Crafty Gardening Using Trash Items

There are so many things you can use from your trash or recycling to help make your garden grow.

Garden Containers

I have my egg cartons saved from Easter and I have two boxes of pellets to go in the cartons along with seeds I saved from last year’s plants and a few new packets I bought. I also have some fab pots and containers I found while cleaning out my basement I plan to use in the garden and the old bathtub saved from the remodel but I’m not sure if it’ll become a garden bed or small pond yet.

I also found a few items I’ll be transforming into plant trellises. The sides of an old wooden playpen will make a gorgeous trellis for my morning glories. The sides of an old semi-fancy metal shelving unit will give my raspberries or grapes something decorative to vine around.

From the Trash

You can use common items found in your trash or compost bin too.

Use eggshells saved from all your Easter eggs for pest deterrents once the plants are in the ground.

A bucket of coffee grounds will help enrich the soil for planting. Mix it in when you till.

Shredded newspaper makes great mulch in the flower garden. Use it under wood chips for extra layering and insulation.

What trashy or junk items do you use to help make your garden grow? Tell us about your garden craftiness in the comments.

Repurposed Garden Decor

Gardening season is here and that means it is time for me to get my hands dirty…literally.

I love to dig and weed and plant. I often don’t have a lot of money to put into my garden so I use what I have on hand, which means I need to be more creative at times.

I have pulled old rusty stuff out of my backyard and turned it into garden decorations- like old tractor seats. I’ve turned a found piece of old tractor/farm equipment into a trellis; an old wooden ladder became four separate trellises for my morning glories and moon flowers.

I have an old wheel barrow with one handle that I am debating what to do with. I was considering turning it sideways with the one handle sticking out and planting flowers out of it, like it fell over. I have seen that done before and it looks kind of cute. But I am not sure if it’s really I want to do.


I like the bicycle part trellis that someone created. Too bad all of our old bicycle parts were recently taken to the recycling yard- we just had way too much and I had no idea what to do with them. I wish I would have found the trellis photo before everything was hauled away.

I am yearning for an old bath tub that would make a pretty flower bed. I have seen that done numerous times and I love the way it looks. I just haven’t come across any that are suitable for the garden.

What do you think of re-purposed garden decor? Do you think it is crafty or junky? What kind of things do you use in your gardens?

Ten Crafty Ways to Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle Junk Mail and Used Office Paper

Before you toss that junk mail or send that stack of used office paper to the recycling center, consider what you could do to extend its life a little longer.

Here are ten easy ways to get more from your used paper.

1) Shred the paper and turn it into filler for shipping items. Instead of spending money on packing peanuts or bubble wrap, stuff boxes full of shredded paper to pad your package.

2) Create basket filler. If its holiday time or someone you know has a birthday, wedding, or baby shower coming up, you can shred the paper and use it as basket filler. Skip the plastic grassy stuff, forgo the raffia and instead use what you have on hand- junk mail and office paper. If you have colorful fliers you don’t need they make really great basket filler once shredded into bright, colorful strips.


3) Shredded paper makes great liner for animal cages and sometimes kitty litter. Some kitties are more willing while others are very, very picky about what they poop on. Check with animal shelters and veterinarians- many are in need of newspaper and other paper that can be shredded for use in their cages and kennels.

4) Use junk mail and office paper as bookmarks. Cut the paper into four or five long strips to make perfect bookmarks. No need to fold down corners. And you always have bookmarks on hand.

5) Use it for scrap paper. If the back side of a paper is blank you can use it again. Print out research materials give it to the kids and let them scribble on it before it gets tossed in the recycling bin or framed on the refrigerator.

6) Create note pads or scratch pads. Another thing you can do with scrap paper is cut it in into squares or rectangles and staple together to use as note pads. Keep your homemade note pad by the computer to jot down quick notes, info, web pages, or to-do items. Making your own with scrap paper saves money and trees.

7) Create collages and greeting cards from catalogs. If you have glossy or bright colored pages from catalogs full of graphics or photos you can cut out the images and create collages or your own greeting cards.

8.) Create your own wrapping paper. For small gifts, use with well chosen pages from advertisements and magazine pages to wrap them in . You can even create handmade bows from scrap paper.

9) Make envelopes. These work best when made from brightly colored fashion magazine pages. The designer purses, perfume bottles, and jewelry always looked so cool that everyone will want to be your penpal. Several DIY and crafty green sites have templates for making your own envelopes.

10) Make your own paper. Turn all that used paper into beautiful new sheets of recycled paper. In theory it is simpler than it really is but hey my ten year old did it at school so it can’t be that complicated, can it?

