For a chance to win a FREE copy of the Junk Gypsies’ new book, Junk Gypsy: Designing a Life at the Crossroads of Wonder & Wander, tell me how MaryJanesFarm has inspired you to upcycle a junk find in the comments below. I’ll toss your name into a hat and draw a lucky winner sometime mid-December.
You’ll see how the Junk Gypsies have transformed vintage Airstreams into glittery glampers in the Dec/Jan issue of MaryJanesFarm. Stay tuned for more magazine-related giveaways. If you’re not yet a subscriber to my magazine, MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for $19.95/year.
My husband made a beautiful display rack out of an old panel door and a cracked church bench. It made a great space to sell my stuff at a local store.
Although I have never really upcycyled anything, MaryJanes new DIY magazine that I just received has the wheels turning!
We are using wooden whiskey boxes for spice racks under the kitchen cabinets. The Junk Gypsy transformations are whimsical and wild — love them! MB
We had a rusty old shoe rack that was about to get tossed. I put it on the deck with some cute potted herbs. Looks great! I get so much inspiration from Mary Jane to look beyond the intended purpose of things.
Would love to win the book
Oh I love everything about Mary Jane….e magazine is definitely treat. I have “restored ” furniture by painting it and ggiving it new life. And junk gypsies, wow, love the creativity !
After seeing some of the upcycled junk finds, I decided to re-visit some of my long forgotten treasures in the basement and get creative. Thank ya’ll for inspiration!
We turned an old headboard into a garden sign
I get a lot of inspiration from Mary Janes Farm issues and DIY’s. I mainly turn items into nesting boxes for the chickens, but have more ideas roaming in my head to transform! I hope to win Junk Gypsies because it’s on my wish list to read.
Love this magazine after reading it I am inspired to make some changes to my life. After seeing the cute things done with canning jars I decided to go for it and came up with some cute things!
Old faded denim jeans being given new life and upcycled into cut squares to design a picnic quilt became the crossroads of vivid imagination and memory.
I am always dragging some a project from a yard or estate sale. I love getting new ideas from Mary Jane farms.
Mary-Jane’s farm has inspired me in so many ways on my own farm. This past summer I made slip covers for my patio furniture out of old quilt tops that I bought at an auction for 2 dollars for the whole box. My patio turned into my oasis after farm work. I would take my spinning wheel outside and spin and admire my sewing efforts at the same time.
My husband & I were cleaning out one of the storage sheds on our property. He came out holding a tool called a cultivator with no handle. We decided to make it into a hanger for towels or something and hang it somewhere. He sanded it and painted it flat black and put a old short handle on it. It looked so cute but old. We decided to hang it in our gazebo where hot tub is & hang towels on it… It works great! Thanx for your magazine and website.
Have turned teacups into planters.
found an antique dynamite box, with beautiful finger jointing. Plan to fill with
exciting, explosive Christmas gifts for my 40 year old “baby”
I like to use old iron beds in the garden, as decoration, and for a place to rest.
Pretty much anytime a plate, bowl, piece of pottery or shiny object breaks, I will save it to use in a mosaic later!
I re-invented an old wind-up Victrola cabinet into a media center for my stereo and satellite receiver with room on top for our TV. It fits nicely into the corner of my living room with out standing out! I love the Junk Gypsy’s and Mary Jane – I think we could have been sisters in another life!
Old Yoga mats, can be used for liners in the bottom of a closet, also cut out for coasters.
I use milk jugs (cut in half) as mini greenhouses in the garden.
Used old hood ornaments on deck posts. Makes my deck relaxed and original.
I have upcycled old barn wood into frames for photography. Repurpised vintage linens into aprons and raise all veggies organically.
I own a lovely littke All Natural Lavender Farm where we grow Lavender and Produce All Natural Bath and Beauty Products as well as Hand Crafted Jewelry and Gifts often made from Vintage Upcycled Items. I have been suscribed to MaryJanesFarm Magazine for a couple of years now and gifted my (Free Subscription) last Christmas to my daughter who has been living her dream as a Singer-Songwtiter in Nashville for 5 yrs now.
I have put many of the Recycle Project Ideas to use during this time but the most current project I am about to begin is a Pallet Tray found in my most recent issue with a Pallet and some old found objects. I LOVE MaryJanesFarm AND I LOVE Junk Gypsies, have several episodes saved on my TV System to watch over and over.
I used the orange, plastic twine from the pine straw bales we put in our flowerbeds to crochet a shopping bag. A great idea straight from the farm!
My daughter brought in old barn board from a corral, sanded and decoupaged it, and had our carpenter cut old wooden rolling pins at 45 degree angles. She plans to fasten them to the board as seen in a Mary Jane’s Farm magazine, and mount it on our kitchen wall to use for hanging up tea towels.
