Tipsy Pot Water Feature

We have all seen those tipsy pots made from planters, some plastic, ceramic, and steel. I have been wanting to attempt to make one but I wanted mine made from galvenized steel. I wanted old rusted farm stuff, but I have not found what I need so I decided to go to the Tractor Supply store and figure out how I could make this cheaply and as a  water feature for my pond! I purchased two med sized pails, a small one, exsmall one, and a large pan for the bottom. I had this old rusty metal tea pot which I painted silver with acrylic paint then put sealer on it. Below is my inspiration for my creation.

 

Below are the supplies I used the pails, pan, and teapot. I have seen many things used for the centerpole, since I was attempting to be frugal I decided to use an old shower curtain pole which I buried just under 2 feet. I then drilled holes in the buckets to slide them on the pole. I drilled a hole in the top large bucket in the back in order to get the tubing (i used a piece of an old hose to save money and stretched the end in order for it to fit on my pump)  through for the water feature. I will be adding flowers when it warms up a bit outside. This whole project cost me the price of the pails and pan and came to $14.50. I love the sound of the water hitting the tin!!!:)

Recreating a Chandelier into Outdoor Solar Lighting

I have seen a few DIY posts and pins on upcycling old chandeliers.........I decided to give it go. I wanted something unusual for my back porch to give us some evening glow. I decided I wanted to go about this in the most cost efficent way possible since I wasn't sure I would be able to produce the end result I wanted. I found an old chandelier at a resale shop for $7.00. I used some solar lights that we no longer needed and were just lying around in the shed collecting dust. These lights I orginally purchased from the dollar store for $1.50 a piece , so even if I would have had to buy some I would have chosen ones I could find that were inexpensive like these. I already had glue , acrylic paint and sealer. This light only cost me the price of the chandelier which was $7.00 , but even if i would have had to buy everything it would have been less than $20.00.

The picture on the left is the chandelier I purchased and on the right is the finished upcycled solar lighting.

Upcycled Head and Footboard Into A Bench

I came across several pics, pins, and posts of people who have up cycled old beds into cute benches. The bench below is what inspired me to attempt to make one of my own. Loved the hanging window too!!

http://indulgy.com/post/pRy5YdpxD1/bench-from-old-headboard

For my bench I used a twin bedframe my porch isn't very large so I felt this was the perfect size. First I cut the footboard in half to make the arms for my bench.

I attached the arms to the headboard using screws and brackets.

I framed in the seating area, added slats from scrap wood I had, then added some wooden slats to the headboard.

I wanted to paint it to match my outdoor decor and the pale green just wasn't enough for me so I added the yellow and barn red. I am looking for an outdoor cushion and throw pillows to match my creation. I really was happy with the way it turned out and I am considering making some matching pieces.

New Hanging Light from a Metal Basket

After seeing many pins on make your own pendant or hanging lights I looked at my old hanging light and decided this would be my first attempt at upcycling. I found a cute little metal  latern style candle holder that looked like a basket at Michaels and then bought a light kit. I am not an electrician, but the directions for the light kit were very simple to follow, so I didn't need to be one! I painted the candle holder black then sponged a copper color over the black to give it a more rustic look. I took some of the metal work off of my old light and attached it to the upside down candle holder. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the candle holder large enough to allow the wiring to slip through secured everything then hung it up! I was very happy with the results.

Creating Treasures from Disgarded, Old, or Broken Items.

We all have a little frugality within us!!! But it takes a great deal of creativity sometimes when looking at an item that seems like it needs to go straight to the dump and imagine it into something pleasing to the eye or useful! I am horrible at throwing stuff away........who knows I could need it someday! Which I feared could lead me to be on an episode of hoarders at the rate I was going. Then I starting reading posts and seeing pins on up cycling items and I finally felt vindicated in my junk saving obsession!:) Searching through posts and pins the ideas amazed me, I would re imagine each up cycled treasure to put my own creativity in it and make it my own, but would I able to reproduce some of these amazing up cycled items or would I just be adding to my pile of useless junk................so I began searching through pins and posts looking for items that I could re purpose and make into new treasures.