No, seriously you use an old blender, torn pieces of paper and water (some people add starch) and blend it all up and pour it into a screened mold. Get creative by adding flower petals, plant parts, seeds, or natural pigments or food coloring to make unique and one of kind new pieces of paper.

With a little creativity and some extra thought, new ways of using old things can be a worthwhile experience.

Transform Metal Buckets and Pails

Tin pails can show up anywhere. They used to be quite popular. Now you can find them in thrift stores, at yard sales, at Goodwill and maybe even in your garage or attic.

Tin pails can be decorated in so many ways. It’s all up to your imagination and style. I decorated these two with wedding in mind but I am trying to find a couple more to redo in other styles.

I think little pails make clever and cute reusable gift containers. Forget about bags and boxes, hand painted pails will make any gift seem extra special.

Supplies Needed:

An old tin/metal pail with a handle
Fine grit sandpaper
Spray paint in your color of choice
Clear coat spray to protect your design
Paper
Decoupage glue
Ribbon
Lace
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Scissors
Sponge
Sponge paint brush
Flat container of water
Clothespins (optional) for holding lace or ribbon in place while the glue is drying

Green Options:

You are breathing new life into an old pail, that’s super green.
Consider using low VOC spray paint like Krylon’s H2O line
Natural or biodegradable ribbon
Vintage or organic lace
Recycled or tree free paper

Directions for Decoupage Pail:

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  Start by selecting a pail that is in decent shape. You don’t want to deal with rust or dents unless you absolutely have to


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  If your pail has any labels or stickers remove them


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  Gently sand the pail so paint will stick to it


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  Spray paint it in your color choice


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  Let the paint dry


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  Select the papers you want to use, test a corner by getting it wet to make sure the ink doesn’t run. For this pail I used vintage wedding images that were printed on photo paper with an ink jet printer. It’s best not to use real photographs or actual vintage ephemera. Make copies of everything and print on new paper. This way you don’t damage the originals and if you make a mistake you can make more.


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  Cut out your design and start placing it on your pail. Play with around with the placement.
  If you have pieces of lace or ribbon to add, play with the placement of those as well.


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  For the pail pictured, I used a metallic gold spray paint, a piece of vintage lace, and copies of vintage postcards. I glued the lace on with decoupage glue and water and held it in place with clothespins while it dried. I placed the images around the bucket after gluing on the lace.


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  To decoupage paper, dip the paper in a flat container of water, pull it out and shake off excess water, use a sponge paint brush to cover the back of the paper with decoupage glue
  Place the paper where you want it and smooth out excess glue and water with a slightly damp sponge. Hold on tight to the paper to keep it in place while gently yet firmly smoothing the sponge over it.


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  Repeat this for every piece of paper you want to add to it.


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  Let it dry over night and see how it turns out. If everything is good, let it settle for a few days before clear coating it.


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  If something is wrinkled or just messed up, you can peel and sand everything off and start over then try a different type of paper that doesn’t wrinkle or tear as easily.
  

Create a Time Capsule from a Wine Bottle

Do you have some beautiful empty wine bottles lying around, perhaps as a memento from a special occasion, that you don’t really want to alter but are just taking up space?

I have a solution for you- make a wine bottle time capsule.

It’s easy to do- you just need a clean, dry wine bottle, a cork or something else to seal the top and some small items to place inside the bottle such as photos, a piece of paper with something memorable written on it, ticket stubs, a napkin, a small piece of jewelry, a pebble, some sand, anything that reminds you of a certain special day or a time in your life.

If the bottle was from your wedding day consider adding some ribbon from a gift, a scrap of wrapping paper, one of your invitations, a photo from the wedding, a copy of your vows, other decor or mementos from the big day (like a small favor, a personalized napkin, the penny or sixpence worn in the bride’s shoe, a piece of the aisle runner, anything that will fit in the bottle, except anything perishable).

If the bottle was from a vacation you could put in photos, fliers, ticket stubs and other small items from the vacation. If you are tech savvy you could add a thumb drive or memory card full of photos or digital scrapbook pages.


Once you have everything in your bottle seal it up and put it away. You could add a tag that says “do not open until…” For a wedding bottle maybe open it on your 10th or even your 20th anniversary. For a family vacation maybe open 5 or 10 years after the kiddies head off to college. You can stash the bottle away in a secret place or place it on a shelf as a pretty decoration.

Creating a time capsule within a bottle is a fun and simple way to reuse a special or pretty bottle you’ve been saving.

No tools are needed- just gather your memories and put them in the bottle- put the bottle in a safe place then open years from now to take a trip down memory lane.