision after we removed our upper cabinets to make way for our largest project (1/2 wall removal). One of us was a little too aggressive pulling out the cabinets and a chunk of the backsplash came out with the cabinet.

Wall Mounted Paper Roll Supplies

Craft paper roll (Ikea in children’s department)
Metal Hooks
Wood Dowel (Home Depot or Michaels) I think HD was cheaper
Scrap Wood
Stain (my favorite stain project).

This next photo shows how quickly I put this together.

I only had two black screws long enough to drill through the wood and wall.

The significance of the wall mounted board is it adds the necessary depth for the wall mounted paper roll can … well… roll.

That’s the extent of my technical description. Oh and there’s that chunk of tile behind below the wall mounted roll.

Sharing:

French Country Cottage

Across the Boulevard

Confessions of a Plate Addict

DesignThusiasm

Domestically Speaking

Jodie Fitz

Bluesky at Home

Repurposed Toolbox

April 5, 2018

My husband had two grandfathers in his life. One grandfather grew up in a Czech community in Wilbur, Nebraska (think Mayberry). His other set of grandparents lived more of a Mad Men lifestyle in San Francisco. I never met these two influential grandfathers. But, I did find a little bit of his Nebraska grandfather’s memory in the garage when I found his toolbox. I didn’t know it at that moment but it would later become a repurposed toolbox.

I found the toolbox stored in a cabinet behind three other plastic toolboxes. It was empty and living a very unfulfilled life in the back of a garage cabinet. I initially shoved the toolbox back into the cabinet, but then I remembered my children’s artwork and the life lesson from that project.

This toolbox, like my children’s artwork, brought back so many memories and life lessons.

It took a few paint samples before I used my favorite navy paint color. The toolbox included the metal tray for small tools and I painted that separately and used it in another part of my office.

I painted the rest of the toolbox and in a rush, to finish I painted right over the hardware.

Now I’m thinking I might paint the hardware gold. What do you think?

I moved the toolbox into my office to store magazines. It’s so cute and I love the background story.

Here’s a sneak peek of the toolbox and my office makeover.

How to Up-cycle a Wreath to a Spring Centerpiece

March 26, 2018

Between Spring Break and Easter, I am falling behind on my Spring-Easter decor. With Easter, right after spring break, I want to get my dining room table set up this week. Did I mention I am hosting Easter dinner for 20+ family members? Today I want to share how to up-cycle a wreath to a spring centerpiece.

This up-cycle wreath to centerpiece idea happened because of the spring winds along the front range (Colorado).

Trash cans left out by the curb end up in the neighbor’s front yard… three houses away. Patio cushions blow under the next door neighbor’s trampoline.

And, that is what happened to my spring wreath last year. The eggs got some air and crashed onto the patio steps and the grapevine garland was dangling from our Aspen trees like Mardi Gras beads.

By the time I rescued the wreath, it was on life support.

It’s not like I needed a centerpiece. My basement looked like the stock room at HomeGoods and maybe the clearance section of a Pottery Barn outlet.

And, I got an idea and grabbed my favorite Decor Steals, oversized metal tray and placed the grapevine wreath over it to hide the rust stains. From there, I scattered eggs and grapevine around the base.

I added the cute bunnies and a vase in the center to anchor the wreath. I love it! And, I am so excited to host Easter dinner with my new buffet; a place to keep the Christmas plates.

How to Upcycle the Christmas tree in January

January 8, 2018

It’s that time of year when all of the sparkle, lights and red & green glitz gets packed away for an extended sabbatical. With a fresh-cut tree, the tree tells us when it’s time to say goodbye by the number of pine needles on the floor. With each passing day, the tree’s built-in underwire of lights loses its perkiness as the branches droop.

But hold up (oops pun pause)! I have a few ideas on how to upcycle the Christmas tree in January.

Because the longer we can hold onto a little bit of Christmas, the sooner it will be here next October, I mean Novemberish.

How to Upcycle The Christmas Tree

Here’s a key point on how to upcycle the Christmas tree. Don’t skip the next two sentences. When enjoying the fun of the upcycle, don’t pair the branches with red berry garland. No! Because then it looks like you have a co-dependent relationship with Christmas.

I start with trimming the freshest branches. You will know when you clipped the fresher ones by the lingering scent of pine. I gathered the fresh branches and sorted them on the table.

On a side note I love the contrast of the branches and the brown paper… packages… tied up with string.

I took a few bundles of branches and scattered them on the window planter shelves I made last summer for our backyard facing windows. These shelves are right under the kitchen sink so it’s a nice way to make the shelves look pretty until flowers replace the branches.

