Once upon a time, there was a little rustic garden shed that needed some love. Actually, it wasn’t a garden shed at all. It was a messed up greenhouse!
With beams exposed and plastic ripped, the greenhouse needed a new life. A morph if you will.
(edited to add: the cow mural was painted by artist friend Adrienne. It’s being safely stored until I find a new location for it. It was hand painted onto plywood with acrylic craft paints, then covered with a clear sealer)
Things started off slow. It took awhile for the girl with the tools to do her thing. First she had to learn how to use the tools, then figure out how to build.
This was no small task! But as the pieces of the puzzle were put into place…
… magic transpired. For both the shed and the girl. Together, they transformed.
This funky little shed was the girl’s first ever build. And it wasn’t even really a build. It was a ‘screw the boards into the framework’ project that couldn’t have been easier to create.
A cheater build! But! That’s ok, because the girl took advantage of something that was right in front of her own nose. How strange is it that the old greenhouse stood before the girl for 4 years before she saw the light? What held her back?
It doesn’t matter now, because once the work started, there was no stopping. After the framework was in place, the rest was icing on the cake.
One by one, creative elements were brought into play. An old crate for a flowerbox, rusty tools for decoration… the bare shed walls got all dressed up from hand me downs not costing a single thing. All this took was a little creativity.
The little rustic garden shed continued to improve and morph with age. One day the grapevines near the shed spotted an opportunity… and ran with it!
They wasted NO time. The grapevines started to climb overtop of a door that had swung open from the wind. It was quite an unexpected happening, but a pleasant one! They quickly did their thing and became beautiful, stopping the girl in her tracks from cutting them back and closing the door.
For when one door opens…
… opportunity arises.
Once the vines let loose and grew even more, they continued to become more valuable and much more productive.
Growth, discovery, trial and error… all valuable elements.
The little rustic shed simply morphed. And became more beautiful with each passing day.
Is the little rustic shed finished? Is this project a done deal? Or can it only get better with time?
The moment we stop and think we’ve done it all, or worse, feel we can’t do more, you ARE done. You’ve already made the decision to call it quits.
On the other hand, allowing yourself to morph into different areas of your life will only take you in new directions not yet discovered. Which would you prefer? To wake up to the same thing every day because you are done, or to wake up with a renewed sense of adventure and continue to build?
Grow!
Grow like the grapevine that took hold of the door and got swept away in a sea of opportunity.
Risk!
Risk something new like ‘building a shed’. Maybe you just have to search for the key to make it happen, such as the greenhouse hiding inside.
Add!
Keep adding newly achieved talents to the mix. I’ve never paved a walkway before or laid stone or brick. Maybe it’s time to add to the little rustic shed in new ways…
The little rustic shed, nor the girl that ‘built’ it will never be done. Isn’t that the beauty of a journey we love? We don’t want it to end, we want to learn and grow and continue towards new discoveries.
The little rustic shed that could. If a shed can do it, why can’t you?
The rustic garden shed series…
Part 1 – from a greenhouse to a rustic garden shed
Part 2 – the building of a barn door
Part 3 – a planter box and a gate
Part 5 – The little rustic garden shed that could
Is it still full of fireplace wood? The shed would be a really cute potting shed, office, a place to sit and relax inside…..good job!
Yes, it’s still full of firewood! It’s truly a perfect place to stash it but you can believe I can think of 101 other uses for this shed!
Hey Donna! Although I’m a recent follower, I’ve seen you in RH, C&B, and FMS, but this post stopped me dead in my tracks! I’ve spent the last 45 min or so reading all the related posts to this shed, including the summer & winter photo links! I love everything about this and your style, and your home surroundings remind me of ours here in WV. (And can you keep a secret? We have a hot tub situated on part of our courtyard that I would love to have a shed like this on [instead]- must be the reason I’m collected old wood…the little hot tub that could?!)
Have a great day!
Rita
Absolutely love it! Great ideas too. :o)
What a stunner of a shed! Love how it all came together. Hard work from a human along with nature’s hard work came together wonderfully!
Aww, thanks Brian! I love how it just became what it needed to be!
This is absolutely beautiful! I’ve followed your blog for some time now and you are a true inspiration. Keep it up!
Super cute final look. Love your planters too!!
Thanks Donna…. One of your best posts ever…. We are all on the journey and such joy we find along the way!!! So grateful that you share yours with us. GOD bless you today and always!
LOVE! I’m inspired …
I love it Donna! You did an amazing job!
Or, sometimes it just takes the encouragement of another woman who told me I could do it, and after listening to her story of how she taught herself to build things, convinced me I could do it too. That person was you, Donna and I thank you every day as I look for new projects that I can tackle. Thank you so much. It was a tremendous gift.
You just gave me goosebumps, Paulette! I’m thrilled you were inspired in some way! Thanks for today’s smile. 🙂
It’s adorable! Amazing touches with the license plates, planter, tools and the ladder. The grape vines are lovin’ it too.
Thank you for that gentle kick in the butt. I needed that badly!
