Swap it Like it’s Hot
Happy Monday! Super excited to be participating in this year’s #swapitlikeitshot—if you haven’t heard of it before, a bunch of talented bloggers go thrifting, find some random items and mail it to another blogger. Then you have to come up with a unique way to repurpose your items.
The best part is we have five full days of thrifted upcycling goodness for you guys all hosted and put together by Charlotte from the fab blog Ciburbanity. This is day one, so you’re here just in time for the kick off party! If you’re joining me from Nancy over at Artsy Chicks Rule, welcome! Are you all excited to see what I got—and made? Check it out!
But let me back up and share what I received. Nancy sent me a box of goodies, and when I opened them I stared at them. And thought. Then thought some more. Here’s what I got:
I had a lot of ideas, but in the end decided that she sent me the perfect bones for a little cactus garden. I mean, I AM in Texas after all. We’re supposed to have cacti everywhere, right? 😉 I already had a couple of $2 cacti I got from Ikea, so all I needed was the containers.
I LOVED the wooden bowl and it’s natural patina, so I didn’t want to change it too much. I just used my favorite gold leaf pen
to create a simple arrow pattern around the rim and a few hearts on the bottom, just for fun.
The metal container was a bit more challenging. At first I tried to stamp it with the word GROW, but I wasn’t happy with how it turned out…so I decided to move to plan B and use gold washi tape to cover it.
My crowning accomplishment might be what I did with the window valance, just because I was determined to use it. I ended up using a seam ripper to take the piping chord out of the valance. I decided to make a coaster for my watering pot. I needed a base to glue it on so I used a box I had around and used a glue gun to glue the chord in place. I didn’t love the color so I used the gold leaf pen and a green permanent marker to make a fun pattern.
Then I just planted one cactus into the metal container and the other I left in the pot. I set them on a vintage scale we have in our kitchen. Tada! So proud to say we have our very own square of cacti! We are truly Texan now, phew!
Need more thrift-turned-fabulous? Head over to Jessica at Decor Adventures and check out what she did! So cute!! And there will be tons more of projects all week long! Check out this amazing list of bloggers!
Day 1
Run to Radiance
Decor Adventures
Year of Serendipity
58 Water Street
Don’t Disturb This Groove
Like a Saturday
Artsy Chicks Rule
Day 2
Two Purple Couches
While They Snooze
The Gathered Home
Black and White Obsession
Ciburbanity
Restoration Redoux
Confessions of aSerial Do-it-Yourselfer
Day 3
Primitive & Proper
Queen of Everything
That’s My Letter
Finding Silver Pennies
Migonis Home
Windgate Lane
Day 4
I Am a Homemaker
Town and Country Living
Thoughts from Alice
Our Southern Home
Chic Little House
SG Style
Two Thirty~Five Designs
Day 5
Gourley Girl & Guy
The Thinking Closet
The Charming Farmer
2 Little Superheroes
Shades of Blue Interiors
Live Pretty on a Penny
Tania Griffis is an accomplished writer, blogger, and interior designer with a Journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma. She started her popular blog, Run to Radiance, in 2011, demonstrating her design expertise through the personal remodeling of six houses to millions of readers across the globe.
Tania also owns The Creative Wheelhouse, a respected ghostwriting agency for bloggers, further showcasing her talent for creating engaging and informative content.
That is such a pretty vignette! Great job!
So fun to see what you came up with! I love how you took the cording off and made a coaster! 🙂 So great!!
Nancy
I can’t HANDLE it with the cording!!! I just figured that was something you had on hand!!! And now… I also want a vintage scale. Thanks for being part of the fun!! xx
I love your little cactus garden! I am so impressed that you thought to use the cording to make a coaster. It looks awesome!
You went all out girl! Great items and I love the washi and gold accents 🙂
Beautiful pots, very cleaver. I love it. I am looking for a good glue gun; Tania what’s your favorite glue gun? Thanks
I love the washi tape covered metal container! It all turned out great!
The whole vignette is absolutely adorable!! Especially love the gold arrows you drew on the wooden bowl!!
Such clever ideas!I would have never thought to use that cording! Great job!
Great idea to use them to together for a cactus garden! XO
You are so clever! This is too adorable!
What a fun challenge! I am so much enjoying seeing the transformations on each blog.
You were so clever to think of using your wooden bowl as a plant holder. What a perfect idea! I also love that you used the cording from the curtain to make a plant coaster.
Wow – so creative! I love the gold details on the bowl, and that wash tape! Great job.
Brilliant! I would have never thought of this 🙂
So freaking creative! And I love the cacti displayed on that scale!
Love what you did with your finds! Especially with that cording! Very clever!! Your cactus garden looks fantastic 🙂
so creative! i love the little plant tray! and yes, you do need cacti everywhere, texas or not! cacti are the new succulents.
Very creative! I love the cactus garden and the coaster is genius. Your old scale is pretty amazing, too!
This is adorable! I love your cactus gardens. Those gold leaf pens look like so much fun!
Love what you came up with for the challenge! Gold is so classic and fun. Need to order me a gold leaf pen! ~Christy
I absolutely love this! not only what you were able to make out of the items but the way you styled them is gorgeous!
Such a creative approach, I love it! This garden made from cactus is very cool, might copy your idea.