Think it’s costly to redo your patio and surrounding gardens? It can be, especially if you’re adding furnishings, patio pavers, concrete, etc. But many of those cute garden accessories that are so pricey in stores can be made at home using junk you’ve got lying around the house. Or, at least junk you can find for a low price at thrift stores or yard sales. This year I decided I wanted my patio gardens to have a “serene, peaceful feel with whimsical touches.” Yes, I know that sounds weird. I pored over thousands of photos to find ideas I wanted to use and came up with this Easy Upcycled Garden Decor.
Easy Upcycled Garden Decor Ideas
- Garden Toadstools from Old Bundt Pans. These cute little toadstools are made with pieces of leftover wooden garden edging and old bundt pans, old angel food pans, and old tin molds. Spray paint the molds, add white dots with a sponge brush and glue the molds to the wood. Use individual mini muffin cups or mini tart pans and old solar light stakes to create mini toadstools.
2. Old doors and shutters. You can create a weathered backdrop for a garden with an old door and a pair of shutters. I found the old door in the barn and the shutters for $10/pair at Habitat for Humanity. I painted them with Kilz Complete Coat in Blue Lustre, allowed them to dry, and used a paper towel to wipe on a thin coat of Minwax Wood Finish Stain in pecan. After they were dry, I sprayed them with wood protector and used screws to attach them to the wall.
3. Old utensils plant markers and hooks. Spray paint them with chalkboard paint to make cute plant markers or bend them and use them as hooks. You can always find these in thrift stores, usually in a package of 12 or so, for around $2.
4. Old light fixtures for DIY chandeliers and solar table lamps. Remove the electrical parts, spray paint, and add solar lights to make chandeliers or table lights. On the table lamps, I used a $1 plant holder from the dollar store as a “shade.”
5. Old tea kettle lights. I used an “S” hook from the dollar store to attach a tea kettle to an old iron pole. I spray-painted both of them bronze (using Rust-Oleum Metallic Spray paint and added a $5 set of twinkly LED lights inside the spout. It looks lovely at night with the lights winking over the flowers.
6. Old strainers for Flowers. Spray paint old strainers. I used Rust-Oleum Oasis Blue for the “petals” and Ace Premium Gloss Sunshine yellow for the centers. Allow them to dry and, using wire, attach them to a fence. I used old plant stakes as stems and metal leaf trays I found in the thrift store as leaves.
7. Old metal hanging baskets for a Turtle. Turn them upside down and glue a coconut fiber liner to the basket. Spray paint them green, add four small terracotta pots for legs and a spoon for the head and you’ve got a turtle ready to greet you.
8. Old Terra Cotta Pot Fairy Garden Houses. This one isn’t difficult, but it takes time and patience. Start with an old terra cotta pot and glue pebbles and moss to the outside of the pot. Start at the bottom and work your way up to add the stones. You’ll also have to let the glue dry after every few stones that you add. I added a door I purchased at the dollar store and made a window from old twigs. I painted the panes of the window yellow.
9. Garden Entrance made with an Old Rose Trellis. I spray painted an old rose trellis with Rust-Oleum Blue Oasis and added an old garden sign I had in the shed to make an adorable garden entrance that highlights the clematis.
10. Centerpieces with old Garden decor and a cloche. I had a pair of glass bluebirds I wasn’t sure what to do with. I placed them under the cloche I use to protect plants from frost and made a sweet centerpiece.
11. Garden lights made from Old Glass Globe light fixtures. All you need are a string of indoor/outdoor lights (like Christmas lights), some old glass globes, and, possibly, an extension cord
All of these pieces add that touch of whimsy I wanted, yet are low enough in cost to justify the expenditure. Not sure where to start to find old items to upcycle? Try these places:
- thrift shops
- yard sales
- Habitat for Humanity
- used furniture shops
Do you make your own upcycled garden art? What are some of the projects you’ve made?
