eightymillions blog Archives

June 2, 2012

DIY Recycling Inspiration: Instant Flower Pot Using a Vintage Beverage Crate

I can honestly say that this recycling project is my favorite (so far)! My Mom found these awesome vintage beverage crates at a garage sale and gave me three of them. I wish I had more of these because they would make an awesome gift. My eyes will be wide open on my next picking adventure. Remember the other two I used to create an end table in my living room? If you missed that post, click here.

Supplies that I used for this project: One crate, polyurethane, foam brush, disposable gloves, cardboard from the recycling bin, and a plant.

The box clearly has a “vintage look” in it’s natural state. It’ll go outdoors, so that’s where the polyurethane comes in. I wanted to add some additional protection for the crate itself. You can see from the picture below that it already has a built in drain on the bottom. I sanded it down a bit first before painting it.

I went with the Fast-Drying Semi-Gloss. Worked like a charm.

I was surprised to find these pink double impatiens at 50% off already. Scored two plants for $5.49 each. I used the other one for another project. Full of color and lots of buds ready to bloom.

I pulled a box out of the recycling bin to use as my work surface. Using a foam brush and disposable gloves I applied two coats of the polyurethane. Highly recommend doing this outdoors due to the fumes. I applied extra to the interior bottom of the box, since this will be where the plant will rest.

I painted the box in the morning and by the time I got home from work that afternoon is was dry and ready to go. I snipped the wire hanger off that was on the plant. The container fit perfectly down into the box. Who measures anything? Not this girl. Usually I just eyeball it.

I thought about replanting in the box, but after some consideration this way works just fine. And there’s no mess.

LOVE IT!

Enjoy what is left of this comfortable and cool Friday evening. Excited to be heading to the local farmers market tomorrow. Perhaps I’ll have another “What’s On My Plate” recipe to share with you. Due to my previous work schedules I was unable to attend last year. Rain or shine, I will be there in the morning!

May 23, 2012

DIY Instant Flower Pots Using Recycled Cement Bricks

Here’s an easy recycling project for you to do. These are the bricks that I got from a friend last year. I don’t have much knowledge in regards to flowers, so I just pick what looks good together and go with it. This year I chose begonias and dusty miller plants. I thought I was paying attention to the sun requirements, only to notice that one of them requires full sun. The bricks rest on the sidewalk where there is part sun. Oh well, hopefully they’ll survive. (Update, yes they both did well)

After weeding out what was left in the bricks from last year I added some additional top soil and then the plants. Going with an every other pattern placement gave them an interesting look.

May 6, 2012

Recycling: DIY Flower Pot Project

I had these two plastic flower pots taking up space in my storage area “aka” the garage. They have a unique vintage look to them. In the process of cleaning out the garage I thought of a way to reuse them and save them from the garbage.

I flipped one of them over and used three screws to connect them. Now I like them again. I recently replanted a shrub that was growing out of control in one of my flower beds. I noticed that I forget a portion of the plant in the ground, so I’m attempting to give some life. So far so good.

~Jennifer

April 4, 2012

Recycled Beadboard DIY Project

LOVE IT! Something old with something new

This recycling project has been on my list for over 2 years, seriously! I picked up the IKEA towels during my first visit to their store after dropping off my sister at the airport in Chicago (Julie, you will know how long this has been).

And can you believe that it took us less than 30 minutes to complete from start to finish? When I say us I’m referring to my dad. I presented the idea to him and asked what tools he had available to help me out. I had the blueprint in my head, three vintage spoons, and three super cool cotton linens with hooks on them. The only piece I was missing was an old board. My mom suggested using beadboard. My dad found a piece in the basement and it was the perfect size. I used sandpaper to give it a distressed look.

Beadboard with three vintage spoons

I don’t have much experience with tools, especially those with power, so I left that part for my dad. Using a hammer he flattened the spoons. As you can see in the photo below it gave them an even more aged look.

Spoon on the right flattened with hammer

Using his vise tool he tightened the spoons in place and bent them back with a clamp to create the hook.

I eyeballed a location on the beadboard for each spoon to be attached. As with my handmade cards, I hate to measure. I just wing it!

Almost done…

He added the hardware to hang the finished piece. I asked him to sign the back. I suggested that he should make some more to sell in the Vintage shop in Galena, IL. I got the same smirk from when I asked him to sign the board. Perhaps I’ll just get some additional spoons and place them on the workbench.

I thought about hanging photos from the hooks as well. Making a frame out of transparency paper around a photo. Then adding a hook with fishing line. Lots of possibilities.

Total investment = $5.30.

$5. for the three IKEA linens and .30 cents for the spoons (antique store). The piece of board and hardware was given to me.

A BIG “thank you” to my dad for helping me with this project.

P.S.

I’m trying to convince him to help me build a sofa table. Just a few simple pieces of wood for the base and legs along with some nails. I’m sure there’s something out there I can recycle and create the table. I need it for in front of my picture window in the living room. My dogs love to jump into it every time there is movement outside. And the exercise bike and tv trays that I have there now don’t look attractive at all. I’ll keep you posted on what I find. Any suggestions? Please share in the comment section below.

P.S.S

Another goal off of my resolution list has been met!

Enjoy your evening.

~Jennifer

March 4, 2012

DIY Outdoor Recycling Inspiration: Think Spring, Part One

Has cabin fever set in? It has here and I can’t wait for Spring. Mother Nature has been dishing out some funny weather, so I decided to look back on projects that I did in my yard last year.

I try to recycle everything in some way. The vintage doors were given to me from my mom. They were already hinged together with the flower box attached. The only thing they needed was some color. So, I found a quaint little corner in my yard and added some flowers. The silver teapot was a $5. Ikea find. Love that store! The greenery is from Hobby Lobby.

My favorite part of the door is this pair of crocks I found at the thrift store for $1.00. Instant flower pots.

A local downtown business had a pile of bricks in their alley. One day I decided to call the owner (whom I knew) and ask if she had plans for them. Sounds crazy, right? Well, they are now mine. Score! Again, another instant flower pot. I lined them along the sidewalk by my back door. They fit the length of the walk way perfectly. I “thought” they would serve as a distraction to the dogs and prevent them from jumping off the edge. Perhaps encouraging them to use the steps. No, didn’t work. They jump even higher now over them.

And then there’s the garden. The best part of spring. This was the third season for planting and as my three beloved dogs got taller the need for a taller fence grew as well. My neighbor had multiple pieces of a dog kennel leaning up against her house. I asked her if she would be willing to sell some of it. She told me that it was free if I could make it disappear. Another great find! But I couldn’t take it for nothing. A case of cold beverages put a smile on her face.

So, my boyfriend and I found the pieces we would need to complete our project. We relocated our exiting garden by expanding it to the corner of the yard. Therefore, we only needed panels to cover two sides. And we were lucky enough to find a piece with a gate. It helps with the maintenance.

A new season brings new projects. There will be a part two to this post. I have additional recycling projects I’ll share as soon as the snow melts and the ground softens. And yes it involves me asking people for their junk.

Do you have any outdoor projects to share? Feel free to share links for your projects in the comment section below.