I had a friend once tell me that her kids were excited to see what I put curbside during our city spring clean-up. She giggled and responded, "trust me...there will be little to nothing set out on her curb." ahem. She be correct. yup. I don't often throw things away unless they are truly trash. I even compost our kitchen waste. Take this
trashure gem for instance. Lemme introduce you to my upcycled broken ladder project. I have a video home tour at the bottom too.
Truth be told, I'm more the lady in the dress with rubber boots on hopping out of her truck on spring city clean-up days hauling your junk away. And proud of it too! {{fist pump}} Someones gotta help keep our landfills free of perfectly good stuff. Plus, it's oh-so-fun.
THE BACKSTORY
If you've been following me for long, I've mentioned this ladder is past project posts like my
DIY grain scoops. Also, it's seen another life in my
Antique Clamp Chair. This particular ladder belonged to my dad and he let us use it when we bought our home. Well, I couldn't get certain other folks to keep it put away and eventually it got too weathered outside.
I felt like a dip that I let it happen because I remember using this ladder to reach the 21' Christmas trees we would have set up in my childhood home. Yes, my parents had the most gorgeous 6K sq.ft. log home EVER. They built it themselves and it is truly one of my favorite places on earth. So, of course, I had to hang onto this ladder and the memories attached to it.
With my recent push to wrap up our DIY projects around our home, I wanted to finally put use to this part of the ladder. (yes, I still have more parts left) When I spied this set of baskets at the thrift store, I knew exactly what I would do with them.
DIY TIME
First, I knew I wanted to mount it to a wall. In order to do that I just needed to add the right kind of hardware. I added keyhole hardware I often use for heavy objects.
Next, I needed to keep those cut pieces attached to the bigger portion of the ladder. To do that, I used some salvaged L brackets.
Last, I cut some scrap pieces of luan (thin plywood) to use as reinforcements as I attach the baskets to each ladder step. I simply use my drill and a few wood screws to attach.
THE REVEAL
With just a little bit of DIY fun I now have my upcycled broken ladder as decor. Woot!
We have storage, function, and a whole lotta story goin' on there. This is my kinda out-of-the-box-store decor. Who's with me?
While I may not keep this ladder here as I still love
my upcycled door screen chalkboard there. I, at least, got my project done and will put it to use when we finish our home. They key for me is making my home be the most welcoming sight to not only my family, but also guests as well.
WRAP-UP
Before you go, I want to show you a mini home tour I made to give you an idea of how my brain works when it comes to "junk". Take a peek at how I've used other folks' cast-offs to make my home story.
Now, do you see how my quirky brain works? Don't let some box store tell you how to decorate. Give what you already own a second look, and even begin to acquire finds to create a vignette. You know it's fun, right?
Do pin and share my upcycled broken ladder fun. Two reasons: I know (1) I'm not the only one with a busted ladder. haha. (2) so many people feel like they have to buy everything and can't afford it. Let's inspire!!
Up next, I need your help to get as I building a project using these cast-off parts.
Head HERE!
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While you're at it, here are more projects like my upcycled broken ladder:
