Basket Repurposing & Edible Decor
I try to resist the urge to let decorative accessories like candles, plants and books stagnate for too long here at Casa Petersik. It could just be the fact that I work and live in the same place so I need a little more variety than the average bear, but even sheer laziness often loses out to the fun of reworking the things that we already have in new ways. It’s hardly a weekly or even a monthly ritual, but every now and then I just can’t resist a small switcheroo here and there…
So I grabbed a round woven storage basket from the bathroom (snagged a while back at Ikea for $2) and slipped it over a basic white planter from Ikea. Voila: a woven planter basket with a ton of textural interest. Then I decided to break out an empty green seeded glass hurricane from TJ Maxx (a $5 score from a few months ago) and plopped a pillar candle into it. Still a little boring. What about using some brown rice as vase filler?
The color and the texture actually mimics the new planter basket. And you really can’t beat the price.
It’s always fun to use things in new ways, especially if they’re already on hand (ie: free). And ultimately it can actually save you money since it helps you resist the urge to run out and replace everything that you own whenever you get tired of it.
Oh and on the subjects of plants, we can’t leave without showing you our new little succulent that we snagged for $3 at Lowe’s.
It looks oh so chic in the white one-dollar Ikea planter that we already had- and speaking of using things in new ways, we LOVE to stack a few hardcover books and use them as a plant pedestal. In fact, you’ll also notice some books under our basket planter on our living room console table as well. And while we’re on the subject of hardcover books, they almost always look a lot lovelier without their plastic-y paper jackets (their fabric bindings are simple and oh so fab). So undress those books and get to stacking ‘em!
What about you guys? Do you have any objects, items, or edibles that you use in unexpected ways when it comes to home decor? Spill the beans (hey those could be vase fillers too…).
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I’m glad to hear that I’m not a freak! My husband gets so mad at me for constantly changing things in our house. His only rule- if something new comes in, some old goes out! Yard Sale Baby!!
OMG, I love the green hurricane!! I bought a clear one at Walmart with a different kind of base for $2.97 and used mini river rocks as a filler. But I have THE soap dispenser and tumbler (green recycled glass from Target) for my bathroom and I am loving the green. I need to see if my TJ Maxx might still have some.
So cute! Im inspired to go re-arange some of my stuff now!
what is the name of that second plant? it is adorable!
also, would you guys ever do a post about what books you have around the house? Im always interested in seeing what other people have. I always tend to look for books that mean a lot to us, or are unusual and interesting.
Hey Amy,
The second plant was just called a “succulent” which we know is a wide term but that’s all the tag says! If you hit up Lowe’s you might see an entire shelf of different easy-care succulents so you can snag one or two. Hope it helps!
As for what books we have around the house, these are our favorite decorating books of all time, and beyond that we also love the Post Secret series, Freakonomics, Outliers, and a bunch of meaningful hardcover books with glossy photos like American Photobooth (since we had a photobooth at our wedding), The Light of New York (since we met and fell in love there), etc.
xo,
Sherry
Where are the block letters that spell “love” from?
Thanks,
Nicole~
Hey Nicole,
Those were actually flea market finds! Here’s a link all about our little treasure hunting expedition: http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/11/finding-love-at-the-flea-market/
xo,
s
I love rearranging things in my home too. It’s not a regular thing. Really just when the mood strikes.
I like to use colorful glassware and small serving trays to corral my art supplies. It really helps keep all my pens, colored pencils, erasers, etc. organized.
I have to disagree about taking the jackets off of books. I tend to pick particular editions (when possible) of books based on their cover jackets because the covers, spines, and back covers really are works of art. Some aren’t so great, but others are absolutely beautiful. And when repurposing, there is no easier way to freshen up your space then to substitute one book you have on display for another. I love the pop of color and beauty it brings to my bookshelves and coffee table.
I do this too!!! Except since we have antique/darker colored furniture, I put coffee beans in our hurricanes, with colored candles. Matches decor and smells yummy!!!
This is a silly question, but when you take the covers off the hardcover books do you keep them or just throw them away?
Hey DC,
We’re generally all about simplifying around these parts, so if the paper jackets of our hardcover books aren’t nearly as lovely as the fabric bindings we stick them right into the recycling bin. No sense in saving the less-pretty version of something, right?
xo,
s
I use coffee beans as a vase filler. I think it adds some uniqueness as well as smells great!
