I can’t believe another month has passed and it’s already Trash to Treasure time. Yay! It’s a fun time of the month where my blogger friends and I get together to corporately share our latest DIY fun with you. However, you’ll see their projects in a bit. Today, I’ve got this motley crew of plastic garden sculptures. Do you see potential? I see an upcycled doorstop just ready for a makeover.  In addition, you can see my upcycled baby bib doorstops in this post.

Maybe I’m crazy, quirky, or am just a fun gal who loves to DIY. I’ll claim all three titles. ahem. I inherited this set from my friend, Mandy, who easily helped me help my creative vision come true. In my request, I told her I needed some farm or wild animal toys or concrete sculptures. I found the one concrete squirrel at a local store, but she provided the rest. The green set is straight outta Rubbermaid circa 1992.

One little one she provided was was this chipmunk with chewed off ear and hole in the face. She asked if I wanted it anyway. In other words…well, you know me…

DIY TIME

Yes, I’m a sucker for the broken and derelict. Let’s get this makeover party started, shall we? {{happy dance}} First, I begin by fixing that little chipmunk. I used my hot glue gun to fix the hole in the face as well as build up the ear layer by layer.

It’s not perfect, but done. Then, I use a flat black spray paint to give them all a fresh start. Because this is my base coat, I’m not super picky.

Next, once they’re painted, I use my drill and forstner bit to make a hole center top.

Finally, I head to the dowel section of the home improvement store to get a few pieces to suit my needs. In the end, my goal is to create a Victorian twist to my upcycled doorstops.

This dowel and clothespin doll parts will help me achieve that. In this bag are heads and bases so you can take round clothes pins and turn them into dolls. Admittedly, I love to create for my kids.

NEXT STEPS

At this point, I’m looking to add a “handle” as you would see on a cast iron doorstop from the Victorian era. My creation will have a more farmhouse, rustic flair, of course. However, fun to make it my own. First, I cut a length of dowel that will be the handle. Then, I insert it into my upcycled doorstop and mark where to add the wooden ring.

Then, I pre-drill and add a screw to keep the dowel from pulling out when lifted.

Last, but not least, I decide to add my own artistic touches to each piece. This part is easy to get carried away…tee hee.

THE REVEAL

Here we have my upcycled doorstops complete with handle and a whole load of whimsy. First up, this mama duck and duckling stole my heart.

I modeled this set after a book series I love to read to my children by Jane Simmons. It features a little duckling named, Daisy, and her wild adventures. In one of the books, her sibling, Pip, hides under his mothers wing.

For the rest, they’re not so much tied to anything, but rather my experiences in growing up in a state park forest. Next, here’s the plastic squirrel made into a gray squirrel with a tasty acorn.

It doesn’t look as though he’s willing to be share – do you think?

Or how about this little concrete fella?

He’s about to skedaddle out the door. tee hee! Off you go!

In addition, one of my kid’s favorites is this masked bandit with a smirk to match.

He’s like…I just ate your dinner…tsk. When I was living in my childhood home, we had a raccoon who would sneak in thru our screen door and get all our cookies and crackers out of a canister set on the counter. He wouldn’t leave a crumb. haha.

Last, but not least, the sweet chipmunk is now fixed and ready to go.

WRAP UP

Now, you have to tell me which is your favorite? I’m smitten with them all. Also, why do you suppose the Victorian doorstops had a tall handle? It makes sense to me. Who wants to bend all the way down to pick it up and move it?  Most likely a servant would have had to make sure they were in the proper place. Likewise, here’s a fun read on the era’s etiquette.

I so hope you’ve enjoyed my creations. Also, if you’d like to make one your own, you can find them available in my online shop.

Likewise, do pin and share my upcycled doorstop makeovers. I know I’m not the only one who will find these sculptures secondhand. Plus, who couldn’t use a whimsical doorstop?

Up next, I’ll be taking this awesomely versatile cabinet and giving it some fun as well as purpose. See the after HERE.

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Are you ready for more DIY fun? Check out these funtastic makeover done just for you.

1. Girl in the Garage
2. Confessions of a Serial DIYer
3. Artsy Chicks Rule
4. Salvaged Inspirations

Also, more projects like my upcycled doorstop: