15 Unique Planter Ideas Made From Repurposed Items

Years ago, when we lived in a subdivision and were going through the initial HOA set-up, we seriously considered adding a toilet for a planter in our front yard.  Yes, that's exactly how we felt about all that jazz, but still, it would have made a cute addition to my landscaping (and ticked off a few annoying neighbor nazi's as well.  Win,win).   I still love the idea and have seen it done numerous times, very cute!

 I love seeing unexpected items used as planters.  So many creative ways to add interesting elements to your landscaping.  Here's a few great ideas I've collected from Pinterest.  You can find more great planters ideas and suggestions for planting on my Pinterst Board:  Landscaping- Planters.

This gives all new meaning to the term "flower-bed"!

Found on Pinterest

Love the trash can idea.  Put something heavy in the bottom (to keep it from wanting to tip over), fill the center with plastic bottles, styrofoam or some other type of filler and then use the top portion for a planter.  Adorable!

thelilypadcottage.com

An old table base and a wash tub make an adorable planter.

organizedclutter.net

I cleaned out my grandmother's home a couple years back and she had a huge old sink in the basement (original to the home), I'm still kicking myself for not taking it out and bringing it home with me.  What was I thinking?

                       thriftyrebelvintage.com

I am in love with this!  Don't think it'd last very long but wow, what a statement.

Found on Pinterest

Bold pop of color makes this chair planter even better.

betterhousekeeper.com

Feeder turned planter, another great idea!

Found on Pinterest

This is gorgeous.  Don't throw out that broken fountain just yet.

suculentasminhas

Such a great idea for old fan covers.  

ranchoreubidoux.com

Firewood... planter.... firewood...  planter.  Decisions, decisions!

indulgy.com

pinkpolkadotcreations.com

Love this.  What a great idea.

redheadcandecorate.com

I don't know about you but I can always find old work shoes around here.  Such a cute planter.

Equinox27 on flickr.com

Wow!  Makes me want a bathtub planter in my yard.

Karol Franks on flickr.com

I found these a couple years ago with every intention of making some.  Hasn't happened yet but they're still on my radar.  Easy project to make a statement in your yard.  Love them!

szinesotletek.blog.hu
Yep, there's a tutorial.  No, it's not in English. 

Have you made anything creative or used unique items for planters in your yard?

13 Of My Favorite Window Re-purpose Ideas

Decorating with old windows has become quite the rage these days.  With projects like these its no wonder why!  I am always amazed and inspired by how creative people are.  Check out my favorite projects from Pinterest and follow the links for even more great ideas to inspire and get your creative juices flowing.

Who wouldn't want one of these in their garden?  Gorgeous and functional, you can't beat that.  

woohome.com

Awesome Old Furniture Repurpose Ideas for Your Yard and Garden

Great window flower box idea to brighten up a boring facade and add a little punch to your landscaping.

Found on Hometalk.com

Great way to make a little greenhouse and give your seeds a head start.

woohome.com
38 Best Ways to Reuse Old Windows

Wow, this is such a gorgeous piece of furniture with windows on either side.  

Painted Cottages on Etsy

They also make perfect room dividers that still let the light shine through but give a feeling of enclosure.

notedlist.com
20 DIY Old Window Decor Ideas

This is such a beautiful piece.  When I see it I'm inspired to make a hall tree by turning the window into a mirror and bulking up the sides to add coat hooks.  Maybe a couple windows to make it wider and more of a bench.  So many ideas, so little time!

Remodelaholic.com
100 ways to use old windows, yes, I said 100.  Worth checking out wouldn't you say?

What a beautiful curio cabinet, great way to display a collection.

fleamarket.about.com
How to turn old windows into furniture

What an easy project this would be and so many ways to personalize it to fit your needs.

Fab Art DIY
15 Ways to Use old Windows in Your Home and Garden

How about a command center of some sort.  This is such a great idea and so functional, multi-purpose is always good.

The Idea Room
Repurposed Window Ideas

Cute, cute, cute!  You could change things up and use ribbon or raffia instead of the chicken wire for a different look.  Use it to showcase your wedding or new baby photos, vacation memorabilia or even jewelry display.  So versatile.

little big house on the prairie

Paint it or decorate it in some way to fit your decor and you've got yourself a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork for your home.

dishfunctionaldesigns
Painted and Decorated Windows

Have your favorite family photo enlarged and display it proudly.  Just gorgeous.

