Garden Art From Recycled Dishes and more!

There are many creative ways to reuse something for another purpose. Rather than always running to the store when you want something think about what you can create from what you already have first. This is another way to live green.

My husband and I have a hobby of reusing items for another purpose. We have made many useful and decorative displays from items we picked up on the side of the road and have found laying around the garage. It is not only a fun hobby for us but a way to keep from purchasing extra things that we don't really need.

Recently I told my husband I wanted a new bird bath for my yard and he came up with a really cool design using old kitchen items. I love my new birdbath and it is unique and unlike any other's I have seen. Here are some picture of projects created from recycled items.

Here is the birdbath made from recycled pipes and fittings, a bundt cake pan, a wine glass, and a glass bowl.

Here is an antique door that has been turned into a hall tree by simply adding two decorative iron hat hooks.

This is a deer rack mount that was made from a piece that was found in a trash pile. Not sure if this was a mirror or just a decorative wall hanging but with an added piece of scrap wood and the deer rack added it turned into a really cool piece that adds character to my dining room wall. It is the pieces like these that blend my husbands decorating tastes and mine together.

This is a towel or coat rack or it can be used as a decorative piece as well. We used wooden thread spools to mount vintage faucet handles on a scrap piece of wood. I love the look of these old faucet handles, I think they have character.

Lastly here are some decorative items I made for the Thanksgiving holiday. I love seashells, sandollars, and anything natural. I used these sandollars from my collection and added paint and a touch of glitter. They add a nice touch to my Thanksgiving decor and I think they are appropriate for the Florida weather I will be experiencing for the holiday month.

 

As you can see there are many ways to turn everyday things into pieces of art or useful items too! I love things that are unique and you do not find in the big name stores. I hope these ideas will inspire you to create something using recycled materials. Have fun imagining other uses for those items laying around the garage.

 

Want a good use for your kitchen scraps?

Well I have continued to search for ways to live greener and I have found yet another. I have been recycling for a while and my trash output has really been cut down. We do not have to drag the trash to the bins nearly as often as we did before we began this journey. I have to say I have also saved on garbage bag purchases since my recycling has begun.

When my husband and I had acreage in the past we had hogs and would save all of our kitchen scraps each day to feed them. Since we no longer have hogs to dispose of our kitchen scraps we have been tossing what cannot go down the kitchen sink into the garbage. So I began to think how can I reduce the things I am putting into the garbage. Composting! What a great way to not only properly dispose of scraps but to reuse them for a greater purpose. It is also that time of year when the leaves are piling up throughout the yard. I have decided that I would add composting to my daily routine. It doesn't take long to turn your scraps and leaves into a nutrient rich fertilizer for your garden and plants. You can use any fruit or vegetable scraps, egg shells, newspaper, and coffee grounds to mix with your leaves and turn them into a black gold. You don't really need to be fancy about it and purchase an expensive composter. I have seen composters made from old pallets secured together into a box shape. You just toss your waste into and add a little water for moisture and turn the pile about once a week with a rake or shovel. If you are short on space and want something a little less obtrusive you can purchase one or make one out of something a little smaller. I will attach some websites below for more information on composting. I hope you will at least consider looking into composting. What better way to feed your plants than with the fertilizer nature intended!

http://www.howtocompost.org/

http://www.compost-info-guide.com/make_better_compost.htm