OK, A) LOVE taking the dust jackets off of books, very Shabby Chic (I actually got the idea from one of Rachel Ashwell’s books, and now very few of my books still don them); B) I totally stole your idea for stacking a couple of books underneath a fun planter containing a succulent and used it in my den on a freshly painted white end table – looks fab. Finally C) another good way to repurpuse old baskets – especially if they are not as cute as ones from Ikea – is to spray paint them fun colors, like pistachio green, thus becoming decorative items themselves, instead of containers for random stuff.
Hey Sherry, great ideas! I never know exactly how to arrange my nick nacks! I do use a platter for a planter. I have a beautiful blue platter that is just deep enough for me to add a little dirt and four great succulents!
Is that a table runner you have under the books, under the cute little succulent? If so where did you find it or where could I find a similar one? I have been looking in vain for the perfect table runner and that just might be it!
Hey Quinlan,
It’s actually a bench that we recovered using fabric from Williams & Sherrill, so if you’re a local Richmonder you can definitely dash in and snag some fabric to make your very own runner (if not try hitting up a higher-end fabric store and seeing what they have- since you only need a few yards it shouldn’t be that bad…). Here’s the post all about the bench project. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I’ve got the same succulents from ikea and make a simple table centerpiece! I’ll e-mail it to you to get the Youngster stamp of approval! LOL
Everything looks great–especially love the use of the brown rice and naked books. But I have to say, I cringed just a little seeing potentially damp plants sitting on top of books (yes, I realize there are pots–two, in fact–between the dirt and the books). Is that just my own weirdness?
I had to read Freakonomics and do a report on it in a math calss! I really enjoyed it. Love your blog and I can spend all day going through your archives.
Tracie
So practical question for you and the others. . . how do you keep dust (and cat hair!) off of these somewhat intricate displays? Compounded by the fact that we have a cleaning service come in every two weeks and they move things around as they dust.
How do other people work around this? Do feather dusters work?
Hey Laurel,
We don’t have the cat hair issue (although we do have a pup, he can’t really get up on the tabletops) but we like to use swiffer duster or a moist microfiber cloth to dust things off about once a week. Instead of clearing off an entire surface I just shift things slightly as I go so I can get under and around them without moving the whole display at once (and forgetting where things go). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of using coffee beans as fillers. Can anyone answer – about how long does the aroma from the coffee beans stick around? Do you have to change them out often?
I did in fact use beans as a vase filler….there is a vase sitting on my mantle that has one layer of dry pinto beans, and one layer of split green peas with a pillar candle sitting in the middle. This little decor piece is actually a leftover centerpiece from our wedding – we had them on the tables at the reception. Great texture and visual appeal!
I did something similar with a clear vase and white candle for a centerpiece on my dining table.
For Xmas, instead of brown rice, I used wrapped round mint candies. It was cheap, cheerful and tasty!
That succulent is going to be ready for two pots fairly soon.
I love the idea of repurposing stuff I already have and am doing it a lot more as a way to cut down on clutter. I love scented candles and often receive them as gifts. Come Christmas, all those lovely glasses and jars that once held candles are reused as planters for paperwhite bulbs which I give away as gifts.
OMG! I was just at a bridal shop yesterday, watching my friend try on her dress, and noticed that they had glass hurricanes filled with white rice and had their jewelry laying in it. I thought, what a cute idea, since you throw rice at weddings. Cute centerpiece idea also. But my mind didn’t at all think, you could do this at home! lol Very cool.
I love the idea of using brown rice as a filler in a vase with a candle! I never really think of little odd things like that and I love even more that its free! I also like what another commentor said about using coffee beans to go with the darker wood I too have in my home. My only concern would be how strong the coffee smell would get.
Thanks again for always sharing such unique tips!!
I love that you take the stupid plastic dust covers off of your books! My bookshelves suddenly became so much more attractive after I got rid of them, the fabric backs look so much nicer!
That is really cute! I love the whole rice thing. Gives me ideas for the stale rice that is probably lurking in my pantry!
Wanted to share something funny with you! You know your use of an egg crate as a jewelry organizer, well…the container store (be still my heart) has this thing: http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=20459520&itemIndex=35&CATID=69446&PRODID=10017411
Kinda fun, huh?
