As creative as I am in other areas, upcycling materials into new things is a challenge for me. I have a hard time imagining novel ways to repurpose thing beyond the original use.
With a hard limit on my budget for exterior work around 555, I have to think creatively about what I can find around the property. Here are some of the materials and objects I can work with:
Slabs of stone from the driveway. These were at the end of the driveway and the biggest ones were broken by heavy equipment when we poured foundations for the house. We took them up and set them aside to be replaced in the driveway later. But now I have some other ideas for the driveway and I will use these for a patio outside the dining room.
Oya stone blocks. These were underneath one of the old shipping containers. We used some of these as supports for the deck. There are still plenty to deploy somewhere.
A large concrete cistern. Unlike the fishtern, this one won’t hold water. Currently I am stuffing it with garden waste and might turn it into a garden, but it could be moved and used elsewhere.
Vintage glass block. There are a few dozen of these – some are cracked. They are definitely for outdoor use at this point. Maybe some kind of lighting fixture?
Concrete sampling cores. Tidy cylinders that Make good garden edging, but I feel like they could be used more playfully. But how? Hmmm.
Tiles. Let’s not forget these. I cannot forget these – there are still lots of them. There are some random bricks and edge pieces in here the mix, too.
Old wood. There is lots of this in the barn that I will be removing before too long. Some of it is formed into cow feeders like this one, but there are many loose planks, too. Most of them are not structurally sound, but they might still be useful somehow.
Rusty corrugated tin. It’s beautifully weathered in a way that can’t be reproduced. But what to do with it?
Random objects & beyond. Broken baskets. Scraps of metal wire. A cutting board. The wooden lid to a pickle pot. Six stacked wood platforms with rusty metal framing. This is one tiny portion of what’s in the barn.
Bamboo. It’s everywhere and it keeps coming back.
Some of the materials are quite luxurious and will look lovely in a new context. Much more of it is weathered and broken down (or simply broken). Those things are harder to decide what to do with. Getting the shabby chic, wabi sabi look seems like a balancing act I haven’t been practicing. I guess it is time, though.
I have so much stuff in a liminal state between trash and treasure. Will any of it last long? Does it need to? I think I will take myself on a creative date and just play with what I find. Beauty is likely to bloom.
Some ideas:
A frame made of old wood for outdoor art
LED lamps from glass blocks
Wooden ladder as a garden frame
Old baskets planted with flowers
Planter made of old boards
Low retaining wall of corrugated tin
A ramshackle table made of an old door
And if all else fails, the Chinese couple who collect scrap metal will come take all the metal junk off my hands for free. They stopped by today and were excited to see all the stuff lying around. I gave them an aluminum door frame and told then I’d call them next month.
Now I have a deadline for my artist’s date.