Years ago, I saw a DIY tip in your magazine about using chalkboard paint to turn an old scratched up cookie sheet into a magnetic blackboard. I love re-purposing things that may end up in the landfill. Thank you for your magazine, it’s speaks to me!
We have extremely soil here and since I have balance problems, we use scavenged pallets to create safe walkways around our property.
I love your magazine; I was raised as a farm girl and so I really enjoy reading the magazine and ready all about recycling.
I haven’t up-cycled anything lately but I love all the ideas for redoing old trailers of which I have and want to do plus I love reusing things instead of filling the land fills.
I am so glad I found you magazine. I like all things recycled. I once used an old ice hook for a paper towel holder. I would love to win the book.
Old pig panels from the pen make great garden climbers for cukes squash and tomatoes. Just stake them up and guide the plants . Less bending over for us older gals
I used an old ironing board to make my garden lady. Her name is Maggie and I put her in the middle of my garden to share with the birds, bugs, the neighbors, my grandchildren, and me. Her dress is red, he hat is green (an older bird feeder part), the top of her hat is a toy bird. She holds a basket in front with little rubber duckies. I dress her according to the weather. I love to find new ideas for old “things”.
I found an old rusty piece of tin pipe out in the back yard. I’m using it as a sign on my chicken coop. The rust holds chalk like a blackboard!
I live in a slipping crowded urban suburb and walk my doggies up and down the alleys behind the houses. I found a pair of nearly new men’s leather lace-up oxfords (perhaps they were too small and couldn’t be returned or maybe he left and she didn’t want to be reminded of him), brought them (the lovely shoes) home, filled them with potting soil — tongue pulled WAY forward first — and have had pink, mauve, and jade green succulents every year for a decade! Yay!
I used an old door and some left over cedar post as legs to make a couch for my back porch. Everybody loves it
I love the magazine and look forward for it to come in the mail. It has made me start looking at campers and recycling them. I’d love to have an airstream camper and make it into my sewing fantasy world.
Dec-Jan 2017 is my 1st issue. Great variety of content. Love the Junk Gypsies.
I recently finished redoing a 61 camper that I have named “The Morning Glory.” It was in our hay bottom for years and I am so proud of it. Have taken it camping once and look forward to next summer for many more adventures! Love your magazine!
I have finally found a magazine that I love cover to cover. I collect anything and everything. Recently I re-purposed old fashioned tomato cages into a lamp.
I love MJF magazine because FINALLY I have a base line photo to describe to my husband….MY WONDERFUL IDEAS. We are building a large shop/home and we are trying very hard to re-purpose and re-use. Last year my husband thought we should renew our commitment to Hosting Thanksgiving.( We are living on site in a trailer. Our 6 month build has turned into 4 1/2 years. We are still having fun. ) I explained that we didn’t even have an oven large enough for a turkey. Well long sighs, ragged thoughts and deep prayers…..we were gifted with a perfect working stove/oven. We sent all the leftovers home with our single guys….EVERYONE WAS THANKFUL!
I had been thinking for a long time about upcycling. After reading a few issues of MaryJanesFarm I was inspired to take my thoughts and put them to action. I recycled two old twin bed box springs and very large food cans (saved by the workers in my school cafeteria) and turned them into planters. The bed springs are on my fence, all spray painted, and the cans fit into some of the slots on the springs. I spray painted the cans in different colors to add spots of brightness. I finally got them up in August so will have to wait until next year to see the cans full of flowers and herbs but every time I look at my upcycled creations I smile.
Upcycling – Your magazine makes me realize it isn’t as hard as it sounds. So many everyday items that can be used for something so different but so helpful. Thank you for all that is in your magazine!
Your magazine is full of brilliance. Just a few examples I’ve taken from your magazine includes upcycled t-shirts into skirts, old rusted cookie sheets into chalkboard, and my Christmas tree trunk into a front door wreath…all because of MJF. Thanks!
I suppose the only real up cycling I do is turn my feed bags into grocery totes! Sure are handy bags!
Love to bicycle as much as possible. Love to go to library book sales for books, go to thrift stores for clothes and other stuff and hate to throw this vs away that still has some use to it. My favorite is to take greeting cards received, cut them up and make new cards out of them. Would love to make boxes with them and yarn, but haven’t the instructions
My husband made me a pallet tree to hang my handmade ornaments on.
I cut the legs off a chair and cut the seat down to 6″ then hung it on the wall for a shelf. It’s perfect!
Your inspiration has helped me to look outside the box and inspire the volunteers and patrons that frequent the non profit thrift store I run. I’ve been able to save many items from the trash by either changing them myself or sending the items to their new homes with inspiration for the new owners. I consider it saving the world one piece at a time.
I seen Your magazine into my TSC store and fell in love! I love recycling and you have great ideas. The piano you recycled was great!