Just Imagine.com

Maps, oh how I love thee!  Beautiful and the colors are great.  What about decorative papers, wallpaper or even wrapping paper.  There are some really great patterns out there that'd make gorgeous artwork.  Add a shelf above or below for a little versatility and you're good to go.

littlebrags.blogspot.com
Decorating With Old Windows


Have you done anything decorative with old windows?  Feel free to share and inspire us today.

14 Antique Malls Off I-44 In Missouri

We are currently building "The Chirping Frog", an Antiques & More mall located right off a major highway in Illinois.  I would like to create a traveling guide for other antique malls located across the country.  That'll take some time and quite a bit of travel but won't that be loads of fun to research?

Recently we traveled to Oklahoma City picking up custom cabinetry we had built for the shop.  On the way I miraculously stayed awake (so unlike me) and kept a list of all the Malls I saw advertised along the way.  Here's the start of my guide, 14 malls I found while traveling through Missouri off I-44.  I will have to take another trip in order to stop and take a look so I have no recommendations or reviews to give (I'm crying inside but hubby and pup were not stopping).

Have you been to any of these, any comments or critiques?  If you know of any others please let me know so I can add them to my ever-growing list.    

Eureka, MO
Eureka Antique Mall 
Great Midwest Antique Mall

Bourbon, MO
Half Crocked Antiques  Exit 218
Country Cousins Antiques  Exit 214

Cuba, MO
Lone Star Antiques Mall  Exit 208


Rolla, MO
Rolla Antique Mall  Exit 189

Lebanon, MO
Heartland Antique Mall  Exit 127
Jonesy's Antiques  Exit 127

Phillipsurg, MO
Route 66 Antique Mall  Exit 123

Marshfield, MO
Antique Mercantile Exit 100

Springfield, MO
Relics Antique Mall  Exit 46

Republic, MO
Cooper's Antiques  Exit 67

Sarcoxie, MO
Cimarron Antiques  Exit 29

Joplin, MO
Southside Antique Mall 

12 Ways To Add A Little Pizzazz With Flooring

When building our home I had lots of different ideas for how to add my own quirky sense of style to the floors. By the time we were putting in the wood flooring and I could have brought those ideas to fruition I was exhausted and already overwhelmed by all the other projects we'd been doing that I threw all those thoughts right out the window.  I'm saving them for later (when/if we ever decide to change things out).

Check out some of these wonderfully creative ways to add a little pizzazz to your flooring.

First things first, if you've got concrete already, why not use it?  There are so many different ways you could finish it off to make it uniquely yours.   

mollyfreydesign.com

You might be surprised at the gorgeous stencils you can find for concrete work.  Just beautiful!

pinterest.com

Another great idea is to jazz up your transitions.  Love this idea!  Years ago my dad changed out the flooring in his home and had the entry way tile and living room carpet meet with a gentle sweeping curve.  Such a simple way to add an artistic touch.

Found on hometalk.com

Tile work mixed with wood in a checkerboard pattern, lovely.  It would be quite time consuming to do but well worth the extra effort.

1900 Farmhouse

Found on pinterest.com

When tiling you don't have to spend a fortune to get a completely unique look.  Find a basic, neutral tile for the majority of the floor and then add a touch of fun with a great mosaic.  Love how they laid this.

Found on pinterest.com

This is one that I did a few years ago.  The large tiles are from Home Depot or Lowes and I added splashes of the mosaic to add some interest.  You can see the rest of this project here.

How about unfinished wood and you can make the design anything you want?  On a trip out to visit my dad we spent a little time in San Fransicso, sight-seeing.  One of the tours was of the Painted Ladies, beautiful homes with amazing character.  One of my favorite floors was a simple narrow border inset around the perimeter of the rooms with a different finish, clever way to add a little interest.

artisphereonline.com

Wowzer!

inlays.com

I really love mosaic and this just takes the cake.  How unique is that?

homedit.com

Pennies, who'd a thunk?  Looks great!

apartmenttherapy.com

This is such a unique way to bring nature inside, wonder how it feels underfoot?

bobvila.com

Have you done anything unique and creative with your flooring design?  Inspire us!

Concrete Flower Bed Borders

We love concrete, can't help it. There are so many options, you can do just about anything you want. Our last house had exposed aggregate borders for the flowerbeds, this time we opted for wider (and deeper since they'll probably get driven on at some point) and then we stamped and stained them. Here's a look into our process. 

