Happy Earth Day!

Hi Friends! I hope everyone had a happy Earth Day!

Here at Rustic and Refound, I’ve been working on a couple of projects. I planted some seeds and most of them are coming up and are now cute little seedlings. Yesterday, being Earth Day, I took the time to turn trash into treasure and be inspired by sweet little seedlings.

Seedlings

I can’t tell you how excited I got when I first saw signs of life from the seeds I had planted. It’s so much fun!

Looking at the egg carton, you can see that some of the seeds did not germinate.

What’s Next!

Prior to this year, I had always purchased small plants. This has been quite an adventure that I’m kind of liking. However, getting your seeds to germinate is one thing, but figuring out what to do with seedlings once they start to grow? Well, that’s a whole different ballgame. I keep a close eye on them, so they don’t dry out. This is risky business. It still quite cold here. I live in the Hardiness Zones 5b to 6a. A cold-to-moderate climate. That means high altitude, strong sun, alkaline/sandy soil, harsh winds, and significant winter cold that hasn’t completely left yet. I have my work cut out for me.

Maybe my timing is off. A little early for starters??? “In general, you should start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost date in your area.“ Well, that could be in June for this area. It’s been known to snow in July in this area. No joke!

Cute Upcycle

You know the benefits of a great upcycle? I am always looking at something and seeing something else that it could become. I love when I can turn something that may hit the landfill and improve its quality and/or create a new use for it. My upcycle project is a small thing, but you know the footprint that each of us leave on the planet. Its big! Over here at R&R, today I wanted to do what I thought would be a great Earth Day project and, that’s what I did!

I decided on working with something simple & unassuming for my Earth Day project.

Let’s Decoupage Some Cans

What I Used

• Base object – large metal can (Smooth surfaces work best)
• White Chalk Paint to cover the can
• Paper Napkins – Peel the paper down to the thinnest layer
• Mod Podge – Shiny works best
• Brushes – for paint & Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Sandpaper (optional) to clean the top edge.

I had some wrinkles. Not a lot for the most part. However, I really wasn’t greatly concerned about wrinkles on a can. Just because it is a can. I wanted my project to look nice, so I did my best.

A side note: The cans are not sealed and will not tolerate water.

The Results of a Happy Earth Day Upcycle

Here are the results of a happy Earth Day upcycle. Each completed and styled a little differently.

How I Styled a Happy Earth Day Project

The branded can holds a jar of water with the yellow tulips and received some raffia around the top for interest. texture and to hide the jar. To the flowered can an upcycled ribbon was added for interest and texture along with a faux bouquet of white tulips.