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
March 21, 2021 · By · 19 Comments
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 ›
Seed Storage Box from a Wooden Recipe Card Holder
March 10, 2021 · By · 31 Comments
I know I’m not the only one who flocks to all things “wood” at the thrift store. Shelves, boxes, cutting boards- they all lend themselves to upcycling. And this country-style recipe box was no exception. I didn’t care for its current look, but knew it would be easy to convert into a seed storage box that could also double as Spring decor.Read more ›
How to Designate Your Yard as Certified Wildlife Habitat
April 22, 2020 · By · 18 Comments
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 ›
DIY Garden Signs from Grill Forks
March 21, 2018 · By · 40 Comments
Ok- I will fully admit that this is a truly zany idea of mine! There I was at the thrift store, looking for inspiration on the shelves. I was going to move aside this grill fork when it dawned on me that the barbecue fork could BE the inspiration I was looking for. What if I transformed it as part of some DIY garden signs? In other words, what if I used it as a stake instead of for steak?Read more ›
Portable Potting Bench from a Dresser Drawer
July 6, 2017 · By · 92 Comments
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 ›
Herb Plant Stand from a Stand Up Shower Caddy
April 20, 2017 · By · 50 Comments
I do a lot of cooking at home but I’m not a prolific gardener. I’m limited my own lack of gardening interest, but also by space. That being said, though, I do like to grow my own kitchen herbs in pots as much as possible. You may recall how I upcycled a muffin tin as a propagation tray for growing some herb plants from seed? Well, it’s time to transplant them and I’ll be upcycling a stand up shower caddy to create an herb plant stand!
Plant Starting Tray with a Muffin Pan
March 30, 2017 · By · 59 Comments
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 ›
DIY Garden Trellis from Vintage Garden Tools
November 17, 2015 · By · 81 Comments
This project started out when I thrifted some vintage garden tools for a Halloween project. Well, try as I might, the spooky project was a failure. I let the dust of my frustration settle before going back to the drawing board. With the old garden tools already in hand, I just needed a new idea! Eventually, I settled on the idea of building a DIY garden trellis that would be both decorative and functional.
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Upcycling an Antique Floor Lamp with Small Solar Lights
September 1, 2015 · By · 96 Comments
While perusing an estate sale on half-price day, I came across this antique floor lamp that was positively gorgeous. The wiring was shot but it was otherwise in well-loved but decent shape. I didn’t care about the electrical issues, though – as I knew right away it would become backyard decor! All I needed to do was clean it up and outfit it with small solar lights / solar lanterns.
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