Upcycling and Repurposing

Creating a second life for our things is a great way to conserve waste, save money, and get creative. There are thousands of ways that we can re-purpose various items in fun and creative ways, and though there are far too many for us to list here, there are plenty of great resources on-line that can guide you.

In the meantime, here are few ideas we love:

Ladders:

Re-purpose and old ladder into a:Ladder Planter

  • Bathroom towel rack. Add a bamboo box to the top or bottom rung for storage space.
  • Hang the ladder on brackets
    off the floor and against a wall or standing up upright and leaning against a wall.
  • Flowerpot holder. Great for either inside or out, ladders are a fun way to display potted plants and flowers.
  • Light show. Wrap an old ladder with twinkle lights for a cool lighting display inside or out.
  • Lean a small ladder next to your bed for a unique bedside ‘table’. Add a small piece of wood to make a shelf, add a clip-on reading light, and maybe even a dream catcher.

 

Wine Bottles:

There are so many fun and easy ways to reuse wine bottles:

  • Water it down. Add a cool stopper or cork and use as a water bottle for the dinner table or while entertaining.
  • Hang it. Turn a wine bottle into a lamp with a lighting kit.
  • Write it. Create a cool vase by painting a bottle with Chalk Board Paint. Then mark it with a poem, the names of the flowers, or just a love note.
  • Light it up. Add battery or solar twinkle lights to the inside of a clean wine bottle for a pretty lighting effect 

Wine bottle lights

 

Wood Pallets:

concrete wall interior handmade trendy decor with modern black lamp and round rugYou can usually find wood pallets for free or dirt cheap and there are so many things to do with them:

  • Fence it in. Brace strong wooden pallets together to create a privacy space for your backyard.
  • Table it. Turning a pallet into an outdoor coffee table is as easy as adding legs! Fast, simple, and easy.
  • Sit on it. It’s also almost as easy to create matching couches. Stack two and secure together, then add a third pallet to the back for a backrest, then repeat for the size couch you are looking for. All that’s left is to sand it and paint it!
  • Plant it. Vertical gardens are easy to create inside a wooden pallet with the help of chicken wire, soil, and seedlings.

 

There are thousands of ideas out there so get creative and have some fun by re-purposing items throughout your home.

 

For your vinyl, plastic, stone, or metal surfaces, restore the original color by using Rust-Oleum Recolor by Wipe New!

 

Getting Started with Vertical Gardening – Finding the Space

Even if you’re living in a small space, you can have a garden. You just may need to go up!  Vertical gardening allows you to have vegetables and annuals in your life and home, all you need is a blank wall, bare fence, or other vertical space!

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One simple way to start a vertical garden is to build a wire frame and hang pots and planters from it.  Start with a wooden frame, and wrap it in hex wire.  Hang it on a wall or add a base so that it is sturdy, and hang away!

Or you can use a sturdy trellis from the store as your grid to hang pots from.

decorated wall vertical garden Idea in the city

 

Not into putting something on the wall? Hang different lengths of chain and hooks to give it a tiered appearance.

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You can also use pallets! Pallet furniture is a big trend right now, and it’s due to the versatility of this often-discarded piece of shipping equipment. You can use a pallet as a flower bed laying down, or stand it up to use as a vertical gardening space!

Vertical garden

There are so many different ways to create a virtual garden, almost anything that you can think of will work! Old furniture, even an old bicycle would make a nice planter. And if you do use something that may not look as new as it once did, consider brightening it with Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New. It restores the original color and shine instantly, and helps protect against the elements.

If you are looking to start gardening this fall, you are limited by what can grow in your area in the time before the frost and winter set in. Quickly growing crops such as lettuce, greens, spinach, and chard may do well.

 

For more ideas check out Country Living’s 19 Creative Ways to Plant a Vertical Garden.

 

Ready! Set! Action! Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New

Love to entertain in your backyard? Have you ever thought of watching movies outdoors?

There are many different ways that you can do it, but a simple white canvas on a frame makes a perfect screen for a projector.  You can paint the other side with a beautiful design, and then just flip it around when you are ready to watch movies!  Other options include buying a screen and painting a wall white.