When we bought the property there was a rock driveway that just died about halfway across the land. We added a circle drive once the house was done and of course, began working on the landscaping. Above is the island that we plan to border with a concrete edge.

We framed it up in stages. We had lots of pours going on for patios and the like so we would try to do a portion of the island when we had a need for concrete already. The red you see is a stamp liner so the portion you'll see will have a decorative edge.

This was my job through the pouring process. Nice! I have shoveled and pulled concrete before, mimally and it's really difficult (that stuffs heavy) plus I stink at it. Just not strong enough. This is the perfect job for me!

We did do a little edging (not shown) and we will be stamping.

Jason is off finishing whatever pour that coincided with this one and I'm left to get it stamped.

Here it is. The darker area with the framing is the most recent pour. We've already removed framing on other sections that were done earlier.

Got it stained. I used saw dust and coffee grounds to get the color effect and sprayed it with stain. I used two colors. I can't remember the main color (a dark brown) and then spritzed it with some black.

We got the border poured within a summer's time but the rest of the island, from the first picture to this one was year's in the making. It has really filled in nicely.

Have you done any interesting flower borders in your yard?  

Building The Chirping Frog- Part 13

I cannot believe its been roughly 13 weeks since we began our newest adventure. We'll be opening The Chirping Frog; an antique, collectibles, vintage, home decor, furniture, artisan wares and more shopping mall before you know it. 

Over the weekend the remainder of the trusses went up, the framers spent a long Saturday on a holiday weekend getting 'er done (thanks to the rain on Friday) and the building is nearly ready for the roof.  Most of the metal is being delivered today and they'll be spending most of the day putting purlins up so they can start squaring the place up and adding the roofing materials.  Once that's done our Pine Log Trusses for the entrance can go up and I can start the vertical application along the front of the building.  It is really moving along.

Here's weekly updates from the beginning if you're interested:

• Part 1- Clean-up
• Part 2- Dirt Work
• Part 3- Tons of Rock & Footings 
• Part 4- Foundation Walls
• Part 5- Foundation Walls Poured
• Part 6- Forming Bathroom Walls
• Part 7- Bathroom Walls Poured
• Part 8- Rock, rock and more rock!
• Part 9- Concrete Floor Pour
• Part 10- Clean-up
• Part 11- Framing is Underway
• Part 12- Trusses

Look at that,  so exciting!

While the trusses were going up Jason and I worked on removing the framing from the bathroom roof pour.  Took us all day.

Notice the chain from the truss down to the concrete wall?  I could hear the wall creaking while we were working.  We left for lunch, came back and they'd attached this to the wall to stabilize everything, and quite a few more braces.  Would hate to see the whole thing start going like dominoes... that would not be pretty!

First thing for our project was to remove the support boards on the long walls, you know, the ones we put all those stinkin' tap-cons into.  Wow, that was not fun.  Many were sunk too deep and wouldn't come out so hubby had to chisel them out.  How fun!

After the long pieces were out these came out fairly easily (says the one standing to the side watching all the action) with a pry bar and some muscle.

Here it is with all the wood down, looks great!

Now to clean up all the mess.

All cleaned up and ready for the next step.

Trusses are up, everything is braced and waiting for the roof to go on.

Once the roof is on and the building is structurally sound it's time to put Jason's gorgeous pine log trusses on for the front entryway.  I cannot wait to see them installed.   On Monday while Pepper and I were finishing up our walk, a familiar truck approached.  It was my husband letting me know he'd dropped a board on his foot and was heading to Urgent Care.  Of course he wouldn't wait for me, he's a tough guy and doesn't need me tagging along (he actually told me to go sweep the floor at the building site instead, that was better use of my time).  Well, that might be so, but I tagged along anyhow.  The doc specifically said, "NO WORK".  He actually made Jason repeat after him that he wouldn't put his boot back on until he saw the orthopedist.  Well, anyone who knows Jason knows that's not going to happen!  We got home, he changed out of the surgical boot the doc made him wear out of Urgent Care and put back on his work boots (which eventually ended with one of the boys hugo hunting boots on the bad foot), and continued on.  We're "burning daylight" and have tons to do, so limping and bleeding all over the place (well, inside the walmart bag he'd wrapped around his foot anyhow), we loaded the trusses and decking onto the trailer and got things ready to go.  Crazy man!

Now that the trusses are cleared out this space is available for the next project, concrete countertops.

They've been formed up and ready to go in the basement all winter.