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.
Using old sewing machine legs as table legs and old truck rear windshield as the table top
I love reading through MaryJane’s magazine. I see so many things to make. I now stop and think before throwing something out. I’ve made some many wonderful things for my garden. I only have a small plot with my home, but it is beautiful and my upcycling gets lots of compliments.
Love anything Mary Jane’s, Junk Hippy, Glamping. Can spend many hours getting inspiration for my projects.
Too many inspirations to list. Thank you for all the wonderful information provided to date. Keep up the great work.
My friend had an old wood table in her barn, it was one of the first that she had ever bought. It did need some reinforcing, so my husband did that and then we took it to a sheet metalworks place where they made a galvanized top and put it on which will last forever. I brought it home, sprayed painted with chalk paint and sanded it in spots to have that distressed look. Now it’s on my front corner porch with wicker chairs and I love it. Repurposed & Reused and updated.
I love old stuff and hardly ever throw anything away. I recently painted an old cookie sheet with chalkboard paint and stuck it to my kitchen back-splash. I put my whole spices on it using those round tins with clear tops and magnets on the bottom. then I wrote the name of the spice/herb under the tin. It very easily fits 9 tins and looks really cool.
I have been inspired to be more creative in upcycLing items that I normally would have tossed or donated. For example, old out grown sweaters are now felted and sewn into bags and fingerless gloves. In doing such a project, I’ve learned to slow down, and enjoy life.
I am a believer in recycling; I like to recycle old buttons (which are easy to acquire)into decorative items.
we have enjoyed your magazine for several years and are always re-purposing things we find-we moved into a house and didn’t have time to return to our daughter’s to pick up our “stuff”. we ended up moving in and making the things we needed from things we could find around our new property-most useful project was a rack to hang pots and pans on a partial cattle panel with wires turned up on the bottom to hang cast iron skillets. it works great as storage for everything that can be hung up using “s” hooks.
I took an old exterior electric light fixture, removed the electrical guts and filled with a strand of twinkling Christmas lights. Looks amazing!
I love Mary Jane’ magizine n would love to win this book. The more I read it the more junk I like to find.
Can’t think of a specific instance but please enter my name in the drawing.
Thank You, Dawn
I’ve been dreaming of ways to turn my old iron bed frame into a cool upcycled bench. Mary Jane’s Farm is definitely an inspiration!
i build dog houses for dogs and cats and i just go coo coo decorating them like fairy houses,glampers and cowboy themes
Found an old discarded coal ash catcher with it’s shovel. Filled with my plants for an eye catcher along with old antique tea kettles !!
My husband and I have been up cyclers for years. We would much rather figure out how to make something out of found products than buy it new. Whether its a functional piece or just something decorative. Your magazine gives us so many ideas for things we didn’t know we needed. 🙂
I have an old console TV converted into a doggie bed, and my current flat screen sits on top!
I have received so much knowledge from your creativity. But the greatest gift your magazine has given me, I shared your magazine with a dear friend in the last weeks of her life. I went to visit her in hospice, and asked her if she would like me to bring some of your magazines in. Her eyes lit up and said yes. Do you mind if I share them with the other ladies on the hospice floor. I worked with her for 14 years for the school district. She created all sorts of things from all kinds of things that other people considered junk. She would turn around and use them as class projects that helped our students to build self esteem. At her service, her girls had laid all of her quilts over the back of the chairs. Thank you for your inspiration in working with junk that could become art. Thank you for help give joy to crafters in their last days on earth.
oh goodness 🙂
When my Mother in Law passed away, we inherited her whole house and my sweet husband insisted we bring it all home (well, most of it) more than we had room for.
Anyway there are many projects I have dreamed up and a few I am working on right now. Some of the ideas have been sparked from MJF and some have been directly copied. My current favorite is an heirloom apron, sparked from the egg collecting aprons in a previous issue. I have aprons from 3 of the kids grandmothers and a great aunt, I know they will make wonderful gifts to hand down.
Paper mache! Chalk board paint! Enough said😊
I upcycled 2 cereal boxes and pictures from old calendars into beautiful magazine holders for all my Mary Janes Farm magazines
I’m second of five children born & raised in area of upcountry Maui called Kula. Dad started out mainly a mechanic, and after being drafted in Korean War (fortunatly his time spent in Germany), he came back to Hawaii with technical skills to be heavy equipment operator but firm conviction he wanted to work family land as a truck farmer… we were as rich as churchmice growing up — so improv, repurposing and recreating were part of life. I get great nostalgia and inspirations from reading your magazine – keep it up!
One of my transitions from junk to gem was an old piece of farm equipment that was broken, was turned into a plant/flower hanger. It is very decorative and holds up to six pots.
