Posted in Projects to Make, Shells, Garden Ideas, Terra Cotta Pots |
Yippee, it’s broken!
July 22nd, 2006
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Okay, okay. So maybe that’s NOT the reaction you have to things you break - especially if those things are family heirlooms, or have sentimental value. But there are things you can do with the “remains”, even if they are. Or maybe you have “broken” things that you aren’t really attached to or that don’t have that much sentimental value, but you’d just rather keep them out of the landfills. This entry is for you! Blog reader Darla Johnson wrote me the following:
“I have quite a few broken tiles. They were from a freecycler and they are in 3 different colors. Any ideas would be qreatly appreciated.”
Good for Darla! Taking the tiles, even without knowing what to do with them at that moment! Now we all have a chance to help her. The ideas I will share with Darla, and you, would work with all kinds of “broken” stuff. Besides the tiles, you could use any of the following things in their “broken” state:
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Shells
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Terra Cotta Pots
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Plates
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Other tableware - cups, bowls, and mugs
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Pottery
- Fill in the blank with something YOU broke!
So, you’ve got your “broken” stuff. What now?
I am not all that wild about doing the mosaic thing (although I know lots of people do, and that definitely is an option). Here are my non-mosaic ideas. If you have some ideas as well, you know what to do! 
* Use the broken pieces in the pots of your house plants as both a mulch and a nice-looking dirt cover.
* Larger broken pieces (like the tiles or some plates) can be used as garden edging. Just dig a small trench in the ground and stand the broken pieces in the trenches, then backfill.
* The water art I talked about in this blog previously (http://www.frugalbydesign.com/blog/2006/06/20/stone-art/) could also be done with some of these other broken pieces, as could a fountain.
* Some broken “stuff” can be broken even more and made into a pathway or put around a bench in a garden instead of stones or pebbles.
* Darla’s tiles may work as stepping stones. Just know that in areas where there is freezing weather, the tiles will break further. This would not bother me, but it may bother someone else.
Okay, there’s a start. What can YOU add to the list?
Your Frugal Decorating Diva,
Nancy
Daniel on 16 Sep 2007 at 4:35 am: 1
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article s broken!, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.