You are most welcome, Jill! These kinds of wordy posts are my favourite to write. Love digging deep…
Life really does come down to attitude. When you think you can, you can!
What a fabulous shed! The geraniums look beautiful against the worn wood and the grapevine is just icing on the cake. For some reason my grapevines are growing beyond crazy this year.
I love the cow print that was on the shed too!
I so agree. Try isn’t even in my vocabulary. DO replaced it!
The shed is great! It’s so cute! But, I can’t help but wonder what happened to that incredible black and white cow painting that was on the side of it before the transformation. What a treasure that was!
Hey Cheryl! The mural is safely tucked away under cover in another shed until I find the perfect spot for it. Still thinking… it’s a beauty, isn’t it? It was painted by my artist friend Adrienne and was created for the side of my barn I once had. I just propped it up on the greenhouse when I moved to keep it safe.
It’s just beautiful Donna, both the words and the pictures and of course my favourite shed of all time. I didn’t think it could get more beautiful than the winter picture ..oh how wrong was I!
LOVE the cow print…. what did you do with it?
Love your shed too ~ wish I had one. 🙂
Oh how I just LOVE this blog post!! Love the way the shed looks now, and love the parallels you drew to everyday creative life!!I love grapevines, I always search for them to make wreaths and goodies!! Thanks again for inspiring me to look at things in a new and different way!! I LOVE nature and really want to incorporate it into my creative endeavors!!! Have an awesome butterfly filled day :)!!
You might never know how much this blog post of yours is meaning to me …but I want to thank you for it. Its made a difference in a life today!
Thanks so much Cary! You made my own smile grow wider today! Go get’tem…
I’ve always loved this shed and I especially loved the cow picture, but I’ve told you that before. The grapes are loving this space as well as the red geraniums. It’s an excellent shed. Thanks for sharing.
NOPE! Not falling for this one! I have a poor little shed, I have grapevines….but will this be like the edging??? lol Seriously lots of inspiration. I don’t look at something and say, “That’s never been done, can’t.” I am like “Cool nobody else has done this.” I like the unusual, the challenge and right now I am learning, to distress. I always thought my antiques needed to be pristine or just like I got them. You were my very first inspiration. I still think you should have your own TV show on DIY.
Aww, come on Nancy… you can build one! haha Cheater builds are all about winging it! Thanks for continuing to visit, you are much appreciated!
I am truly inspired. My shed is already built. It needs repainted, etc. So mine would actually be easy compared to what you did.
It’s a beautiful little shed. I love it!
I admire your work, your creativity and your good taste!
Amazing place!
D.
Wow, just what I needed today! Thank you.
I must insist, I am moving in!!!!:) Beautiful, simply beautiful!!!!
What a cool idea. I love the garden and all the rustic design. Great job!
Your grapes are amazing!
…oh it is such a lovely shed..and so personal! The wood is mellow perfect!
So.so.cute 😉
This post is both inspiring and heartbreaking to me. Our little shed was the pig barn. It was one of my favorite spots on my mini farm. I had such dreams for it. Sadly it was “taken out” by years of neglect and done in by one massive windstorm before I could firm it up.
But the doorway still stands! Maybe there is a symbol of opportunity still standing!
I appreciate your message of hope and room for growth.
oh- and I love that the license plates (tags) are from Ohio!
Loved your story! The shed is truly a work of art, yours and God’s. You are so blessed.
What a wonderful story and introspective! I appreciate it on both counts. I love your little shed! And I’m happy to report my grapevines are looking as lovely as yours this year!
Once again, kudos on a job well done!
Found your blog from Craft Gossip. I need to do something like this to an old chicken coop and old smokehouse on our property.
I am in love with your garden shed! It is so adorable! I have to beautify my shed. My shed is nice, but very vanilla — literally. (It’s white with black shutters.) I will have to figure out how to dress it up without putting holes into it. (My hubby would hate it if I put nails, etc., into the siding.)Love the license plates and the Coca-Cola sign.
Just started following your blog. It is absolutely delightful. I love it. This article was so sweet. Gives me so many new ideas.
Thanks,
Nancy
Hi Donna!!! I just love your garden shed, it’s so cute! I am doing a round-up of garden shed inspiration, and I’d love to include yours. Would you be okay with me sharing a picture from this post with a link back so people can see your garden shed awesomeness?? Let me know! ~Angela~
Hi Angela, that sounds awesome, thank-you!
Hi! I moved into a new house a year ago, and on my property I found a mound of left over things like stairs. I am trying to figure out a way to make use with the stairs for my outdoor garden. I was considering an arbor with stairs on each side. Do you think it could work? Are there other uses?
Thanks,
Tracey Williams
How do I get a hold of that cow print? That is awesome. She should sell them. I would buy it!
Hi there, do you realise that the part 1 link is broken? (“from a greenhouse to a rustic garden shed”).
I am nearing my own “even littler shed that could” inspired by this, all will be revealed soon! 🙂
I would love to replicate the shingles on the gable – alas we don’t use shingles in Australia so I am not sure how to go about it, I was hoping for insight into it in the part 1 section (I am sure it was there a couple of years ago)…