cleaning cart turned garden cart

by | Apr 22, 2016 | All Things Home, Before and Afters, Furniture Makeovers, Gardening, summer | 34 comments

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Remember the cleaning cart turned kitchen cart?  I found a pair of industrial cleaning carts on craigslist for a great price, so I decided to purchase both and turn one into a kitchen cart and give the other one a makeover to use as a garden cart.

In case you missed the details of the kitchen cart transformation, you can find them HERE.

Well, this is just another take on how these multi-functional furniture pieces can be used.   (I have two of them.)  Many of you gave great suggestions…a craft cart, laundry cart, toy storage, etc.  There are lots of possibilities.

In this post, I’m showing it as a garden cart…

I’m imagining it on a covered porch or in a potting shed.

On one side of the garden cart, I put a pair of rain boots, broom & dustpan, and a wire basket.  It would also be a great place to store shovels and rakes with long handles, but I didn’t have any in the studio.

I think the shelves underneath would be an ideal place to store soil, small garden tools, gloves, a watering can and extra pots.  It is a garden cart, after all!

 

On the other side of the garden cart, I put some clippers, a linen towel, a flowerpot brush and a small step ladder.

I had a fun time styling this shoot as a little “outdoor/porch” space in the studio.

This past weekend, I pulled my vintage Schwinn Pixie out of the shed.  I learned to ride a bike on one that looks exactly like this.  A blue and white bike – how fitting for me!  I found this one at an antique store and just had to buy it.  It ended up being a pretty special purchase.  Because the frame is heavier than those on modern bikes, it really helps a new rider maintain good balance.  So, both of my boys learned to ride a bike on this vintage Schwinn that was just like mine.

They have both graduated to big-boy-bikes, so this has just been hanging out in the shed for a couple of years.  I ordered a sweet basket for the front and will put some flowers in it and sell it at Lucketts.

I decided to hang up a “clothesline” and use the double wash basin as a backdrop for the garden cart.  (Speaking of the wash basin, you all have talked me into keeping it.  For now.  I think.)

I have really enjoyed collecting little slips and dresses to hang around our space at Lucketts.  I’m a boy mom, so this is my only excuse to buy sweet little dresses!

When I reordered brushes for Lucketts, I added these S-shaped scrubbing brushes.

And how pretty is this laundry bag?  I know plastic laundry baskets and mesh bags are practical, but I love it when utilitarian things are pretty, too.  This bag even has a little name label stitched onto it.

I also love this blue checked apron with a hand-stitched border along the bottom…

The garden cart and everything else, except the Hunter boots and the (maybe) double washbasin will be for sale in my space at the Lucketts Spring Market, May 20-22, 2016.   

You can see more furniture makeovers HERE.

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    34 Comments

    1. Christine

      Marian,

      Can’t believe you are coming to my neck of the words in October. (I’m in Massachusetts.). Looking at my work schedule now and hoping I can drive up and meet you in person!

    2. Christine

      That’s woods not words. Up too late.

    3. jackie pankuck

      That piece is so cool…i’m seeing wrapping station as well.

    4. Shelley

      I’m SO excited you are coming to New England! I’m in Maine and thought I would never get the chance to meet you. Can’t wait-Rochester is less than an hour’s drive for me!

    5. Catherine

      Are you planning to come back to The Market on Chapel Hill this year? I’ve been saving up to buy lots of ironstone!!

      • marian

        I’m actually not, sadly. It’s just so far and last year we had to borrow a truck and a trailer to be able to get down there, so we’ve decided to just sell locally and online for now. I will miss it, though!!

        • Catherine

          I totally understand. It is very far. I might have to make the trip to Lucketts!

    6. Ariel

      How cruel, Marian…I thought that was going to say Rochester, NY for a second and I got SO excited. Hahaha.

      Have you ever been to Bouckville Antique Week in Upstate NY? They have over 2,000 vendors/dealers come in August. It is huge and just amazing. As a buyer, you must come check it out one year! Or you know…set up shop so I can meet you and buy all of your pretty things. Haha.

      • Lynne Brundage

        Good Call! Boukville is one of my favorite places to shop!

    7. Carrie Schindler Schwab

      I love your clothesline backdrop for this shoot – makes me feel like I’m out in the backyard potting up plants for the first time in the spring (which is one of my favorite things about the season)! Fantastic styling.

    8. Cheryl

      I just love the cart for gardening! Great idea! It looks like it was meant to be!

    9. Sally

      I love what you did with the carts! Love, Love!!

    10. Hazel Mason

      Would be a darling rolling bar cart!!

