Flower Box Upcycle

As promised, I wanted to share this before and after of a vintage flower box I picked up at an antique store for $8!

The columns are what attracted me to this planter, but unfortunately they were in terrible shape with pieces literally crumbling off :(

So I had to get creative when restoring it! As you can see in the before picture, the red paint was falling off, so my first task was getting all the old paint off. I removed all of the columns (which were each attached by just 1 giant nail!) and then took a hand sander to the box. After a considerable amount of sanding I finally had all the paint off.

I went through a couple ideas of how to refinish this box. Originally I was going to spray the whole thing, but I didn't want to give up the vintage feel completely. Then I decided to try staining it since I had already done the work to get all of the old finish off :). So I brushed on a coat of red mahogany! It didn't look bad but it didn't "Pop" like I wanted it too.

Thats when I decided to try a technique I had used before to give it a rustic "weathered" look. This is so simple to do! I brushed on a coat of paint and then used a sanding block to "rough it up". I used a white paint with a hint of blue (I know you can't really seen the blue!) and then I sprayed the only intact columns with a dark gray to contrast the white box.

More Pics!!

I planted Zinnias, Aster, and Mexican Heather  :)

To label my flowers I used pieces of clear and green sea glass I bought at Micheals and wrote the flower names on with a sharpie :)

I love giving old items new life, like this planter! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Liz :)

More Upcycled Planters!

Hi again!

I am back in Florida after a month long vacation at home in Wisconsin! Sadly, when my boyfriend picked me up at the airport he hesitantly told me about the tragedy that had occurred in my absence... all my plants had died :( lol. Yes, worse things have happened, and yes I kind of expected this (even with my regular reminders to water them!), but nonetheless I couldn't help feel a small sense of loss! But with any loss comes opportunity to rebuild, so thats what I did!! This time instead of using many small containers for my garden I have decided to consolidate (so much easier to water!!).

My plan this time was to have three main containers, 1) a herb garden, 2) a succulent garden and 3) a flower box.

For the flower box I will be using a vintage planter that needs a little work, so stay tuned for the before and after on that one!

For my herb garden I decided to use a gorgeous vintage 7up divided crate that I found at an estate sale for $10 back in Wisconsin! Check it out:

Love the graphic! Even though its a little faded, just adds to the vintage charm :)

Four herbs so far: boxwood basil, rosemary, parsley, and peppermint! This container can hold up to 10 (the two middle ones on the sides have handles cut into them so would not be able to hold enough dirt, but 10 is plenty for me!)

And for my succulent garden I used an old wooden box (I believe an old tool box?) that I have had for awhile:

I used mostly succulents I already had that were still in their original plastic containers, and bought a few more to round out the garden :)

Close-up!

I also had to replace the plant in my hanging planter that I made from an old egg basket:

This beautiful bunch of yellow flowers looks much sturdier than the original white flowers I had planted (crossing my fingers I can keep them alive!!)

Close-up of hanging crystals! 

A little more inspiration for your container gardens at home :)

-Liz :)

Roadtrip Repurposing

Hey all,

Well I am back from my road trip, on which I wasn't able to post as much as I would have liked due to lack of internet and lack of time (seeing all the sights!) but, I still have some camping/trip related posts I meant to share so we are just going to pretend I am still on the road!

One thing I wanted to share was a few awesomely inspiring repurposes I saw at different stops along the way!

First up is this awesome planter idea:

I saw this chair outside a shop in a small town in Northern, WI. What a creative way to reuse an old rocking chair! Just cut a hole in the upholstery of the seat (burlap in this case), remove the padding and replace with dirt! Then plant!

Next up is this creative way to display vintage dinnerware:

Yes, this is what you think it is! This wooden fence was bedazzled with vintage glass serving dishes, teacups and bell jar lids! Scroll down for close-ups :)

A little better lighting :)

This flower display was on about 4 gates total throughout the property.  Vintage glass chip-and-dip trays make up the petals, leaf shaped plates for the leaves of course, and a glass bud holder makes up the center of the flower! 

Check out these panels made up of vintage bell jar lids!

Glass trays fit perfectly between the fence posts and glass teacups add another touch of sparkle at the bottom of the fence!

Teacup close-up

These bench was also made to incorporate the vintage wares, with rectangular plates making up the back! 

So Pretty!

I found this gorgeous glass dinnerware-embellished fence at one of our campgrounds in the tiny town of Salem, SD. I first saw the bench on the night we arrived and later found the repurposing mother-load on a nearby fence, such a unique and cute idea!! And check out the awesome glow through the glass at sunset:

So cool!

Last but not least is probably one of the most famous, and largest repurposing projects in the country:

The Mitchell Corn Palace!

Close-up of the corn on the marquee

The Corn Palace!!! hahaha. Probably not a practical repurposing project for the home, but turning cobs of corn into giant murals definitely takes some creativity!! The corn palace was one of the highlights of South Dakota and is definitely worth a stop if you are headed out west. The "palace" is actually the towns arena so it isn't as grand as I expected lol. But there are more murals inside as well as some cool displays showing the history of the palace and how they make it! And best of all its totally free!! Can't beat that!

So, always remember to keep an eye out for inspiration! You just might find it in the most random places :)


-Liz