Previously, I did a post with twenty ideas from my past work to inspire you. Now I have twenty more upcycled decor ideas to share with you! Some will have tutorials to go along with them, and other’s I’ll share how they came to be. Sit back, relax and enjoy scrolling!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase through a link!
1. Old lamp base turned jewellery holder
This looks like it was a beautiful lamp in its day, but when I found it, there were broken wires and no lampshade. As with most upcycled decor ideas, there were a lot of options I could have done, but I wanted an unusual jewellery holder.
2. Mini candleholders
These pretty little candleholders were a lovely accident. I had ordered what I thought were normal-sized candles from Amazon, and instead, I got these because, apparently, I can’t read properly! So instead of returning them, I upcyled more spindles into candle holders. The idea was inspired by the beautiful Christmas tree decor that I was making at the time.
3. Rustic candleholder
I had leftover fence posts that seemed destined for the next bonfire until I made these for Valentine’s Day. Here is the tutorial.
4. Cat food tin upcycle project
This is one of my favourite upcycled decor ideas because I took something so basic, like a cat food tin and turned it into what you see. You can check out the tutorial if you want to try making these.
5. Totems
What do you get when you cross old spindles with tacky gold finials for curtain rods? These beauties! I bought the finials from Amazon because I couldn’t find any used at the time. They were perfect for the tops.
6. Upcycled glass birdbath
This isn’t something I typically make, but I couldn’t resist trying one myself when my sister started making them. This one stayed out under my deck over winter, with the temperature reaching – 26c, and it still held together because I had used outdoor silicone to attach the pieces.
7. Old wall sconces upcycled
Call me crazy, but it seems the more outdated something looks, the better suited it is for making vintage-inspired decor. These wall sconces had seen better days, but I saw potential. I removed the wiring, found jars that fit into the base and used 5-minute epoxy to attach them, then a coat of white paint along with some distressing. The last thing needed was a rustic background and two candles.
8. Repurposed handle
The handle was the only thing worth saving on an old basket, so I made a wooden box to fit the handle instead of chucking it out. Now it’s a one-of-a-kind piece of decor!
9. Twine holder
I think I have an obsession with old spindles! Let me correct that; I know I do! I have a tutorial for this twine holder if you want to see how it was made it.
10. Handmade hooks with faux succulents
I love making things that lean toward the artsy side, or what I call functional art. I used heavy-duty bolt cutters to trim the wire rods to size; then, I bent each one in my vice to form a J hook. If you try this, make sure to sand the ends of the metal because they will be sharp!
11. Coat hanger handles
Metal coat hangers are so handy when making handles for trays and boxes! Once you step away from thinking handles can only be from furniture, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities!
12. Rustic lantern
This lantern was made using all upcycled materials! I also found a used container as an insert for a battery-powered tealight candle.
13. Upcycled basic planter
I was looking for a set of three planters to showcase at my DIY cottage that I’m working on. My creative, frugal side kicked in when I couldn’t find anything I liked at a price I wanted to pay. I began by lightly painting the original black planters the flowers came in and bought matching plates from the dollar store. They went from basic to just what I wanted at a price I could live with!
14. Spindle jewellery holder
This jewellery holder was made using a spindle, old bolts, and a wooden knob attached with a bolt to give it a little something extra at the top. The metal feet came from Amazon. As with a lot of what I do, this upcycle project was given a chippy white finish.
15. Upcycled bird feeder
Years ago, I found the bird feeder in the dump’s free store. I don’t remember where the post came from, but I had it for years before it finally found its purpose! These go together like peanut butter and jelly!
16. Jewellery center
I had two vintage bread tins sitting in my stash of things to upcycle and thought they would make the perfect drawers, along with some old wire to hang earrings on.
17. Candleholder
This was among the first upcycled projects I did when I first began making rustic decor years ago. I took an old wall-mount candle holder and then added a cute jar. The rustic wood was the perfect backdrop for the candle holder.
18. Faux Planter
When painted, a small old cake tin, a short piece of a spindle, some metal feet, faux dirt, and a succulent made a nice upcycled piece, but it wasn’t until I added some dimension using airdry clay and a mould that it really came to life!
19. Custom bottle opener
This was another upcycled decor project from when I first started out. A friend’s husband loves Dodge vehicles. One day she asked if I would make him a bottle opener using the pieces he had collected from Dodge logos, so I came up with this!
20. Silver tray
When I saw this silver bottomless dish in the thrift store, I knew exactly what I wanted to do! I turned it into a catch-all container with a wood slat bottom in order to give it a vintage look.
Yay! You made it to the end! I hope that you found some inspiration from my upcycled decor ideas.
