Scavenger Chic

25+ Recycled and Upcycled Projects

• By Joan
• April 6, 2022
• 3 Comments

25+ Upcycled, Recycled Projects

Hi friends, today I wanted to share a bunch of projects that I’ve spied on my travels recently.  With my camera by my side, I’m always on the lookout for that upcycled or recycled project. Creativity is absolutely everywhere. My hope is that a picture may be all you need to spark your own can do spirit. You can find all my past travel inspirational pieces under the heading Scavenger Files above. The first dozen or so projects are from my sisters’ cabin near Front Royal, Virginia. It’s filled with upcycled and recycled treasures they’ve accumulated from all over. They currently rent it out as a VRBO, so if anyone is interested in renting just ask and I’ll hook you up with all the details. I’ve only included the projects that you, my fellow DIYers, might be interested in. These faded old boards are currently the centerpiece of their dining table.  It’s kind of hard to tell but these are actually pieces from an old sled.  You can just make out the arrow on the center board. Above the bar is an old beveled mirrored door turned on its side.   In one of the bedrooms you can find another door, also turned on its side, used as a headboard for a king sized bed. Pallet wood was inserted in the panels of the door. This is a cabin in the woods.  A perfect spot for a super easy, rustic, catch all pallet wood shelf in the bathroom. Also in the same bathroom, two additional, super easy, pallet wood shelves.  These have been cut so they fit perfectly in a room with an angled ceiling. On the other side of the room, an old sewing machine cabinet makes a fantastic makeup table. Ninety year old framed horse show ribbons grace the walls of an upstairs loft. These scavenged deer antlers were spray painted black and screwed to the wall.  Now they hold hand towels. Flea Market Finds, vintage game boards now have a home as wall decor. More game boards, vintage Chinese Checkers perch on a ledge to the basement.   This is a vacation destination so try using vintage postcards of your area as wall art.  An old vintage map is enhanced with a barn wood frame.   In the gaming area you’ll find these old sleds hanging from pallet wood lining the wall. At a local brewery, various beers were served on a simple 2×4 slab with a chalkboard  attached to tell you what you’re drinking.

Beer Flight Set

This is my own beer flight set I shared back in 2019.  You can find all the DIY instructions here.  In my post I’ve also included where you can buy the beer flight glasses. The next dozen or so pictures are from Chartreuse and Co.  in Frederick Maryland.  They are only open once a month and their inventory is always changing.  While their barns are packed full of vintage home decor, like the cabin above, I only took pictures of those things that inspire me to get out my saw and tool belt.  OK, I don’t really own a toolbelt, all my tools are scattered all over my workbench, but you get the idea. I always love old tool caddies ,  It looks like it’s fairly easy construction but would be fantastic with pots of flowers or cutlery for serving.  Anything with cubbys immediately catches my eye… ...which brings us to this shelf.  You may notice that I took a fairly close up picture of this set of great cubby shelves to find out how they placed the dividers.  I could do that! I also like the wire hardware cloth used as a backing. Larger free standing cubbys.  I envision this one in a mudroom.  Can you imagine all the gloves, hats, scarves and mittens that would fit in him? Unique hangers always catch my eye.  This one is made from vintage shoe forms.  If you’ve ever wondered what to do with those old shoe forms, wonder no more  😆 I made 2 projects from old ladders last month, a  ladder with crate shelves and a floor lamp so  these display shelves made from 2 old ladders were especially appealing. I envisioned these old recycled license plates as pencil caddys or for utensils but they are being marketed as drink coozies. Create your own DIY table with two sawhorses.  Don’t have sawhorses, create your own  FREE with pallet wood.  You can find my own DIY sawhorse desk here also made FREE with pallet wood.   Personalize a journal for your own use or give as a gift.

This wine bottle caddy reminds me of a caddy I made with bed slats back in 2016.  Use aged wood for a more authentic look. This little macrame window cover was not for sale, but I do love the way the light filters in through the strings. I know I’m dating myself, but from my own macrame knot tying days, I’m thinking this is made up of half-hitches and square knots. Think about framing old bingo cards, they’re a perfect addition to a game room. Create your own Easter bunting with vintage graphics, greeting cards or postcards. These cheese boards were created from granite scraps.  The edges were still rather rough so I was wondering how hard  would it be to chisel away a circular shape from leftover granite. Has anybody tried? The last few pictures are from a restaurant, Blue Wing Frog, which is also in Front Royal, Virginia, not too far from one of the entrances to Skyline Drive.  The owner spent a long time telling us about how he and his wife came about opening the restaurant, but what caught my eye was his extensive use of pallet wood.  He claims to have started out with 300 pallets and with help from Pinterest he began constructing his restaurant.  A man after my own heart.♥ Table made from pallet wood. Pallet wood wall. The showstopper were these cabinets and wine racks made from pallet wood. I didn’t make any of these projects but hopefully the pictures will be enough to inspire.  Until next time…

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