Picket Fence Headboard

Karen from The Cottage Farmhouse was stalking strolling the neighborhood the night before trash pickup with her daughter in hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. Karen’s diamond came in the form of this large picket fence which she happily hauled home.

picket fence

Karen’s first instinct was to turn the fence into a headboard, and it just so happens she had a nephew who was needing just the thing. The repurposed headboard also doubles as a fun place to display hats!

picket fence headboard

Read more at The Cottage Farmhouse.

Easter Egg Snake

Like Tracey at Projects for Preschoolers, we’ve accumulated quite the stash of plastic Easter eggs at our house. To my son’s shock and horror, I actually chucked half of an egg into the recycling bin. Apparently, my son knew there was more to that little piece of plastic than met the eye.

plastic easter eggs

Tracey created an adorable snake toy by threading fishing line through the holes in her eggs. You can easily get rid of those eggs without involving the garbage can or recycling bin by making snakes for all your kids’ friends. The longer the snake, the more eggs it’ll take!

recycled-easter-egg-snake

Check it out at Projects for Preschoolers.

Family Tree Tray

After years of wanting to create a piece of family tree art, Jill from Homemade by Jill can finally cross it off her list! It all began with an old tray that was headed from the church closet to the trash.

before tray

With some paint and her handy Silhouette Cameo, Jill said goodbye to the outdated flower design and hello to a bright and lively family tree! I love Jill’s color-scheme and her cute little acorn children resting at the bottom of the tree. The tray was a genius idea, as its beautiful shape and border add so much interest to the finished product.

family tree tray

Head on over to Homemade by Jill to read more.

Gift Card Guitar Picks

The next time the cashier asks if you’d like to keep your zero-balance gift card, think again before sending it to the trash!

gift card to guitar pick

Kathryn from Crafts and Creations with KMOM14 suggests instead turning those cards into guitar picks. Simply trace your template onto the card, cut out your colorful picks, and start strumming away!

guitar picks from gift card

Check it out at Crafts and Creations with KMOM14.

Restored Fire Pit

With a hubs who had been wanting a fire pit for the longest time but no funds to support such a purchase, Kim from Tiaras and Bowties was lucky to find the perfect solution in a rusty, faded pit headed for the dump. “Oh, what, honey? Is this not what you had in mind?”

Don’t worry… Kim has a few tricks up her sleeve! She introduced the decrepit fire pit to a can of Rustoleum High Heat Ultra Spray and surprised hubby with a beautiful new fire pit to call his own. Now, cool nights, family fun, and s’mores abound!

Read more at Tiaras and Bowties.

Reclaimed Wood Bench

Jessica from Running With Scissors has gotten a lot of use from the pile of junk that the previous owners of her home left behind. For this project, she used a bunch of 2x3s that were once the supports for lattice that surrounded the porch.

old wood to bench

Jessica sanded and stained all her scrap wood and then used it to build a bench for her rock patio. The rustic look of the old nail heads and uneven boards adds character to the bench. And to think it cost less than the marshmallows her family will be roasting while sitting on it!

reclaimed wood bench

Read more at Running With Scissors.

T-Shirt Yarn Bra Strap

As the weather warms up, it means it’ll soon be time to start breaking out the cute summery tops and tanks. What’s not so cute though is the visible bra strap that seems to put a damper on my tank top wearing excitement. PC from MeiJo’s Joy has a thrifty and eco-friendly solution that uses yarn upcycled from an old t-shirt.

t-shirt yarn

PC wove together three pieces of her t-shirt yarn to create a strap and then added the clip from an old bra strap. Attach it to your bra and happily say goodbye to unsightly bra straps!

t shirt yarn bra strap

Get the tutorial at MeiJo’s Joy.

Ombre Painted Desk

Serena from Thrift Diving asks, “What do you do when you find an awesome desk next to the dumpster??” Around Roadkill Rescue, we all know the answer is to quickly pull over, forget about your dignity, and haul that baby home! Thankfully, that’s just what Serena did!

curbside desk

I am simply in love with the soft ombre effect that Serena created with chalk paint. This is just another project that attests to the transforming power of a fresh coat of paint. Who would have ever thought something this lovely could come from a dumpster?

ombre desk from dumpster

Head on over to Thrift Diving to read more.