    11. Debbie Klausing

      So glad you are considering keeping that double sink! She would be too awkward to move, of course. She looks pretty content right there!

    12. PJ

      Rochester, NH is about 3 1/2 hours from our farm in upstate NY, but if I can convince some friends to join me on a roadtrip, I will head out to meet you!

    13. Jennifer Banker

      New Hampshire?!? Woohooooo! It’s on the calendar and as long as my kiddos cooperate I’ll be there!

    14. Gwen

      Love it as a garden cart. You have vision! I remember these or similar as custodial carts at high school and when I first taught ( the school was very old and as you can see the carts were sturdy!! No need for new!!). I’d have never thought to change out the tires but that made such a huge difference!!! Inspiration!!!

    15. Donna

      Marian, I am so glad you are keeping the wash basin! Yes! I visited mine today, in a storage building, hoping to get my garden building up. I cannot wait for Lucketts!!!

    16. Lynne Brundage

      So excited for Sage Farms! It’s a fantastic show. I’ll be teaching a few workshops there and I sure hope I get a minute to meet you!

    17. Ruth

      Gardening cart! Inspired! Perfect! I’d love to use that!

    18. Debbie V.

      Yay for keeping the wash basins!!!

    19. Kristin

      You’re coming to NH!!!! I’m super excited! I’m in the next town over and my husband just retired as Captain for the Rochester Fire Department. I’ll have to come to Sage Farm and get all star struck and shy when I meet you whiling is my M.O. around people I stalk, I mean follow.

    20. Donna Doble-Brown

      Marian, I don’t know what I’m more excited about! The garden cart or you coming to NH! My Mom and Dad retired in that state (they both have passed) and it would be a nice reason to go back and visit a new area especially in OCTOBER! You will Love it!

      Couldn’t help but think of you today as I watched a short video from Martha Stewart’s Grrenhouse in Bedford NY. You would have loved it . . . She had a section of different succulents and a section for baby tears plants! A couple different varieties . . . Was pretty cool to see this large space with all this beautiful green . . . Ahhhhhhhh

    21. Pam

      Yay!! So excited – I live in NH and Rochester is just down the road!!

    22. Joanne B.

      Loved seeing the Schwin Pixie bike! I got a very similar one when I was in 4th grade for a good report card, but mine was an “english racer”! (I thought I was such hot stuff!) Still remember it to this day! I loved it except for one thing: I thought the color of the bike frame- the metallic blue -was a different shade from the blue on the seat and that kind of bothered me back then and your pics reminded me of that! How funny! I had a sense of what color shades “go” even back then! Also it looks so little in your pic but I guess I was littler too, in 4th grade! Thanks for the memories!

    23. Sue Pagels

      Love the styling as the garden cart!! Amazing transformation from the utility cart!! Did you straighten the wonky shelf? It was driving me bonkers!!

    24. Naomi S.

      All of your photos in this post are so pretty, Marian! I love the blues and whites and the green accents of the plants—it’s just all so lovely.

      Gosh, I wish I had more room in my house to display things. I really have very little wall space, either, to display all the art and photos I have. Oh, well, learn to love what you have, right?

      I think you are going to have an absolutely stunning booth at Luckett’s. Sure would like to be there. I hope it goes fabulously and you sell a ton and have a lot of fun!

    25. B Folk

      Even though I couldn’t read the logo in the first few photos, I knew the bike was a Schwinn! I learned to ride on my brother’s old, green bike (yes, straddling that bar that boy’s bikes had). Cute bike, wish I had the money for it.
      Great styling on the cart. I don’t know if anyone’s suggested this yet, but it could be for sports storage, too. Field hockey sticks, ski poles and skis, etc. on the ends; ski boots, sports shoes, balls on the shelves. Or, fishing poles on one end, hip waders on the other, lures, etc. on the shelves. It is so versatile!

      • Dianne Plourde

        What an awesome idea! My husband fly-fishes. 🙂 Kids are grown & gone, though. 🙁

    26. Misty

      OMG I love this! I have a huge farmers porch and I have been looking for ways to fill it without it just being seating areas! This is Perfect! I will be on the lookout for something similar! And I am so excited you are coming to New Hampshire in October! You will love it here! 🙂

    27. Dianne Plourde

      Nobody, nobody beautifies like you do. :O) Such an inspiration.

    28. Amanda

      Love this post! Great ideas for my new garden shed. Please do not sell the bike. Your boys learned to ride on it. Cant you turn it into a cute décor item in one of their rooms? Please reconsider selling.

    29. Laura

      I am SOOOO excited you are coming to NH! Antique Alley will be close by for you to check out! I have been following you for years and so glad you will visit us in beautiful NH!

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