ReColor by Wipe New Outdoor Movies

 

Just as there are many ways to see the movies, there are many ways to project them. Here are a couple resources for those who want to get started:

How to set up an inexpensive outdoor home theater

Outdoor home theater basics  http://www.crackerjacktheater.com/p/basics.html

ReColor by Wipe New Outdoor Movies 02

Of course, you’ll also need somewhere to sit, which is where we come in. Instead of buying new chairs, upgrade your current patio furniture by giving it a coat of Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New! Then, all you have to do is bring a pillow out and you’re ready to go.

 

A DIY Tic-Tac-Toe Garden Table for the Kids!

diy ic tac toe garden table wipe new recolor
Source: Hometalk

Here’s a great way to create some outdoor fun for the children in your life!  This DIY Tic-Tac-Toe garden will look fabulous in your backyard and it’s really easy to create.

First, find a small round wooden table top at your local hardware store or thrift shop.  Create the tic-tac-toe lines with a wood burner or some permanent paint.  Stain your tabletop and seal the surface after staining. Then treat it with Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New to shine it up – and to preserve it from rain or water damage.  Then simply attach it a tree stump and buy some stones (or other items) to use as pieces to play the game.

Get the step-by-step directions on Hometalk and enjoy your tics, tacs, and toes!

Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New and a DIY Bird Bath

DIY bird bath ReColor by Wipe New
Source: Home Stories: A to Z

The sparrows are chirping!  The cardinals are showing off their shades of red and orange!  Robins are looking for some worms while the finches are making their nests!  Spring is here!

Now is a perfect time to create something special for your flying backyard friends.  This DIY Garden Planter and Bird Bath is just the thing!  What a great way to show off some of your favorite flowers AND create a new water source for your birds.  The birds will love you for it!

The step-by-step directions are available on Home Stories: A to Z.  After painting your pots make sure you preserve and protect your new creation with Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New.  ReColor will make those colors really shine and it can help protect your colored pots from the elements.  One coat is all you’ll need!

Create a Fairy Garden to Welcome Spring!

Springtime means warmer weather, daffodils and tulips, Easter bunnies and chocolate.  It’s also a great time to get outdoors and doing something creative with the kids.

This DIY Fairy Garden is wonderful way to welcome Spring!  It’s loads of fun for girls or boys and, when it comes to creating your own garden, the possibilities are endless.

 

Rustoleum ReColor by Wipe DIY Fairy Garden

In their directions on 1PureHeart, your garden can include birdhouses, a birdbath, and some flowers and moss.   The garden itself can be placed in a wide pot that is treated with Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New.  ReColor is a great way to make sure your pot shines as bright as the garden items you’ll be placing inside of it.  One quick-and-easy coat is all you need!

So grab the kids and start your garden today.  Welcome home Springtime fairies!

ReColor by Wipe New and DIY Tin Tile Backsplash

Creating a tin tile backsplash is a fairly easy and inexpensive project.  These tiles come in a variety of colors, designs, and finishes.  Most have reflective properties that can brighten your kitchen.  They are easy to clean and installing them is typically a quick process.

How to Install a Tin Tile Backsplash (from DIYnetwork.com)

Use ReColor by Wipe New to protect the shine after installing your tin tile backsplash.

Source: DIYnetwork.com

*NOTE:  Please read and follow all the directions for ReColor by Wipe New.  When applying Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New, wear the protective nitrile gloves and always use it in a well-ventilated area.

Wipe New ReColor to the Rescue!

For some areas of the country (we’re looking at you, South), it’s warm enough year-round to do outdoor DIY projects

Live in a sunny place? Then you know how quickly things become sun-faded when left outdoors. Using Rustoleum ReColor by Wipe New is a great way to restore the original luster and color to your belongings.

Take this door for example. It was faded so badly that it looked grey, but one swipe of Wipe New ReColor and it was back to black.

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Consider these identical patio chairs – one treated with Rustoleum ReColor by Wipe New, the other not. Look at the difference! (Photo submitted by Redjeed1)

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Don’t cover your grill? You know what happens next!

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As you can tell, we love our ReColor projects, we’re always amazed at the results people are getting. Share yours with us today using #ReColor on social media – we’d love to share it with our fans!