I often worry that this blog has deviated too far from its original purpose, so with my re-commitment to writing more I’ve promised myself I’ll include the occasional upcyling/maker post.

I’ve written more than once about my love of repurposing cat litter buckets. I am blessed with a friend who gifts me with her empties and I have yet to run out of ways or reasons to use them. They are all around my house, a major means of storage in my shed, and last Christmas I even used them as Christmas gifts, with a variety of smaller gifts tucked inside.

Last spring, I painted six of them to use for my vegetable garden. (Note: not just any spray paint works (I learned that the hard way); Rustoleum’s 2X Ultra Cover has held up great so far.) Container gardening spares me the expense of improving large swaths of soil in my backyard and gives me the ability to move my garden, or even just parts of it, until I find the right amount of sunlight for whatever I’m growing.

When my fella (I just can’t say “boyfriend” at 53) saw what I was doing, he built me a mini-deck for my garden. How cute is this?

My intent was to place some complementary flowers on the front/lower tier, but considering it’s almost July I think it’s time to let that plan go. I attached some old locker shelves to the fence frame that’s standing behind my plants, giving me a place to tie up my wobbly tomato stalks. So far, growth is good and I am pleased. It pleases me even more to share this – a little light in a dark week.