Denver has had almost no snow, so adding a little greenery outside is a way to at least feel like it’s winter.

I added the white-tipped pinecones from our Costco wreath.

From there I added some fresh Christmas tree branches inside our house. I picked up this red enameled oversized measuring cup at HomeGoods. I had my eye on it over Christmas and caved with a Christmas gift card in my bag! Thank you, mom and dad.

It was the perfect contrast to hold a few green branches. You know what I like about red accessories? They get maximum exposure during the year between Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and round the year out with Christmas.

How do you up-cycle your Christmas tree?

How to Make a Wood Frame with Packing Materials (No tools or glue required)

December 18, 2017

I think this might be my favorite upcycle project ever! If you have been on my blog you know I love a good upcycle project. But, this wood frame made with packing materials is my absolute favorite upcycle this year.

Did I mention it requires no tools or glue? And, I loved it so much it’s on our Pottery Barn knockoff mantel.

And, because the wood frame is created with packing materials the supplies are delivered to my door. I didn’t need to haul it from the side of a dumpster.

In fact, the only thing I needed was sandpaper, stain, and four thumbtacks.

Oh, and it took seven minutes to build.

Except, I didn’t really have to build it because the warehouse it shipped from did all the work for me. The upcycle was what I found at the bottom of the box that shipped a small side table from my favorite online-only decor site.

I call this find a free gift with purchase. I forgot to take a photo of the packing material, but this is my second upcycle project in the works. So obviously the first one was good enough.

I’m a believer in everything looks better with a brush of paint or stain (see my logo). So a few splashes of Minwax Walnut stain kept my upcycle idea moving forward. Yes, I paint on top of the garbage cans. I have the most colorful garbage cans on the block.

Now picture me with plastic bread bags over my hands while I stained the packing frame. Never underestimate the strength of a plastic bag to protect a fresh coat of OPI red (remember my motto about everything looks better with a brush of paint).

I wanted something to place on our Pottery Barn knockoff mantle above our bed (my first Pottery Barn knockoff).

And, I wanted a framed, holiday theme piece of art for the holidays. But, I didn’t want to pay big bucks for something just for the Christmas holidays. I wanted something that could be tweaked for the different seasons.

Hellooo… Christmas gift wrap.

And, all it took was a few feet of Christmas wrap I grabbed on one of my weekly (daily) trips to HomeGoods.

Sidenote: HomeGoods has a great collection of gift wrap all year round so I already have plans to switch the paper every season. But, the stained packing frame actually looked great by itself too. I may just layer frames across the mantle.

I love the finished look. And, I got this wood frame idea from packing materials. I hope this upcycle gives you a few ideas on how to repurpose everyday items that would otherwise end of in the garbage.

Linking to:

Salvage Sister & Mister

Chic on a Shoestring Budget

Domestically Speaking

Merry Monday Link Party

Milk Can Makeover

October 6, 2017

My garage sale milk can find was a major score last summer. That is until it sat in my garage for a year. The reality was what looks good in a farmhouse is harder to pull off in a suburban-brownstone. My house has a bit of an identity crisis; she if figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up. Um. I am talking about my house, of course!

Back to the isolated milk can who took up valuable real estate in the garage.

Until I finally looked for inspiration on Pinterest. Remember when we got all of our ideas from magazines?

I thought the uglier the image the better the reveal would look! The blurred image is messing with my eyes.

Look away, Look away! Sidenote: Who remembers that line in a very popular comedy a few years ago?

See how I distracted you from the grainy, blurry milk can photo?

Milk Can Inspiration #1

Source: Pinterest Birch Landing Home

Milk Can Inspiration #2

Source: Organized Clutter

Inspiration # 1 was too close to mine, except it was a better paint job. Oh, I loved her milk can’s lid. The second milk can was my favorite for its simplicity and natural finish. Again, not an option for my milk can with layers of paint. I am obsessed with the “straw” on her milk can. Is that raffia?

Milk Can Makeover

I used a portion of a grapevine wreath to wrap around the neck of the milk can. I had in the basement. Grapevine wreaths are my go-to for planters and baskets that need a little more weight. I am obsessed with this berry garland I found at Michaels. I may have to grab a few more strands!

Supplies

upcycle retail bags

Home Office Mailbox Find

Wall Mounted Paper Roll Supplies

How to Upcycle The Christmas Tree

Milk Can Inspiration #1

Milk Can Inspiration #2

Milk Can Makeover

Looking for Everyday Edits in your home? Please share!