We used atop panel of door and old door knobs for coat and that hanger. I see things in trash because of ideas you give all the time.. Love the mag. Good food and good ideas…
We used top of old door and old door knobs to make coat and hat hanger. I see things in trash because of ideas you give in you great mag.good food and good ideas, love your mag.
Oh gosh, I’m so enjoying the Magazine and will be sharing subscriptions for Xmas gifts. Last winter I painted sayings on rocks and in spring enjoyed placing around the yard. But the biggest smile came with finding these same rocks as my husband and I walked the yard.
1. Storage shed to chicken coop to garden shed
2. Cattle feeder to resting bench for bike and walking travelers supplied with books to borrow photo available
We’ve used part of an old wood stove, “Home Comfort”, as a favorite piece of wall art.
I made a shelf out of a piece of wrought iron fence and a pretty board. I repainted the fence black, turned it upside-down, cut out the center leg, stained and finished a larch board and attached it to the “bottom”. Love your magazine!!
I turned a vintage luggage “cosmetic” case on its side, stacked vintage books on top and put this in an empty corner to add some decoration to a room. MJF inspires me to look at the “old” and make it “new”!
Hope I win. I just love creative ideas I can put to use around here. I am nuts about my new Mary Jane’s farm subscription too.
Oh what a wonderful offer! Hope I have a chance. I love to up cycle with treasures found at my local Restore outlet. Latest is an oversized, bright red storm window. After taking out the plastic and mesh screen, it has become a free hanging ‘arbor’ for twinning, climbing jasmine plants!
I am a mixed media artist and I am continually inspired by your ideas and pictures. I recently made a bird bath/feeder from old glassware I had lying around and some I picked up at garage sales. When I am done with mag I cut out pics for my inspiration board. I am a hunter of ideas and inspiration, no part of MJF goes to waste. Thus upcycling at its finest😍😇💕
Everything that has used up it’s usefulness gets a second look from me. I have turned more old tee shirts into shopping bags than I can remember.
I am always finding a photo or article and saying “I can do that “. I love looking and reading everything.
Your magazine has inspired me to live better and make better use of my time, tangible things, repurposing things, cooking, and so much more – even health issues. I love love love your magazine and look forward to every issue. My son and daughter-in-law just bought a farm and I am giving them a subscription to your magazine!!!! They love cows and chickens.
Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place to live.
Great! Would like to have a copy. Thank you for the post. So enjoy Mary Janes Farm Magazine. The recycled paper gives me a cozy feel. 😀
I would love to win the book. I have been so inspired with all the articles in your magazine that I have made some of the recipes and even hoped to have some pet chickens with handmade diapers in my home; but because I live in the city that is not possible, but it is ok to dream.
I was inspired by a hanging bulb bouquet Meg posted a few years ago. She drilled out old light bulbs and tied them together with lace. Then she put fresh flowers in each one. The list of inspirational pieces goes on and on but that one has always stuck with me. Love the magazine.
I loved the idea of making trays out of pallet wood in your latest issue. I am crazy about upcycling pallets. Keep the ideas coming! Love them! I drool over the idea of glamping – so cool!
This book looks fun! I have done several small projects with my children. We’ve taken cast off crayons and melted them on hot rocks to make garden decorations, made desk accessories from things in the recycling bin, used cast off construction materials to create garden markers, and more.
In the short time I’ve been receiving my gift subscription, you have inspired me to transform a plant stand into a night table for our guest room! I’m looking forward to many more projects this winter!!
My honey and I used 100+ year old reclaimed barn wood. We went floor to ceiling on our new fireplace with a hand hewn barn beam for a mantel. M.J. YOU are always inspiring me to tap into my creative side. Thank you, 5 year subscriber, Kate
I have always looked at used things and see something different, everything in my apt is 2nd hand, I don’t think I have spent more that $400 for everything. Getting ready to making a wreath for my front door, have to go to the 2nd hand store to find something, and I’ll know it when I see it
we found an old bench in my in-laws basement after my father in law past.it took me some time to talk my husband into making one just like it now we have two, old and new
Took old picture frames made into black board and cork board for my office.
I’ve been inspired to upcycle a lot of projects: I painted old light bulbs and made them snowman ornaments, old jeans have become aprons and place mats, baling twine makes great crocheted rugs (one of my favorites!), and now from the DIY magazine I’m going to be making some t-shirt skirts and magazine boxes. Thanks for the inspiration!!!
Decorations for my home and small farm along with new ideas to enhance it.
Thank you Mary Jane for all the insight.
I had an old waterfall dresser with a ruined finish. It was not worth restoring, but the drawers were in good shape and the fronts of the drawers were perfectly flat. So I removed the handles, turned the drawers on their sides and stacked them against a wall to form a tall and very useful bookcase.
I enjoy the wholesome and down to earth approach of this magazine, great recipes and DIY projects😊