Upcycling Flea Market Finds for Your Garden or don't be afraid to mess with the old stuff

Last weekend was my favorite local flea - which was disappointing because it had alot more new junk than old junk this year but I did manage to find a couple nice oldies but goodies

including a boardwalk faucet (imagine how many sandy feet this baby has rinsed off), some vintage spools (I buy these once in a while for my display - they make great hangers), a Partridge Family lunchbox for only 15 bucks (a bargain and my daughter collects them) and these 3 amazing pinball games from the 30's that I had never seen before.

Sometimes these old finds seem too precious to actually use and maybe once in a while they are, but mostly things are made to be useful

(the same goes for people)

so don't hesitate to make some old thing into something else.

Adding some clear beads and fishing thread to the faucet (remove head, thread through, tie off the beads and trim thread) adds a little whimsy to a potted plant.

Winding some wire hangers around the spool

(I used a little fire to make this work, but you can totally do this without it)

to form wings and a dragonfly body and attach it to an old metal garden stake and you've got another upcycled garden doodad.

There are some gorgeous handmade gardening goodies on Etsy, too!