Confessions of a Creative Reuser

While Austin Creative Reuse is by far my favorite place to find cool creative materials, I also do lots of thrifting.  I love the hunt for something unique.  I recently visited the Pagosa Springs Humane Society Thrift Store and found a wealth of great stuff.  I love upcycling various vessels for container gardens so I am always on the lookout.  I found several chafing dish stands ($3-$4)  as well as some pretty cool light shades ($2-$4).

Light shades make great planting vessels since many of them already have holes cut in the top.  Once you turn them over, you now have a beautiful planter.

The chafing dish stands are perfect for keeping your light shades balanced and draining well.

For these light shades, I used a screen and rocks to cover the holes as they were kinda big.

I added soil, some sedum babies from my garden, topped with some river rock and in a flash, you have an amazing, one of a kind garden.  I’ll be on the lookout for some adorable tchotchkes to add to these beauties just for a bit of interest.

Once all was said and done, I was left with two pretty cool copper rings that had been on the lip of the larger light shades.  Who knows what I’ll do with those but I am keeping them for sure.

A hint about making these planters.  If you don’t have a yard full of succulents, cactuses and sedums already, ask for cuttings from friends and neighbors to start your own.  Alternatively, check out the local plant nurseries for succulents, sedums and cactuses that have lots of babies.  They are easy to divide and need almost no pampering to get them to thrive.