“Some like receiving flowers. I just want junk to repurpose.” ~ rustic crafts.com

This is a story about imagination, repurposed, upcycled, and thrifted!

Our project started with a bench that a neighbor made for our mudroom. The back of the bench was a repurposed metal bed frame and it lived in our mudroom until we remodeled the space.

When I found a white shelf unit at Goodwill it sparked an idea. Could I combine the shelf and the bed frame to make a potting bench for our grandson?

Back story: His mom made a mud kitchen out of pallets for him and he absolutely loves it! He was going to be staying with us for several days and I thought it would be fun if he had something similar/familiar at our house.

Here are some general instructions for the potting bench. Chances are you will not have the exact items to work with but you should find inspiration to source or repurpose something you may already have!

How to Make a Child’s Potting Bench

Supplies

• Repurposed Bench and Repurposed Wood Shelf

• Drain unit from the hardware store that includes a stopper.

• Thrifted water jug with a spout

• White spray paint

• Construction materials: screws, drill, wood scraps, saw

• Thrifted buckets, kids tools, baskets, spray bottle, and miscellanous garden items.

• Magnetic hooks

We repurposed the shelf by adding legs and a secondary shelf (the width of the bench). The height of the second shelf was determined by the copper bucket we used to make the sink.

I painted everything white to make it look like one unit.

We attached the shelf unit to the bench by sandwiching the headboard between the shelf and another piece of wood. We also screwed the shelf to the wood bench from underneath.

When the main structure was complete, we added a sink and a water container.

The sink is a thrifted copper vessel and the water container is a glass jar with a spout…also thrifted.

We cut a hole in the bottom of the sink and through the bench.

Then added a drain kit and stopper that we purchased at a hardware store. We held the water container in place with two hooks and a small bungee cord.

Next we added a metal bar to the back of the shelf to hold magnetic hooks.

The metal strip was thrifted but originally from IKEA and magnetic hooks were from the Dollar Tree. Together they made a perfect place to hang kid size tools.

We collected household items, a watering can, cups, a metal scoop, small planters, and plants (faux or real) to accessorize the bench. Anything that pours or sprays water is a win!

We took advantage of the metal bench frame and added more magnetic hooks to hold a small bucket, the scoop, and a basket for the spray bottle.

We set a bucket under the sink to collect the sink water and use it to water plants in our garden! Otto loves the bench and plays for hours in the garden!

What do you think? Can you imagine making this adult size? The possibilities are endless!

We’d love to hear about your repurposed projects! Please share in the comments below!