A backyard refresh doesn’t always have to involve brand-new products and a big budget. A quick look around your home and you’ll find that there are plenty of items that make great DIY outdoor decor.
So, put on your crafting cap, and take a look at the following items you probably already have sitting around to see what you can transform into new-to-you outdoor decorations.
Old Bottles
Bottles have plenty of potential when it comes to DIY outdoor decor. Whether you’re looking to reuse empty wine bottles or a variety of vintage finds you picked up at an antique store, you have options.
Some of the many projects you can take on include turning these bottles into vases, planters, wind chimes, and decorative displays around your garden. For lightweight bottles, you can string them up and add bulbs for a unique take on fairy lights.
Glass Jars
Have an avalanche of glass jars accumulating but no reason to keep them inside? These make for beautiful additions to your outdoor area.
Consider placing real or flameless candles inside them for easy lanterns to place atop tables and along pathways. You can also create terrariums or outdoor bud vases with them.
Old Ladders
Don’t send that creaky old ladder to the dump just yet. With a little styling, you have the perfect shoe or plant pot holder. You can either build DIY planters to customized to fit each rung or leave it as is and simple dot your favorite plants on top.
To go the extra mile, you can sand and paint your old ladder to give it a fresh finish. That said, the vintage look is also cool and fits perfectly in yards that embrace a farmhouse or rustic aesthetic.
Unused Pallets
One of the coolest DIY patio ideas out there is repurposing old pallets into sleek furniture. From tables and chairs to benches and statement walls, you can quickly render these basic wood structures into something more exciting.
To upgrade the wood, consider staining or painting it and giving it a weatherproof top coat. With a little extra care, they’ll look as beautiful as any store-bought piece of furniture.
Old Cabinets
That old nightstand or side table doesn’t need to go to the thrift shop; instead, it can live a new life outside. There are many ways it can be worked onto your patio, porch, or into your garden.
Cabinets with drawers are the perfect foundations for a plant potting or gardening station. They also serve as extra surface area for other upcycled decor you want to display.
If you have an old shelving unit, this will have ample space for a collection of potted plants or as a place to store outdoor necessities, such as towels, weather-resistant tablecloths, and chair cushions.
Wooden Drawers
Indoor furniture items might not be the first things you consider upcycling into items to decorate an outdoor space, but they’re great candidates. This is especially true for older pieces that might be scuffed or a little broken.
Whether you choose to use an entire unit or just take the drawers, these make for gorgeous planters for flowers. You can even create a little vignette, like a faux market flower station that looks like it’s come straight from the streets of Europe.
Unused Kitchen Tools and Mugs
Rusty colanders or chipped mugs might feel destined for the trash can, but the truth is, they serve as perfectly imperfect garden decor. Any container with ample volume inside can quickly be repurposed into a planter, either for gorgeous perennial flowers or a fun arrangement of succulents.
Teapots and teacups also easily transform into DIY bird feeders, bird houses, and bug hotels with the right blueprint. Even old silverware can be inserted into the soil as markers to help you remember what you’ve planted.
CDs and DVDs
If you have a collection of CDs or DVDs that you no longer use, you can bring them out into your garden and backyard with nothing but a little bit of string. Tie them to branches or from the roof of your porch. You can do the same with old vinyl records, too.
While the silvery, rainbow light that these discs bounce around your backyard is beautiful, this upcycled decor also doubles as a humane pest repellent. Hang these up in trees where critters tend to hang out, like fruit trees or those holding bird feeders.