It’s that time of year again, when those of us in the Northern Hemisphere start to feel the excitement of Spring. The days get longer, the yard gets more colorful, and all of a sudden, EVERYTHING YOU OWN starts looking like a planter. So, the Thrift Store Decor Team decided to pool all of our garden projects into a single collection of upcycling ideas for your yard, garden, and patio.Read more ›
Tabletop Greenhouse from a Floppy Disk Holder

Several years ago, I repurposed a muffin tin as a seedling tray and it worked beautifully. And while I could have done that again this year, I wanted to try out an experiment. You see, my friends at T4T Thrift Shop had sent me a floppy disk holder (a while ago!) to upcycle. As I mulled over different project possibilities, I kept coming back to the idea of transforming it into a tabletop greenhouse.Read more ›
How to Designate Your Yard as Certified Wildlife Habitat

As an animal lover and biologist (on paper), it’s no surprise that our yard is very wildlife-friendly. Not only do I love to watch the birds and other critters, but our indoor cats do, as well. Many of my upcycling projects were made specifically for backyard habitat, including feeders, baths, and houses. I learned about designating one’s yard as Certified Wildlife Habitat many years ago, but wasn’t sure how well-known that program was.Read more ›
Portable Potting Bench from a Dresser Drawer

Every Spring and Summer, my Pinterest and Facebook news feeds are filled to the brim with big, beautiful potting benches! Whether constructed from pallets or old doors, or even a genuine vintage potting table, they are stunning and, well, LARGE. But, here’s the thing- I’m a gardener on a very small scale. I simply don’t have the space or need for a potting bench that is normal size. So, I set forth to create something on a smaller scale: a portable potting bench!Read more ›
DIY Plant Markers from Vintage Shoe Trees

After successfully sowing herb seeds in thrifted muffin tins and then transplanting the seedlings into larger pots displayed on a vertical shower caddy, I’m wrapping up my three-part Upcycled Herb Garden series today! And what, pray tell, could my third part be about? Well, I’m upcycling some vintage shoe trees into DIY plant markers!Read more ›
Plant Starting Tray with a Muffin Pan

Real Life Confession- I love the idea of gardening more than I love actual gardening. Can anyone else relate? BUT. But…I still enjoy having planted herbs around as the weather warms up! So, this year, I’ve decided to do a series of upcycling ideas for an herb garden. And today is Part 1: Repurposing a muffin pan as a seed starting tray or plant starting tray.Read more ›
Hanging Herb Baskets from Lampshade Frames

Lampshades are a pretty common item at thrift stores, in every size and shape you can imagine. So, I felt a compelling need to come up with an upcycling idea for them, starting with these small lamp shades that I found at Goodwill. I had this niggling feeling that lampshade frames could be repurposed into herb hanging baskets for a vertical herb planter.
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Garden Decor Ideas that are Upcycled and Repurposed

Upcycling projects and garden decor really do go hand in hand. Whether you like DIY planters or junk gardens or quirky garden ideas in general, there is a repurposing project out there for you. Read more ›