As a book lover and someone who has sold and collected books for years, I can say, feel free to take the dust jackets off your books for aesthetic reasons, BUT know that 1) the value of the book will substantially decrease without the jacket, 2) that jacket protects the fabric of your book, and it will most likely get soiled, warped and water damaged, especially if you put water-leaking plants on top of it…
If you choose to denude your books, I recommend keeping the jackets in storage, and only using the most common and cheapest of books for your decorating/plant shelf needs.
Sherry,
I was at Room & Board last weekend and noticed that the hard cover books they had on the shelves were without paper covers.
When I came home I pulled a few hard cover books out of boxes and took off the covers and put them on display. They look great! I agree they are much prettier without the covers.
Cute idea on the rice!
K
I love how easily you repurpose things… I need to think harder when I’m decorating. I’m sure I have tons lying around that I can use without having to buy something new. I can’t wait until after Monday (when the new carpet is installed at Brian’s) and I get to put my hands on decorating everything!
I know these have been done, but I like to use lemons or limes as vase fillers, or even to slice up and use to spruce up pitchers of water when company comes over. And then after the company leaves I usually slice them up and put them in the garbage disposal for a fresh scent every couple of days when I run it.
We also like have a white stainless colander with fresh strawberries out for snacking. They bring alot of color to the kitchen through the summer months and almost act as a replacement for a vase of flowers.
I use a smaller, shallow square glass jar (from WalMart) and fill it with rice and then stick all my makeup brushes in it right next to my bathroom sink. Makes it so much easier to see what I have and grab the brush I want!
Hey, guys :) I’m still reading! Just wanted to pop in and comment since I’ve been scarce in your little white box lately. Summer is in full-swing here and we’ve got a bazillion projects underway, so I’m enjoying YHL in fewer, but larger, doses :) Just wanted to say hey!!!!
So, “hey”!
Jacci
Hey Jacci! You were missed. Glad you’re popping back in every once in a while! And we’re double glad that you’re doing some fun projects with the rest of your time. Don’t forget to share the before & after pics with us!
xo,
s
I like to use apples, oranges or lemons in a bowl. not very imaginative, but it works!
I have a bunch of jars in my house filled with dry navy beans that I picked up at the grocery store. They are a small, cream colored bean and I love the result. Took a solid 15 mins staring at all the varieties of dry beans at the grocery store and the navy beans won.
Love the idea of taking the jackets off the books.
I use coffee beans as filler in a carafe on my powder room counter. A whiff of coffee now and again but as the beans get older even that goes away. It also depends on how wide the mouth of the container is…the carafe has a smaller opening than your hurricane so less coffee smell. Love your ideas!
I LOVE the naked books! They actually look pretty! I am totally going to strip mine today. I heart your site so much :)
I took the jackets off my hardcover books long ago; love the look! I have a clear glass cake pedestal with cover on the kitchen counter and I like to keep something in it – if not a sweet treat (cookies, muffins, brownies, cake, etc.)I’ll display faux artichokes or pomegranates.
For the person who asked about the succulent type, it’s a variety of echevaria ‘multicaulis’ I think. It’s a pretty common type that’s frequently just called “hens and chicks”. Some varieties of echevaria have rounded leaves while others have more square or pointy leaves. Most have some type of orangey-pink flower that grows in stalks annually. Okay, enough of my nerdy botanist stuff.
I use coffee beans as a vase filled with a candle and the smell really doesn’t linger very long (which I like since I’m not a big fan of coffee myself). I’ve also found that using a bag of dry split peas is super cute as a filler, especially with that kelly green color being so “in” these days.
Thanks for your inspiring post! After reading it yesterday I rearranged my living room, flip flopped chairs from a couple different rooms, and switched around/fancied-up some accessories. It looks like a totally different room without spending a dime!
Question: What succulents are pictured? I really like the viny one. So pretty! Can you let me know? Thanks!
Hey Amy,
The one next to the rice-filled hurricane is called a Burro Tail (a super easy-care succulent that’s available at Home Depot and almost any garden center). I’m assuming that’s the one you mean when you say “viny.” As for the other one we don’t know the actual name (it was vaguely named “succulent” in Lowe’s, but if you scroll up I believe another commenter identified it. Hope it helps! Happy plant hunting…
xoxo,
Sherry
I try to change up my hurricane glasses based on the holidays. Candy corn for Halloween, red hots for Valentine’s day, jelly beans for Easter. It adds a nice punch of color and interest, but keeping your kids out of them is another issue altogether. Best have some extra on hand!