My Kind of Filing...

by Crystal Creation

6 Materials

So I had this NEED to have a filing cabinet. My junk loving friends, you know not to ignore this calling from the soul, lol! So I got one and it of course sat around FOREVER before it hit me...a planter but obviously not like one I have seen yet ;) .

my kind of filing , crafts, gardening, how to, repurposing upcycling

I took the drawers out, cleaned them up and found some happy colors.

Got into my stash of random sticks and poles and found the perfect support. Of course all the while my husband is still clueless as to what I am trying to do but he is right there by my side!

At this point the plan was to do a "swirl" pattern with the drawers because that is what I saw and that is what HAD to happen or my brain would explode. As a side note, my husband is a saint to put up with my crazy. So anyway, using the pole, sliding it through the same hole in each drawer to keep somewhat "aligned", he screwed small boards to the inside of the one below it and then screwed them together.

another view

so here you can see the board supports that hold each drawer to the next. the plastic bottles are my "drainage" instead of heavy rocks. So you plant flowers only in the spots that are open so it is "spilling" out of the drawer. At least this is my thought process, excited to see where your mind takes it. Isn't that the fun of looking at this stuff? Inspiration is the key.

then keep stacking.

another view

all stacked!

coming around it...

and around...

into a "swirl" pattern!!!! I was so happy but there was still something that was not quite right just yet. So it sat like this for a week or so...

So it was at this point I am JUST NOW figuring out that my "swirl" was not going to support itself. Yeah, I know everyone but me saw that when it was done. Especially my husband! But the reason that I love him so is because he knew telling me this at the beginning was going to be pointless because I would not understand why. Apparently my problem is that I am not boxed in by reality, common sense or math so he knew I had to see it not work for myself, lol. So "we" had to change the "swirl" into a wonky stack, which I actually like better. The glass flowers on the front are random thrift store finds that I can NEVER walk away from without buying some, glued together and a solar light glued into the center. So you get the above in the daytime and...

this at night.

Thanks for looking! Now go make the world beautiful one up-cycle at a time.

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Filing cabinet (thrift store)
Spray paint (left over from other projects)
Random pole (my stash)
Glass dishes (thrift store)
Solar lights
E6000 glue

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3 of 5 questions

Gaelle on Jul 11, 2016
I love the fronts with the dishes and solar lights. Very clever. However I can't get past this one little thing...did you, uhm, spray paint right on your wood decking? Do you have plans to paint it or strip it or some such thing?

3
Dee B on Jul 18, 2016
I like this wacky idea. Thanks for inspiration. I like the red bench too. Was that a headboard?

2
Danielle Odin on Aug 10, 2016
What did you do with the body of the filing cabinet? By laying it on its back and painting it a funky color, you can make it into a planter as well.

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