Turn Thrifted Glassware Into Beautiful Garden And Yard Decor

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From the plants you choose to the color of your patio furniture, your yard and garden decor says a lot about you. With sparkling garden treasures made from repurposed glassware, you can tuck small surprises in your flower beds and create eye-catching art that feels playful and environmentally friendly. Adding these upcycled treasures to your outdoor spaces is a fun way to let your personality shine through and create a unique paradise that will make your family and visitors smile.

Walk into any thrift store and you'll find a jumble of forgotten gems in the kitchenware section. Perusing the shelves of glass candy dishes, platters, and other mismatched glassware can be quite the adventure all on its own. Whether it's stacks of clear glass plates or oddly shaped, colorful wine glasses, you never know what you'll discover. If you know what you're looking for, you can even find valuable glass items at thrift stores. At any rate, one person's junk is another one's treasure, and you're sure to find plenty of glassware to get creative with.

Once you discover all the ways to make striking garden art with your thrift store finds, you won't be able to pass up those pieces you love without imagining them repurposed as one of these 11 delightful garden accents. Whether you create tiny bee and butterfly watering dishes or large glass garden sculptures, your garden is about to take on a whole new shine.

Repurpose thrift store glassware, such as serving bowls, to create flower shapes, which can then be used as garden stake suncatchers. You can assemble these unique glass flowers from items found in the kitchenware aisle at the thrift store. These pieces can be heavy, so be sure to have a durable stake to support the weight. Add beaded wire for flower stamens to give your glass blooms extra sparkle and interest. With these eye-catching focal points in your flower beds, your garden will always be in bloom.

Adding lights to your garden not only adds depth and dimension, but it also opens up new ways to enjoy your outdoor spaces at night, long after the sun goes down. Make these light-up garden mushrooms from upcycled thrift store glass, and you'll add sparkle and warmth for enchanting nighttime charm. Use solar lights inside glass tumblers and top them with upside-down glass bowls to create your whimsical mushroom garden. Stick on red glass pebbles for a more authentic toadstool look.

Insects need water during the hottest parts of summer, and if you're trying to entice the beneficial pollinators to your backyard, then a butterfly and bee watering station made from thrifted glassware will do just the trick. Bees need water on hot days to stay cool, nurse baby bees, and dilute their honey. For bees and butterflies, it's best if you add pebbles, glass gemstones, or marbles to dishes so the insects have a safe place to land while they get a drink.

If you're looking for creative Christmas decorations you can make, here's one fashioned from recycled glassware that's perfect for your porch or patio. Welcome visitors to your home in style this holiday season with a thrifted glassware Christmas tree displayed neatly near your front door. Simply stack some fluted glassware bowls upside down, largest to smallest, and glue them in place. Bring this glass Christmas tree to life with some string lights. You'll be saving a few pieces of glassware from the landfill for this environmentally friendly holiday display.

Another fun project to make from thrift store glassware is a sparkling DIY water fountain. Water fountains are soothing, offering numerous benefits in your home and garden. Not only do they play an important role in feng shui, but they also attract birds and pollinators to your yard. Stack and glue beautiful second-hand glassware together to create one-of-a-kind water fountains, then slip in one of these Mademax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Pumps for a gentle, eco-friendly trickle of water.

While you might think of terrariums mostly for indoor use, you can also make tiny terrariums out of antique jars and glassware for outdoor use. Tuck them into your flower beds, find places for them in sheltered nooks, and display them as centerpieces on your outdoor tables. You'll find many types of glassware at thrift stores and estate sales that can be used for terrariums, including apothecary jars and glass canisters. With a little dollhouse furniture and the right whimsical accents, it's fun to create terrariums that tell a story.

If you ever find yourself buying new plant trays, just remember all the mismatched plates out there — old plates and platters fill this role perfectly. Whether it's outdoors in your container garden or for your indoor houseplants, they're an easy and practical way to repurpose thrifted glassware. Mix and match the heights of your plant drip trays to create interest, and use different depths for plants that need more or less water. Lean into an eclectic or boho vibe with colorful or patterned glassware for a bright, cheerful display.

Another idea that can be used with almost any piece of thrifted glassware is to use it as a succulent planter. Even low-profile dishes and platters can be used for this purpose. Whether you want to plant your succulents in vintage teacups or exotic wineglasses, there's an endless supply of choices. Succulents are ideal for planting in glassware because you can grow them in containers without holes. While most plants need holes for draining, succulents can grow in small amounts of soil, and they'll thrive as long as you don't overwater them.

If you love the look of colored glass at the thrift store, then chances are good that you'll also love it as patio art in your outdoor spaces. Using vintage window frames adds extra charm while giving these creations structure. After gluing colorful glass plates and beads to window frames, you can either hang them or turn them into patio tables. These pieces catch the light beautifully, adding sparkling color to your outdoor spaces throughout the day.

Garden sculptures made from thrifted glassware are all over social media, and after you see how trendy these are, you might wonder why they haven't been on your radar before now. With a little glue, paint, creativity, and a pile of thrift store glassware, you can create one-of-a-kind garden sculptures for your yard. People are calling these by different names, but essentially, they're all DIY arrangements of old glassware arranged into colorful and whimsical art. Whether you call them obelisks, towers, garden sculptures, or totems, the neat thing is that no two are alike.

To make a colorful DIY bird feeder from thrift store glass, stack bowls, plates, wine glasses, and other pieces into a work of art that your backyard birds will love. Once assembled, these feeders add a playful touch to your garden while providing a safe spot for birds to eat. With the endless combinations of glass shapes, colors, and sizes, each bird feeder becomes a unique garden accent and conversation piece.