Recycle – Big Red Barn Blog

We had a great sale at the Big Red Barn this weekend. Hope you were able to make it out! I had a lot of great discussions with the buyers and lots of suggestions for upcycling/recycling items we sell in the barn. We get many, many artisans and craftspersons at our sale who are looking for items to make everything from robots to bird feeders. I’d like to share a few ideas with you.

This was one of my favorite ideas. This clever crafter, takes large round doilies and wraps them around different pumpkins at Halloween/Fall. Easy! She will just tie up the top for great holiday decor. I liked the idea of using the different colors of doilies. You could also experiment with the tie for different looks – ribbon, twine, fabric, etc.

Another idea was using the multitude of miscellaneous glassware pieces you can find at garage sales to make bird feeders. You could use milk glass, depression glass, etc. It’s a great use for pieces with a tiny chip, imperfection, or cloudiness. I liked the idea of using the square dishes or even the divided dishes. You could assemble them with a base, or not, and place them in your garden.

I also find literally, hundreds of punch cups at sales for practically nothing. Everyone is trying to get rid of them. I would suggest using old punch cups for a single serve at a party. They are perfect to hold desserts, snacks, salads, etc. They’re a perfect grab and go for your party and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Finally, the frames and trophy tops. People bought the frames to use for projects from simple painting to embellishment. The trophy tops were used as pegs to make hangers on a board. I thought this would be cute for a kids room. You get tons of trophies with no future life.

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas. More will be shared soon. Happy hunting!!

Jackie

Do you see photos of front porches on Pinterest or other social media sites and wish you had the time and money to refresh your front porch in the same manner? We live in a converted metal building with a very large covered front porch.

I use the same approach to the outside of my house as I do the inside of my house. Reuse, recycle, refresh! Use everything you can and be creative!

New chair cushions can be very expensive. After an extensive search, I purchased new cushions at Big Lots. I love the colors and the whismy of the flowers! The turquoise pillows were purchased at Big Lots as well. Discounters like Big Lots can be half the price of other outlets.

The edging around my small flower garden in front consists of vintage bricks picked up here and there at garage, estate, or farm sales. They are a historic nod to your city or state. The crocks were deemed unusable because the smaller crock has no bottom and the maple leaf crock has a very large crack. I filled them with dirt and planted perennials in them. These are perfect for your garden!

The glider was found at a garage sale for $10! It had MANY layers of paint – red, yellow, white, and green. I decided to distress it by simple sanding and gave it a clear coat. I found a perfect cushion at a local discount store, and then found new pillows at garage sales.

All of the tables and chairs were found at local garage sales. Garage sales are GREAT for finding outdoor furniture. If you don’t like the color, consider a quick change with a can of spray paint.

We love feeding and watching the birds. We found most of our feeders at local sales. Most estate sales will have lots of bird feeders. Look in the garage and in sheds for feeders. I make my own humming bird food with boiled water and sugar. It’s a 4/1 ratio of water to sugar. Bring water to a boil and then add the sugar. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Then fill your feeder. I try to change it out once a week.

Finally, the hot tub! Full on retail and worth every penny!! The Airstream look trailer is a Payne County legend, but that’s a story for another day! We really enjoy our porch and outdoors.

Jackie

Tag: Recycle

Recycle/Upcycle at the BIG RED BARN

Country Life Front Porch Refresh