Trash to Treasure
Most of you know I don’t like to throw anything out. I love to recycle, repurpose and reuse. I also like to save things that people take to the landfill and repurpose those, it’s trash to treasure. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! But I also have an item I need ideas for turning it into a treasure!
A few years ago I recycled some old patio tables that were on the way to the recycling center. I was able to grab them from my neighbor, save them from the trash and turn them into bird feeding stations. http://themarthareview.com/bird-feeding-station-from-junk/
More recently just since we created Lia’s Garden I’ve saved an old garden bench and a faded old flower pot from the landfill. After GGpapa and Lia scraped down the bench, they painted the wood part white. The next step was to paint the black iron white since it looked nicer in the garden. But after the pink trim was added, the bench is gorgeous next to Lia’s Garden. To think someone tossed it at the landfill!
Another neighbor had a big old faded flower pot she was tossing. I grabbed that too! Of course I didn’t have a plan for it at the time but a few weeks later we had to transplant our Bougainvillea from a small pot to a larger one. This one was perfect! All I needed to do was spray paint it gold and we had a Midas Touch flower pot!
When clearing out the corner for Lia’s garden we found a few buried treasures. One was a broken rake and the other a broken shovel, both without handles. I left the rake as is and hung it on the garden fence with a welcome butterfly sign! It looks much nicer on the newly stained fence.
The old rusty shovel got the Midas Touch also! I spray painted it and we had a family project to turn it into a garden sign. We added Lia’s footprints turned into a butterfly. Her name and date were added so she will have a memory in years to come. http://themarthareview.com/my-golden-shovel/
Need Suggestions!
Now here’s where I need you to help me come up with some suggestions for my latest Trash to Treasure find. An old rusty wheelbarrow was on the why to its demise and yes I saved it! Lia and I wheeled it into the backyard and I know we will turn it into something awesome! I’ve seen gardens where they drill holes in the bottom and plant flowers in them, others tip them on the side with flowers cascading on the ground. I’ve also seen a floating watering can filled with mini twinkle lights “pouring” over the flower filled wheelbarrow. I’d have to find an old watering can if I do that! I need suggestions from you! What would you turn this rusty piece of junk into? Would you paint it or leave it as it? Would you plant flowers or maybe turn it into a bird feeder? Can you help Lia and me decide what to do with this soon to be treasure?
I guess you can tell I don’t throw much away and I collect what others throw away. But I think I’ve made great use from these trash to treasure items. What do you think?
I vote you fill the wheelbarrow with good soil and grow some pepper plants and cucumbers. They don’t need deep roots and you can move the barrow around to get the right sunlight.
I like that idea Roy! With the cucumbers they can trail of the edge of the wheelbarrow! Thanks for the suggestion.
I love seeing cascades of flowers in wheelbarrows. It would also be a great photo prop that way. I can also see it being made into a Santa’s Sleigh sort of thing, but that would only be useful around Christmas time… so not sure about that one. In fact, it could even be a cornucopia for Thanksgiving … wait. It might be made into a fun reclining outdoor chair… not sure how to pull that one off but as I brain stormed here it made sense. š
Oh Julie, you have me so excited with your suggestions! I like the idea of a season wheelbarrow! Easter bunnies, May flowers,the Thanksgiving display with colorful mums win the cornucopia and rounding out with Santa!
I love this. Iām not real crafty, and therefore need to be shown what to do. This was very nice.
Thanks for visiting Caryn, I’ve always been one to keep everything, even cardboard boxes and turn them into treasures!
Boy, I am impressed with all the trash-to-treasure conversions you have done, so far, so I know this one will be terrific, too! I would definitely paint it, and I was thinking something garden-like. I liked all of your possibilities. The twinkling lights one is my favorite, though.
For me it’s just another challenge to see what ideas I come up with from other’s trash Jeanin! I’m looking forward to the wheelbarrow project with Lia!
I think it will be lovely if you drill the holes in it and plant flowers in it.I love reusing things till they refuse to exist anymore!
That was my first thought Amrita! I can have year round flowers depending on the seasons!
Maratha, paint it pink, fill it with dirt and plant climbing roses along the sides and all different colored roses inside it.
OHHHHHH Brenda, that sounds adorable! I think Lia would love that too!
It’s always amazing to re use something. š
I love saving things from the landfill Amanda. It’s also a fun challenge to see what I can make out of someones trash!
I think the golden shovel is my favorite one!! and it adds to the appeal that there is a beautiful poetic form with the same name – ‘golden shovel’!! and as for this wheelbarrow, i see flowers growing profusely out of it..
I’m working on a Golden Shovel poem Vidya! Followed by a wheelbarrow full of cascading flowers!