Eightymillion

A DIY craft and photography blog. Dogs included.

Recycling a pair of Crocs (Clogs) into flower pots

Pull out that old pair of Crocs, from the closet, that you don’t wear anymore because I’m going to show you how to recycle them into flower pots.  An easy DIY that takes less than ten minutes from start to finish.
I scored this pair at a second hand store for $1.  Last week I planted some annuals into cement bricks and had four leftover plants.  This project will use up those four so that there’s no waste.
Supplies needed:
*tarp (easy clean-up)
*annuals
*pair of Crocs
*top soil
*twine or fishing line
Pack a nice amount of top soil in the toe portion of the shoe.  Place the annual inside the shoe and add some additional top soil around the top and sides to hold them in place.  Attach a piece of twine to the strap and tie it into a knot at the end.  Once you hang it up give the plants a good drink of water. Some dirt will seep through the holes of the shoes, but don’t worry about it.
Use the fishing line, in place of the twine, to create a floating effect.
Find a location in your flower garden to hang the new planters.  That’s it!
Mine have had a nice little home on these doors.  I adopted this vintage door display from my Mom and they already had the hooks, so I just needed something unique to hang there.
As you can see from the photo below the doors are definitely due for a fresh coat of paint.  Next year is what I tell myself.  It’s been five years and I keep saying that.  Although I kinda like the distressed look.

DIY Inspiration: Recycling Vintage Frames

I love to recycle vintage frames that I find at the flea markets and thrift stores.  It’s amazing what a can of spray paint can do.
This is my second project using the frames.  I’m exploring different options of displaying the photos in them.
This frame is plastic.  All the others have been wood.  Not knowing how to attach any hardware to the sides to create a clothesline, I had to come up with a different idea.
After spray painting the frame red I used a piece of jute twine to make a loop to serve as the hanger.
With a red frame I decided on using a black and white (my favorite) photo for the insert.  I attached the photo a piece of heavy white cardstock and then layered on a piece of black metallic paper.
There is no glass with this frame, so in order to protect the image I attached a sheet of transparency paper with brads to the cardstock frame I made.  A few small pieces of mounting putty to attach the photo inside of the frame and that’s it!
An easy project that can be completed in a couple of hours, depending on how long it takes your paint to dry.
Next, I’ll try a frame inside of a frame.  More colorful cans of spray paint and dog photos of course.  The frame inspiration came from Pinterest, the rest from my own head of ideas.
Did you miss my first project with the frames?  I’ll make it easy for you, click here and enjoy.
What fun, DIY projects are you working on?  Feel free to leave links in the comment section below.
And so a new week continues…
Until the next word…
~Jennifer  

Recycling a Piece From the Past

Some say to move on and let the past go.  I refuse.  If you find something and it still works, why not use it, right?
How cool is this?  A 1970’s Zenith Receiver complete with turntable, cassette player, and 8 Track deck.  And everything works.  Connected to two speakers it makes a nice surround sound unit for the living room.  Obviously, we’re not using the turntable and cassette player due to the fact that the television is sitting on top of it.  Probably not the safest position, but it hasn’t fallen yet.  And for the record it wasn’t my idea to set it up like this.  I’m not a big fan of the huge HD flat panels.  Sure they save space, but as long as I can see and hear the picture that’s all I’m concerned about.  This tv cost $50. (discontinued from Sears) and the receiver $35. (antique store).  
I’ve been coming across some vintage VHS tapes which caught my eye.  My latest pick was Lifestyles of the Ramones.  And I found some Beatles on 8 track.
Next project, a sofa table for in front of our picture window.  We need something long and narrow to keep the dogs from jumping on the glass when the mailman walks by.  With Spring coming the town will soon fill up with garage sales.  I’m sure to find something.
Have a great week!
~Jennifer

Spring Cleaning Leads To a New (Recycled) End Table

Spring cleaning has started in my house.  As I work my way through each room I’m looking at everything I have and asking myself, “Does it work?”~ “Do I use it?”~ “When’s the last time I wore that?”~ I think you get where I’m going with this.  I don’t care if the furniture matches the wall art or the pillows with the curtains.  If I can get a good deal on something that’s all that matters to me.  Handmade is best and thrift stores rock.
Dump Day is approaching here in East Dubuque.  It comes around once a year and it’s a day in which you can take those outdated television sets, old computers, furniture, broken down appliances, and whatever large items you are looking to get rid of to a central location in the city and “dump it”, for free.  I look forward to this day every year.  Sounds silly right?  Well, I’ve finally got the BF convinced that there are a LOT of items in the garage that need to be put to rest.  We are now on the same page.  Perhaps it’s because he’s getting a work out area in the used space. Whatever works.
This brings me to my first renovation in the living room.  I have this huge old dehumidifier sitting on top of a wooden cabinet in my hallway.  One of my lamps sits on top of it.  A long tube runs down into a blue bucket for the water to drain it.  It doesn’t work very well and the wooden cabinet is starting to crack.  It was relocated to a pile for Dump Day.
Now I’m left with a lamp that needs a new home.  I have these two vintage wooden crates that my mom gave me (along with the lamp) that I wasn’t sure where to use them.  Flipped over and stacked they make a nice end table.  The upside down wording adds character. 
My next project is the lamp.  I’m looking for ideas on how to give it a new look.  Do you have any?  I’ll look around on Pinterest and see what I find. Maybe using mod podge I’ll attach magazine pages/b&w photos to the base.  Again, I’m open to suggestions.  Use the comment section below, thanks.
Another good thing about the crates is the metal edging on them.  This helps with a certain someone in the “house” who likes wood.  I’ll save that story for later.  
You can also share your recycling project photos on my facebook page.  It’s my little hub for the dogs, photography, and all things vintage.  I would love to see what your working on.
~Jennifer 

The 30 Day Challenge Series: Exercise

$5. Thrift Store Find

seriesplural of se·ries (Noun)

Noun:
  1. A number of things, events, or people of a similar kind or related nature coming one after another: “a series of lectures”.
  2. A set of related television or radio programs, esp. of a specified kind: “a new drama series”
Definition compliments of Google.  My “go-to” for everything.
We all love a good series right?  They keep us entertained and focused on a particular subject.  I’ve decided to create a series of challenges for the blog.  It’ll help keep me focused and perhaps you entertained.  Many more to come.

One of my goals this year is to get in shape.  No crazy diets.  And I won’t be weighing myself everyday.  Why?  Two reasons, I’m not worried about the numbers and I don’t own a scale.  I use to work a FT job that had me on the move constantly.  Things have changed.  I would like to walk up/down this huge hill I live by without running out of breath and using several cuss words along the way.  As my jobs have changed, so has my stamina.

I found this vintage bike at a thrift store awhile back for $5.  That price alone beats an expensive club membership.  And then it sat in front of my picture window.  From the view outside it created an interesting silhouette.  And then came the dust.  If I can spend an hour a day (perhaps more) on Pinterest, I can clearly spend 10 minutes a day on this bike.  I’m choosing to multitask and place it in front of the television while riding.

And just for the shits & giggles of it all I’m going to track my mileage for this challenge.  Ten minutes everyday for 30 days.  Care to join me?   Do you have a bike at home that you can ride along?  
Will this will develop into a lasting routine?  Won’t know until I try. 
I’ll follow up with this post in……..well 30 days.
~Jennifer

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.